According to HistoricAerials, the coaling towers were removed between 2005 and 2007.
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| Scott Jenks posted EMD photo at 40th St. Engine Terminal, 1940. Diesel Builder sent a photographer out around Chicago shooting terminals, shops, and locomotives. Goal was to make a sales pitch to management about what could be eliminated with new diesels. Similar series was shot on the Milwaukee Road in Milwaukee. From my collection. [I presume the gantry crane in the background is for servicing the ash pit. I doubt if they would have team tracks in this crowded area of the yard. And obviously there is a water tower.] |
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| David Daruszka posted Wisconsin Division coaling tower, 40th Street Yard. 1948 C&NW photo. Dennis DeBruler shared Edward Kwiatkowski: That Coaling tower was demolished around 2006. Mark Llanuza posted CNW company photo unknow date 40th street [photo collection mark Llanuza ] |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on his share This excerpt from the Index #24 Map from the 1915 Smoke Abatement Report is too old to show the coaling towers. According to a Sanborn Map, those long rectangles were coaling docks. So the coaling towers were built after 1915. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on his share This 1929 topo shows the coaling tower had been built for the Illinois Division, but not the Wisconsin Division. In the next topo map, 1953, the Wisconsin Division roundhouses and coaling tower had already been torn down. 1929 Chicago Loop Quadrangle @ 1:24,000 |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on his share This 1938 aerial photo catches the 40th Street Ramp when both coaling towers existed as highlighted by the green rectangles. Dennis DeBruler Admin I provide a link to an unvandalized copy of the aerial photo in a separate comment because I used to post so many Google Map URLs that Facebook now has a tendency to delete my comments if they have a URL. |
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| Tim Starr posted Volume 2 of the Back Shop Illustrated (Midwest Region) is finally available after taking a year to put together. I was impressed by the huge repair shops of the CNW, especially in Chicago. I'm also grateful to this group for pointing me in the right direction with several unanswered questions that I couldn't find in any book. This graphic is from a 1902 (Nov. 21) edition of Railroad Gazette, just after the shops were slightly expanded. George Stark: Does this book series cover northern Illinois? Tim Starr: George Stark Vol 2 covers the whole Midwest from Ohio to Minnesota and Missouri. Paul Scot August: The shop marked "Machine Shop Car Dept" was the C-10 Wheel shop. My great-grandfather was the foreman until retirement in 1942. My great-Uncle became the foreman in the 50s and 60s of the same shop. Dan Davis: Where in chicago was this? |
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| Dennis DeBruler replied to Dan's question UP still has an engine servicing facility there, but it is a lot smaller. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8892837,-87.7344603,1433m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu |
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| Chicago & North Western Historical Society posted What a sad photo. There is no data at all on the reverse of this photo but it probably shows the roundhouse at Proviso. All of those steam locomotives are headed for the scrap yard. Truly the end of an era. Patrick McNamara: The urban area on the upper left clearly identifies this as the M19A 40th Street Shops. Richard Fiedler shared Dennis DeBruler: According to some comments on the base post, this was the 40th Avenue Yard. But the C&NW employees called it the 40th Street Yard. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Patrick's comment Since I know you care about accuracy, the proper name for this yard is 40th Avenue instead of 40th Street. You have to go back a long ways to find the correct name still being used. This 1915 smoke abatement map has it. Pulaski Road was named 40th Avenue before it was named Crawford Avenue. David Daruszka: Dennis DeBruler But us rails have always called it 40th STREET. Dennis DeBruler: David Daruszka I've wondered for years now who switched to the wrong name and when. 40th Street is way further south. |
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| Craig Holmberg commented on the above post What a sad photo. There is no data at all on the reverse of this photo but it probably shows the roundhouse at Proviso. All of those steam locomotives are headed for the scrap yard. Truly the end of an era. |
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| Jerry Krug posted On April 19, 2004, I grabbed this shot of the two coaling towers at the ex-Chicago & North Western's Keeler Ave. facilities in Chicago. Both of these towers have been demolished since. The photo was taken from a city street to the south. The track in the foreground hosts Union Pacific and Metra trains. |
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| Jerry Krug commented on his posting above Left Tower |
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| Jerry Krug commented on his posting above Right Tower |
Paul Musselman posted five photos with the comment: "40th St. facility Wisconsin and Galena coaling towers....for a time, were deemed too expensive to tear down....now gone..."
