CRL/Rock Island South Chicago Yard

(Satellite)

B&OCT Map

Both the BRC and RI had "South Chicago Yards." It looks like the BRC still has something. But the CRL/LS&BC/Rock Island yard is gone.

Bob Thamsen posted
1978 Aug08 - Rock Island U33B's 291-292-285-296 are westbound at Pullman Jct IL returning home from Belt Railway's Clearing Yard.
[According to the comments, the caption is wrong. This would be a train going westbound from South Chicago Yard to the UP at Council bluffs.]
William L. Brushaber With all that high H.P. power, this is #57 leaving So Chicago yard west for Council Bluffs -UP. The Rock island transfer from BRC-Clearing enters at Gresham Jct at 87th St. and Vincennes Ave. and goes to Burr oak yard.
Harold J. Krewer Not to mention the BRC yard "over by dere" as we say in Chicago is Commercial Ave., not Clearing.
Four big burners and the time of day (noonish) tells me Brush is right on, this is 57 launching out of South Chicago.
Ingrid Drozdak 1300 horse power must have been a long train.
Harold J. Krewer 13,200 to be precise, Ingrid! There was probably going to be a GTW block tacked on the rear at Burr Oak with the train stopped on the main. Also by this late date I'm sure the power desk wanted to make sure there was enough HP to maintain 60 MPH to the Bluffs even if a unit shot craps.

Ken Rehor posted seven photos with the comment:

A very quiet Rock Island Yates Avenue Yard, South Chicago on a very gray day. August 15, 1980.
Canon AE-1, 28mm Canon FD lens, Kodak Plus-X film

Bob Lalich Ken and Ian - the yard office was a little east of the are seen in the photo above this comment. The office was built around 1960, immediately east of the Yates viaduct, which is still in place but closed off.
Bob Lalich Thanks for sharing the photos Ken Rehor!
There are still a few tracks left from the Rock Island South Chicago Yard - used by CRL and SCIH to serve local industries and for interchange. Rock Island built the South Chicago Branch in the early 1870s to reach the newly created port at the mouth of the Calumet River. As area industries developed, so did business for Rock Island. The yard served the local industries and was an important interchange point for several eastern railroads; among them PRR, Erie/EL, and NKP.

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Dennis DeBruler commented on a post
In 1938 the buildings appear to be inside the wye. Then it occurred to me that the architecture of the yard tower is 1950s or 60s. Looking at a 1962 aerial, the tower was west of Yates and east of Oglesby, but closer to Yates. Tracks in this area in 1938 had been removed by the time this tower was built.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.7228958,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3