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General Discussion / Bloomer switching in movie "Blink" 1994

« Last post by haggar on November 27, 2023, 08:37:07 PM »

While reseaching Chicago scenes in movies I came upon this from 1994's "Blink".

https://youtu.be/P0hhMMGRVOo?si=DY3bv15ahKZhcN7-

I saw this movie a long time ago but don't remember this scene.
Filmed at Aberdeen and Hubbard.

Joe

General Discussion / Re: Kingsbury Street

« Last post by TBurke on August 11, 2023, 09:28:07 AM »

In 1987 there would have been several industries that still regularly received boxcars on this line, the Chicago & Evanston or C&E, and off the attached Goose Island trackage. This train is heading south on Kingsbury just past Cortland.

1. Wallace Business Forms at Grand Avenue and Kingsbury.
2. Midwest Zinc on Kingsbury just south of North Avenue.
3. Plibrico on Kingsbury just north of North Avenue.
4. Midwest Industrial Metals on Goose Island on North Branch at Bliss.
5. Big Bay Lumber on Goose Island, North Branch at Division.

The last train in revenue service on these former Milwaukee Road lines was in 2015 to Big Bay Lumber by Chicago Terminal. Chicago Terminal and its parent Iowa Pacific Holdings went out of business in 2019. That was the year of the final movement on these rails as stored reefers were retrieved and brought back across the Chicago River to the Union Pacific North Avenue Yard.

These former Milwaukee Road lines branched off the Chicago & Evanston Line which at one time connected the tracks entering Union Station on the south with a passenger depot in Wilmette on the north end. The MILW cut back the C&E Line over time, starting with the predecessor of the CTA taking over operation of freight and passenger service from Irving Park Road north. By 1984 the C&E Line was cut back to Diversey on the north and Grand Avenue on the south. Its connection to the outside world was via the Bloomingdale Line, now a trail.

In 1986 Canadian Pacific via its Soo Line subsidiary took over operations of the Milwaukee Road including the industrial tracks on the North Side of Chicago. In 2001 the Bloomingdale Line was put out of service as a through line for transfer runs so CP leased space at Union Pacific's North Avenue yard and connected via the interchange track to its home rails. In 2007 shortline Chicago Terminal took over operations of what was left from CP.

I covered the history of these lines in detail in a Milwaukee Road Historical Association book called The Milwaukee Road in Chicago which was recently reprinted by the MRHA and is available on their website.

I also have photos and maps in these albums among others.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72177720296370340

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157715114878692

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157657870065262

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157657240086290

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157657848232111

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157704913274794

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157704913274794

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157704913274794

General Discussion / Kingsbury Street

« Last post by SteveN on August 08, 2023, 11:34:03 PM »

So I was looking through Flickr this evening and came across this photo. Even though I have a great interest in Chicago railroading, I'll admit that I am fairly new at understanding the Milwaukee/Soo operations in the city. Any idea where they may have been heading to? Neat to see a small string of CNW RBL boxcars.

Thanks

https://flic.kr/p/KdGL5F

General Discussion / Cool Picture of Streetcar Crossing MILW Tracks Outside Wrigley Field

« Last post by TBurke on July 14, 2023, 07:29:43 PM »

Not sure if this picture has been posted here before or not...

General Discussion / Re: photo missions

« Last post by themats on July 14, 2023, 04:22:29 PM »

Jeff,

Here's a mission for ya:

Get shots of the former C&NW tracks at the water purification plant just north of Navy Pier.

Get in, and get out quickly before they start shooting at you!

I KEED I KEED.

Mike

General Discussion / Re: 1921 tracks along river

« Last post by TBurke on July 05, 2023, 07:44:44 AM »

Nice catch. I am guessing that the Sun-Times building then later Trump Tower occupied that spot.

Reminder looking at the smoke in the air in the photo that in the old days bad air days were common in the industrial past when homes and industries burned coal.

General Discussion / Re: CNW shrine on the Mayfair branch

« Last post by TBurke on July 05, 2023, 07:42:50 AM »

It's nice that they preserved a relic of the railroad heritage and noted it with a sign. I walked the 606 Trail when it first opened and was disappointed to not see a single rail preserved nor signage unlike the High Line Trail in NYC.

The date is a little off. UP continued to service Sun Chemical north of Touhy through at least 2003 and the tracks were in place as late as 2005.

Also this line at this point was actually the Weber Branch of Line. Mayfair was the line up to River Junction. From there it forked into the Skokie Subdivision to Northbrook and the Weber Line into Evanston.

http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2020/04/abanc-weber-yard-on-weber-canal-branch.html

Good digital copy of this out of print book on the line available here-

https://cnwhs.org/wp1/product/cnw-lines-north-of-mayfair-maps/

I have photos of the line when it was still in service and later, after operations ended but the tracks were still in place, in this album.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157658402425729/with/20903869703/

General Discussion / Re: photo missions

« Last post by TBurke on July 05, 2023, 07:28:36 AM »

How about retracing the route of the former Milwaukee Road Chicago & Evanston Line?

You could start at the former Buena Yard, just north of Irving Park Road where it interchanged with the CTA via a ramp. Then follow it south all the way to where it at one time crossed the North Branch of the Chicago River at Kinzie and Kingsbury and joined the main MILW tracks along Canal Street where they Metra/Amtrak tracks now cross Canal. It ran on the east side of Canal Street after crossing by where the East Bank Club now sits.

Your route would be primarily on city streets like Lakewood and Kingsbury. You could take a side trip onto Goose Island.

Show what artifacts like embedded tracks in the pavement are still left.

These maps should help.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157715114878692

Put your photos on Flickr also.

Tom