As the railroads entered the city of Chicago, they encountered two watery obstacles – the Chicago River (including the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal) and the Calumet River.
The Chicago River and Sanitary Ship Canal, running in a southwest to northeast direction, essentially divides the city into two regions – north and south. The Calumet River, running east to west, forms a barrier on the far south end of the city. So, a series of bridges were required to be constructed to span these two waterways.
In fact, today there are more than 300 bridges, including 37 operable movable bridges, along the Chicago and Calumet rivers. Among these bridges are 12 railroad bridges that span the Chicago River and 5 railroad bridges that span the Calumet River.
In 2006, a committee was formed to propose Landmark Designation Status for 12 railroad bridges – 9 bridges on the Chicago River (including the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal) and 3 bridges on the Calumet River. These 12 bridges were granted landmark status at the beginning of 2008.
I thought that it would be interesting to briefly discuss these 12 historic bridges. Anyone who is interested in much more detail than discussed here is encouraged to read the entire 45-page report.
I will rely on this report to summarize the 12 bridges. The photos shown in this post are all from the report. I will supply the names of the railroads that used each bridge, since the report is silent on that matter for the most part.
1 and 2 - ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD SWING BRIDGES (2)
There are two historic Illinois Central Railroad bridges listed in the Landmark Designation Report. These two bridges are both swing bridges, and they span the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal about two miles apart. Both bridges were completed in 1900 and still remains in use today, although in fixed position since their operating machinery has been removed some time ago. Both bridges were owned and operated by the Illinois Central Railroad.
3 - CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL RAILWAY BRIDGE
This bridge is a rare type of swing span bridge, and it spans the North Branch of the Chicago River. It was completed in 1902 and still remains in use today, although its operating machinery has been removed some time ago. It was owned and operated by the Milwaukee Road.
4 - PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD BRIDGE
This bridge is a vertical lift bridge, and it spans the South Branch of the Chicago River. It was completed in 1914 and still remains in use today, and its operating machinery is still in place and in good working order. It was owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and shared track rights with the Chicago & Alton Railroad.
5 - CHICAGO & ALTON RAILWAY BRIDGE
This bridge is a double-track single-leaf bascule bridge, and it spans the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River. It was complete in 1906 and still remains in use today, and its operating machinery is still in place and in good working order. It was owned and operated by the Chicago & Alton Railroad.
6 - CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY BRIDGE
This bridge is an overhead counterweight bascule bridge, and it spans the North Branch of the Chicago River. It was completed in 1908. Today, the bridge is no longer in service, due to the rerouting of passenger and freight traffic. The bridge is locked in a raised position. It was owned and operated by the Chicago & North Western Railroad.
7 - PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD “EIGHT-TRACK” BRIDGE
This bridge is actually four side-by-side rolling-lift, single-leaf, double-track bridges set in alternating positions which can not only operate as four independent bridges but, connected, can operate simultaneously as a single structure. These bridges span the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and were completed in 1901. They still remain in use today, and their operating machinery is still in place and in good working order. The Pennsylvania Railroad owned and operated the bridges, used by four railroads – the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal (BOCT and B&O), the Pere Marquette and the Indiana Harbor Belt.
The look of the Eight-Track Bridge is one of the most unusual of Chicago’s many bascule bridges. The structure has a graceful triangular symmetry produced by the inclined tops of the alternating counterweights, but this is the result of purely functional purposes, rather than for aesthetics. The opposite placement of the massive reinforced concrete counterweights is not only to reduce the amount of compression on the reinforced piers, but their spacing prevents them from colliding while in operation.
8 - CHICAGO & ILLINOIS WESTERN RAILWAY BRIDGE
This bridge is a single track, single-leaf bascule bridge, and it spans a slip on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. It was completed in 1914 and remains in use today, although its operating mechanism has been disabled, and it remains in a fixed position. The Chicago & Illinois Western Railway owned and operated the bridge.
9 and 10 - LAKE SHORE & MICHIGAN SOUTHERN RAILWAY BRIDGES (2)
There are actually two bridges, and both are vertical lift bridges, spanning the Calumet River. Both bridges were completed in 1913. The two bridges were designed to operate independently or as a single unit with assistance of motors located in a control room. Mid-span is an operator’s house, but it was never used. Today, this pair of bridges are no longer in use. The operating machinery has been removed from the control room, and the bridges remain in a partially raised position. The two bridges were originally owned and operated by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway, the New York Central’s (Water Level Route). Running parallel to these two bridges were two more vertical lift bridges owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. One is still standing, the other demolished in 1965. Six railroads crossed these four bridges on their way to Chicago - the New York Central Railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the BRC, BOCT, the B&O and the Pere Marquette.
11 - ST. CHARLES AIR LINE BRIDGE
This bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the South Branch of the Chicago River. It was completed in 1916. In 1929, the South Branch of the Chicago River was straightened, and the bridge was shortened and relocated to span the straightened river. It is situated adjacent to the BOCT bascule bridge to consolidate the two railroads onto one alignment as they span the straightened river. A new operator’s tower was built between the two bridges so the pair could function either independently or as a single unit. Today, the St. Charles Air Line Bridge sits in a fixed position, but it is still operable. The B&O bridge is no longer used, and it remains fixed in an upright position. Numerous railroads use the St. Charles Air Line.
12 - CHICAGO & WESTERN INDIANA RAILROAD BRIDGE
This bridge is a “tower-driven” vertical-lift bridge, characterized by its operating machinery mounted upon the two towers of the bridge that contain the counterweights, and it spans the Calumet River. It was completed in 1968, but it is no longer in use, and it is currently in a raised position. The C&WI bridge sits immediately east of a vehicular vertical-lift bridge that was completed in 1939. The C&WI bridge was owned and operated by the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad. Four railroads crossed this bridge on their way into Chicago – the C&WI, Wabash, Erie and Monon.
