Nostalgia & History > On Duty at 49th St in Chicago

49th St tower in Chicago was a relatively unremarked interlocking. In fact, I had never heard of it until I was sent there to train. I was still in my first year of employment with the B&OCT, or Chessie System, and was qualified at two towers so far as an operator/leverman. 49th St was just east of Western Ave, located between 75th St (Forest Hill) and Brighton Park. It was where the old Pennsy Panhandle crossed the B&OCT. The Pennsy headed south to their 59th St yard and the B&OCT headed south to Barr Yard. The Grand Trunk Western had a wooden trestle that crossed over the two railroads and went north into the GTW Canalport piggyback yard. 49th St did not control the movements on the GTW, but it did go right past the tower on an elevated ROW and was interesting to watch. The tower was a strongarm lever plant. I don't remember how many levers were in the bed, but by the time I started there, not many were still in service. The Pennsy had just given up and the connection track between the two railroads was out of service, too. All that was left was two sets of crossovers on the B&OCT, and a switch into an industry that was located across from the tower. Interestingly, both railroads had access to switch the industry. The tower was a pleasure to work at; the first trick operator, Earl Enger, kept the place in immaculate condition, and the plant was excellently maintained by the Chessie System maintainers. Traffic was enough to keep you from getting bored and out of trouble. Here's a sample of what was running through there in 1980.

1. CW94 originated out of CNW's Wood St yard with a road crew to take the train to Garrett, IN. Here's the B&O 4287 getting a "CF814" from the extra operator that I was posting with to cross over and run "wrong main" to 75th St. A CF814 was a kind of "fill in the blank" against the current train order. The head end brakeman on CW94 is giving the op a break and coming out of the cab to grab the orders. August 24, 1980

2. Back then in the 80's each railroad made deliveries to Barr Yard, not using the BRC's Clearing yard as they do today. The Soo Line used to be one of the faster runners. SOO SD40 758 is coming through the sag just south of Brighton Park while the caboose on a GTW pig train gets pulled into CanalPort.. Dec 19, 1980

3. B&O GP30 6927 does the honors on Run 207 headed south to Barr Yard. August 24, 1980.

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4. C&O GP35 3532 has another transfer run in hand and is hustling south on Dec 19, 1980

5. The Santa Fe used to make daily deliveries to Barr, also. They never used big power, but used GP's instead. Here's GP38 3549 coming through the plant with a transfer run for Barr Yard. Dec 19, 1980

6. Another C&O GP35, this time the 3539 leads Run 207 from Proviso for Barr Yard on Sept 2, 1980

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7. GTW GP9 4540 running long nose first, as the railroad gods intended, leads a consist to CanalPort to get an intermodal train ready for departure. Sept 11, 1980

8. B&O GP40 3717 leads a northbound BN97 for Clyde Yard in Cicero. The silver trucked GP is passing under the GTW's trestle. Sept 10, 1980

9. 49th St sits forlornly on April 21, 1983 shortly after being closed down. The diamonds have been removed and the tower boarded up. The old Pandhandle is to the upper left and lower right while the B&O runs through diagonally. You would never recognize this scene today. I always wanted the model board to this tower, but it now resides in a B&OCT maintainer's basement. At least, it's in good hands.

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I guess diamonds are not forever.

Scott Schifer
Torrance, CA
TinyTrains Website

Some comments: The tower is long gone, but through the weeds you can still see remnants of the concrete foundation. The Pennsy right of way is still used today----by the CTA's Orange Line.

Once again "Wrongmain" brought back some old memories!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/12 20:57 by CSX_ENG.

Awesome shots, Bill! I can't believe how much it's changed looking at it today!

Soo6058

WrongMain Wrote:
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> 49th St tower in Chicago was a relatively
> unremarked interlocking. In fact, I had never
> heard of it until I was sent there to train.

I never saw a railfan there, and as your pictures show, it was an interesting place. I wish I had taken more pictures there (and everywhere else for that matter).

~~
~~
>The tower was a strongarm lever plant.
> I don't remember how many levers were in the bed,

52

> but by the time I started there, not many were
> still in service. The Pennsy had just given up
> and the connection track between the two railroads
> was out of service, too. All that was left was
> two sets of crossovers on the B&OCT, and a switch
> into an industry that was located across from the
> tower.

The Pickle plant - Heinz. On the other side of 49th was the O'Cedar sponge mop factory. They combined to give the air around the tower an interesting aroma.

3rd Main and the Joint Track were gone?

Here it is in 1967.

TAW

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Tom, Thanks for the help. The Third Main was still there, but hardly used and the joint track was out of service. Thanks for the picture of the interlocking bed and model boards.

The track closest to the tower is still in use. It's called the "extension" and officially I believe it's named Track 239. Therefore, is this the Third Main or Joint track that you are referring to? The only Third Main I know of is between 51st and 71st......

CSX_ENG Wrote:
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> The track closest to the tower is still in use.
> It's called the "extension" and officially I
> believe it's named Track 239. Therefore, is this
> the Third Main or Joint track that you are
> referring to?

That's the Joint Track. It was joint owned by PRR and B&OCT and was access for both to CJ at Ashland.

> The only Third Main I know of is
> between 51st and 71st......

