2/1/07 Last Run to Peerless, Not C&E Line

[TBurke]

I just wanted to clarify that the train to went to Peerless Confection and back on February 1, 2007, was the LAST TRAIN TO SERVICE PEERLESS.  It does not mean that train operations necessarily are over for this north end of the C&E Line.

The C&E North Line continues to be an active part of the national railroad system until an official abandonment occurs.  

There is a big difference between out-of-service rail lines and officially abandoned railroad lines.  An abandonment petition must be filed first with the Surface Transportation Board and even then it can take up to two years for approval after the last train has traveled on those tracks.

Let\'s hope that they young Chicago Terminal Railroad can continue operations in some form or fashion on the C&E North Line.

[GM]

In addition to the question about ripping up track that I posted on the other topic I was wondering if you knew if abandonment was filed for the old track that went north past Peerless to Wrigley Field. Did the Milwaukee Road/Soo file abandonment on that portion back in the 1980\'s and that is why the track was torn up.

Also do you know if any petition for abandonment has been filed for what is left of the Kingsbury line between North Ave and Division? I assume the portion that went past Division St and disappeared probably had abandoned status also?

The reason I ask this is because from the pictures you have posted on this website of Goose Island, the City just started placing street signs in the middle of track that went to Azco Salt and it seems they don\'t honor the fact that even though the track is not in use you still can not obstruct it in any way.

GM

[TBurke]

GM and others:

The track north of Diversey Parkway was taken out of service prior prior to the Soo Line takeover in 1986.  My guess is that it was officially abandoned once Reed Candy was purchased by Wrigley and production relocated to Naperville in 1983.  

About one foot of rail was removed from each side of the track by the Milwaukee Road sometime around 1984 on Lakewood Avenue on the north side of the Diversey crossing, parallel to the north sidewalk line, preventing future operation.  This area is now paved over.

The Milwaukee Road sold off sections of the unused ROW north of Belmont Avenue in stages, including the area in front of Wrigley Field in 1981 to the Cubs for parking. By 1973 train operations had already been cut back to Racine and Newport to serve a fuel oil dealer.  By 1982 operations were cut back again to Melrose Avenue where enough track was left in place north of Belmont to serve as a tail to reach the Reed Candy spur.

Milwaukee Road corporate successor CMC (see other post for details) sold off other parcels not in city streets to residential and commercial developers after 1985 north of Belmont.  A long stretch  of the old northbound main track is still in place however where it runs through a parking lot off School Street, one of the last places north of Diversey where you can see remains of the old C&E Line.

Chicago Terminal Railroad in their Surface Transportation Board postings (www.stb.dot.gov) included a map which showed they acquired from CP Rail the tracks on Kingsbury south of the Goose Island Lead all the way south to where they end close to Division Street.  They also purchased the tracks on Goose Island south of Bliss Street and running along North Branch to the old Akzo Salt site.  That would indicate that though they are out-of-service they are not abandoned.

The C&E South Line (official Milwaukee Road designation) aka the Kingsbury Line south of Division Street was taken out of service by 1992 after Wallace Business Forms relocated to the suburbs.  The last movement was in 1991 with a drop-center flatcar (see picture on this website) delivered to the ComEd substation south of Halsted St.  I don\'t know when the official abandonment petition was filed by CP Rail/Soo Line for this stretch.