Topics

91

General Discussion / Off-topic, but interesting San Francisco street freight trackage

« on: March 21, 2012, 08:32:22 PM »

Off-topic by about 2000 miles west, but I thought it was interesting.  Active UP freight branch that travels for several city blocks towards the harbor which crosses a light rail line at grade.  I am not aware of another location where an active freight line crosses a streetcar or light rail line at grade-and in the middle of a street intersection. 

I noticed a picture in the NY Times from last week showing a picture of what appeared to be street trackage in the background.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/realestate/commercial/revived-project-lifts-bayview-a-blighted-san-francisco-area.html?_r=1&sq=a%20san%20francisco%20district&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=1&adxnnlx=1332364264-d81kwBzuGW96TINF4QZjhA

I used Google Maps Satellite View and Bing Maps (Birds-eye View) and found this branch line that runs for a number of city blocks and which serves at least one industry-a warehouse-with reefers parking on a spur.  There's an interesting configuration of tracks at the eastern end near the harbor. 

Type in the intersection of the street names Ingalls Street and Carroll Avenue in San Francisco and you will see a three way split at the end of the line into three spurs.  Then follow the line west to its connection to where it crosses the light rail line at grade and into connection to the UP (ex-SP) main shared with Caltrain.

Not far to the north is the trackage of the shortline San Francisco Bay Railroad (http://www.sfbayrail.com/) which also operates some street trackage.  The UP/Caltrain line goes through a tunnel from where the tracks run down the street and where it connects to SFBR.

92

General Discussion / Serious Energy Closing Plant on Goose Island

« on: February 23, 2012, 10:06:00 PM »

New article in the Tribune...Serious Energy is shutting down its former Republic Windows plant on Goose Island.  CTR made one delivery to Serious.  Too bad, loss of a potential rail shipper. 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-republic-windows-redux-workers-occupy-goose-island-plant-20120223,0,4716311.story

93

General Discussion / Interesting Post on Forgotten Chicago Site About C&NW Kinzie Street Bridge

« on: January 04, 2012, 09:20:47 PM »

Re: Railroad Bridge Over Chicago River @ Kinzie and Canal
Posted by: Quercus (---.dsl.emhril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: December 02, 2009 02:37PM

I love this bridge. It is beautiful and a wonderful piece of our past. In the late 60's I was walking around the area, which was completely deserted and very different than it is now. I waved to the bridgetender and we started talking. I asked him about the bridge, age, etc and he was happy to talk about it. then he asked me if I would like to lower and raise it - just for fun..WOULD I???
The first 80-95 degrees went down with a lever set into floor, the last few feet was a button. I set it down with just the softest of bumps. I was so proud. I would hate to see it go. maybe it needs a friends of the bridge group.

94

General Discussion / Coming Soon...New South Side and Southwest Side Coverage For Chicago Switching

« on: January 04, 2012, 04:59:20 PM »

I have it confirmed by Tom Mann that he will be adding a section on the South Side and Southwest Sides to chicagoswitching.com.  Look for new articles, including a feature on the Chicago Stockyards Industrial Park rail operations today. 

95

General Discussion / Chicago & West Ridge Track Survivor in West Ridge Neighborhood

« on: December 26, 2011, 11:38:25 AM »

Here's a picture of a segment of the former Chicago & West Ridge which ran alongside Kedzie from a connection with the C&NW's Mayfair Line on the east side of the North Shore Channel.  The C&WR was later absorbed by the C&NW.  The C&WR's main business came from serving clay pits and brick factories south of Touhy. 

In later years the C&NW served several industrial customers off the former C&WR between Howard and Touhy and just west of Kedzie.  This photo was taken at Kedzie and Fargo.  The tracks were cut off by at least the 1980s.

96

General Discussion / Is Tempel Steel at 5500 N Wolcott Ave, Chicago, IL Still Rail-Served?

« on: December 21, 2011, 11:18:04 AM »

Does anyone know if Tempel Steel is still rail-served?  I read recently in the latest First & Fastest magazine that UP has no freight service on the North Line south of Lake Bluff which is why they are making Metra pay for much of the rebuilding of the line. 

Bing Birds-eye and Google Earth both show the spur going into Tempel Steel as intact and connected to the main line. 

97

General Discussion / Another Collection of Pictures on the former Milwaukee Road North Side Lines

« on: December 18, 2011, 08:23:38 PM »

Found this collection online....

http://www.pbase.com/gordg3/image/118168771

98

General Discussion / Brand Brewing buildings on Elston Threatened Once More

« on: December 13, 2011, 09:03:23 PM »

According to an article in the Chicago Reader, the 90-day waiting period is up and the Brand Brewing complex could be demolished at any time.

http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/12/01/the-brand-brewing-complex-to-raze-or-not-to-raze

The Brand Brewing complex later housed US Brewing and other companies.  According to a 1985 C&NW track diagram the buildings were still listed as rail-served industries, with the (now demolished) northernmost building housing the Brolite Company and the middle building (still standing) housing Aluminum Recycling. 