3rd Main extended 75th Street to 49th Street. When I started in the office, it was used only for the can job to leave a pickup for usually Run 210 to take to Barr. Every day on 2nd trick, we had a lot of congestion between 75th and 22d Street. There was a parade both ways between 75th and CPT, Wood Street and Robey. There was a big CNW for Barr running right ahead or behind 96, both of them between 6 and 608, coming against 39 for the Q at 22d Street, 33 for the stockyards, and 203 for Proviso via Vale.

In those days, Harbor Hill was a parking lot. Trains would be relieved twice (16 hour law) and never turn a wheel. We were getting the 40th Street Barr transfer to Barr and back every day with an early quit, so CNW let us run around everybody and run to Yard 9 via Vale. The trick was, 39 had to get to 22d Street ahead of the Pennsy for Cicero. Q played no favorites - first come first served, but PC had consolidated everything they had in Chicago for the Q into one train a day - 200+ cars. There was no place for it at Cicero, so they wouldn't take it into the yard until morning, after the evening fleet was gone. If the PCo got to Kedzie first, we sat until they took the PCo into the yard. 203 had to be ready to go at Kedzie on CNW at a specific time between two scoots. There was no place north of 49th they would fit. They were first in the afternoon transfer fleet to make sure that they could be in position, just like the CNW 40th Street job had to be ready right behind No 6.

I started making the can job leave the pickup in the hole instead of on the third. They weren't happy, the crew picking up wasn't happy, the tainmaster at Barr wasn't happy, but it was my railroad and I wasn't happy when it was all tied up with 39 and 33 running around 203 between 75th and 49th while trying to run 6, CNW, 96, and 608 the other way.

Edited as dim memory comes back to tell me that 209 was a MILW train (St.P via PH - Saint Paul via Panhandle on the sheet). 203 was the Proviso train.


TAW



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/12 10:54 by TAW.

Totally awesome thread - I eat this stuff up. Threads like these are the main reason why TO is awesome. Thanks for all the great info on a junction I was never even aware of.

Interesting to look at the layout now - here it is on Bing Maps:

http://binged.it/TdHSi2

great thread . never made it to this part of the rr world but know the area is littered with towers and diamonds that are long abandoned

TAW Wrote:
-----------------------------------------------------
>
> Edited as dim memory comes back to tell me that
> 209 was a MILW train (St.P via PH - Saint Paul via
> Panhandle on the sheet). 203 was the Proviso
> train.
>
>
> TAW

Tom, that's strange how they changed assignments back then. When I started, 205 was the Milwaukee Road transfer, 207 was to Proviso, and 203 didn't exist. I believe 219 went to the IC and Run 19 worked Harvey and Chicago Heights.

WrongMain Wrote:
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> TAW Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> ---
> >
> > Edited as dim memory comes back to tell me that
> > 209 was a MILW train (St.P via PH - Saint Paul
> via
> > Panhandle on the sheet). 203 was the Proviso
> > train.
> >
> >
> > TAW
>
> Tom, that's strange how they changed assignments
> back then. When I started, 205 was the Milwaukee
> Road transfer, 207 was to Proviso, and 203 didn't
> exist. I believe 219 went to the IC and Run 19
> worked Harvey and Chicago Heights.

203 was Run 3 when it went via IHB to Proviso. It was a morning job at the time. When we made the deal with CNW to go via Vale, it became an afternoon job.

Now I'm thinking that 207 was StP via PH and 209 was Bensenville. I'll have to see if I can find a trainsheet when I get home. In the late 60s-early 70s there were two MILW transfers a day: one Western Ave and one Bensenville.

IC via Riverdale was 55, which went light to Indiana Harbor, got a train of autos from a PM train (I think it was 33), set out C&EI at Dolton, and went on up to the IC at Riverdale. ICs out of Barr were a Barr night job. I don't remember what it was, but I don't think it was 219. 19 was the Heights job way back into prehistoric times. Run 1 was Barr - Electro and return. 37 was afternoon East Chicago - Barr and return. 202 Was Barr - Corwith and return.

If I remember correctly, Run 210 was the job known as wagon wheels, because it just kept on rollin' rollin' rollin'. Barr - Forest Hill - Homan - Robey - pick up 59th - Forest Hill - Barr.

TAW

Great photos and stories guys!

Andy

I believe you're right about the access to the stock yards. The stock trains were gone before I started working for the B&OCT. I know Tom was a little bit ahead of me seniority wise so he might be able to provide a better answer. I think he might have been a couple of years ahead of me.

Wrong Main - WMJ

49th Street... That struck my curiosity as for many years the Wabash had a yard at 47th Street. But early timetables show it as "49th Street". I've often wonder if it was a different yard or not.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/14 18:15 by wabash2800.

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> 49th Street... That struck my curiosity as for
> many years the Wabash has a yard at 47th Street.
> But early timetables show it as "49th Street".
> I've often wonder if it was a different yard or
> not.

B&OCT 49th Street tower - 48th Place & Oakley (west of the stockyards)

WAB 47th Street yard near 47th & Shields (east of the stockyards)

TAW

But the question still remains Tom why the Wabash listed its yard at 49th street in the early 1900s and later as 47th Street.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/14 07:48 by wabash2800.

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> But the question still remains Tom why the Wabash
> listed its yard at 49th street in the early 1900s
> and later as 47th Street.

It may be because 49th Street went through before the grade separation and the yard office was there. After the grade separation, the entrance was at 47th Street.

TAW