Photos of C&NW Potato Yard and UP/C&NW Global One Yard

Billy Duffing posted several photos as comments on a post about Lincoln Yard. Because the photos cover the C&NW Potato Yard and the UP/C&NW Global One Yard, I'm recording them in a separate post.

Billy Duffing commented on Gary's post
This is where I worked since 1987 when it was Chicago Northwestern wood street yard (global 1)
I'll attach some black and white photo's we have hanging in our hall tomorrow.Billy Duffing In the movie "Hardball " with Keanu Reeves there's a scene where they're walking under the Damon viaduct that passed under the yard, and it's in a bunch of scenes from Chicago PD as the studio is across the street.

The following are the B&W photos that Billy posted as more comments on Gary's post.

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[North is at the bottom.]

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Dennis DeBruler We are looking southeast across the spud yard. So that has to be CB&Q's coaling tower. This is the first photo I have seen of that tower.
https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../c-wood-street...

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Chicago & North Western Historical Society posted
Did you know the CNW had giant rubber tired equipment?  How about the MI-JACK crane at Global I.  It almost looks like it is lightly faded Safety Yellow.  Chicago IL, 10-10-1988, Joe Piersen.

Kevin Leahy: Very unique machines made specifically for Global One that were never replicated in other intermodal lift equipment.

Mel Wilson: Kevin Leahy similar have been in use all over the country.

Kevin Leahy: Structurally, yes. But the ones at Global One had a special mechanism to allow the spreader head to rotate 180 degrees. Not repeated anywhere else to my knowledge. The rotaters became obsolete within a year of Global One's opening when Conrail raised the clearances for double stacked trains on most of their main through routes.

Mel Wilson: I remember when working the switch jobs at the Argentine Yard strip tracks, the hostlers rarely parked the container chassis parallel with the intermodal cars. The head had to be rotated at an angle to load containers onto them from the rail cars.

Chip Uppling commented on the above post
Loved working as a ground man for those in the 80’s. I’m in the yellow helmet.