Paul Musselman: Also old CGW service tank cars....different colors had different oil, lube, kerosene...depending on tank car color....there was a teal car around there too...
Robert Portner: During and after the blizzard of 1979 snow was dumped under the towers, itdid not all melt until mid July.
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Paul's post The now industrial area between Chicago & the UP tracks and between the BRC tracks and Pulaski Road used to be the C&NW Yard. The lower-right part was the engine servicing area. I provide this map from the 1915 Smoke Abatement Report to provide context for the following aerial photo. Note that the towers had not yet been built in 1915. C&NW was still using coaling docks. Pulaski Road has had a couple of name changes. Before it was Crawford Ave., it was 40th Avenue. Thus the original name for this yard was 40th Avenue Yard. I have not determined when the yard's name changed to 40th Street. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Paul's post An unvandalized copy is available here: |
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| Mark Llanuza posted Its July 1974 were at 40th street M-19-A when the coaling tower was still there. David Daruszka: There was a reputed chop shop across Pulaski and CPD was staked out in one of the coaling towers watching the goings on. |
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| Kevin Piper posted Melrose Park, IL, [wrong] 3-21-80. Check out those pimp lights! Jim Wilson M19-A it looks like to me.... [Most of the comments concerning this photo of 1643 were about "pimp the lights" until I commented "I was too distracted by the coaling tower to notice any lights." Patrick McNamara said there were no coaling towers at Proviso in 1980. Jeff Lilja said they had 2 coaling towers "at the 40th Street ramp." Patrick provided the photo below with the two towers as a comment.] |
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| Patrick McNamara comment on the above posting This is the South Tower. |
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| Patrick McNamara comment |
The Coal Towers are marked on this map of the East End of the facility as M35 (North Tower) and M38 (South Tower).But this map must have been earlier in the 20th century because it doesn't match the 1938 aerial photo. I included another aerial photo where I put green rectangles around where I believe the two towers were. The shadows of the towers help locate the towers.
Note the northern coal tower and two roundhouses are for the Wisconsin Division whereas the southern coal tower and roundhouse is for the Galena Division.
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| 1938 Aerial (fixed link) from IHLAP at full resolution plus Paint |
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| Jerry Cramer posted Before and after pictures. C&NW shops at 40th St. in Chicago. The building is still used and serviced by the UP. It's called industrial Storage |
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| Jerry Cramer commented on his posting above Different view with top picture taken about where the front and above of where the UPrr engine sits. |
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| Lou Gerard posted C&NW F7 423 in NJ Transit colors after it returned from lease duty, with retired E and F units at M19A in Chicago. 1989. 423 now operates on the Wisconsin Great Northern at Spooner WI. |
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| Steven J. Brown posted Chicago & North Western coaling towers at 40th Street Yard (M19A) in Chicago, Illinois - January 8, 1990. They were built circa 1930 and demolished in 2007. Harold J. Krewer: WHY two coaling towers? In steam days, 40th St had two separate, complete facilities: One for the Galena Division (West Line) and one for the Wisconsin Division (North and Northwest Lines). Each division was its own seniority district, so each division had its own hostlers, oilers, wipers, etc. to maintain and service its own locomotives. The number of engines in and out each day was so large that this was actually more efficient than one gigantic facility. Steven J. Brown posted Junior Farmer: 40th Street was a very busy terminal. It serviced three divisions ,the Galena, Wisconsin and Chicago Terminal .At one time there were three round houses located here ,two where Wisconsin's and one was Galena. The two 600 ton capacity coal towers supplied coal for locomotives operating out of 40th Street onto eight subdivisions and seven nearby yards . Each coal tower had enough coal to fully load about 37 engines a day. Most of the locomotives had capacities of 16 to 20 ton of coal each . The R1s 10 tons and the 0-6-0's, 8 tons . The Wisconsin division coal tower was the first to be abandoned as Steam started to wain . |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Steven's post And Proviso had one out in the suburbs. |
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| Steven J. Brown posted Chicago and North Western E's (and a switcher), stacks capped, await disposition after being displaced by F40PH's at 40th Street Yard in Chicago, Illinois - May 1985. Steven J. Brown shared |
