Hope you have the map also.
i think he did a St. Louis Guide also. Dont have it…wish I did.
Ten bucks at Amazon.
Ruch
Alton Junction, 1968.
A Santa Fe passenger train coming from the west across the diamonds headed east-northeast into Dearborn Station.
On the lower right in the photo are tracks in the C&WI transfer yard. The curving 4-track C&WI mainline is above the transfer tracks The Santa Fe is using ICRR tracks to reach the C&WI mainline. The tracks running from left to right across the diamonds are the 2-track PRR mainline. You can see the 2-track C&A mainline curving to the right (north) to join the PRR tracks across the PRR vertical lift bridge which is just out of view on the right.
Rich
Source: Alton Junction, Chicago | Inbound Grand Canyon threads its w… | Flickr
2 Likes
The Santa Fe Hi-Levels are on the turning loop at the Santa FE’s Archer Avenue coach yard.
The Santa Fe Main split to the left from the IC at the first set of switches past the PRR. The GM&O, IC and AT&SF stayed together to Bridgeport, just east of Ashland Ave., where the lines joined together to cross a bascule bridge (no longer operable, then split again, this time IC, AT&SF and GM&O north to south, with GM&O heading off to the southwest to Brighton Park. The IC Iowa line split off to head west between California and Kedzie. At Corwith the tracks from AT&SF’s giant Corwith Yard joined the AT&SF passenger main. The former AT&SF passenger main east of Ashland was sold to the CTA as the right-of-way for today’s Orange Line.
Damm, I knew that, I see that, I am not worthy. LOL.
Good catch. So, on its way to the coach yard?
Rich
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I blundered.
Rich
On second thought, rcdrye, couldn’t a case be made in that photo that the Santa Fe is using ICRR tracks to reach the C&WI mainline? It is right at the point where it either enters the mainline or splits off to the coach yard.
Rich
Yes, in the photo eastbound train 24, the Grand Canyon, is heading for Dearborn on IC tracks. The crossovers from the IC to the C&WI are at the other end of the coach yard. One of the detailed track maps seen a while back in the Chicago Stations thread notes that IC was responsible for maintaining quite a bit of Alton Jct.
The Grand Canyon was the last stand for Santa Fe’s PAs.
So it appears with only a 3-car consist.
Rich
In this track diagram, the Green lines trace the Santa Fe connections to the ICRR tracks just before the junction and the entry to the C&WI mainlines (#1 and #2) just after crossing the junction. The Red lines show the diverging tracks that lead directly into the Santa Fe coach yard.
The thing that I have always found so curious is why there are connecting tracks into the coach yard at that point. Trains entering and exiting the coach yard, to and from Dearborn Station, are situated further east (to the right of the diagram).
Rich
It appears this photo was taken 1968. Wasnt the Grand Canyon primarily a mail train and by this time the mail contracts had been removed from certain routes, thus the 3 car train.
Not to say Grand Canyon didnt have passenger duties, but wasnt it a heavy mail train also?
Ed
1 Like
I cannot say for certain, but I just saw an October 1966 photo of the Grand Canyon and it had a full consist of passenger cars.
Rich
The mail trains were pulled in 1966 or 1967. The Chief was discontinued in 1968. Even though the Grand Canyon lost its sleepers and food service somewhere around that time, it still carried a fair number of short-haul passengers, especially in summer months.
1 Like
Thanks
A great photo of the Santa Fe Chief headed west across Alton Junction on the ICRR tracks. Once across the junction, the Super Chief will switch to its own double mainline and head out of Chicago to Los Angeles.
Rich
Source: Industrial History: 21st Street Crossing or Alton Junction
1 Like
Another view of a Santa Fe passenger train heading west over Alton Junction on ICRR tracks.
Rich
Source: Industrial History: 21st Street Crossing or Alton Junction
1 Like
An Illinois Central freight train crossing Alton Junction and headed east toward the 16th Street crossing (the Rock Island tracks), soon connecting to the ICRR mainline.
Rich
Source: Industrial History: 21st Street Crossing or Alton Junction
1 Like