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The crossing that used to serve National Castings is gone because that company has been torn down.
Another view of the two CSX locomotives assigned to this branchline.
6443 is a former B&O GP40-2 that was built in June, 1981. 2252 is a road slug. [TheDieselShop]
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This would have been the branch line that served Kropp Forge and several other industries further north.
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| Martin Simane posted Maybe the summer of 1993 or 94. The track to the left would be the MJ. I must have on the the BRC when I took this. I spent a lot on time just sitting waiting my turn to get into Cleaning Yard. |
The train is coming off the 16th Street branch and heading back north to the former Wisconsin Central mainline to Grand Central Station. Rather soon after WC built it, B&OCT bought the WC Chicago property out to Forest Park, IL where CN/WC/SOO/WC turned north and CGW continued west. B&O bought Grans Central Station to move its passenger trains from the IC's Central Station to its own station. (Michigan Central was a co-tenant of Central Station and they considered B&O a direct competitor since they went to the East.) Note that Chicago had two Central Stations, with and without the "Grand."
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| Edward Kwiatkowski posted The CSX Transportation Company ex B & O CT West 16th Street local. Cicero Illinois. September 2006. Chuck Sperlak: That was our Y121 serving Hickman Williams & Co. At one time we even served Taft Industries and Morton Salt on that branch. There were a few others but that was before my time.  What customers does CSX still have left in the area besides Ferrara Pan Candy? Per Google Maps they seem to park an engine at the end of 14th Street in Cicero. |
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| Comments on Edward's post |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Edward's post That would be the curve on the west side of the branch: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8586929,-87.760371,464m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu |
Rimas Novickis commented on a posting:
b&o engines went up and down 16th street in cicero 24 / 7, from cicero ave west to laramie ave, tho their right of way (2 working sets of tracks) did have curbs on both sides.there were spurs going off to factories up and down that stretch ... then a huge split up southward spur to 2 industrial areas west of laramie.
it was our playground - i flew kites in the middle of the street there.
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| Christian Goepel posted |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Ghristian's post Ean Kahn-Treras The orientation of the CWI (BRC) at the very bottom of the map threw me off for a while, but now I understand the map. I moved to Berwyn in 2017, and unfortunately that is right about the time that CSX stopped running on this trackage into Cicero! Bummer. Christian Goepel No CSX operations since 2017? Track still in place, but just out of service? I haven’t been to Cicero in a few years. Ean Kahn-Treras the entire customer base between Laramie and Central has transformed into modern, quickly built concrete, boxy warehoues. No need for any rail service anymore. I think there was one last move of a hopper or two at the far west end last year, about springtime. And then a concrete barricade went up just north of the tracks where they swing across 16th Street. Been that way ever since as far as I know... CSX does the Ferrara Pan Candy Co on Tues and Thurs out along I-290 and Harlem Ave. They also futz with the brickyard or whatever it is at Roosevelt and Cicero Ave. There is also a plastics place or some industry that takes covered hoppers east of the Laramie Ave overpass on the Chi/Cicero border. Other than that, there is unfortunately not much out there - enough to sustain a weekly trip to and from Clearing though! Thomas White Old days. I was 2d trick Chief. Ray Rutkowski was the Roundhouse Foreman at Lincoln Street. He called me to tell me that the bell on the Cicero job's engine wasn't working. The main line hostler wasn't around, so they'd just have to keep working without it and be careful to not hit anything. He told me that he suggested the fireman ride the footboard and yell "ding ding ding." The Mad Line. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Christian's post When I spotted some tracks along 16th Street a while back, I did some research. There used to be a lot of heavy industry between Roosevelt & Cermak and Central & Laramie. The topo excerpt has West at the top. 1928 Berwyn Quadrangle @ 1:24,000 |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Christian's post It had even more industry in 1953. Kropp Forge still exists, but, judging from a satellite image, it is no longer rail served. https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4... |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Christian's post I also rotated this 1938 aerial 90-degrees clockwise. https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/.../0bwq08041.jpg |
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| Henry Freeman commented on Christian's post Cicero Branch 1964. |
Ean Kahn-Treras commented on a post:
The 16th Street trackage west of Cicero sees no service. 2017 would have been the year they stopped running.
Ferrara Pan on tues/thurs
There is a plastics place just east of Laramie that gets service as well.
[The comments also indicate that Ferrara Pan is served by CSX crew and power out of the BRC Clearing Yard.]
Bob Lalich: That track was jointly used by BRC and B&OCT. B&OCT called it the Southwest Spur.
Andre Kristopans: It was originally a B&OCT line that came off the Altenheim Sub and went west on roughly 16th and 19th to Harlem, then back up to the Altenheim. West of Central was taken up by 1920s. The section Laramie to Central was a major industrial area until the 1970s. Outfits like Danly Machine, National Castings, GE. The genesis goes back to 1895 when Grant Locomotive Works moved there from Patterson NJ. However, Grant collapsed two years later, but the area prospered. Last 30 years the last customer was just east of Central on north side of 16th who received covered hoppers every couple of days and a material yard east of Cicero. Once they shut down and most of the old factories were leveled, the line basically died.
Damion Joseph: Originally built by NP-C. Was going to also head south along Harlem ave to Stickney. Next to Grant Works was going to be NP-C car shops. So much “what if” in that area.
Gregory Smith: I remember picking up cars from Danly Machine when it was still making huge products. It was about 1977 or 1978, worked on the BRC.
Charlie Vlk: B&OCT ex Chicago & Northern Pacific built on the ROW of the Chicago, Millington & Western narrow gauge which came up roughly on the BRC ROW north from 26th Street and then out 16th where it made a big sweeping curve south through Woodlawn Cemetery which can still be seen in the driveway pattern. At 22nd Street it started a curve to the west down to 26th Street which it generally followed out to La Grange Road where there was a gravel quarry in what is now a forest preserve. The line was projected further west but it never got beyond a little grading west of Salt Creek. That ROW was mostly the Hamilton, Lacon & Eastern, a standard gauge line that was backed by the Erie people that never got built.
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| Dave Jendras commented on Damion's comment [Another comment indicates that this is from the "The Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal History" book by David J. Leider.] Doug Kaniuk B&OCT: http://boctbook.dhke.com/ |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Paul's post 1928 Berwyn and 1929 Englewood Quads @ 1:24,000 Ean Kahn-Treras said that CSX stopped running on this route in 2017. |
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| Bob Lalich commented on Paul's post A few people have mentioned Danly Machine Specialties as one of the industries on the spur. Here is the listing from the 1963 Directory of Industries for the Chicago Switching District showing BRC, B&O and B&OCT as the carriers. Note 2 indicates "will not switch for intermediate carriers". |
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