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| Larry J Pearlman posted Is this Western Avenue or Proviso? Jerry Cramer: It’s 40th Street, M19-A. Mark Steagall: Photo taken at the top of the hill standing on the road coming up from the parking lot of what was, at that time, Newark Electronics. Looking west. Behind the coal chute is the upper level of M19-A (tracks 1-4). Junior Farmer: 🤣😂🤣 If you want to be very specific, that is the Galena Division coaling tower. The Wisconsin Division coaling tower is to the right out of the picture. |
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| Steven J. Brown posted Replaced by the evil new F40PH's, the fleet of Chicago & North Western E's await disposition while one of the said F40's sits smugly in the background on a shop track at 40th Street yard in Chicago, Illinois - September 10, 1985. Steven J. Brown shared Alan Follett: Jeff Lewis The two 40th Street coaling towers were demolished some time between 2005 and 2007. David Daruszka: They weren't evil. The engine crews welcomed them. The other crap was tired and worn out. I often spent the better part of a trip in the engine room as a fireman trying to keep things going so we could limp in. |
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| David Smith posted F7As 401,403,400 & 402. With the coaling tower at 40th St Yard in Chicago, IL 8/7/82 Photo by Diesel Dave. |
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| David M Laz posted At a coaling station at the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad yards (This is where Santa got his coal) [I doubt this tower was in Chicago, but it does show how standardized the towers were.] |
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| David M Laz posted Steam replenishing a the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad yards , Chicago , David Daruszka 40th Street. [Jack Delano LoC: LC-DIG-fsac-1a34645] Ron Tutt posted |
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| Nina Oliphant posted |
With much better resolution.
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| Lake Superior Railroad Museum posted On this day [Apr 17] in 1946, Chicago & Northwestern’s Minnesota 400 passenger train is completely streamlined. The original line operated from Mankato, Minnesota to Wyeville, Wisconsin, and later extended to Huron, South Dakota. The line served Rochester, Minnesota and the famous Mayo Clinic. There was always at least one car that had wide enough doors to allow patients on stretchers. By the time the rail service ended in 1960, over a quarter of the Mayo Clinic’s out of town patients came in by train. Photo: An E4 class streamliner meets up with another steam engine in Chicago circa 1942. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress. Tom Edwards: Close, but not quite right. The locomotive on the right hand side is an E-4, which is a Hudson 4-8-4 and they were used on passenger trains running west out of Chicago. The Minnesota 400 was powered initially by Class E Pacifics and then two of them were streamlined, called Class ES, and painted in the yellow and green scheme. And it's true that none of either of these classes were preserved. I think 1385 in North Freedom WI is the only operational C&NW steam locomotive left these days.[I thought Hudsons were 4-6-4. The one in the photo has only 6 drivers.] Edward Kwiatkowski shared |
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| David Daruszka updated the group photo Dennis DeBruler An improved version of a Jack Delano photo, Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1992000693/PP/ Dennis DeBruler So this would be the 40th Street Ramp. But we are left with the question of which one: Wisconsin or Galena Division. |
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| David Daruszka commented on the above update Patrick McNamara commented on a sharing: " I added the M19A photo to the C&NW Fan page a few years ago - it is from the C&NWHS Archive and I purchased the 8x10 from them, scanned it and posted it. Go to their Archive page and find it...it was a bigger rez photo than this." Posted in Facebook by David Daruszka "C&NW 40th Street Roundhouse (Chicago). The diesel shop on the right (M-19A) still stands and is used for Metra locomotive servicing." Dyadya Abdul shared CNW's 40th Street engine terminal. I believe it was often refereed to as "Smokey Hollow". More info at - http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/…/c-40th-street-ramp-… [which is this page] |
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| John Morris posted This negative from my collection has been stored for over 50 years and it is time for it to be shared. This view of Class E-2-A, a 4-6-2 Pacific, was most likely taken in 1934 right after the locomotive was rebuilt to haul "The 400" in competition with the CB&Q and Milwaukee Road fast services on the Chicago-Twin Cities route. Note the multiple dynamos near the cab probably necessary to power the added unique oscillating skylight in front of the stack. Additional details or corrections to this post are welcome. Dennis DeBruler I never noticed before that the coaling towers at C&NW 40th Street Ramp in Chicago could service tracks way off to the side as well as the tracks that were underneath them. Peter Crisler Had to be later than 1934. More likely 1935 as the triangular "400" light box was not on the original overhaul. In all my research on the 2900's, #2908 was the only engine to have this light box on the front as well as the lighted side markers. The light in front of the stack was the second generation Mars light as the original was pointed upwards at a 45 degree angle. Lawrence Smith These engines were really something and little has been written about them. A contributor for Trains recently wrote he has an ETT for the Adams div from the 30s which states the speed limit was 'none'. They really moved the 400 fast to compete w/the Hi and the CBQ. |
