While it has been some months since that issue my memory tells me that Trains did explain those 2 branch lines in the article. [:D][:p]
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Originally posted by FJ and G
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Any large city with a sizable industrial area will have LOTS of abandoned spurs and leads. Around Clearing Yard, especially along its north side, are lots of spurs that served long-closed factory buildings, some of which are still standing vacant.
One abandoned spur which I remember is in Hegewisch and connected the Pressed Steel Car Co. (later US Steel Supply) plant with the South Shore. It headed northwest and west from the plant across Torrence Ave at 134th St. and connected with South Shore near the Calumet River bridge. This may have been the Chicago & Calumet River RR.
Up until the late '50’s - early '60’s there was a spur off of the Southern near Gilbert, SC, that went back a half-mile or so to a sand mine. Once when I was about 8yo or so a bunch of my cousins and I hiked up there (to climb around on the sand cliffs!) I don’t know if sand was still being mined or not at that time. There was an OLD steam engine of some type sitting there (boiler tubes pulled out, and generally in VERY bad shape), and an equally decrepit steam shovel. (Real STEAM shovel). We looked them over but didn’t pay a lot of attention to them (DRAT!)
As we got ready to leave, we noticed a work car sitting near the head of the spur. As I remember, it looked like a short flat car, 4 wheels – like a handcar but no means of propulsion.
A couple of the older cousins managed to lift it back onto the rails, and the six or 8 of us all piled on. The big cousins gave us a push before they jumped on – and away we went!
Evidently it was downhill back to the main. We zipped along nicely until we hit a derail at the switch. It dumped the car onto the ground and we left it there and hiked back home.
I went back years later, after I knew enough to appreciate old steam equipment, but it (and the spur) were gone…
In Green Bay, WI, there was what was called the “alley track”. It was a continuation of the Milwaukee Road’s spur from their downtown passenger station (the main line approached the downtown along the Fox River and crossed the river to the freight yard-a spur branched off just before the bridge to continue up the river to the station). It was so named because it was laid in the public alley in the block -between the river’s edge and the first street. Because it was built at a time when the river was built up with industries or docks (and removed before they started building condos and office buildings), it ran right through downtown without ever being seen or noticed, except at two street crossings. The one exception was where the line turned from north/south to the east (to follow that same industry access along the tributary East River). A small park had been added when downtown redevelopement started and since the few movements were slow speed and no hazard, they just laid sod over the tracks. People didn’t always notice the railheads (especially if the grass was a little long), so it made for some surprised looks when an orange & black FM H16-44 crossed the street with a half dozen cars and went for a literal walk in the park! Just like a nanny and her brood out for some fresh air. No fences, no hedges-just right across the open grass among the people reading, watching and sunning. You could reach out and touch the cars as they went by.
Of course, I never got pictures…don’t remind me (sob!)
I forgot my spurs once, I went back and looked all over for em, counldn’t find em. I had to go buy new ones.
Sorry, Couldn’t resist!! [:P]
I hope you take them off in bed!!
Macguy,
Isn’t that a dead issue yet? If I remember, correctly, last time I drove down Cambie Street construction for the new skytrain had already started.
I went through this area again not too long ago. Everything between 11th Ave and Chicago Ave has been completely cleared! “For Redevelopment”… Bet they won’t have any industry served by rail there…[V] At least the plastics place and the rest of the spur still remain – for now…