Bryn Mawr Junction: CP/Milwaukee vs. UP/C&NW

(Satellite)

Bryn Mawr is where the CP/Milw leaves the UP/C&NW "New Line."

The New Line is freight-only and begins in the north shore suburb of Northbrook, diverging to the southwest from UP's north-south Milwaukee freight line. At Techny, just north of the now closed Glenwood Naval Air Station, there is a connection from the Metra/CP ex-Milwaukee Road main line to the New Line. Most CP freights coming south from Wisconsin transfer there to the New Line, which continues southwest through Deval and then wraps around the west side of O'Hare Airport. CP trains use trackage rights on UP to a point about two miles north of here (known as Bryn Mawr) where they access their own tracks to Bensenville Yard. [CRJ]

Mark Llanuza posted
Were at Jct Bryn Mawr where the Milwaukee Rd and CNW meet up .The crew is talking on the phone box with a good size jet going over 1976.

Note the engine in the tail of the plane. The plane is an AA 727. You can tell it is close to O'Hare because the landing gear is down. In fact, Bryn Mawr is just west of the O'Hare property.

C&NW built a new line across the northern suburbs to move freight trains from its northern routes to its Proviso Yard. This new line uses a viaduct to cross over the Bensenville Yard. The Milwaukee Road obtained trackage rights on this new line to also carry freight trains from its northern routes to join its western route at Tower B-17 at the west end of the Bensenville Yard. Milwaukee separated from the C&NW at Bryn Mawr and uses the western double tracks while C&NW uses the eastern double tracks.

Excerpt from B&OCT Map

Update: UP had to move its route between Bryn Mawr and the viaduct over CP's yard to make room for a new runway on the south side of O'Hare. Note in the B&OCT Map how it used to make a gradual S turn from the CP tracks to its viaduct. If you look a modern map, it stays close to the CP tracks until it has to sharply turn east and then again sharply turn south.

You can tell that O'Hare has grown over the decades because another map shows that this freight traffic bypass used to run straight south to the viaduct from what is now an industrial spur remnant of the original route. So UP/C&NW has had to move their track at least twice as O'Hare grew.

Emery Moretti posted
Hey guys I'm definitely a Chicago fan but far from an expert can anyone tell me what this line around O'hare is?
Luke Renish Close to the airport is the UP main north out of Proviso. To the right of that is our connection from the CP Elgin Sub at Tower B17 to the UP at Bryn Mawr which we take up to Shermer/Tower A20 to get to the C&M if we don’t go via A5.
Andrew Grayson Those railroads that Luke mentioned are to the South, West and North of the airport. The UP Milwaukee Sub, CP C&M / Elgin subs run along the parameter of the airport. To the east of the airport by a mile or so is the CN Waukesha Sub. Doesn’t see much freight traffic since the EJ&E takeover. Welcome to Chicago.
Jeff Lewis Funny thing about the "New Line" is that it is at least 90 years old now. It was built when Proviso yard was built and used to run straight north from there through what is now O'Hare airport. As the airport came into existence and grew, the New Line has been relocated and improved at least 6 times.
Dennis DeBruler I think of it as a beltway for CP/Milw and UP/C&NW that allows them to run freights from their northern branches to their freight yards and bypass the commuter traffic on their mainlines into the city.
Wes Merkel Indeed, said line is part of the route CP uses to bring trains in from their C&M sub at A-20 to enter in the west end of CP-Bensenville on the Elgin Sub at B-17.