Accounting Office Spur
Posted by tom burke on 29 May 2008
Follow along with Tom Burke as he explores a spur once leading to Milwaukee Road's accounting office. From June 1988.
This spur traveling southwest across Altgeld from the C&E North
Line once serviced the Milwaukee Road's accounting office at
Southport and Fullerton as well as the Northwestern Elevated
Railroad power plant with deliveries of coal. The Northwestern
Elevated was a predecessor of the modern-day CTA and its power
plant was located several blocks west of its tracks. In later years
the building was used by Silver Star Storage. Another nearby
rail-served customer in this area was Huss Lumber which was
replaced by the Lake Shore Athletic Club.
By the time of these photos in 1988 this spur had been out of service for a number of years.
Same spur but looking in the opposite direction towards the C&E
North Line. Note the girder rail used where it crossed Altgeld. The
sharp curve on the spur was typical of industrial tracks off the
C&E and it forced the Milwaukee Road to use smaller locomotives
from the steam I-5 0-6-0 up through the diesel SW series and into
the MP-15 era.
South of Altgeld the spur forked into two tracks with one going
into the Silver Star Storage (Northwestern Elevated) building on
the left and the other spur traveling southwest then paralleling
the Milwaukee Road accounting office, now a retirement home, at
Southport and Fullerton. Paper was brought in on boxcars for the
company's own use.