Nostalgia & History > PC / CR picture from around Chicagoland

Ken Lanovich photo
Eastbound TV train at Hammond
Slide process date October, 1976

Looking at the exhaust pouring out perhaps he is lined up at Whiting tower
to go straight on the Fort Wayne Line.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/17 12:11 by Englewood.

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That's a cool action shot! Indeed he's probably lined up!!

Ahh... memories. When I was a kid, I used to love going down to Whiting with my dad, although that wasn't until the 80's and 90's. Regardless, thanks for sharing this.

- Jeff Carlson

I would love to see the trailers in that train, in a run by or something!

Cheers, Jim

I drive by this location nearly every day. It looks like it's just west of Calumet Avenue. Phil Smidt's (R.I.P.) would be just ahead.

Would I be correct in saying that the NYC tracks are gone? I thought they would be in the photo, on the right. For a time there was a high speed turnout from the NYC tracks to the Pennsy, and eventually they just abandoned the NYC just west of 117th St.

Hammond (Robertsdale) is my home town, but I lived out of state for many years, returning to live here full time only 10 years ago. Thus I'm a bit hazy on the rail history of the area.

Yep, the 1 pound plate of perch fillets at Phil Schmidt's, with the Standard Oil Special for dessert.

colehour Wrote:
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>
> Would I be correct in saying that the NYC tracks
> are gone? I thought they would be in the photo, on
> the right. For a time there was a high speed
> turnout from the NYC tracks to the Pennsy, and
> eventually they just abandoned the NYC just west
> of 117th St.

I don't know if the NYC tracks would be visible in this view or not.
They were not directly adjacent here.

I also don't know about the original connection between the NYC and PRR.
By 1976 it was in its current position, between here and Whiting tower.

Photos like this one always make me happy. Definitely at Calumet Ave., Hammond. Note the Lever Brothers tanks at left.
When I worked there, Phil Smidt's was a frequent lunch destination, as was Dusty's Tavern further east on Indianapolis Blvd.

The connection mentioned by Mr. Colehour was the Lake Branch, built in 1968 soon after the NYC-PRR merger.
One end was at 117th Street in Whiting, within the interlocker at MS Tower. It was single, dark, train order track.
An eastward absolute signal was at the MS end, but the PRR end had a switch tender and was all hand signals.
The PRR end was a little east of where the Hammond Amtrak station now sits and was called Lake Jct.

MS Tower closed in October 1969 and remoted from the dispatcher's office at 16th and Lumber Streets in Chicago.
I did not see MS again until summer 1970 and by then I think a second connection was built,
and the NYC mains were cut and out of service west of MS. Thus the NYC bridge at CR was raised and not used again.

By October 1976 when the great photo above was taken, I believe the NYC rails were long gone,
except for iron still in the street crossings at Calumet and Lake Aves. The mains would have been
just right of the tree at the edge of the photo.

Thanks for showing an excellent scene from good times.

Check out that MKT boxcar!

Seventyfive Wrote:
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> Photos like this one always make me happy.
> Definitely at Calumet Ave., Hammond. Note the
> Lever Brothers tanks at left.
> When I worked there, Phil Smidt's was a frequent
> lunch destination, as was Dusty's Tavern further
> east on Indianapolis Blvd.

Smidt's closed in 2007/2008 and finally was torn down last year, but I am happy to say that Sandy is still serving good food and libations at Dusty's. We were just there for fish last Friday.

Keith's on Indianapolis Blvd. and 119th is also quite good.