posted
I have a question for you old-timers (Gilbert?) who have a better memory than I do -- what station in Chicago did the North Shore Line go into? I used to ride that from Waukegan to Chicago as a kid, and my friends and I would go to a museum or something.
Also, what station in Chicago did the old Monon Line go into from Indiana (Dearborn?) I used to ride the Monon home from DePauw University in Greencastle when I was attending college.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
My 1955 Rock Island timetable shows Monon Route using Dearborn, as did Santa Fe.
A "North Shore Line" is not listed among the railroads serving Chicago's 7 stations, but Chicago & Northwestern ran to Waukegan out of their exclusive downtown CHI station.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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The Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee was an interurban (route of the Electroliners)that ran between Milwaukee and Chicago. It gained access into the windy city via trackage rights over elevated tracks right into the Loop, so it used Chicago "El" stations.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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We should note that the CNS&M had their own station at 223 S Wabash and a storage facility at Roosevelt Road.
I only had one ride on the North Shore - namely Jan 1962 Milw to (somewhere on the Loop). To ride the Electroliners, I had to wait until they were in service on the Red Arrow.
Regarding Chicago terminal stations, here was the "roster" when I was actively railfanning during the early '60's:
North Western Station;
C&NW
Union Station:
MILW CB&Q PRR GM&O
Grand Central Station
B&O SOO CGW C&O (PM)
La Salle Street
NYC NKP CRI&P
Dearborn Station
AT&SF C&WI C&EI (addenda) GTW WAB ERIE CI&L
Randolph St.
IC (electric) CSS&SB
(not terminals but notable)
Central Station
IC NYC (CCC&StL)
Wabash Ave
CNS&M
Railfanning atop the Roosevelt Road viaduct, from which most everything listed above save the C&NW, MILW, IC, CSSSB, and CCCStL (no security, be they personal or Homeland, concerns back then) was indeed the "show of shows'. There was more 'action' than any one person could surmise.
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Thanks for that comprehensive listing Mr. Norman! I was just about to add a post asking about which station(s) we would have used in 1953 coming into Chicago on the El Capitan from Pasadena and going out to Lansing, MI (to pick up a new Olds!) on the Grand Trunk. The answer was there: Dearborn for both.
Frank in Sunny SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Don't you mean C&EI rather than C&WI for Dearborn? I know the C&WI owned the track that C&EI used to access it, but was't that also true for CI&L,and maybe some of the other names, as well? (Monon to those of you that never heard of CI&L). Likewise, could you not also call Central Station a terminal? Only the electric trains went further, both ICRR long distance and the NYC Cincinatti trains terminated there.
Posts: 2810 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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I know that in the very late 1960's the Louisville and Nashville was operating into Chicago (presumably Dearborn) over lines aquired from the C&EI. (This route was a Chicago to Atlanta train via Nashville and Chattanooga and with a connection to/from St. Louis at Evansville, IN.)
The question I have, was the Monon freight only by the time it was merged into the L&N? My guess would be yes because I'm also thinking Monon may not have gone to L&N until 1971 or 72.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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The C&EI was my omission and has now been added to the compilation.
The Chicago & Western Indiana operated passenger trains from Dearborn Station to Dolton IL. Motive power was Alco RS-1 and the Coaches were ERIE "Stillwell" design.
quote:Originally posted by Ocala Mike: The Monon ran its last passenger service on 9/30/67, and merged with the L&N in 1971. It was freight only at that time all right.
Thanks Mike,
This is roughly what I suspected......though I had believed passenger service existed on the Monon for about 12-18 months longer. With 40 years hindsight 18 months seems like a pebble at most.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Using Mr. Norman's comprehensive guide to Chicago stations, I can proudly say that during the years 1943-1952 (nine years -- count 'em) as a academic traveler between the Rocky Mountains and the east coast I had the great luck of experiencing every Chicago terminal at least once, with the single exception of Dearborn Street.
