Sawtooth500: thanks for the info. Are all these “Daley Condos” public-assistance housing? How do dey do dat??? I have passed through Chicago a number of times, but don’t think I was ever in Central Sta., or Grand Central Sta… Dearborn Sta., perhaps. We came in from eastern Canada in 1949 on the CNR/GTW. Guess Dearborn would have been the place. Went out on the “City of San Francisco” in August, 1949. From which station would that train have departed? I haven’t a clue. Could have been on the CMStP&P or C&NW. Also, why do/did they call all these terminals ‘stations’? Union is the only real station, with through trains. That nomenclature wouldn’t be allowed in New York! Har!
Not sure why they called them stations, as they are all terminals. Union station actually is mostly a terminal two, only 3 tracks are through tracks all the others terminate - so it’s actually a double stub terminal with a northern and southern set of tracks.
Lastly, no those condos aren’t going to be public assistance condos. When the market turns Daley wants high-end residential developments there. Daley lives in the south loop so anything there will be pristine. And yeah, Daley is not a mayor, he’s more like a dictator. In Chicago, what Daley says goes. He’s on his 5th? (I think) term, his dad died on office, yeah he basically does whatever he wants. Back in the early 2000’s there was a lakefront airport called Meigs field here in Chicago, well Daley wanted it gone and he got sick of red tape with the FAA, so he literally had city bulldozers go through the fence at 2 AM and cut giant X’s into the runway… now there is a bandshell on the northern end of what used to be Meigs field… oh and did I mention Daley got away scott free with it? The FAA slapped a few million fine on the city, but for Chicago that was really a slap on the wrist… so yeah Daley wants condos Daley is going to get condos and there is nothing you can do about it!
Most of the stations in question had minimal traffic by the late 1960’s. Grand Central closed in 1970 and its remaining trains (C&O/B&O) were transferred to North Western Station. Dearborn Station and Central Station were both down to about 12 arrivals/departures daily in the last years prior to Amtrak. La Salle Street survived on the basis of its suburban service.
Yes, you came into Dearborn Station, and you left from the Northwestern Station; five years later, you would have left from Union Station.
Birmingham had a Terminal Station. All SAL and some Southern trains terminated there, the IC-CG trains and the KC-Fla Special ran through, and the through Southern trains backed in or out. The Birmingham L&N station had trains terminating there.
Atlanta also had a Terminal Station. The Sou-WPRte trains and the KC-Fla Special ran through; the Southerner and SAL trains that did not terminate in Atlanta backed in or out, and some CG trains terminated there. No trains ran through the Atlanta Union Station. It was the end of the line for the Ga and the NC’s overnight Nashville-Atlanta train. All the Florida trains that used the Union Station were backed in or out.
I know of only two trains that ran through Union Station in Chicago, the two that Amtrak operated Milwaukee-St. Louis for a time.
If the owners of a terminal station prefer calling it a “station,” I see it as their privilege to
Yes, you came into Dearborn Station, and you left from the Northwestern Station; five years later, you would have left from Union Station. [Edit] I just looked in the Guide, and saw that the CNW used the C.&N.W. Passenger Terminal. So, you came in at a station and left from a terminal.
Birmingham had a Terminal Station. All SAL and some Southern trains terminated there, the IC-CG trains and the KC-Fla Special ran through, and the through Southern trains backed in or out. The Birmingham L&N station had trains terminating there.
Atlanta also had a Terminal Station. The Sou-WPRte trains and the KC-Fla Special ran through; the Southerner and SAL trains that did not terminate in Atlanta backed in or out, and some CG trains terminated there. No trains ran through the Atlanta Union Station. It was the end of the line for the Ga and the NC’s overnight Nashville-Atlanta train. All the Florida trains that used the Union Station were backed in or out.
I know of only two trains that ran through Union Station in Chicago, the t
A few years ago (+/- seven?), Amtrak’s “Empire Builder” arrived at Union Station, was shorn of a few cars, and a bit later departed as the “City of New Orleans”. Same basic trainset. Guess that could be called a “run through”, but dunno, fur sure. I came in on “The Builder” and departed on the “CofNO” in the same sleeping car room. Changed to the ‘Portland’ sleeper on the reverse trip (tail car), as my truck was parked at the east end of the Shelby depot. Saved schlepping luggage a bit. BTW, the view out the back window of the ‘Portland’ sleeper is great, in both directions, now that the express cars are gone.
For a while, they didn’t even cut off any cars, they just hauled them empty to NO and back. They did this to save on switching costs at Chicago. I’m not sure if it actually was cheaper, or if it was just that the switching costs came out of the Chicago Terminal Manager’s budget and the extra wear and tear on the cars didn’t.
They didn’t actually let you stay on the train the whole time it was in Chicago, dd they? Just on that basis, I would not call it a run through. The Builder has always had to use the through track because it goes in and out on the north side but Amtrak’s yard is to the south, but that still doesn’t make it a run through. Other trains also sometimes use the through track just for the extra room. (When Chicago Chapter NRHS ran 261 trips out of there, they usually spotted the train all the way through so we could board from both concourses; they were not always so cooperative when we returned. Once, Harrison St. lined us into track 2, which is the shortest on the whole south side; our trainmaster got on the radio, and we backed out of there and they rerouted us into a longer one.)
Was this for maintenance on the SLs? This was during another bitter winter when there was not enough inside maintenance facilities in CHI? That condition has been rectified
The 75th St Flyover won’t require many home removals as it has to remain elevated to go over the BRC at 77th ( like the RI Metra line does) before it drops down next to the BRC on the south side. There once was a track along the south wall that went to Landers (ex Wabash) Yard. Was used by the Rock Island to get to Clearing Yard (via Belt Jct).
On 3/25 I rode empire Builder into Union Station and we did not go in to on of the thru tracks. Go figure.