EJ&E West Chicago Yard

(Satellite) I zoomed in on the curve that Mark has in the foreground in the following photo. He was using a really long lens because the Illinois Prairie Path - Geneva Spur Bridge appears a lot closer than it really is.

Mark Llanuza posted
It's the year 2009 a short Frt train called 20 coming into West Chicago

Unlike most railyards today, this yard still has all of its classification tracks. 

Satellite

C&NW's original mainline that headed west towards Galena went along the south side of this EJ&E yard. As you can see in this topo map, that mainline continued southeast and crossed the EJ&E and Washington Street and then turned more East to go through town. That original mainline made it just to Freeport, IL, when C&NW decided to build a more direct mainline from West Chicago towards Omaha. The old mainline became the Freeport Division. It is now UP's Belvidere Subdivision. 

1953 West Chicago Quad @ 1:24,000

Note that a new C&NW wye was added west of the EJ&E route to connect the Belvidere/Freeport branch to the mainline and UP's West Chicago Yard with more gentle curves. But I was shocked to see that it still has the CB&Q connection in the lower-right corner to the C&NW route. That was removed decades ago. I fired up Google Earth and confirmed that the CB&Q connection is already gone in the oldest usable image, 1993. That image also shows that the new wye has been constructed and that the old mainline no longer crossed the EJ&E and Washington Street.

1998 West Chicago Quad @ 1:24,000

Looking at a satellite image, I noticed the 1998 topo map doesn't have the connection that has been added between UP going to the West and EJ&E going to the South. But that is not an error because, according to Google Earth, that connection still doesn't exist in 1998. Google Earth shows that that connection was built prior to Mar 2002.

Satellite

Looking again at the 1953 map, the junction of the CB&Q and EJ&E was JA Tower and the crossings of C&NW and EJ&E was JB (new mainline) and JC (old mainline).

Rogan Granite & Marble near Dryer, IN

(3D Satellite)

This facility is just west of Dryer in Illinois. There is no quarry here. But cutting and polishing stone is an important part of granite and marble consumption.

Street View

HalstEd Pazdzior posted
EJE 659 heads east on the Matteson Sub. L514 is the symbol.  4/21/22 
[It is significant that this locomotive still has an EJ&E livery because CN bought the railroad several years ago. And it has a caboose right next to the locomotive. So it must have been switching some industry.]
Joseph Tuch Santucci: That granite facility there is where the Vietnam memorial wall was produced.

The CN/EJ&E goes along the south side of the plant. The railroad that went along the north side was NYC's Michigan Central. That route was called the Joliet Cutoff.

Satellite

It looks like they were served by the Michigan Central.

1949 Crete Quad @ 1:62,500

I wonder if they also did the 13 plaques at the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial.

Dennis DeBruler

I'm sure that they are glad that granite counter tops became a fad.

American Marketing & Publishing, Mar 2016

A radial arm saw on steroids. Note the yellow overhead crane that they use to move the slabs around the shop.

American Marketing & Publishing, Mar 2016

A router on steroids.

American Marketing & Publishing, Mar 2016

Polishing

American Marketing & Publishing, Mar 2016

Engraving

American Marketing & Publishing, Mar 2016

EJ&E Rockdale and Statesville Prison Branches

Rockdale North: (Satellite, was Rockdale Junction)

Rockdale South: (Satellite, now Joliet Junction Trail and it continued northeast past some industries)

Statesville: (Satellite, a tree line is what clued me in to research this)

Kevin Piper posted a history and some images of the EJ&E Branch that began in 1904 as the Rockdale, Joliet  & Lockport Terminal Railway. EJ&E discontinued service on the 6.46-mile line in 1991 because a wooden trestle was severely damaged by a fire. In 1994 the Joliet Junction Railroad was founded. After obtaining a $390,000 loan from the Illinois taxpayers, it gave up in 1999. "The line sold for $467,424 to the Forest Preserve District of Will County, which created a recreational trail, called the 'Joliet Junction Trail.'" I hope that $467,424 was used to pay off the loan.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Kevin's post

While looking at a satellite image of Rockdale Junction, I noticed there was a tree line curving northward as well as this branch going south. The 2005 SPV Map shows an EJ&E branch going up to Statesville Prison. This abandoned RR map shows both branches.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer...

