UP/C&NW North Avenue Yard

I saved a satellite image because most of the industry that used to be served by this yard, including interchange traffic with the now defunct Chicago Terminal Railroad, has been kicked out of the area by gentrification. I wonder if UP will keep this yard for just car storage. Or if they will tear up the tracks for property tax relief. The land is elevated, so if the tracks are torn up, it would join the many expensive vacant lots in Chicago.

Satellite

Edward Kwiatkowski posted
A Union Pacific Railroad EMD GP 15 diesel electric locomotive, and a former Chicago & Northwestern Railroad steel bay window caboose.
Chicago Illinois. July 2019.
Michael Bose I have seen this very locomotive quite often either crossing Irving Park Rd. at Six Corners, or Montrose at Mayfair, around midday. Usually with a couple of covered hoppers.
Dennis DeBruler Probably flour cars for Alpha Baking. It is one of the two industries that I know of that are still supported by this yard since Chicago Terminal Railroad had to abandoned the Milwaukee's former Chicago & Evanston tracks around Goose Island.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.9607066,-87.../data=!3m1!1e
Dennis DeBruler The other industry is the lower level of Blommer Chocolate. (NS serves the second level.)
https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../blommer...
Dennis DeBruler I see that Sipi Metals has paved over its spur.
https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4...
David Daruszka North Avenue Yard.[It looks like a railroad tower is photobombing the caboose.]

Street View, looking from the north side
The tracks in the foreground are the mainline. It is good that UP is storing some cars in the yard to highlight the yard tracks.

Street View, looking from the south side

Alpha Baking has three flour cars spotted at their building.  Since the section of this branch that went up from 40th Street Yard no longer exists, these cars would have to be shoved south from the Mayfair Junction with the Northwest line.

Satellite

The satellite at the beginning of these notes shows the gap between the mainline and the yard is bare. This 2011 Flickr shows that it used to have vegetation. Allan's comment on the Flickr photo:

Gosh, when I blew up this pic, it totally makes sense where this is now. You're slightly south of the Clybourn Metra stop, somewhere in the rail yard just south of that stop, and east of the Kennedy. The Morton Salt building totally gives this pic away. :)

As an exercise to learn more about Chicago and the C&NW I found the taller brown building that is to the left of Willis/Sears Tower in the 2011 Flickr photo. This satellite extract has that building in the lower-right corner. I added a red line to show the sight-line along the yard in the photo. It does catch the south end of the former Mortan Salt Co. warehouse.

Satellite

One thing I learned is why the black building along the Chicago River that had its nice river view skunked by the Trump Tower is no longer called the IBM Building. IBM has built a new building that is down in the financial district and closer to the commuter stations. The brown building is across the corner from it and Willis is a block south.

Satellite

This satellite image has to be rather old. I see three hopper cars parked by the building. I remember Morton Salt closed this warehouse facility a few years ago. So I doubt if there have been hopper cars parked at the building for a while now.

It looks like Sipi Metals has paved over its spur.

Satellite

Around 5:54 in this video, the camera rolls past this yard. The 1988 date is old enough that the yard is rather full and traffic is moving right along on the Kennedy Expressway.

d.w.davidson Flickr of three switchers parked at the south end

Carlos Ferran posted, used with permission

UP 1430 leads YNO68 north to North Ave. Yard with a generous count of 6 high cube boxcars from Tribune. Taken from high above River West.

Jan 2, 2020.

Carlos Ferran posted

Looking back from the beginning of the month, I took to the sky for a shot of YNO68 returning to North Avenue from Tribune with a total of 6 high cubes. Not bad, considering we're in 2020 and print is on the down slope. Sometimes the best way to admire UP's hold on downtown service is to look from above. However, downtown freight wont last forever, so shoot it if you can.

-----------------

YNO68

UP 1430

1/2/2020

David Dupuis posted
UP YNO68 switches out the Tribune, located off of Grand Ave in Chicago, IL. Taken today, 4/23/2020.
Daniel Rappoport Interesting that they now use 60' hi cubes, I miss the old 50' WC and Ontario Northland cars.
Terry L. Hunt I remember those paper boxes being on the tail end of GTW 393 to Proviso. They always had a subtle way of letting you know they were back there. Came in to Proviso and S/O the head end for Janesville's in 4 yard. Yarded the balance in 9 yard putting the paper boxes right where they could be grabbed to go to the Tribune.
Taylor Rich Terry L. Hunt PSR, when it was simply known as doing your job well.
Aaron Sims Chicago switching. love it.didn't know it still exist.

Erik Coleman Would that be the old passenger mains to Wells St station over to the left?
Matt McClure Erik Coleman These tracks lead to the former "low line" that [once] led all the way onto Navy Pier. Still busy to Blommer Chocolate.

As of Jan 2024:

Mark Llanuza posted
U.P job YPR60B that comes from the old CNW Des Plaines IL Coach yard near Deval and runs southeast to North Ave and switches Chicago Tribune. On this day he is switching box cars today at the Tribune company in the rain with CNW crew engineer Jeff Kaufmam and CNW conductor Ricky Davidson .This facility will soon be the next Bailey's Casino at the former Tribune printing company.
Steve Bayorgeon: Other than the chocolate factory, does it switch anything else?
Mark Llanuza: Steve Bayorgeon for now the Tribune and Chocolate its last business left downtown .They switch Alpha baking company near Mayfair/
Peter Totzke: Sometimes they do Sysco at the DesPlaines coach yard where they get the cars for the industries downtown and Alpha bakery.

Doug Kaniuk posted five photos with the comment: "3/13/2020, Cragin Industrial lead, near Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, local freight."
Doug Kaniuk Paul Musselman was always in use, served the Alpha bakery (at Armitage).
Bob Jungmann Doug Kaniuk Formerly the "Mary Ann Baking company" that at one time was the supplier for ALL of McDonalds !! That track used to run across the back side of Hermosa Park---remember it very well. Once as a young kid (early 50's Korean war time) a train full of passenger cars full of USAF members---windows up and arms out the windows, went by the park---probably headed to the USAF base by O'Hare from the NW line to Des Plaines and then down along the line that goes S. from Des Plaines to the airport.
Tim Sasse Looks like cars for all the industries served out of North Ave Yard.
Hopper for Alpha Baking
CP boxcars of newsprint for the Chicago Tribune.
A tank car for the lower level at Blommer's Chocolate.
Michael Bose This turn once upon a time, not that long ago, handled bulkhead flatcars full of lumber, plywood and drywall/sheet rock until Mayfair Lumber closed down.
Doug Kaniuk also, Hines lumber.
Karl Beetschen and Miller Bro’s. Lumber.

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3

4

5
Paul Musselman And a caboose, even!Mark Frankel With CNW markings!

Doug commented on his post
Must be a different crew, usually just the engine and hopper would go down the line. attached picture from 2010

Dennis DeBruler commented on Doug's post
Dennis DeBruler A spot that needs the leaves off the trees.
https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4...

A video of a train going to Alpha Bakery. The comments indicate that Job 68 serves the bakery, Chicago Tribune (boxcars) and the lower level of Blommers Chocolate (tank cars).
Doug also posted.

Matthew Gibbons I have seen that caboose recently what’s the story behind it.
Brandon McShane It's now based in North Avenue Yard for Job 68.
Doug Kaniuk Job 68 out of North Ave Yard served Morton Salt, Chicago Tribune and the lower track at Blommer (corn syrup & cocoa beans). They also serve Alpha Bakery on the Craigin Line.

Not only has UP closed the hump in Proviso Yard, it seems they have closed this yard completely.

Tyson Park commented on a post:

Normally both levels of Blommer were switched out by the North Avenue-based job which ended last month. It is now switched all the way out of Proviso along with the Tribune Freedom Center. I wonder if UP has moved the operations from the Harvard Subdivision to the Geneva one? Either way to access the lower level Blommer spur and the Tribune they would have to use the ladder tracks at the west end of Ogilvie Station to go from the Geneva to the Harvard subdivision which is what the North Avenue-based job did in reverse to access the upper level Blommer spur.

Some comments on this post explains how UP serves its few remaining industries from Proviso Yard.

Dave Zeman posted

YPR60 makes a run to the Chicago Tribune with UPY 815 and a former-CNW caboose bringing up the rear.

6/22/2021

[The grass used to be a multi-track holding yard for the Chicago Tribune.]
Matthew Schoell: Anyone know who the centerbeam's for?
Dave Zeman: Matthew Schoell Heller Lumber in Arlington Heights
[At first, I didn't even see the spur that goes into Heller Lumber.]
Sam Dickey: They got the crummy back!
Ken Walker: That line also feeds the street level trans loading for Blommer Chocolate. That’s where those tank cars are spotted and that siding holds the overflow.
Tim Sasse

I believe YPR60 runs Sun, Wed round trip from Proviso to Waukegan and back.

Mon, Thus round trip from Proviso to the upper level of Blommers on the West Line and back.

Tue, Fri round trip from Proviso to Des Plaines and down to Northwest Line (also to Hellers and Alpha Baking on the Cragin Spur) down to the Tribune/Blommers lower level and back.

 

Robby Gragg Flickr

Days are numbered

UP GP38-2 815 arrives at the Chicago Tribune with YPR60. The Tribune will wrap up operations here in June to make way for a casino. Between that and Blommer chocolate closing UP will soon no longer have any customers in downtown Chicago. Chicago, IL

Dec 2024: The Freedom Center is being torn down to make room for a casino. That is in the news because a wall collapsed into the river causing a bunch of white stuff to float on the river. It turns out, the white stuff was perlite. It looks like they have learned their lesson and now have a barge parked next to the demolition activity to catch any debris spills.

MWRD posted

📣 ICYMI Block Club Chicago: A wall collapsed Saturday at the site of the new casino, causing discharge of non-contaminating perlite into the water, according to the MWRD. Cleanup was completed Sunday.

The discharge of debris is believed to have been caused by a wall collapsing into the river during the demolition process, said Allison Fore, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The site was formerly home to the Chicago Tribune’s Freedom Center.

🌊 MWRD/News: 

https://mwrd.org/.../ballys-casino-apologizes-after...

Credits: Block Club Chicago

Frank Giovetti: perlite is basically glass that can float on water(until it gets waterlogged)

(Facebooked)

CN/EJ&E #198 Bridge - Des Plaines River (Actually, CS&SC) near Joliet, IL

(Flickr, Bridge Hunter, Historic Bridges, Birds Eye, Satellite)

Canadian National now owns the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad. The railroad crosses the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Des Plaines River just north of where these two channels converge. The lift span is over the canal. The bridge is surrounded by industry, so the best I could do were some telephoto pictures from North Bluff Road.

This is a closeup of the boat in the above photo. This boat was unusual because it was a tugboat instead of a towboat. That is, it had a round front instead of a "square" front. I don't remember seeing a tugboat on the river before. It had to wait for the train to clear the bridge before it could proceed upstream

2:33:44

I chased a large tow from Jackson Street Bridge to this lift bridge. This is the first time I have seen a "helper" towboat lashed to the front as part of the tow.

3:02:18

By the time I finished taking video of the Cass Street Bridge and got back to this bridge, it was already in the "up" position. You can see the prop wash for both props, so you know the towboat is pushing hard. But, of course, it is still moving rather slowly.

3:04:18

3:07:40

3:05:46

I was set up with a telephoto lens and a tripod to take a video of the bridge going back down when an eastbound BNSF/Santa Fe container train went by. I was not going to risk missing the bridge by changing back to a wide-angle lens so I took a picture of each of the four engines. I include only one here because the main reason for taking four pictures is to get the numbers: 8388, 8383, 8386, and 8368. They are GE ES44C4s. When I saw the tight grouping of the numbers, I wondered if they were fresh from the factory. A Facebook posting did confirm that they were "brand new."

3:10:44

It turns out I had plenty of time to take those pictures, I still had to wait for the bridge to go down. While I was waiting, I caught the lead engine of a westbound BNSF/Santa Fe vehicle train. I had to stare at the bridge for a while before I decided that it was finally going down. It moved very slowly. That is why I videoed just some of its downward movement. This video has quadruple action. In addition to the bridge going down, it shows the tow continuing upstream and the tops of the eastbound containers behind the westbound vehicle train.

3:12:24

I took another picture after I was done with the video to verify that it was still going down.

Then I grabbed the engines of the vehicle train as it crossed the I&M Canal Bridge. It was pulled by BNSF 6992: ES44C4 built in 2012 and 4462: C44-9W built in 1998.

3:13:52

Then another picture of the bridge to confirm it was finally in the "down" position. In the following "overview" picture from North Bluff Road, you can barely see the lift bridge in the far background.

