A. Lakin & Sons

[Jsu]

What is the status on the A. Lakin & Sons tire yard just North of Finkl?  I would think that they would be getting rail service considering their products, but I have not seen anything when I bike through the area or anywhere else.  I assume that once they did get rail service.  Also, I saw in the articles talking about the re-development of the Finkl property included the Laklin and Gutmann properties, so I would assume that the whole area is getting cleared out.  Does anyone have more info on the state of A. Lakin & Sons?

[cnwnorthline]

"The Lakins operate a tire recycling business and have said the future of their property depends in large part on what happens to the Finkl land, according to Mr. Holzer"

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/realestate/20140716/CRED03/140719870/what-to-do-with-finkl-steel-site-lincoln-parkers-have-their-say#

Hope this helps!

-Matt

[Jsu]

 Thanks, that helps a little, I'm still wondering on the historic and perhaps current rail service that Lakin had/still has.  On street view, it looks like the Western end of the Deering branch is used fir Finkl, so would assume that Lakin does not see service anymore, but once had.

[TBurke]

Lakin has not had rail service since at least the mid-1980s.  That surviving segment of the Deering Line that is west of Southport and touches Dominick Street was used as a tail track by Finkl for switching in its plant as well as for the occasional storage of its rail-mounted crane.  Lakin shows up in a 1970 Milwaukee Road track diagram as a rail-served customer at the Dominick location.

Here's a view of the former Lakin spur along Dominick.  It was removed when Dominick was repaved circa 1991 as was most of what was left of the Deering Line in the street south of Webster.

http://chicagoswitching.com/chicago/former-milwaukee-road-cp-rail-chicago-terminal/deering-line/Deering-Line-South-End/

I wrote an extensive history of the Deering Line with photos, track plans, and all-time customer listings in the First Quarter of 2006 issue of The Milwaukee Railroader.  It is available to order online at www.mrha.com.  It traces the Deering Line's origins in serving the Deering Harvester (later International Harvester) plant (from which it received its name) in the 1800s into the CP Rail era with service on the stub used by Finkl. 

[Jsu]

Ok this makes sense.  Thanks to both of you. Tom, does your history by any chance talk about the interchange at the Northernmost end of the Deering Line where it connected with the C&NW's North Line by Wrightwood & Clybourne?

[TBurke]

It talks about the connection but it was not an official interchange point.  The MILW and C&NW had reciprocal switching rights within the original Deering Harvester site and the industries that later were there.