Author Topic: Dunning Line done  (Read 4146 times)

themats

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 122
    • View Profile
Dunning Line done
« on: August 27, 2008, 04:14:42 PM »
This was posted by someone on the Illinirail yahoo group:

According to my CP Bulletins yesterday, as of 0915 8/26/08 the Dunning Line has been permanently removed from service. This morning I spotted an OOS tag on the switch.

Mike Murray
La Grange Park, IL
 

raisin

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 64
    • View Profile
Dunning Line done
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2008, 05:27:53 PM »
What customers did the Dunning branch serve?  Did someone go out of business?
 

TBurke

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 794
    • View Profile
Dunning Line done
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2008, 07:46:18 PM »
Mike:

Thanks for the update though it is more sad news for the former Milwaukee Road lines in Chicago.  

For Raisin and others, the Dunning Line once traveled north all the way past Irving Park Road to service a sanitarium (later the Chicago-Reed mental hospital).  There were quite a few other customers along the Dunning Line including Radio Flyer, a brickyard, Westinghouse, Revere utensils, Kimbell Candy, and more.

Chicago-Reed is no longer there and the property has been redeveloped.  Starting in the early 1970s the line was chopped back in stages to Diversey.  The right-of-way north to Irving Park has been completely redeveloped and it would be hard to find traces of it.

The last apparent customer was Chicago Steel Rule just southwest of where the Dunning Line crosses Diversey Avenue.  From a field inspection in 2006 it looked like it had been years since a train went over these tracks.  Enough track was left in place north of Diversey to serve as a tail track to reach Chicago Steel Rule\'s spur when the condo complex was built a few years ago.


 

ray gerard

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 40
    • View Profile
Dunning Line done
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2008, 12:06:10 AM »
prior to approximately 1912 the dunning line had an outlet on the north end north of dunning and the reed/chicago state mental hospital property, a belt line ran west from mayfair down the still-overly-wide sunnyside avenue to the indian boundary line / forest preserve drive at the southern edge of ridgemoor golf course, the railroad re-grading of the somewhat steep ancient lakeshore there is still evident, this line skirted the N. end of the reed property, the dunning line connected via a wye, the belt line ran down forest preserve drive crossing the desplaines river just south of belmont ave. where the river bank concrete bridge buttresses are still in place, the line fed the bensenville yard from the east, the belt line was torn up with the opening of the \"new line\" which feeds the bensenville and proviso yards from the west.
 

TBurke

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 794
    • View Profile
Dunning Line done
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2008, 11:11:02 AM »
Some noteworth rail artifacts worth looking at on the Dunning Line include the brick shed just north of Grand Avenue, next to the ComEd site, with two tracks going into it.  This shed was used to securely unload cars of metals for a munitions plant in WWII immediately west.  Rubber baffles are still there to keep light out.  The tracks from the building to the Dunning Line are cut-off.  

Another item of interest is a \"CP Rail\" labeled padlock on the gate leading into the Chicago Steel Rule plant where the spur entered its property.

No telling how much longer they will be around so check them out, camera in hand.