HalstEd Pazdzior posted
X519 crosses bridge 198. Today's power is a matching set. IC repaint, a Canadian Cab and LNG car. The LNG car has called Joliet home for the past 3 years. It was dropped at Spaulding and its fate is unknown.
3/23/22
John Sheskier: If that's CN 911, that's a "classroom car." No idea what it's really for.
HalstEd Pazdzior: John Sheskier it's 911. They dropped it at Spaulding.
Todd Lewis: John Sheskier it's used to teach fire departments how to handle tank cars in an accident. It has several types of valves and manways on it so they can learn about the various tank cars.
Harold Downs: Where is Spaulding?
Andrew Gray: Harold Downs 1401–1499 W Bartlett Rd Bartlett, IL 60103 is the south end of the yard or 1415 Spaulding Rd, Bartlett, IL 60103 is the north end of the yard depending on which end of the yard it’s on.
Kasey Klynstra: To be clear, AFAIK, CN 911 and the LNG tank are two separate cars (the LNG tank I think being on loan from UP with CNW reporting marks).
Andrew Gray: Kasey Klynstra they are. the LNG tank got cn paint but kept the “CNW 1” reporting marks.

Sam Carlson posted in Facebook

Stuart Pearson posted

Stuart's comment:

EJ&E Ry crossing the Bridge that spans the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal just below Lockport (IL) Lock. This Train was returning from Morris, IL where the "J" served a Chemical Plant, and was heading for the North end of the Joliet (IL) Yard. Late Afternoon in the Autumn. I used Fuji Velvia a 50 Speed Highly Saturated Film.

Carlos Ferran posted, used with permission
This morning's light snow fall made for some neat scenery. After missing out on the SIBI by 10 minutes, I stuck around Joliet to see if anything else was moving. Sure enough, L509 was building its train for departure to E. Morris with a pair of Deathstars. What better opportunity to try and go for a shot of the train crossing the Des Plaines?

Greg Schmuldt posted
650 going across bridge 198 in trail aug 2001
[When I saw this, I was left with the question of Des Plaines or Illinois River bridge? Fortunately, I soon came across the following posting in my timeline which answered the question ---- Des Plaines.]

Greg Schmuldt posted
Delivering cars to the santa fe in joliet as you can see bridge 198 to the left and the bridge over the santa fe main lines towards lemont.This was the job called the nite flyer. Went out of joliet with cars for kirk yard about midnight and returned to joliet usually by 9am with cars for joliet road switchers usually the head 30 or so were for the santa fe mostly coil cars. We would pull into north 29 or 31, cut away then deliver the SF cut then put engines on pit and tie up. It was a sweet job as a brakeman.

Bill Molony posted
The EJ&E's control tower at the Des Plaines River bridge in Joliet - December 2, 1990.
Stuart Pearson Bill Molony from my having worked in the office of a Barge company in the past let me say at this point it is still the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal. It becomes the DesPlaines a short distance above the Ruby St. Bridge.

Given Sturart's information, I augmented the title and added the wwSS label. I left the wwDPR label because the stretch along the Santa Fe Yard looks like it is the Des Plaines River. I guess it is the CS&SC because they had to do a lot of dredging of the river to handle the flow needed to dilute the reversed Chicago River. (An interesting tidbit is that the channel between the Lockport Lock and Lake Michigan is 12 feet deep. [Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway 12 Foot Channel Study])

Tony Raia posted
This morning’s winter wonderland. 1/4/20.
[This has a nice view of the tower near the right side.]

Bob Behounek posted
Wanted to share this picture from approx. early 1990's. Just north of Joliet along the Sanitary Ship Canal this consist crosses over the BNSF Main line.
[This photo provides another view of the tower on the left side. This is a reminder that most railroads did not mind if you were technically on their property as long as you stayed well out of the way.]

Robby Gragg posted
Eastbound manifest with three SD38-2s arrives into Joliet yard off the Western Sub in 2006.
Robby Gragg Bridge 198, just west of Joliet yard. This was taken from the now gone Woodruff Rd crossing.
Dennis DeBruler Got it. I underestimated how long your telephoto lens was. https://www.google.com/.../@41.5463176,-88.../data=!3m1!1e3 Once you get away from the bridge, it becomes double track again.

Fortunately, I recently saw a map that labeled this bridge as #198 so I recognized the subject of Dillon Harrison's posted comment:

In a discussion today, The subject of Bridge 198 came up. With 198 being an obvious bottleneck on the railroad for the CN, Was there ever talk of double tracking the bridge post-buyout? Any reasons why it never was double tracked even though it was built as a 2 track bridge?