The easiest connection was New York Central to Rock Island, both at LaSalle St. Connections to Union and C&NW stations were somewhat trickier, and I can remember one instance of not being able to find the Grand Central station for a B&O ride to our nation's capital.
I have to say that one of the most primeval joys of that era was the contrast between all the stations, no two of which were alike. And equally exciting (in 1951) was when the NYC's Lake Shore Limited carried a through sleeper to the CB&Q-D&RGW-WP California Zephyr, and the opportunity to spend the three-hour connection being shuttled around the various yards.
Those were the days.
Posts: 87 | From: Snowmass, CO USA | Registered: Jun 2003
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Thanks Gilbert and the others -- yes I do recall the North Shore Station (CNS&M) being around Wabash Street somewhere (it was either there or somewhere near the Prudential Building). Thanks again!
Of course, the Monon Line I rode (part of N&W then) followed the same route as AMTRAK's current Cardinal route between Crawfordsville and Dyer.
I believe the North Shore Line also followed the same route as the present Metra line between Chicago and Waukegan (former CNW - now UP/Metra), but the parallel tracks have long since been removed
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Chicago and I don't go nearly as far back as Mr. Norman does, but I was in Chicago on a visit in 1969 and got at least a taste of railfanning from Roosevelt Road. My favorite sight was the combined departure of the afternoon Twin Zephyr/Empire Builder/North Coast Ltd. It remains the only train I've ever seen with NINE dome cars (including a long dome and a dome-sleeper).
One interesting bit of trivia. C&O/B&O vacated Grand Central Station in late 1969 or early 1970 (not sure of exact date). Chessie arranged for the trains to move to (of all places) North Western Station, which was reached over B&OCT via the location where Global One now stands. I did ride the Capitol Ltd. out of GCS, but never out of North Western Station. That would have added several miles to a fascinating meander through many of the major railway junctions on the south side of Chicago.
Another small piece of trivia. Part of the C&WI still exists. It is owned and dispatched by Metra between CP518 (connection to Norfolk Southern) and Belt Crossing.
Posts: 614 | From: Merchantville, NJ. USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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The long way out of Chicago became even longer traversing ALL points of the compass in the process.
I rode Dec 1969 with another fellow, B&O Capitol C&NW Station to Gary, walked several blocks for a return on the South Shore.
Even if you could, I wouldn't be about to do same today.
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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"Chicago and I don't go nearly as far back as Mr. Norman does.."
Does that make Mr. Norman older than Chicago? Wow.
Did the Zephyr/Empire Builder/North Coast Ltd. run as a single consist? Some how I imagined they ran one after another on the same schedule. I know the Seattle trains did not list intermediate points CHI-MSP as stops, and it would seem logical a combined train would be too long for most stations.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Mr. Resor is absolutely correct, 'as the clock wound down" and after Lou Menk decided it was time to play housemother and click the lights (some will say he did so before all the frat Brothers were drunk), CB&Q ran a combined NCL, EB, and AZ that departed Chi about 1230PM.
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Does anyone know if they ran a colorful combination of locomotives, or if the EB and NCL attached their own locomotives at MSP?
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Yes, I saw the train. IIRC (and it's been a few years) it had four Burlington E-units. That was typical in those days. The NP and GN power would have been attached during the split of the trains in Minneapolis (both NP and GN used the GN station, as did CB&Q).
Up until about 1969, Florida trains changed from PRR/PC power in WAS to two RF&P E units each, and then picked up SAL (usually A-B-B-A) or ACL (A-A-A) E units in Richmond. That was long before Amtrak forgot how to change consists en route.
Shttp://www.newsday.com/news/local/transportation/am-stor0809,0,5606496.story
Posts: 614 | From: Merchantville, NJ. USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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TwinStar Rocket wrote: "Does that make Mr. Norman older than Chicago? Wow."
There is no truth to the rumor that GBN fingered Mrs. O'Leary's cow as the source of the great Chicago fire. It is true, however, that he was there observing the "consists" of the fire-fighting equipment on their way to the blaze.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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