Observations on 1/2/09

[themats]

I saw one box car at Big Bay as I passed on Division tonight.  

Has anyone else looked NW up the ROW from the intersection of Division and Halsted lately?  For some reason the ROW looked a little more \"cleaned up\" than I remember it being.  It looks like the mud and debris between the rail has been cleaned out.  Maybe it\'s just me and my night vision...  I didn\'t get to stop long (just sitting through a light) but it seemed like something was different.

[themats]

And the new building going up on the west side of Halsted at roughly 1440-ish north, between Blackhawk and Eastman Streets, appears to have left the area of the ROW intact in the design.  I didn\'t see any track, but it looks like they intentionally left space where the track used to be.

Does anyone know why this was done?  I know they did it intentionally in the bottom of the new Trump building downtown.  Is there anything that says they need to leave ROW intact in new building?

Mike Murray
La Grange Park, IL

[robertmroman]

Your guess is as good as mine, but this sounds like a good excuse for a hike Real Soon Now. But remember that legendary cow path easement in the Loop that left gaps between the skyscrapers for well over a century. Railroads are almost as much in the real estate business as in transportation, so developers may well prefer to leave a space as pay the railroad.
be well,
bob roman

[themats]

Huh.  Never knew about that, but here it is:

http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/1417/Loop_Cattle_Path.php

[TBurke]

My guess would be that it has to do with an easement that shows up on the land plat and in the title.  

That\'s good news about the ROW being cleaned up at the end of the tracks just past Kingsbury near Halsted.  

Once Finkl relocates CTR could be in for some tough times with just two consistent shippers left, General Iron and Big Bay. Sipi seems to rarely have any rail service anymore.