As expected, the prison has a boiler building. I presume it now burns natural gas instead of coal.

3D Satellite

But there is not evidence of an abandoned RoW in the prison.

Satellite

I think that is because the track ended just outside of the prison wall.

Global Earth, Mar 1994

They had structures at the wall to pass the coal through the wall. Remnants of the outside structures are still standing. The inside structure as been removed except for the foundation.

Satellite

Maps of Railroads in Southeast Chicago

I know enough about the railroads in Southeast Chicago to know that it was a spaghetti bowl of tracks. Because there was a lot of industry in the area, one railroad would build tracks along side another railroad just to access a large industry. These maps help untangle the noodles.

Michael Mora posted seven images with the comment:

U.S. government maps of just some of the railways that ran through Southeast Side, 1916-1919: Chicago & Calumet River Railroad; Chicago & Western Indiana Railway; Calumet Western Railway; Chicago Short Line Railway; Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway; Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad; Pennsylvania Railroad. Interstate Commerce Commission, U.S. National Archives, catalog.archives.gov

2

3

4

5

6

7

Daniel Bovino posted

Here’s a late 1880’s view of Roseland, Pullman, and the Calumet region. It shows a Lake Calumet in its original state and other lakes that have since been filled in. Hyde Lake is almost completely gone. Wolf Lake and Lake George have also been altered by the industrial push into this region over the last 150 years. Thankfully, some of our remaining area wetlands are under restoration. 

I received this wonderful map from Mendel Alumni, John Ormsby.

John Ormsby: Map taken from Library of Congress. Map Room in Jefferson Building

Paul Jevert shared

1880's topographical map of the southside at that time unincorporated into the City!

Back in 1916-19, the C&WI still owned the BRC tracks. BRC was created for the freight operations so that C&WI could concentrate on passenger service to the Dearborn Station.  

Upton Junction: CN/EJ&E vs. UP/C&NW

(Satellite)

EJ&E is the east/west route. Because the EJ&E makes a half-circle around Chicagoland, geographically eastbound trains are going westbound according to the timetable.

Kevin Piper posted

Leaving Waukegan and going east, the first junction we come to is "Upton." Upton is where we cross the lightly used C&NW (UP) "freight line" around Waukegan.

Unit taconite trains were once interchanged from the C&NW here to avoid the 1% ruling grade out of Waukegan. Due to this grade, the Upton wye that had been taken out in the 60's was put back in during the early 70's, so the trains could go that way instead. EJ&E power would run to Upton to get the trains. Sets of three C&NW Alco C-628's were commonly used on these heavy trains when they came in. EJ&E used three 900-series Centercabs or SD38's to pull them out.

Upton is just a junction point. No town is there. The interchange is no longer used, and the wye was again removed.

Note the spilled load from an earlier derailment.

Michael Steffen: When unit ore trains were interchanged here railroads were still using the caboose. The J would leave their caboose on the main, shove the loaded train back onto the caboose, get the interlocking signal and shove the train westward towards Waukegan until it was in a bowl. This made starting the train easier with the rear end coming down a slight grade while the head end was pulling uphill.

Bob Guhr posted
Upton, Illinois; C&NW-EJ&E crossing just west of Lake Bluff, Ill. ca. 1950's. Photo courtesy of Trains Magazine.

Dyer Junction: Monon vs. EJ&E & Michigan Central and Monon Depot

(no CRJ; John Haynes Track Diagram; Satellite)
NorthAmericanInterlockings: none
Chicago and Northern Indiana Railroad Interlocking Towers (click the marker for the correct information)

American-Rails.com posted
Monon C420 #507 leads a southbound manifest across the Penn Central (ex-New York Central) and Elgin, Joliet & Eastern at Dyer, Indiana on March 27, 1971. David Hawkins collection.
Jeff Ewoldt: Note the International Harvester combine, manufactured in East Moline, Illinois.
[Some comments discuss the high signals by the depot concerning train orders. Others discuss the car with the man sticking out of it.]

Bill Molony shared

Jeff Michaels commented on America-Rails.com's post
My father and me were there about 7 years later.

The brown roof blends in with the brown field. I would not have been able to spot it without knowing it was in the northwest quadrant of the Monon vs. MC crossing.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

The red rectangle identifies the depot and the yellow rectangle is for the junction tower.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP plus Paint

The town started south of the tracks so it is interesting that they built the depot north of the tracks.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Jon Darmon posted
Dyer Drone Picture looking east.
They been working on both bridges all summer.
Skip Burch: Hart Ditch flowing under the J and the Monon.

