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Kevin Piper posted a history and some photos.
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| George M Stupar posted Crocker Junction, September 1982, EJ&E Porter Line branch and N&W former Wabash Railroad 4th District Chicago-Montpelier mainline. This location is west of Chesterton and just east of Indiana highway 149. We were returning from a siding east of Westville with ripped out ties loaded in gondolas. Still had to phone in at the call box to get the signal during this era. View east. Dennis DeBruler That name is rare enough that I had to look up its location. I see that not only is the J now a trail, the Wabash RoW has become the Iron Horse Heritage Trail west of IL-149. https://www.google.com/.../@41.5897116,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3 [George's comment on RailPictures: "Conductor Wally Harpp walks through the brush to the call box in order to obtain permission, and get the signal, to proceed across the EJ&E Porter Line with his westbound train, which is on the former Wabash Railroad 4th district. It's en route from Westville IN to N&W's Calumet Yard in Chicago with several gondolas loaded with old used railroad ties. The community of Crocker still exists today on the far west side of Chesterton, but all you'll find here now is a bike trail."] George M Stupar posted September 1982, Chesterton (Crocker) IN, Westbound on the former Wabash Railroad 4th District mainline at Crocker Junction. The conductor is walking to the callbox in order to get permission and the signal to proceed across the Elgin Joliet & Eastern Porter Line. Bob Lalich George M Stupar - what was the end of the line at the time of the photo? I remember visiting Westville in the spring of 1981. I recall an active industry there at the time. Unfortunately I didn't document what remained. George M StuparAuthor Bob Lalich The rails had been taken up slightly east of Magee, which was approximately eight miles east of Westville. Mark Egebrecht George M Stupar I thought the line was intact until 1983? George M StuparAuthor Mark Egebrecht Not totally intact. On a Saturday in September 1982 we picked up several gondolas from a siding near Magee. They were loaded with old scrap ties that were removed from the ROW just east of Magee where the track was already being taken up. I believe that's where the removal of the line actually began. |
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| Wayne Hudak commented on George's post The current bike trail on the former "J", looking east at Crocker Junction which is at the bottom of the hill. Bridge is over Hwy 149. You can still see the former Wabash R.O.W. |
The conductor is closer to the phone box in this photo.
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| George M Stupar posted September 1982 on a Saturday, Crocker (Chesterton) Indiana, Where the EJ&E Porter Line crossed the former Wabash Railroad 4th District. View east. Conductor Wallace O. Harpp is seen walking to the phone box, where he will call in for authorization to proceed across the J diamond with his train. Craig Cloud: There is an old photo showing tower stood where phone box stood. In fact Rail road which passes under IN49, uses old NW nee Wabash row. |
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| George M Stupar posted Crocker Indiana, just west of Chesterton, in the late 1940s. Wabash 4th District and EJ&E Porter Line crossing. RUDY WHEATRO PHOTO Steve Potrzebowski: Thank you for sharing this! It was located at the far west end of Crocker hill. The hill went to Westville over a twelve mile distance. My Polish grandfather remembered during the steam Era that eastbound freights would stall on the hill just to the Northwest of Clear Lake, and would do by Railroad term " doubling the hill" where the front half of the train would be parked on the siding in Westville while the engine would go back and pick up the rest of the train. He told me that this continued until the arrival of the diesel. Then he paused, and said in exact words " heck Steve, a hundred cars were no match to the diesel." |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on George's post 1953 Chestertown Quadrangle @ 1:24,000 |
Wayne Hudak posted two photos with the comment:
Amateur photos of the Tower at Crocker on the Wabash 4th, both about 1960. Photo1: Eastbound look, Wabash heads off to the right, the EJ&E to the left. The "J" is a bike trail today and the former Wabash ROW in this spot is a storage area for Chesterton's wood chip residue.Mark E. Vaughan At one time a sizable interchange point between the EJ&E and the Wabash.
Wayne Hudak I understand as many as 100 cars were interchanged there from both roads.
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| 1 Wayne also used this as a comment on a posting And another posting Looking east at Crocker, "J" on the left, Wabash on the right. As far as I know, this was a Wabash operated tower. Wayne Hudak Tim Valiquet , the N&W was ripped up in 1983, not sure if interchange ended before that date. At one time about 100 cars a day were interchanged at Crocker between the two roads. Tim Valiquet When I was with the J 1977-1980 I still remember the Crocker interchange as being active .... |
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Geore M Stupar posted two photos with the comment: "Here are two more views of Crocker Indiana on the Wabash Railroad 4th District."
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| Victor Baird posted Crocker, Indiana my collection. The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Porter Branch is at the left. And the track on the right, running past the coaling machine, is the Wabash Fourth District mainline btw Montpelier, Ohio and the Chicago area. I was given this print at my book signing by the elderly daughter of a tower operator who worked there. Note the reversed home signal blades on the EJ&E. That was because there was no cantilever setup or doll signal for the siding and the main (economy?). And the Wabash home signal is reversed too! That was because in the normal position, it would be obscured by the coaling machine. No, the negative wasn't misprinted. The steering wheel in the automobile is on the correct side. (I flipped this image and it still didn't look right.) Crocker was a major interchange btw the Wabash and EJ&E. I would suspect this photo was taken in the early 1930s. Bob Lalich: The EJ&E home signals are lower quadrant (therefore quite old) and are placed on the opposite side of the track, probably to keep tight spacing of the siding and interchange tracks and avoid using a bracket signal with a doll post. This also simplifies the rod lead out from the tower. As you said, economic reasons. It would be interesting to see the model board or an interlocking diagram from that time period. Howard Swanson: I'm surprised that there would be a coaling facility that close to Chicago. Victor Baird: Howard Swanson they had two mainline coaling facilities on the 4th, one at Crocker and the other at Benton. They were kept busy and each had a caretaker to load the coal from hoppers on inclined tracks. Also the eastbound Gary local topped off water and coal at Crocker, because the hostler at Gary only had a gon, inclined track, shovel and hose. Mainline freights used both Crocker and Benton. This is according to Clarence Montgomery, who worked the 4th District. Jon Roma: Howard Swanson, bear in mind that "close to Chicago" in distance does not necessarily mean that one is "close to Chicago" in time, and hence in terms of coal and water usage! 😉 Reply |
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