Metra/Rock Island 47th Street Yard (Rocket House) and 1962-2007 Robert Taylor Homes

This railyard also has the 49th Street Coach Shop.

Steven J. Brown posted eight photos of engines at 47th Street on January 28, 1978. This one has the best view of the Rocket House. Some of the photos also have the Robert Taylor Homes in the background.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Satellite

Satellite

Steven J. Brown posted
Rock Island E7 641 (built 1948), one of the last E7s in service, is awaiting disposition at the 47th Street Rocket House in Chicago, Illinois - April 1, 1979.

 

Steven J. Brown posted
Rock Island E8's 654 and 652 at The Rocket House, 47th St, Chicago - January 28, 1978. E7B 610 and E7A 639 are behind.
Paul Jevert shared
[This photo is the reason I added Robert Taylor Homes to the title. "Only three years after its construction, accounts of life in Robert Taylor horrified readers of the Chicago Daily News. The project contained 4,300 soon-dilapidated housing units, 3 rival gangs who frequently killed children, 27,000 inhabitants (95% of whom were unemployed), and despairing residents who bought and sold an estimated $45,000 worth of drugs (predominantly heroin) per day." [HalBaronProject] I remember reading an article that police and paramedics did not want to go into those homes for fear of their life. And the elevators didn't work.]

Steven J. Brown posted
Viewed from Rock Island F7 675 southbound meeting an inbound commuter while passing the Rocket House at 47th Street in Chicago, Illinois - October 10, 1977.
Steven J. Brown shared

Jeff Carlson
E7 at the 47th St. RoundhouseBill Molony shared
Jason Moors Were the stalls large enough to house an E7?
Jack Dempsey That's what I was thinking they were quite long.

Mark Llanuza posted
its 1975 at The Rocket house with commuter E-units

Mark Llanuza posted
Rock Island at 47th st 1972

We can see the roundhouse of the 47th Street Yard at the top of this photo of  Rock Island and NYC Root Street Yards.

30th photo in the Grève des trains - USA - 1946. album
Bob Lalich NYC coach yard to the left and Rock Island 43rd St Yard on the right. The view is looking south. the cross street near the bottom of the photo is Root St.

Bob Lalich commented on a post with the above aerial photo and the text: "NYC's coach yard was located south of Root St Tower at 43rd St on the east side of the RoW. The Rock Island had a small freight yard on the other side of the main tracks. Here is an aerial, c1940s - source unknown." I provided the source.
Bob Lalich If you are interested, there are photos of the CRIP 47th St roundhouse on RRPictureArchives.net by Jeff Carlson.
[Jeff has over 10,000 photos! The search for "47th street yard" had no results. And the other Rock Island catagories are just locomotives and Rolling Stock. So I gave up finding photos of the yard.]


Daniel O'Hearn posted the question of where did the Rock Island service the locomotives for their passenger trains. The answer, of course, was the 47th Street Yard. They did have a turntable near 16th Street Tower to turn locomotives. Some of the comments provided some additional information.
David Daruszka According to a Metra press release the diesel shop was built in 1947. I believe the Admin. Bldg. stands on the site of the roundhouse.

Bob Lalich commented on Dave's post
CRIP had a roundhouse at 47th St. It was demolished after dieselization.

David Daruszka commented on Dave's post
This is from the 1905 Sanborn map.

Bob Lalich commented on Dave's post
I believe the roundhouse was removed in 1955.

Tim Starr posted
In the Fuller Park section of Chicago was a yard and three roundhouses in 1940. Rock Island top right, Chicago & Western Indiana left, and Pittsburgh Fort Wayne & Chicago at bottom.

 

Dan Marinellie posted eight photos of a MP36 overhaul project that was done in this yard.

Dan Marinellie posted five photos of the SW1 #2 having its main generator being replaced.