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| David Daruszka commented on the above posting Given the location of the switch stands in the foreground I'm going to say the Wisconsin Division. |
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| Steven J. Brown posted Chicago and North Western E8 (Built 1953, to RTA 1977, retired in 1983; scrapped 1986) at 40th Street in Chicago - February 26, 1978. [Note one of the coaling towewrs in the background and a sand tower on the right.] |
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| American-Rails.com posted A Chicago & North Western publicity photo featuring E7A's #5019-A/B at the 40th Street Shops in Chicago circa 1953. |
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| Steven J. Brown posted The first evil invading RTA F40PH's wearing their hideous "what the hell were they thinking?" paint scheme are at the Chicago and North Western engine house at 40th Street Yard in Chicago - October 10, 1977. These would soon replace all the E's and F's on the Rock Island. In the next few years, all the Chicago areas once colorful commuter trains would become homogenous. Forty years later, the F40PH's are still in service - far exceeding the lifespan of the locomotives they replaced! |
Michael Riha shared the Grève des trains - USA - 1946. album. Here are the photos that pertain to the 40th Street Ramp. You can tell that steam was dying by 1946 because it appears the two Wisconsin Division roundhouses have been torn down.
David Daruszka posted seven images with the comment:
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| 21 David Daruszka The coaling towers lasted well into the UP era. [This is the Galena Division roundhouse. The "white" coaling tower is over the service lead of the Wisconsin Division.] Dennis DeBruler On the right is the yard for the long distance passenger trains. David Daruszka That was a little further west than this photo. Closer to the BRC tracks. Dennis DeBruler Now that I know where to look, I see that there were two yards along the mainline. Bob Lalich The CNW packed a lot into this relatively small space! Three turntables and roundhouses, two wyes, transfer tables, shops, several sub yards within the freight yard portion - fascinating operation! David Daruszka Packed in best sums the place up best. The yard tracks were pretty close together and it was a dangerous place to work when I was there. No lights at night and packs of roaming feral dogs. |
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| 23 Dennis DeBruler You can tell that steam was dying. It looks like they have already torn down the Wisconsin 360-degree roundhouse. |
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| David Daruszka commented on the 23rd photo of the Grève des trains - USA - 1946. album All gone by this photo. [And the diesel shop has been built. I see one of the diesel fuel storage tanks just to the right of the Wisconsin coaling tower. Judging from a satellite image, it looks like they had to tear that tower down to make room for the second tank.] |
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| 31 David Daruszka C&NW's 40th Street. The coaling towers stood for decades after the end of steam service. Doug Smith They've been gone about seven or eight years now. [2017] Dennis DeBruler In this view we can easily see the water tower near the entrance of the roundhouse. I wonder how many standpipes it served. It struck me as rather small. They must have a water treatment facility somewhere so that they can practically contentiously refill it. That is, unlike water towers in small towns, this is not a storage tower, it is a surge tower. David Daruszka I would assume it was one of many on the property, perhaps for each roundhouse. Dennis DeBruler Even if there is one per roundhouse, that is still a lot of "thirsty" engines to service. But looking closer, that tower may be quite large. It looks like it is on concrete pillars, and it is about twice as high as that diesel switcher |
The Chicago & North Western's primary locomotive maintenance facilities were located at their 40th Street yards on the city's West Side. With the advent of the diesel locomotive the use of the roundhouse as a service facility was no longer viable. The railroad built a diesel shop, called M-19A, to perform those tasks. The odd title for the building stems from the railroad's designation for all the structures, major and minor, with an "M" designation. The yards are gone, the majority of the structures of the shop complex are gone but M-19A soldiers on. Now owned by Union Pacific it services locomotives for the former C&NW commuter services now operated under contract with Metra.
