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W. Willow Street looking north to Finkl Steel and Cortland Ave drawbridge.

Track veering to left goes to lumber company. Track heading straight ahead connects with C&P line just west of line's Chicago River swing bridge.

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closer view

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looking south down N. Throop Street from Willow Street intersection.

This is Milwaukee spur trackage

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Sipi Metals on West Wabansia and N. Noble. view looks north.

This is served by CP Rail (ex-Milwaukee/C&P)

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note old brick streets

tracks in street once headed east down Wabansia Street and crosseed Elston to serve industries including Illinois Steel

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looking west from N. Noble

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UP power parked in yard shared by UP and CP Rail

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looking south down N. Noble

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This view looks west across the CP Rail drawbridge and the North Branch of the Chicago River towards the Kennedy Expressway. To the left in the distance a Milwaukee Road spur track curves around the dark, brick Hanna Cylinders (www.hannacylinders.com) building in the background, a former rail-served customer, to reach Aetna Plywood (www.aetnaplywood.com) on Elston Avenue. Aetna Plywood relocated operations to Maywood, IL, around 2000, though their former location is still standing as are the tracks along the side of the building which used to host several boxcars at a time under a extended canopy for cover. Another spur off this line went to Kilo-bar at Wabansia and was later used as a tail track to manuever cars in and out of Aetna.

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A view looking northwest of the CP Rail swingbridge.

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A view from the west bank of the Chicago River looking southeast.

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Looking downstream, or south, from the Cortland Ave. bridge, towards the rail swingbridge. The scrapyard to the right shipped out using both barges and rail. As of 2003 it apparently uses barges only.

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Rare shot of a Milwaukee Road gondola spotted in the scrapyard at Cortland and the river. In the foreground you can see a former coal trestle used for unloading coal from hoppers into bins or waiting trucks. At one time this site was occupied by the Roth Adams Coal Company which used this coal trestle for unloading. There were many such coal dealers along the Milwaukee Road tracks on the North Side which faded away as homes and businesses switched to fuel oil then natural gas for heating.

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View looking east across Chicago River from just south of the CP Rail swingbridge.