A Roger Puta Photo

Marty Bernard's comment:

MONON F3A 208 with Train 5, The Thoroughbred, rounding a curve after crossing the NYC and EJ&E at Dyer, Indiana on February 10, 1963.

Since Marty indicated that a different picture with Train 6 was northbound, this train would be southbound.

I believe the building on the right is the depot.

Elwood Joliet & Southern Railroad (EJSR)

This railroad has acquired a former Railway & Industrial Services  (Satellite in case the labeled link disappears) property near Joliet, IL, and assumed the operation of the EJ&E Phoenix Branch. [ProgressiveRailroading, source] 

(Update: rtands, Kaniuk (has a map))

Ricky Vetter III posted

Watco

I saved an overview satellite image and then three higher resolution segments since all of these cars have now been removed. I saw reports several months ago about the closing of the railroad car repair facility. Someone mentioned that there was at least one museum worthy passenger car in storage. I have not seen a report indicating weather or not it was saved.

Satellite

 

Satellite

Satellite

Satellite

US Steel 25-cycle (25hz) Electric Power

Gregory Bailey commented on the following post: "The yellow head towers were owned by USS. They went from Gary Works to South Works. They supplied 25 cycle produced at Gary & fed South Works. [Nope, South Works supplied Gary]"

Kevin A Heggi posted
I have to modify some towers for my home layout, I really dig them going under like that.....In case you're wondering....I was on top of the sintering plant at LTV/Youngstown/Mittal/ISG/Mark MFG.......

Kevin A Heggi posted again
One of my favorite things at the mill, the over track power lines....these went from Gary works to South Chicago, connecting the US Steel electrical grid....I was told these never really carried power, but were put up so that US Steel could negotiate with NIPSCO and COM ED for better rates....the threat being, the could reroute the power if needed.

These comments confirm that the power plant below in South Works supplied the 25hz power.

Comments on Kevin's second post

Below was written before Kevin's second post and its comments.

But I wonder if the power was generated in South Works and fed to the Gary Works. That would explain why this power plant remained long after all of the other buildings had been torn down in the South Works.

Rod Sellers posted
Where am I?

Rod sellers commented on his post
Answer: #5 Power Station at South Works U. S. Steel plant built 1936. Photo taken April 2001. When the plant closed in April 1992 this building (and 1 other) were not torn down with the rest of the plant. It continued to generate power for the U. S. Steel plant in Gary for several years. Attached aerial photo was taken in 1995.
Karen Grankowski Listowski Rod Sellers my husband worked at #4 Power Station, and was part of the skeleton crew left that provided power to Gary. They used to grill chicken alot.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Rod's post
Google Earth shows that the plant was removed between April 2002 and Sept. 2003.

These yellow head towers carried 25-cycle power between South and Gary Works. If this plant generated 25-cycle power, that would explain why it wasn't removed when the other buildings were torn down. Although as far back as April 1998 I don't see any coal piles in the Google Earth images. I wonder when USS converted Gary Works to the 60-cycle grid power or if the units that used 25-cycle power have also been torn down.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.6588792,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3

Note that these towers are built over the EJ&E right-of-way. When this power line was built, US Steel owned EJ&E.

Ted Gregory posted, cropped

Interesting how they handle utilities in narrow, constrained, and heavily used railroad corridors.

UPDATE:

Note they designed them for two tracks!

What all highway bridge designers should allow over a RR.

NW Indiana

[It was double tracked. The comments indicated the track was removed in the early 1990s after the South Works shut down.
Some comments also describe the stack shields or blast plates "used to deflect hot gasses and junk coming out of steam engine stacks. You'll see them under old bridges sometimes as well."]
Dennis DeBruler: The railroad, EJ&E, and power line were owned by US Steel. The line carried 25hz power from a power plant in South Works to Gary Works.
[There are some comments about why and where 25hz was used including:]
Kristian Svalland: They still use 25hz here in the east in large sections [of electrified railroads].

I presume that the tower in this photo of the USS South Works was also part of the 25hz supply.

Comment by Dwayne Stenger on a post via Dennis DeBruler, Credit: World Wide Photos