Great old north side photos

[themats]

Great old images from UIC's collection:

One lone CNW boxcar just about at the tip of where the two branches of the river meet:

http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/uic_pic&CISOPTR=6225

MILW bridge across the N. Branch and surrounding tracks in its heyday:

http://chicagopast.com/post/25864299734/more-information

Mike Murray

[TBurke]

Mike-

Thanks for sharing.  I like the second photo showing the Milwaukee Road bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River since pictures of it are rare.

Tom

[mark_k]

In the Kinzie Bridge photo is the bridge in the background a combination rail and road bridge? I assume it is the predecessor of today's inactive Carroll Street Rail drawbridge.

[TBurke]

Mark-

I don't think that the Kinzie Street bridge ever carried railroad, cable car, or streetcar lines.  Streetcars ran just a block to the north on Grand and a block to the south on Lake across the river.

http://chicagoinmaps.com/chicagostreetcars.html

What appear to be narrow gauge tracks on the western part of the Kinzie bridge in this photo might be where the bridge deck is wearing out and the superstructure is showing through.

Tom

[TBurke]

Here's a scan from the Spring 1991 issue of North Western Lines magazine.  It shows that the predecessor of the C&NW, the Galena & Chicago Union, did not travel down Kinzie even as early as 1857. 

[mark_k]

Tom,

When was the Carroll Street rail drawbridge built? It's nowhere to be seen in that photo.

MK

[TBurke]

Mark-

It's not on the photo of Wolf Point because Carroll Avenue and the C&NW bascule bridge were out of view and to the left or north.  You can see a corner of the Merchandise Mart in the photo.

I do not know when the C&NW replaced the swing bridge over the river at Carroll Avenue with a bascule bridge.  My guess would be circa 1900 since swing bridges with their center piers were becoming a hazard to navigation and were gradually replaced downtown with bascule bridges.

I will have to do some more research on the exact date. 

The other photo of the Kinzie Street bridge and the Milwaukee Road beaver-tail bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River do not show the Carroll Avenue C&NW bridge either because the picture was taken upstream from that bridge. 

Tom

[mark_k]

Tom,

I'm referring exclusively to this photo:

http://chicagopast.com/post/25864299734/more-information

The Carroll Drawbridge was probably not built yet. It _should_ be visible from the photographer's vantage point.

Mark

[TBurke]

The Carroll Avenue bridge would be out of sight and to the right of the photographer in this view as well.  It was and is downstream from the Kinzie Street bridge that is shown.  There had been various bridges-swing and bascule-over the river at Carroll Avenue since 1857. 

[TBurke]

Mark-

This photo will put it in perspective.  You can see both the Carroll Avenue bascule bridge for the C&NW as well as the Kinzie Street bridge.  This view is from the 1950s. 

Tom

[mark_k]

Tom,

R.I.F.

In the photo to which I'm referring it appears that there is a predecessor bridge situated where today's Carroll St RR draw is. Near background of the photo.

http://chicagopast.com/post/25864299734/more-information

As you can see, the bridge _appears_ to be some sort of rail/road combo.

Also, interestingly, on the east (Left) side of the bridge is another long-gone trestle going over C&E/Milwaukee tracks running south from Kinzie to Wolf Point.

[TBurke]

Carroll Street is not shown in this photo which looks north and upstream.  I think your orientation is off. 

http://chicagopast.com/post/25864299734/more-information

The bridges shown in order are the Kinzie Street bridge, the Milwaukee Road swing bridge (at an angle) over the river, Grand Avenue, and Erie Street.  At one time Erie Street also spanned the river. 

The track on the left connected the Milwaukee Road's C&E Line to the C&NW. 

[mark_k]

I originally looked for the Montgomery Wards warehouse, but I suppose that's out of view on the far left?

I think what threw me was the large amount of yard trackage between Grand and Kinzie on the right -- About where the East Bank Club gym stands today. That had to be gone by WW2 at the latest?