Chicago Terminal 6/15/2009 at 1:00pm

[JohnColeman]

There were lots (maybe 15) of gondolas full of scrap metal in the North Ave yard on Monday.  All gone now.

[j torino]

The gondolas at the old Peerless site were moved about a week ago.

[gordg3]

I have been posting images from October 7 and 17. I am about 25% finished. It has taken a little longer than I thought to go through the images. All are geotagged. http://www.pbase.com/gordg3/chicago_terminal_railroad

[j torino]

Those were some of the last photos ever of cars at Peerless. The siding tracks and the entire parkway area was torn up and removed last week. The tracks in the middle of Lakewood remain.

[TBurke]

Oh no!  Glad that the last trains and freight cars on that line were documented.  I wonder who pushed through the removal-the developer or the city?

[gordg3]

Finally finished with geotagging and posting my photos of the CTRR at:
http://www.pbase.com/gordg3/chicago_terminal_railroad
Any comments would be helpful as I am not really sure of some of the boundaries (Kingsbury vs. Deering, etc.). Also one image I am not sure on about exact location is a cutoff spur: http://www.pbase.com/gordg3/image/118882554 (off Kingsbury near Magnolia). Any advice would be helpful.

[chuck]

I\'m surprised CTRR didn\'t fight for the Peerles spur.  Now there is nothing on the line.  Drove by yesterday and the spur has been cut back to were the (new) curb is.

-=Chuck=-
Mail: chuckjanda(at)hotmail.com
Home: http://www.chucksphotospot.com

[gordg3]

Chuck - I was out there yesterday also (around 12:30 p.m.). Posted some photos starting with: http://www.pbase.com/gordg3/image/119492344/original (then hit \"next\" in upper right-hand corner of page).
Sorry to see it go. I was lucky to get out there when CTRR parked the two gondola cars there. Too bad they weren\'t able to save it.

[TBurke]

That isolated spur in Gordg3\'s link above used to enter Finkl\'s property from the south along Kingsbury, just north of Cortland.  It was always a very short spur.  It probably had wheel stops at one time on the end of each rail before the building.  The spur\'s name was 127A per Milwaukee Road engineering diagrams. It was cut off in 1985 when the City of Chicago repaved Kingsbury and rationalized the remaining tracks.  

There\'s a picture of this spur from 1980 when it was still intact on page 22 of my article \"The Chicago Files: Milwaukee Road\'s Deering Line\" which was featured in the First Quarter 2006 issue of The Milwaukee Railroader magazine.  The photo shows Kingsbury as paved in dirt and gravel with a caboose and a covered hopper on the C&E North Line in the distance at the junction with the Deering Line.  Weeds and grass covered much of the tracks at that time.

[gordg3]

Tom - Do you recall which side of the street it was on (east or west)? I was back there photographing today and could not locate it. Should have taken some notes last time.

[gordg3]

There was a lumber delivery to Big Bay Lumber. Photo at: http://www.pbase.com/gordg3/image/119809119/original
Also, looked like some new concrete work at the switching point in General Iron\'s yard: http://www.pbase.com/gordg3/image/119815017/original Can anyone confirm. Also, two gondola cars (all I could see from my location) just to the west of General Iron: http://www.pbase.com/gordg3/image/119815319/original

[TBurke]

Gordg3:

The isolated section of spur track into Finkl Steel is on the west side of Kingsbury, opposite from Magnolia Avenue, just inside the Finkl complex.  It is normally behind a closed gate and not easily visible from the sidewalk.  Your picture was probably taken when the gate was open so it might be tougher to spot it with the gate closed.  You can see the track between openings in the fence and gate however from the sidewalk.

Tom

[gordg3]

Thanks Tom. I am amended my photo with your information.