NKP's Calumet Yard, Coaling Tower, Roundhouse, Turntable

(Satellite; roundhouse: Satellite)

NKP's Passenger Yard was north of Pullman Junction.

3D Satellite

Ray Peacock posted

Ray's comment:

The NKP Berk fleet was in their prime, the photographer was ask to leave after getting this shot at Calumet Yard.

I've studied the satellite images of the Calumet Yard more than once and concluded that probably the only chance I would have to get pictures of the engine servicing facilities would be to walk across the woods on the east side. I would probably also need a stepladder. It is interesting that Google labels a building as Canadian Pacific Railway. All the railroad maps I have looked at label this yard as Norfolk Southern since they got NW, which got NKP. The west side of the yard has been converted to intermodal service, but most of the yard remains as a classification yard.

I assume the Thoroughbred Terminal was for Triple Crown RoadRailer service, NS discontinued that service this past year except between Detroit and Kansas City for auto parts. And I believe they were the only railroad doing it. It looks like the Chicago tracks are now used for car storage.

Since most industries on the South Side are gone, I checked Landers Yard (NS/NW/Wabash) as well. It has been completely converted to intermodal. I don't see anyplace for Road Railer assembly.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Update:

Back when the coaling tower not only had all of its metal parts including its spouts, it had a steam locomotive!

Rick Shilling posted
c1956 Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 Locomotive 
#760 on Turntable at Calumet Yard, Chicago, Illinois Roundhouse.

1 of 42 photos posted and shared by Michael Siola

Gary Sturm posted
N&W (ex-NKP) Calumet Yard roundhouse in 1976.

 

Lake States Railway Historical Association posted
Nickel Plate 182 at service track in Calumet yard, Chicago, IL--1960. Photo by Harry Evans.
If you enjoy the photos and what Lake States is accomplishing, consider joining Lake States or making a donation, or both, https://www.lsrha.org/?page_id=135.
Richard Fiedler shared
Stan Stanovich: …though no longer in use the brick building to the right of the engines still stood the last time I was there, a couple of years ago [2021]. During the years 2004 - 2008 when I reported for work at Calumet regularly, it was revitalized…
Edward Kwiatkowski posted

safe_image for Nickel Plate Road (Railroad), "High Speed Service"
A brief history of the Nickel Plate.  Here, 2-8-4 #766 and #741, a pair of S-2's, take on fuel at the Calumet Yard coaling tower on Chicago's south side during the mid 1950s. This yard and engine terminal was home to the last roundhouse built in the U.S. during the steam era, completed in 1952.  A.C. Kalmbach photo.  American-Rails.com collection.

Richard Mead posted
NKP Calumet Yard Chicago. Photo Richard Leonard.

Marty Gatton posted six photos he has taken with access provided by work related activities.

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Joseph Tuch Santucci posted
The Calumet Yard round house in early spring, 1987. We see an N&W GP40 mated with a UP SD40 series unit, and a true family picture, Southern SD40-2, NS SD40 series and an N&W SD40-2.
Dennis DeBruler And a decent shot of a sand tower.

William H. Tolliver posted three photos with the comment:

Back in the late 80s and early 90s NS ran annual excursions out of their Chicago Calumet yard to Ft. Wayne Indiana. Was able to capture these photos of the N&W articulated class A #1218 and N&W 611 during its 2nd life. 611 now living it's 3rd life while the A remains asleep on static display.

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[So the Big Boy wasn't the first big articulated that came to Chicagoland.] 

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A Flickr photo from the pit under NS 1625 in the roundhouse. Some pictures of the yard are in TrainOrders. (Info from Facebook comments on a posting.)

Juice Junkie has a photo of the base of the coaling tower with the comment: "Calumet Yard, on Chicago's south side, was the home of the last roundhouse built in the United States, completed in 1952. The modern yard and engine terminal was built to replace older facilities at Stony Island. NKP 173 and 769 are at the coaling tower for service, a scene repeated many times every day across the country."

Juice Junkie got a nice view of the coaling tower and a standpipe. The coaling tower had a curved skip hoist.  More views of the coaling tower: 1, 2 and 3.