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| 1 1949 article in Railway Age covering the completion of C&NW's new 40th Street Diesel Shop. |
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| 2 Aerial view of the M17 roundhouse with the M-19A diesel shop above right. |
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| 3 Chicago Diesel Shop Building M19-A Three E6s and two E7s are idling or being serviced on the east side of the diesel repair shop. C&NW Public Relations Department photo. C&NW Historical Society Archives collection. |
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| 4 Chicago Diesel Shop Building M19-A One of the two V-12 engines is being installed into E7 5008A after repairs were made. C&NW Public Relations Department photo. C&NW Historical Society Archives collection. |
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| 5 M19-A in 1983. Chuck Zeiler photograph. |
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| 6 The RTA era has arrived at M-19A with the delivery of new F40 locomotives. Steven J. Brown photograph. |
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| 7 Same building, same function, new owner. Edward Kwiatkowski photograph. |
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| Steven J. Brown posted [Given the diesel fuel tank on the left, we are looking at the Wisconsin Division coaling tower. The Chicago Division tower is to the photographer's right.] |
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| Kevin Piper posted C&NW E8A 508, ex-UP 934, Chicago, IL, 3-19-73. Heading for the paint shop! GEORGE HORNA PHOTO [(Facebooked)] |
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| Doug Kaniuk commented on a post |
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| Dennis DeBruler posted Art Gross Flickr: "Metra's ex C&NW 40th Ave Yard in Chicago still sported it's steam era twin concrete coaling towers on April 10 1999." |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on his post The buildings on the left in the photo still stand and the diesel fuel tanks are now white instead of black. |
Paul Musselman posted three photos with the comment: "At the 40th shops, about 2004?..."
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| 1 CGW oil, lube, and kerosene cars...don't recall which color means which... |
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| 2 Last turntable out there... |
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| 1 of 12 photos posted by Brian Berthold Chicago & Northwestern Roundhouse (Galena Division) Chicago IL Record #: BB IL-03 Built: by 1896 Stalls: 40, 3 Access Tracks Full Circle Walls: Brick Turntable: 60' 70' by 1908 Turntable Builder: RW Young MFG Co. Turntable Date: 1948 Turntable: 120' Turntable Serial #: 1201948 Turntable Pat. #: 1701938 Turntable Razed: Sept. 2008 Razed: by 1962 photos by me 2006 |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Brian's post I did not realize that one of the turntables survived into the 21st Century. Google Earth, Oct 2007 |
Juice Junkie not only shows one of the coaling towers, it is more evidence that the big yards had a gantry crane over their ash pits.
He also caught a view with parts of both coaling towers in case you need more evidence that this facility had two coaling towers.
And a closeup of the base of one of the coaling towers.
I asked for permission to copy this photo of both coaling towers, but i never got it.
Great Images. I'm looking for images of the C&NW operation in Butler Wisconsin. Any ideas where to find them? My grandfather lived there and worked for the railroad. But the story I have always heard is that when they took down the roundhouse in Butler, he bought the used bricks and spent the next 10 years chipping off the mortar and selling them. And my mother has said she broke her arm playing on the mountain of bricks. Thanks for your help!
ReplyDeleteIf you go to Pinterest you can find tons of photos of Butler. Just search CNW and you should find lots of them...
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