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| William Shapotkin posted We at at Hayford Crossing (75th/Central Park in Chicago) as N&W GP30 #540 leads an frt E/B on the Belt Railway and about to x/o the Grand Trunk Western. View looks N/W on Oct 7, 1978. John Kamacher Photo/Wm Shapotkin Collection. |
This junction is the eastern gateway to the BRC's Clearing Yard. The north/south tracks were Grand Trunk Western, the US subsidiary of Canadian National. Then CN merged it into its brand along with the IC and Wisconsin Central (SOO). After CN bought EJ&E to connect the three trunk railroads of IC, GTW, and WC, it no longer needed the GTW route from Eldson Yard to Griffith Junction. So that route is now operated by CSX.
Unlike many junctions in the Chicago area, this one has not changed much since 1938 (except for the industry and residential buildup around it). The northeast quadrant connector has been removed and a connector has been added to the southwest quadrant. This is consistent with CSX transfer trains from Barr Yard going to and from the Clearing Yard. It is interesting to note that Peoples Gas still owns the land that had the gasometer.
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| 1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP |
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| Eddie's Blog An eastbound CSX Transportation Company double stack container train, passes through Hayford Junction. Chicago Illinois. July 2007. |
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| David M Laz posted We are looking west along the Belt Railway of Chicago tracks at a location known as Hayford Junction, which is located at West 75th Street and South Central Park Avenue in Chicago's Ashburn neighborhood. Photo courtesy Eddie K. in 1989 [Comments indicate that this was a good rail-fanning spot, but the neighborhood now is not good.] |
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| Edward Kwiatkowski posted An eastbound Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad transfer train, is viewed passing through Hayford Junction in Chicago's Ashburn neighborhood. Chicago Illinois. May 1989. Mark Egebrecht Rebuilt gp7 [The Santa Fe is on the BRC.] |
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| John David Larson posted
Looking like a scene from industrial Los Angeles, instead this Hayford with a burly six axle Southern Pacific SD9 coming and going from Clearing Yard as seen in 1992.
This locomotive makes the scene notable as it is, but also out of the ordinary was the appearance of a Grand Trunk power set on the GTW line. It was not common to see anything cross these diamonds on the GTW as about 99% of what you would see at this busy junction were trains arriving and departing Clearing on the Belt.
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| John David Larson posted Hayford Crossing as seen in 1999, serving up an interesting consist. This was a favorite location of mine when I was living in suburban Chicago, even though it was a long drive to get here (40 miles as Google Maps tells me). |
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| John David Larson posted Hayford Crossing in the year 1999, the days after CSX and NS spilt up Conrail, and this lash-up was too big for a single frame, eight units were on this train. |
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| Donny Albertson posted Here's another 600 leading a train, BRC C424 at Hayford about to cross the GTW and enter Clearing yard. 27MAR1990. |
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| Jerry Jackson commented on the above posting |
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| Donny Albertson posted A UP transfer with two MoPac GP15-1's leaves Clearing yard and is about to cross the GTW at Hayford on 24MAR1990 Jon Moore Wow, the first I've seen a four stack Geep 15-1. |
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| Donny Albertson posted That NS caboose hop has entered the yard and a BRC eb is leaving, about to cross the GTW at Hayford on 27MAR1990. |
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| Donny Albertson posted A caboose hop clears the GTW crossing at Hayford and approaches Clearing yard on 27MAR1990. NS seemed to operate quite a few of these GP35's in the area when I visited in 1989 and 1990. Scott Malec Yep, they were still kicking around even a few years after this if I remember correctly. |
