Western Avenue Water Supply Pump Station (S1)

3D Satellite

While driving west on 51st Street, around Western Avenue, I noticed a big smoke stack a few blocks to the north. It was easy to determine that it was a Chicago City of Water Department building. Obviously it is a steam powered pumping station. In fact, it uses variable speed steam turbines and burns natural gas with fuel oil backup.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

The reason the parking lot is so big is because that is where the coal storage pile used to be.

Satellite

I'll bet this is a remnant from the coal burning days.

Update: This is example of coal delivery to a MWRD pumping station. Hank's comment confirms that the above concrete structure was part of the coal storage infrastructure.

MWRD posted
A train on elevated tracks for delivering coal to the 95th Street Pumping station in Chicago on April 1, 1921. The MWRD built a newer pumping station to the south of this location on Baltimore Avenue in 1925. 
Hank Toppett: The station in 49th & Western had a similar set up except the track bed was on concrete with sloped sides. The coal fell out of bottom of cars. I believe it's still there.
[This station was water supply instead of water (waste and storm) removal, but the need for coal was the same.]
Dennis DeBruler shared
I still have a hard time imagining how important railroads and coal were in the 19th Century.

A topo map did include both spurs.

1953 Englewood Quad @ 24,000