C&NW's Wood Street Yard --- the Potato Yard

(Update: This yard has become part of UP's Global 1 Intermodal Yard. A rather big collection of photos of this yard are in a separate post.)

C&NW 1940s Video

The video referenced in the caption taught me that Wood Street Yard had the worlds largest potato yard. It handled over a half-million spuds annually, 70,000 bushels each day. It also handled other vegetables with good "keeping quality" such as cabbage and onions.

Months ago when I was studying CN&W's Wood, B&OCT's Robey, and CB&Q's Western Yards, I wondered what the concrete lined tracks were for. Now I know that it was the "potato yard."

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Update:

David Daruszka uploaded, p22

Mike Breski posted

File: Chicago and North Western Wood Street (Chicago) yard potatoes 1959
Author: Chicago And North Western Railway
Description: Photo of the North Western Railway's Wood Street freight facility, which was once known as the "potato yard". Potatoes came to this yard from all points in the United States to be bought, sold or traded by dealers and brokers. While it was called the "potato yard", other vegetables were also bought and traded there. The box cars shown in the photo primarily contain potatoes.
Date: 3 January 1959
Source: eBay item
The photo has no copyright markings on it as can be seen in the links above.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago_and_North_Western_Wood_Street_(Chicago)_yard_potatoes_1959.JPG
Dennis DeBruler All that white pavement makes it show up real well in an old aerial photo. So we are looking norhteastish from the lower-left corner of Global 1.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.861025,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3

Jeff Davies posted

Jeff's comment:

This photo shows the C&NWs "Wood Street yard' located on the near west side of Chicago. Cars were sorted here to be delivered to the myriad of factories which once could be found on the city's west side. See the next photo for the big change that took place on this site at the end of World War One. Factories were leaving the area while the shipment of potatoes into Chicago was becoming important traffic for the railroad. 

Photo courtesy of The Chicago and Northwestern Historical Society.

Mike Belson Wood Street was the winter produce yard, in the Spring it moved to the Ashland Avenue track where Judd and I worked summers.
Steve J. Pellegrino I worked on that railroad for 3 months a long time ago.I believe it was in that same yard. They asked me to ride the brake on a vegetable car which they were going to kick back into the yard. One problem, the brake was not holding fast enough and me and the car slammed into the cars in the yard. Luckily I held on tight enough and had only minor bruises and scrapes but still on board.

Glen Miller posted
The Wood Street "potato yard" in 1959 with boxcars filled with potatoes

Chicago & North Western Historical Society posted
We are back in Chicago once again overlooking the C&NW's noted "Potato yard" in 1963 in this C&NW company publicity photo. It still looks busy in that year.

In 1915, this area was a regular railroad yard. Evidently C&NW rebuilt it as the potato yard after they moved their freight operations to Proviso Yard.

1915 Smoke Abatement Report, p342
[B&OCT's Lincoln Yard between Pulaski and Wood is missing because that was a passenger coach yard and it did not create smoke.]

Nathan Mackey posted
Last day at Global 1 before getting shutdown. 01/31/21
[Some comments discuss the reuse of this land. Cleaning up the land is the issue.]
Dennis DeBruler: My money is on a Home Depot. I see there is already a Costco just to the east. Big Boxes allows them to cap the pollution with buildings and parking lots. I've seen this evolution of land use in other areas of heavy industry in Chicago. After all, those condo owners need someplace to shop.

Marty Bernard posted
Pennsylvania RR 8715 and Cabin Car 477788 at Wood St., Chicago, IL on June 11, 1966. 8715 was a Fairbanks-Morse H12-44.
John Lohr: Good ol Pennsy.
Frank Ferrara: John Lohr Agree.... When it comes to 1st generation diesels they tried everything! As a train lover, I salute the Pennsy!
Marty Bernard shared
Russell Corcoran: YES WORKED THERE IN THE 80'S it was a very busy yard cnw had 3 jobs no make that 4 2 days jobs 1 pm and 1 vmidnight job which i worked !1 as a conductor !!!

Another posting by Glen Miller just repeats what I said at the top.

This 1956 Santa Fe video describes how the potatoes are shipped from California.

This yard became part of the C&NW Global One Intermodal Terminal in 1984.

Bob Lalich Flickr 1981 Photo

22 photos of the C&NW Potato Yard and the UP/C&NW Global One Yard.