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| Donny Albertson posted At Hayford, this was the only action I'd see on the GTW, other carriers using it as a wye to and from Clearing yard to turn power around. A pair of N&W GP35's do just such a thing on 24MAR1990 Scott Malec There was always high hood N&W action at the east end of Clearing, LONG after the NS merger. My orthodondist was on 79th and Pulaski and my dad would take me here after whatever agonizing work I had done and then I would feel better. We made several stops in the summer of 1990. Me, my brother and my cousin even rode our bikes through the middle of Clearing Yard all the way from Harlem Ave to Hayford that summer. Once I started driving in '92 I was here all the time. Donny Albertson Yeah I believe it. This was what, seven years after the merger and they're still in NW paint no less. Wish their SD45's held on that long. Brian R Bundy We went thru a stretch of these Calumet Yard units being our power on the 317/318 to and from Decatur. They didn't want to fuel them in Chicago so we'd get 3 of these and drag 200 car lengths south then tow them back to Chicago the next day. IIRC, 213 was the only one painted NS. |
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| Donny Albertson commented on his posting And here it is! The 213 in NS. |
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| Donny Albertson posted A Soo e/b transfer passes the tower at Hayford and bears the GTW crossing on 27MAR1990 |
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| John David Larson posted Hayford Crossing as seen in 1991. Scott Malec Some of the power combos coming out of the east end of Clearing in the early 90's were insane. I may need to post some of my crappy low quality VHS camcorder videos from that era. [On the connector to go from BRC to southbound CSX/GTW (Elsdon sub).] |
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| John DeWit Woodlock II posted BRC 491,495 @ Hayford Jct-Chicago,IL 00 FEB 95 [Another one-story "tower."] |
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| John DeWit Woodlock II posted John DeWit Woodlock II Go to 79th and Central Park Ave and head north to the Belt tracks. |
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| John DeWit Woodlock II posted GT 4446,BN 1520 @ Hayford Jct-Chicago,IL 09 MAY 96. |
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| John David Larson posted Hayford Crossing as seen in 1994. Ean Kahn-Treras ready to pull for KCBX. Coal off the BN it looks like. Neato! |
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| John David Larson posted
Hayford Crossing as seen in 1993 - the short-lived Chicago Central.
CC&P was really an Iowa railroad, but it sure looked right at home in the Windy City with this striking livery and appears to be so fresh you would think the paint is still wet.
Ean Kahn-Treras what was the CC doing all the way down by Hayford??Brandon McShane Delivering to BRC or CSX.Charles Heraver THought the CC&P came into the west end of Clearing? I shot a ratty Paducah doing that move once.Mark Bilecki Sr. I still like the green diamond |
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| John David Larson posted The busy junction known as Hayford Crossing in far South Suburban Chicago as seen in the year 1999. [I include yet another railfan photo because this contains a nice view of the "tower."] Timothy Clement At least the one story tower operator is still there. When did his shack get wiped out?Michael Riha Hayford is nowhere near the suburbs. |
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| John David Larson posted
Hayford Crossing as seen in 1992 with a meeting of geeps - the Chicago Central units looked great when the red paint was new.
It did tend to fade quickly enough. The road freights of this line that traveled the old Illinois Central route across Northern Illinois and Iowa often had huge locomotive consists - the roster was largely a mix of battered old things in worn out Milwaukee or ICG paint. This is the only location in Chicago that I ever saw this railroad away from its home rails.
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| John David posted Here is another visit to Hayford Crossing as seen in the year 1992 with two of the Belt Railway's Alco Centuries headed east back to Clearing Yard. It seems to me this is not one of the more fabled junctions in Chicago but what attracted me to it was the book "Train Watchers Guide to Chicago" because author John Szwajkart described it as "one of the busiest crossings in Chicago". That struck me as a real selling point. It was about 34 miles from my place in the Northwest Suburbs. |
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| John David posted More from just east of Hayford as seen in 1992 with a pristine Chicago Central unit. Their red paint tended to fade and become dull but it looked great when new. The CC&P being one of a number of new regional lines that appeared during this era - only to disappear once again. George Aviña: If I’m seeing this correctly if not then I’m sorry but is that the cookie factory in the distance?? The old nabasco factory? Chris Thompson: George Aviña Yeah thats Nabisco. Hated going by there when you've been stuck on a train for 10 hours and your lunch is long gone. The smells from there and the Entennman's bakery next to Proviso could drive us crazy! |
1985 Flickr.
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