Frank DeVries The weight is not a problem. The "Second Approach span" is (was) currently sitting on the non existent track side of the lift span. At least it was when I left. Bridge 198 worked very well when I was there. Of course the C&S department employees did a great job keeping up with the electrical and the J B&B department did a great job maintaining it. Bridge 552 (old one) was my PITA bridge of the 5 movable bridges.
Randy Brouwer Never been the same since Langley hammered it lol
George Ewing You mean when he seated it manually.
Michael Bachmann Seated it manually? When I got the call that cold November night that the engineer felt a bump while entering the lift span of the bridge. Bump hell, it had to be a big bang. Broke a carryover casting, skewed the bridge north and south as well as upstream and downstream. Wheels flange was riding on top of rail for about 20 feet, lucky they fell back into gauge. Bent the snowplow severely on engine. My crew spent that whole night and most of next day making repairs. What happened to "permission by the red signal checking route as you go".
Harold J. Krewer The Army Corps of Engineers paid for Bridge 198 as part of the Illinois Waterway project. Naturally the "J" specified it be built to accommodate a second main track, just as most, if not all the highway overpasses were constructed (e.g., I-88 and Butterfield Road).
For many years the track material (rail, ties) for the second main was left lying on the bridge deck in order to keep the lift span properly balanced.

HalstEd Pazdzior posted

Illinois Central 1020 leads L509 over the Des Plaines River on its way to the Illinois River Line.

10/25/20

Nick Hart posted

As a Helm GP38-2 and a BNSF SD40-2 shove back into the Joliet Yard, the Tori Pasentine makes a lucky appearance on the Des Plaines River as it passes under the old EJ&E (now CN) Bridge 198. Look closely in the top right corner and you'll see CSX Bridge 407 (former Rock Island).

01-28-20
Lawrence Owen Great catch, Nick!!  What was your vantage point?
Nick Hart Lawrence Owen Thanks! DJI Mavic 2 Pro (drone).
Zaky Joseph Gus Shauer railfannning with trains and boats....Joliet style! Lol

Ron Hull Was this bridge double tracked at any point?
Nick Hart Ron Hull Not that I know of. It's double track just before and just after the bridge, though. Double tracking it today would definitely help with congestion.
Alexander Phillips Nick Hart there are so many 1 track constrictions on this route...they should have doubletracked it from the start!.....Or the "J" never should have single tracked it either...HIND SIGHT.....
Ron Hull Nick Hart The reason I had asked is because the bridge deck appears to be wide enough for a second track. Thanks for the response.
Nick Hart Ron Hull That's a very good point.
Bryan Howell When the Army Corps built the new bridge (1934) over the newly constructed canal, the J asked for it to be double tracked, not for a current need, but for the future. The missing approach spans on either side are piled on the lift span where the second track would be to properly balance the lift span. Everything is there to do it, but CN must not think it is worth it currently, or the bridge needs a lot of work that is cost prohibitive to improve it to see the additional traffic.

Michael Bachmann commented on Dillon's posting
From the top of 198 looking towards Joliet Yard. 1959 picture.

Dennis DeBruler posted
Parked on the IL-53 overpass near Joliet at 4:40 on 9/17/18. A reminder that Grand Trunk was the first railroad that CN owned in USA.
Greg Benco RT 53, Crest Hill.
Gregg Wolfersheim That's probably the "Phoenix Job" L529 parked on the lead. Too much traffic to get it back into the Joliet yard 1 mile away!
Dennis DeBruler Hopefully, lots of traffic means lots of revenue. What does the Phoenix Job serve? The industries down the hill along the west bank downstream from here?
Gregg Wolfersheim Yes.

Mark Llanuza posted
Its 2009 were at River Jct near Joliet IL
Tom Legner It’s actually inbound between bridge 198 (you can see the bridge on the left) and Woodruff rd.Davis Shroomberg The Rock Crusher![I thought I saw the rock crusher on a trip on the north side of the EJ&E Yard. But it looks like it may now be gone. I know of River Junction and River Branch Junction, but I can't find a River Junction in Joliet.]

Michael Bachmann posted
Found this old picture.
Dennis DeBruler Is that where this lift bridge is now? https://www.google.com/.../@41.5526597,-88.../data=!3m1!1e3

Michael Bachmann Yes.

Michael Bachmann posted, rotated

Stuart Pearson posted an interior view of the bridge

12 images