Eastern Railroad Discussion > Of Things Unseen and Unknown - IHB 1522 at EJ&E Bridge 631

It's one of the oldest quests in our railfan hobby. To one day stumble upon, in some obscure, unremarked and seldom visited place, a scene that speaks with feeling of the railroad and its work. It's thrilling enough just to find that place that you never knew of, and which had apparently eluded cameras, books and internet posts for years, at least that you've seen or read. But now, completely by accident, you find it. That junction, or bridge, or....imagine it today....yes, a tower, and still at work.

That's special enough. But then on that obscure industrial branch there comes a locomotive, trundling to work somewhere among the miles and miles of cheek-to-jowl factories, refineries and steel mills, in one of the most intensely industrialized areas in the nation. It's not on it's home rails. It's from another local road, one of the most interesting in the region, and it wears the honored number of a faraway, well-known and beloved distant forebear in the steam era. And with that, the discovery becomes all the more remarkable. And all the more memorable.

So, here's the discovery this past Sunday of CN's / EJ&E's Bridge 631 and its faded bridge tender's tower, protecting the EJ&E crossing of the Indiana Harbor Canal in East Chicago, Indiana. At work for the safe passage of barges on the canal, and the safe passage also of engines and trains on The J's Whiting Branch. And, on this gorgeous September afternoon, the passage too of a solo Indiana Harbor Belt switcher. Numbered 1522. Well, how about that.

MC



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/21 21:59 by ironmtn.

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#1 - above and  #2 - below --  Indiana Harbor Belt #1522, an EMD SW1500 equipped with Flexicoil trucks, and a La Grange graduate of June, 1978 as IHB 9219, heads across CN's / EJ&E's Bridge 631 over the Indiana Harbor Canal on The J's Whiting Branch in East Chicago, Indiana. It's Sunday afternoon, September 5, 2021, at 1:18 pm Central Time. The view is to the west from the east bank of the canal.

Bridge 631 is a through-Warren truss single-leaf Scherzer Rolling Lift Bascule Bridge. It was designed by the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co. of Chicago, and built in 1913. It was rehabilitated by the EJ&E and American Bridge Co. in 1978.

Links to more information and photos of the bridge.
https://bridgehunter.com/in/lake/bh50946/
https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=indiana/ejeindianaharbor/#photosvideos

There's an excellent video on the Industrial Scenery / Industrial History site at the link below of the bridge being lowered and an NS engine crossing, then being raised for a passing barge tow, then lowered again after the tow passes.
https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2015/05/ej-bridge-631-over-indiana-harbor-canal.html



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/21 21:54 by ironmtn.

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#3 - below: IHB 1522 approaches from the west down the Whiting Branch. I was photographing the tower and nearby track facing to the west, when behind me I heard a diesel horn. I turned around and, almost unbelievably, there was a headlight in the distance moving slowly down the single track. At a place like this where you just know that it will be a long, long time waiting for a train, this was real luck. I shoulda played the lottery that evening!

The discovery of the bridge and the tower by complete chance had been interesting enough. Driving to get back to a location with an interesting signal on the IHB - NS Kankakee Line to photograph a train with the signal, I had been seeking another street which, although obscure, is used by knowledgeable locals (and yes, by railfans) as a bypass around a frequently blocked grade crossing on Michigan Ave.  at the north throat of an IHB yard.  But I missed my turn, and went down another even more obscure street (Canal St.) instead -- right to the bridge and tower. What a surprise.

The Whiting  Branch and the public street penetrated a densely-packed industrial area of tank farms, power lines and large factories adjoining the Indiana Harbor Canal. The large facility seen across the canal to the left is a US Gypsum plant.
 
Here's a link to a previous TO post with an overhead photo that shows the Whiting Branch on the other (west) side of the canal, with the bridge and the tower in the far distance. Scroll down to the third image.

The roadway crossing the tracks is Riley Road. The concrete pylon is either a remnant of the former Cline Ave. (Indiana 912) high bridge over the canal, which was demolished due to technical failures. Or it may be the start of a new pylon (maybe a load test pylon, which were being built around the date of that image) for the replacement bridge, which is now open to traffic. It's a toll bridge now, but it's worth a trip over it for the spectacular view of the massive industrial area as it soars high up and over the canal. The industrial plant seen at the right across Riley Rd. in the image is the west side of the US Gypsum plant seen on the left across the canal in my images above and below.
Link: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,3647082

On this Sunday of Labor Day weekend, the area was totally vacant and quiet, with none of the hum of industry and traffic from nearby highways that one would hear during the work week. Just a very interesting bridge, an even more interesting tower, an IHB switcher and its crew, a bridge tender / operator in the tower. And me, pondering and photographing my unexpected discovery.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/21 22:01 by ironmtn.