If HH Gregg gets its way and tears down the Brand Brewing buildings then Elston will be a desert of vast parking lots and big box stores, its industrial heritage snuffed out. 

99

General Discussion / View of UP/C&NW Carroll Avenue Bridge from Apparel Center

« on: December 06, 2011, 09:56:44 PM »

Picture taken from 15th floor of the Apparel Center looking down on the once double-tracked, UP/C&NW bascule bridge.  In the distant background is a tank car on the ground level Blommer spur.

100

General Discussion / Did Sipi Metals Spur Get Paved Over? Plus Former Rolling Mill Yard

« on: December 01, 2011, 06:46:36 PM »

When I passed by Sipi Metals today it looked like their spur had been paved over during resurfacing of their parking lot-or maybe I did not look close enough.  Has anyone else gotten a close-up view?  That would be yet another loss for the Chicago Terminal. 

I noticed that the former Rolling Mill Yard between Sipi and the UP/Metra NW Line now is used for parking of new cars, perhaps overflow from one of the car dealers on Elston or on Goose Island.  Maybe Iowa Pacific sold the land which is why a new run-around track was built on the Elston Avenue overpass bridge. 

101

General Discussion / Chicago Tribune Freedom Center Blocking and Switching Location?

« on: November 23, 2011, 01:44:50 PM »

Last Thursday I drove past the yard used to store boxcars for the Tribune's Freedom Center just off Grand Avenue.  It was completely empty to my surprise.  Has the blocking and switching moved to the North Avenue Yard?  I would think that now the Tribune is also printing the Chicago Sun-Times (and the local editions of the Wall Street Journal and the NY Times) that business would be up for UP at the Freedom Center.

I did notice two hoppers on the ground level spur outside of Blommer Chocolate which is encouraging.

On a sad note, I heard that the Sun-Times could not find any buyers for its printing presses at its relatively new plant it closed recently on the South Side.  Instead they are going to be sold for scrap.  This plant just opened in 2001...

102

General Discussion / Track Finally Gone from Underneath Ohio/Ontario Ramp on Kingsbury

« on: November 20, 2011, 04:20:29 PM »

I drove on Kingsbury recently and noticed that the former track to Wallace is now gone underneath the Ohio/Ontario overpass.  Not sure if it was removed then paved over or simply paved over in place.  It was the last remaining section of rail this far south on the C&E South Line.

In the gone but not forgotten category I am posting this shot from June of 1990 showing an MP15 in Bandit colors idling just off Kingsbury at Erie, waiting to pick up an empty boxcar from Wallace.  It is out of view behind the abutments.  I had to compress it a lot from the original 8" x 10" print format to get it to upload. 

Other things that are a thing of the past in this 1990 view-monthly parking for just $45 per month and WMAQ-AM as an all-news station that for a while rivaled WBBM-AM.

103

General Discussion / Scanned 1914 Smoke Abatement Map-Goose Island-East Side

« on: October 01, 2011, 05:33:18 PM »

Note the C&NW roundhouse across the Chicago River from Goose Island.  Unlike the 1955 and 1971 Milwaukee Road diagrams, there are no tracks crossing Halsted on Goose Island.

104

General Discussion / Scanned 1914 Smoke Abatement Map-Goose Island-West Side

« on: October 01, 2011, 05:30:32 PM »

This scan is from the Chicago Association of Commerce, Committee of Investigation on Smoke Abatement and Electrification of Railway Terminals, dated 1914.  It shows the western half of Goose Island and the surrounding area. 

The map came from Doug Kaniuk's collection originally. 

105

General Discussion / Scanned Milwaukee Road Track Diagram-Goose Island (Southern Half)-1955

« on: September 30, 2011, 03:43:23 PM »

Schlitz Brewing had a rail-served location on Goose Island back in 1955.  With multiple breweries served from the Milwaukee Road's C&E line (including offshoots the Deering Line and Goose Island) directly or via team tracks it could rival Milwaukee's better known Beer Line for that distinction. 

While Milwaukee's Beer Line generated more volume from Schlitz, Pabst, and Blatz, the C&E line and its offshoots in Chicago had more variety including Birk Brothers at Webster Avenue, Best Brewing Company on Lakewood just south of Belmont, Atlantic Brewing served by team tracks off the Deering Line, the Peter Hand Brewery at Kingsbury and North Avenue, and the Schlitz facility believed to be a warehouse on Goose Island.

Note also the changing names and businesses from 1955 to 1971.