Is Tempel Steel at 5500 N Wolcott Ave, Chicago, IL Still Rail-Served?

[TBurke]

Does anyone know if Tempel Steel is still rail-served?  I read recently in the latest First & Fastest magazine that UP has no freight service on the North Line south of Lake Bluff which is why they are making Metra pay for much of the rebuilding of the line. 

Bing Birds-eye and Google Earth both show the spur going into Tempel Steel as intact and connected to the main line. 

[cnwnorthline]

Tom,

I'm having trouble seeing any connection on googlemaps.  In fact, it looks like it was officially disconnected rather recently and the switch was replaced with a "crossing" off sorts for MOW trucks.  I follow this line rather closely (from afar...sigh)  and haven't seen or heard of this every being used. 

-Matt

[TBurke]

Here's a view from Google Maps that shows the spur servicing Tempel Steel is still intact and connected to the mainline.  Tempel Steel is just south of where this view cuts off.

There's another industry with a connected spur further north at Pratt & Ridge.  Does anyone know what industry that is?

[haggar]

Tom,
The industry at Pratt is S&C Electric:
http://www.sandc.com/products/default.asp

I remember checking out the Tempel Steel spur a few years ago and it didn't appear that it had seen action in quite a while.  If I remember correctly, the spur was removed after the street crossing.

Joe 

[cnwnorthline]

Take a further look down the spur and you'll see what I mean.  I imagine that it is just maintained to give MOW stuff a place to get off the main.  Since we're on this topic, I think there used to be a lumber yard on this same spur and I think I saw a flat there once a long time ago.  I believe it was a Hines lumber but I could be wrong.  Either way, that too is gone.  As far as the electric company goes that switch has been removed too.  I did, however, see a MOW flat at the Winnetka or Hubbard Woods team track during my yearly pilgrimage at Thanksgiving.  I imagine something UP related would have to make a trek to pick it up.  Other than that, it's all Metra all the time. 

On a somewhat related note the Hines in North Chicago also went out of business leaving only, Blommer Chocolates, Morton Salt
Chicago Tribune, Abbott Labs, and North American Salt as industries on the entire route.   

-Matt

[TBurke]

Thanks for the i.d. of S&C Electric, and for the additional details on the Hines/Tempel Steel spur. 

Makes me wonder if UP drove away the business on purpose, or if the customers simply switched from rail to truck on their own?  Skokie Sub, Mayfair, gone, and virtually all rail freight business gone from the North Line.

At least the Northwest Line still has a number of customers left, especially from Crystal Lake northwest.  The branch line up to Ringwood from Crystal Lake is like a throwback to another era of rural, branch railroads.

[TBurke]

I found this image at historicaerials.com from 1962 of the area around Tempel Steel.  In views from 1938 and 1952 the circle of track was intact but in this 1962 view it appears that the top of the circle of track is not in service anymore.

[TBurke]

So the answer to my question is now "no," Tempel Steel is no longer rail served at their Chicago location.  Here's a photo that shows the former spur still embedded in the middle of Wolcott with a warning crossbuck signal still standing!  A form of archeology I suppose.

I did a field examination and the track that comes off the North Line is still in place and connected.  It looked like something had gone down the track in the past few months from the rust pattern on the rail heads.  The spur now terminates at what appears to be an unloading spot.  One mention I found online stated that this track is a team track.  There was a derail mounted on the spur where it went back uphill towards the North Line tough it is unlikely a freight car would drift UPHILL up the steep grade on its own. 

[TBurke]

I cannot recall who posted these 1985 maps but when the site crashed a few months ago they disappeared.  I saved them and here is one of the Rosehill C&NW Yard which served Tempel Steel.

According to a Northwest Lines (C&NWHS) magazine from 1989 Tempel Steel was still rail-served at that time by a job out of North Avenue.

[haggar]

Tom,
I had posted those '85 CNW maps.  I was going to repost them all, but thought maybe it would be better to include them in the maps section of the site.  Be easier to locate them.  Otherwise to find them, one would have to search old posts in the forum and otherwise might not know that the maps even exist.

Joe

[TBurke]

Joe-

That's my concern also that as messages get buried we are going to lose photos and maps from old posts. 

Tom

[Jeff Wingstrom]

I became interested in this area last year and pasted together the Sanborn maps to show the overall track layout.  I think this represents 1950 - the Sanborn site I have access to is a bit confusing.  Here's the PDF (you can zoom way in for nice detail on the structures):

http://wingstrom.com/BS/rail/Bryn_Mawr_industrial.pdf

The right (east) half of that area still has a railroad/industrial feel to it with some interesting looking old buildings still standing - and of course the remaining spur as discussed in the thread.

-Jeff

[TBurke]

Interesting map, especially showing today's Wolcott as N. Lincoln-and way east of the Lincoln Avenue we know today. 

There's an alley off the south side of Bryn Mawr east of Wolcott, between two buildings, and west of the viaduct that gives you access to the area with the remaining track. 

[Jeff Wingstrom]

Found some good shots on Flickr!  Start here and proceed to the right in the photostream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwdavidson/4332938061/in/photostream/

the highlight IMO: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwdavidson/4333670856/in/photostream/

I think Mr. Davidson's photos have been linked around here before; quite a collection.

[Jeff Wingstrom]

couple more:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwdavidson/4563434049/in/set-72157621254301774/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwdavidson/4576408735/in/set-72157621254301774/