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91

General Discussion / Re: 1999: Freight Cars Parked along Magnolia

« Last post by TBurke on February 22, 2021, 11:09:31 AM »

Also- does anyone have photos of that Magnolia Ave. scrap yard lot when it was active? I'm modeling that spur on my HO Morton Salt layout and would love to see if there's any particular details of the site I could model.

This view might be helpful.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/5632/9102453406/in/photolist-AY87n3-eSmsgQ-eSkStS-MYuqwV-Q8Ex1m-QCAEAY-LkimZc-NXF7Zj-oq2unF-PA2Vbn-QatVoC-Qvbg64-RiidqQ-QhZo39-2ka8xvP-QugEz5-2hPGFfm

And these images-

http://www.chicagoswitching.com/chicago/former-cnw-up/north-line/Halloween-Outing-Part-2-N-Magnolia-Ave/

92

General Discussion / Re: 1999: Freight Cars Parked along Magnolia

« Last post by TBurke on February 22, 2021, 11:05:01 AM »

Also- does anyone have photos of that Magnolia Ave. scrap yard lot when it was active? I'm modeling that spur on my HO Morton Salt layout and would love to see if there's any particular details of the site I could model.

I don't have any photos of gondolas or trains working that scrapyard but here is a view of Magnolia before it was rebuilt.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/25190170421/in/photolist-PGqxPV-2dsx7mR-2dsx7ip-PGqxNn-EnYd48-xDW5eJ

93

General Discussion / Re: 1999: Freight Cars Parked along Magnolia

« Last post by haggar on February 19, 2021, 11:25:14 AM »

Yes, they were scrap metal gondolas. Used to see them all the time when taking that shortcut up to North Ave. Never took pics. Before the time of convenient cell phone cameras.

Joe

94

General Discussion / Re: ADM mill being demolished

« Last post by haggar on February 19, 2021, 11:21:23 AM »

My company has the elevator maintenance contract at Freedom Center. I have taken a few videos of switching from the parking lot. I have a few more from under the Ohio feeder bridge. Will try to post them one of these years.

Joe

95

General Discussion / Re: 1999: Freight Cars Parked along Magnolia

« Last post by TribuneFreightFanatic on February 18, 2021, 04:48:56 PM »

Also- does anyone have photos of that Magnolia Ave. scrap yard lot when it was active? I'm modeling that spur on my HO Morton Salt layout and would love to see if there's any particular details of the site I could model.

96

General Discussion / 1999: Freight Cars Parked along Magnolia

« Last post by TribuneFreightFanatic on February 18, 2021, 04:46:27 PM »

Hi All,

While looking up historical aerial footage of the Morton Salt facility, I noticed quite a few cars staged along the Magnolia Ave. spur. The date stamp is 1999, and Home Depot has already replaced the P&G plant so I doubt they're tank cars. Any ideas what kind of cars would be laid up there? Gons for the scrap yard adjacent to the tracks? I've attached a screenshot of the map aerial below.

Thanks in advance.

97

General Discussion / Re: ADM mill being demolished

« Last post by TBurke on February 17, 2021, 05:08:38 PM »

The subject says it all. Sterling Bay was going to try to re-purpose part of it but apparently it's all coming down. I lived right across the tracks from here. My son and I spent many hours watching the evening switch job. He developed a love for trains; a nice hobby we'll always be able to share.
One of these years, when I have free time, I'll post the numerous videos I took of those switching jobs.
With Continental Paper Grading being relocated,  the only immediate downtown area industries left are Tribune and Blommer. And we all know that Trib plans on selling off that land in the near future.

Joe

Chicago gets lets interesting every year with the loss of its industrial heritage.

The Tribune was bought out this week by an investment group known for its aggressive cost-cutting. They will probably gut the paper with yet more layoffs and try to sell the land on which the Freedom Center printing press operates. The Tribune prints in addition to its own paper the Sun-Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times there under contracts.

I suppose they could outsource production to the go-to regional printer, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which has extra capacity at its printing press in West Milwaukee that is only some twenty years old and truck the newspapers to the Chicago area. CP services this printing press as it does with the much smaller Daily Herald printing press in Schaumburg.

98

General Discussion / Re: ADM mill being demolished

« Last post by rschroeder1 on February 14, 2021, 09:41:17 PM »

I came across this switching job quite a few times on my bike commute home.  One video of it (not my video):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGtQr9CuiyE

One question someone might be able to answer.  On a couple rare occasions, the NS switching engine would be parked on the ADM tracks, engine off, cab empty.  I suppose the crew could have been picked up there, just not sure why that might be.

99

General Discussion / ADM mill being demolished

« Last post by haggar on February 13, 2021, 12:50:04 PM »

The subject says it all. Sterling Bay was going to try to re-purpose part of it but apparently it's all coming down. I lived right across the tracks from here. My son and I spent many hours watching the evening switch job. He developed a love for trains; a nice hobby we'll always be able to share.
One of these years, when I have free time, I'll post the numerous videos I took of those switching jobs.
With Continental Paper Grading being relocated,  the only immediate downtown area industries left are Tribune and Blommer. And we all know that Trib plans on selling off that land in the near future.

Joe

100

General Discussion / Re: Introduce Yourself!

« Last post by rschroeder1 on February 10, 2021, 11:51:34 PM »

Hi everyone, my name is Rob, I've been a longtime reader of this board but haven't posted until now.  I've always had a curiosity about the random train lines snaking through the city and found this site one day.  I've learned a lot here!

While I grew up in the suburbs, my grandmother lived on the far north side, and I was always a bit obsessed with the Cragin line running through Chicago and Lincolnwood (I think).  In the 90's, it was very rare to see a train on the weekends when we would be in the city, but it happened once or twice.  I recall they were always the randomest of engines and train sets, at least to my youthful mind.

I believe a forum member here has posted a lengthy video of Cragin line action, which was fascinating to watch.

As an adult, I've been a bike commuter in the city, heading from Lincoln Park/Lake View to the Illinois Medical District area.  Goose Island has always been a logical route for me, so I've watched the ebb and flow of the Chicago Terminal over the past years.  I'll never forget the day in which I biked to work with everything "normal" on the line - empty, no action.  When I came home, there were tanker cars parked all over the line.  Quite a surprise!  I was lucky to also catch the removal of the tankers at the North Ave. crossing.

I don't have pictures or anything to add, but just wanted to share my appreciation for this board as a learning tool and historical resource, especially as switching lines slowly disappear.  I'll chime in as I can moving forward!