Fellow Chicago Switching members,
For the past seven+ years, it has been a pleasure learning more about the rich history of Chicago's inner-city rail operations through this website. It has served as a valuable aide in my own personal exploration and documentation of Near-Northside switching locations such as Finkl, Big Bay, and Peerless.
Since 2006, I have had a specific interest in the rail operations for the Chicago Tribune's Freedom Center printing plant, located at Chicago Ave. and Halsted Ave. I have spent countless hours online finding and collecting photos of the site's railroad development (and decline) over the decades. Sadly, I missed the era when the yard was 'booming', being filled with rows of newsprint boxcars.
By the time I had caught-on, several inner tracks had been removed, and only a single string of boxcars remained per week. From 2011-2014, I would regularly follow the UP ex-CNW's switch job from the North Ave. yard, down to the Trib, and back. I have spent many hours photographing and documenting what's left of the "Tribune Yard", and I believe my efforts have culminated into what I have to share with you all today.
For the past five years, I have worked on an N-scale model replica of the Tribune Freedom Center. I hand built the buildings, Ohio street overpass, Grand avenue, and parking lots from scratch, relying on Google Maps aerial images for accurate shaping and positioning. I spent years hunting down prototypical newsprint boxcars, which were produced and discontinued long ago from companies like True Line Trains. I've visited multiple hobby shops for parts and materials, and even made trips to two model railroad conventions.
As life's responsibilities got in the way, months would go by without any progress on the layout. However, I finally reached a successful completion point in January 2018. (Despite the fact that, as model railroaders, we know that our layouts are never truly 'finished'!)
During the construction process, I got in contact with the staff at the actual Tribune Freedom Center. They were very interested in the project, and since January 2018, it currently sits on display in the main lobby of the Tribune printing plant.
I am not sure what the future holds for my model layout after its display time at the Tribune. I am hoping to have a small gallery show for it sometime this summer, but am still in the process of exploring spaces and options.
This week, I will be rolling out an online social media page for the layout, where I will be posting photos documenting the layout's construction process, videos of the UPY GP15-1 engine moving boxcars around, and historical photos from the actual tribune yard over the years. You can follow the account on Instagram @TribuneModelRailroad .
Below are some photos, I will try to upload more later on! Enjoy.
