Last week, my friend Tom S. and I found what we think is the old roadbed for the defunct Hammond Belt Railroad in a forest preserve in Calumet City, Illinois. This railroad existed in the early 1920s and was tore up by 1925 or 1926. I have old railroad maps and property easement maps that indicate its path. My brother Mike was able to trace the line through the undeveloped area between Pulaski Road/Sibley Blvd and Superior Street and the old Pennsylvania line with satellite photos. The terrain disruption is still visible. Wow!!!
I would love to try and dig up some photos of this line in use. I may have to go to D.C. for that. In the future I plan on writing an article treating this subject. This spring we plan on poking the ground with metal rods to see if we can discover any ties, plates or spikes. Have a metal detector too. Should be fun.
I’m surprised–I was looking for that line about ten years ago, and found a few remaining areas, only to see them covered by new housing (this was just south of State Street, closer to CSX and IHB). C&O was the main user of the Hammond Belt, before it used the Erie and C&WI to get from HY (Hammond) to Chicago.
Have you checked with the historical societies/ commissions and libraries of each community and county along the route ? Also, the state’s commission ?
Thanks for the tip. I am a member of the Historical Soceity of the city that this line passed through. The line was about three miles long, passing mostly through the town of West Hammond (now Calumet City) and also passing through Hammond, Indiana, for about 400 yards. A local RR history chapter alerted me to the existence of the line when they gave a presentation at the historical society.
Yes, I fully understand how challenging it can be to find info on something that disappeared that far back, long before copiers and cameras were common. Once or twice a year I get professionally involved with researching as far back as the 1850’s to 1870’s for the origin and/ or disposition of something - usually a township road, a trolley line, or occasionally a long-abandoned branch on a Class I, etc. - it’s always a challenge. Sometimes I have to wonder if it ever really existed, or if it’s just a figment of someone’s imagination.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised at what exists at the historical societies/ commissions. In this area, a series of atlases that were compiled and published at the time of the nation’s Centennial in 1876, and later histories at the time of the Sesquicentennial in 1926 and Bicentennial in 1976 have been very helpful - at least with maps, and often with photographs. But it seems you’ve already tapped those resources.
When was the line built ?
Paul North.
EDIT: P.S. - Tony, above you said perhaps yo’d go to D.C. to find photos of the line. Presumably you meant the National Arch
Yes, I do indeed mean College Park, Maryland; D.C. is my generic way of referring to the capital and the area surrounding it. I am a WWII aviation author and historian so I will have some work to do there concerning the two aviation books I am writing now. I was told by a member of this forum that some of the things I seek might well be there. Will try to kill three or four birds with one big stone.
Thank you to all on this forum who have taken the time to respond and help. Greatly appreciated.
I plan on speaking to Richard Lytle at the Calumet Room of the Hammond Public Library and see what he knows about it. He is a historian with an interest in NW Indiana railroading.
I’m new to this forum. I have been very interested in this line since a friend told me of its existence several years ago. I have searched some of the forest preserves on foot looking for evidence.
I have several maps in my collection which show the line. The Smoke Abatement book from 1915 indicates that the line was already out of service by that date.
The Trains issue dedicated to Chicago a few years ago had an article about interlocking towers that mentioned the crossing of the Hammond Belt and Monon in South Hammond and indicated there was a mechanical interlocker there. I have seen no reference about the Hammond Belt/SC&S crossing though. By my estimation, the crossing was very close to Sibley in Calumet City. I would think that it would have been interlocked but have yet to find any evidence.
Hammond Belt was never “valuated” and does not have an ICC Docket # assigned to it. It may be a “tweener” like Colorado Midland and Denver Laramie & Northwestern which were both larger than HB. (Both of those were partially victims of USRA and its high-handedness during WW1)
Game on Tony. Have fun with it. Evidence of Hammond Belt is likely to show up in unusual places, when you least expect it.
It seems to be a pretty good link for you Windy City area railfans and historians. [tup] For example, I see that there’s a specific link/ page for the Chicago Terminal RR that someone else was asking about earlier today.
Since it appears from the mudchicken’s comment above that this railroad was abandoned before the ICC valuation report system was implemented, this suggestion from another thread may be helpful:
‘’StillGrande: [snip] The same can be said for the city or county administration offices. They really don’t mind finding info for you. Really. Have to keep the constituents happy and it is a nice change from the daily grind. I speak from experience.
Concur - also from experience - especially that last part. Specifically, try the Real Estate/ Property Tax Assessment and/ or Mapping Office, City or County Surveyor’s or Engineer’s Office, Geographical Information System = GIS Office if they have one; and lastly, the Recorder of Deeds Office, or similar.‘’
StillGrande: