Sunday, March 13, 2016

Michigan Central Kennsington Yard, Freight House and Roundhouse

Paul Petraitis comment on posting below
The huge MCRR Yards...not a trace of 'em these days...
the yards were built when Pullman was built ca 1880...
(Satellite, it is now All American Recycling and trees)

In the 1800s Michigan Central (MC) and Lake Shore & Michigan Southern (LS&MS) were fierce competitors. That was one of the reasons for the crossing war at Grand Crossing. Later, New York Central took control of both of these railroads and used the LS&MS facilities and allowed this MC facility to disappear.

The roundhouse is at the bottom center and the freight house is at the bottom right.

The map also reminds one that the MC route from its connection here with the IC to the state boarder was built by IC because the state laws at the time did not allow a railroad from another state to get a charter in Illinois.

Looking at the 1938 photo, it appears the NYC has already removed the roundhouse and freight house because that activity had been moved to their LS&MS facilities. This yard was probably supporting just locals for the industries in the area. But there was still a lot of industry in that area --- Pullman, steel plants, and Lake Calumet shipping.
1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
[The rectangular structures below the left side and at the lower-right side are grain elevators.]

Paul Petraitis posted
Michigan Central in the Kensington yards
just south of 115th I'm pretty sure...ca 1900?
Update:
Paul also commented on another posting
 If you take a close look at the map its after 1880 because the C&EI is shown...it sure looks like they took out a length of track and created that yard.
Nothing remains of the yard or the roundhouse...we know that the Pullman Company housed workers in old Pullman cars in that railyard during the 1880 building season. When work resumed in Pullman in January 1881 the men were either commuting from Chicago or staying in Pullman houses...perhaps the tenements on Langley and 111th...

What is now IHB's auto train sorting yard used to be MC's hump yard.

Steve Lewandowski posted
Ean Kahn-Treras northbound off the CSS? I'm having a tough time placing this one.
Bob Lalich Yes Ean. The structure right of the locomotive was an MC-IC freight house in the former's Kensington Yard..

Ean Kahn-Treras posted
Expecting the unexpected
A line of dialogue from a semi-famous VHS tape still holds true in today's Chicagoland Railroading. Indiana Harbor Belt's 190 job is at the end of the old Michigan Central mainline, servicing a scrap customer. He's been pacing a South Shore Freight job towards the Belt Railway of Chicago connection at 93rd St, out of view hidden by the trees top left. And sure enough I start to hear some EMD rumble up above me.
Union Pacific moves tonnage northbound on the Villa Grove Sub up and over the former Illinois Central mainline at Kensington.
Chicago, IL
12/22/21
Jeff Lewis: I spy a caboose.
Ean Kahn-Treras: Jeff Lewis yup this one is often found hanging out in the Calumet City Yard. Ive seen it before on the journey up to Burnham via the SC&S, but never on a trip towards Kensington. It was a neat addition.

The Chicago, South Shore & South Bend railroad also joined the IC in this area. I don't know where this yard was with repect to the MC yard and the IC tracks.
Marty Bernard posted
South Shore Boxcabs 702 and 701
CSS&SB Motors 702 and 701 at the Illinois Central interchange yard at 115th and Cottage Grove on Chicago's south side on May 13, 1964. 702 and 701 are Alco-GE R-2 Boxcabs built in 1910 as NYC 314 and 308 and rebuilt by the South Shore in 1955.
Marty Bernard shared


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