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#4 and #5 - below: Two views of the bridge and the tower looking west down the Whiting Branch.

#6 - below:  Another view of the Whiting Branch looking from the east to the west past the searchlight signal guarding the bridge's approach. Yup, the pole on the left was just as crooked and misshapen as it looks in the image.  Good enough for an industrial branch like this, I guess.

I hope you've enjoyed this discovery, and thanks for looking. It was a good day railfanning in general in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland that day. Stay tuned for another post and some more interesting images later this week.

MC

 

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Great stuff, always liked this area a lot.

Will have to drive the "new" Cline Ave High Bridge in a couple weeks when I'll be back in town.

Wonderful set of photos brought alive by your comments on the photos.
Bob

This is a great post! The tower is interesting, is that asbestos siding?

Dan

Posted from iPhone

dschlegel Wrote:
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> This is a great post! The tower is interesting, is
> that asbestos siding?
>
> Dan
>
> Posted from iPhone

Glad you enjoyed it. As to the tower, it looked like just regular wood clapboard siding to me, with a concrete block chimney. Faded paint and all.

MC

For those who might be curious, the CN/EJE Whiting Branch begins off the main on the west side of Gary and heads generally northwest thru East Chicago, passing thru Calumet Jct and skirting the west side of iHB's Michigan Ave yard.  It terminates at Whiting in the refinery area.  IHB has had trackage rights on it for many years.

Thanks for the nice photos.

Thanks for the photos -- they bring back memories of "The Region," where I grew up. After leaving in 1971, I returned for a decade before leaving again in 2017. I sure miss the railroad action, and I have great memories of those golden years of the '50s and '60s, including the last NKP steam and the South Shore street running in East Chicago. As a college student, I also worked for Youngstown Sheet and Tube, which was located on the other side of the canal. 

I am very familiar with that shortcut mentioned in one of the above posts. It enables you to avoid the frequently fouled crossing on Michigan Ave. If you miss the turn, you end up at the tower and bridge in photo 1, as the author of the post found out. Interesting bit of trivia: The Jordan Spreader Co. was located on Michigan and Kennedy, where a railcar facility is now located. 

At one time the J had a handsome little brick office/depot located inside the Amoco (now BP) refinery, once visible on the south side of 129th St. It was demolished and replaced with a nondescript prefab structure, if memory serves.

 

Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed pictures of your find & interesting day. Thanks for the links with additional info.
John

Thanks for a very interesting set of photos.  One can only wonder how much sen'y it takes
to hold a job at that tower.  I would guess at least 30 years. It would be a real treat to
see the inside of that office, especially the control panels.  Also, many thanks to everyone
for the outstanding links to other photos and the show-stopping map.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/21 20:41 by Seventyfive.

Thanks to everyone for your kind words. I'm glad that you enjoyed this thread, and found it worthwhile.

I especially appreciate the kind mentions from members "calumet" and "colehour", both of whom I knew had knowledge of the area as former residents. I have often appreciated their posts concerning railroads and industries in Northwest Indiana. Hearing from them was particularly gratifying.

Thanks also to member "rantoul" for the additional links to the USGS site on the Indiana Harbor Canal, and that marvelous NOAA / USCG chart of the nearby southern Lake Michigan shore area and its waterways and harbors. I had seen both of those previously, and that chart has been a key reference for me a number of times in the past. Thanks for pointing us to those resources.

For the railfan, it is one of the most interesting and concentrated areas of railroading anywhere, even in a somewhat reduced state today. Come visit and enjoy. You'll be glad that you did.

MC

 

ironmtn Wrote:
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> For the railfan, it is one of the most interesting
> and concentrated areas of railroading anywhere,
> even in a somewhat reduced state today. Come visit
> and enjoy. You'll be glad that you did.

Agreed, not enough modern day coverage IMO from such a heavily-industrialized area, great discovery and story there. Always wished I had more time to explore/photograph in the area, and I love to find old photos from the halcyon days of the 50s-60s when there were more large steel mills and other plants operating. Even today, just a ride on Amtrak through the area is a feast for the industry-starved eyes. Thanks for posting...

JG