CTA ran freight? Do they have a Junction w/another railroad?

I just read that at some point CTA was running freight service. Up until the 1970's. DO they still have a junction with a freight railroad, is this how new cars are delivered? I know they had tank engines back in the early days, but what did they pull freight cars with, the MU's? They can pull stuff? Kinda cool

They owned a few steeple cabs, on of which is in a small fenced-in are in Michigan City off US-12. I believe all freight was either received off the CNW Weber Industrial lead, which is also how new cars are routed to Skokie shops. The freights were run mostly to the Lill coal yard, which is where the southbound express track veers off at Wilson.

Really??? I pass there all the time, as I have a place near Newbuffalo, MI (Union Pier). I go right up route 12 from Michigan City. COuld you give me any hints for where to find it. I'm driving up there today for thanksgiving.

Right now the only exisiting "class 1" connection is at the lower 63rd yard on the Green Line. They use it for deliveries of rail, ballast, ties, etc.

http://www.chicago-l.org/trains/gallery ... aS-105.jpg

S-105, one of CTA's two is of Baldwin-Westinghouse freight motors, is in its pocket track at Howard Yard in June 1968, where it and sister S-104 generally rested during the day. Most freight runs were done at night and during off-peak times when they would not interrupt passenger traffic. Thus, the locomotives had a lot of down time. By this point, the unit has been retrofit with sealed-beam headlights and marker lights. (Photo by Leon Kay)

http://www.chicago-l.org/trains/gallery ... aS-104.jpg

Locomotive S-104 was built by Baldwin-Westinghouse in 1920 for the Northwestern Elevated to operate freight service on the North Side elevated, an operation inherited from the Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. CTA inherited the car and continued to operate freight service with it, as required by contract, until 1973 when the car and its sister until S-105 were retired. S-104 is seen here at Asbury on May 27, 1973 during its last months before being decommissioned. (Photo by Art Peterson, Collection of Joe Testagrose)

The freight service operated from a small at-grade yard, where it connected end-to-end with a long gone Milwaukee branch. The yard was just south of the Wilson Avenue "L" station and immediately west of the "L" structure. The freight car axle loading was too much for the elevated structure, so the CTA line north of Wilson Avenue, which replaced a Milwaukee steam line branch, is on retained fill, not structure.

Freight cars will not clear CTA platforms, so there were gaunlet tracks past the station platforms on the southbound express track from Howard to Wilson. In addition, the CTA third-rail location interferes with some freight car truck designs, and up into the '50s, the southbound express track in this area did not have third rail, only catenary. Southbound North Shore trains and Evanston expresses used trolley poles in this stretch. The coal yard sidings had trolley wire up to the end.

One of the locomotives used in this service, S-105, was recently acquired by IRM and moved to Union.

Pete Schmidt

A couple of additions: CTA inherited the freight operation from the MILW who owned the line all the way up to Central St i9n Evanston. The L started using this line when it was still at ground level, with MILW still doing the freight with steam engines. When the line was rebuilt on embankment on the early 20's between Howard and Wilson MILW contratcted with CRT to run the freight north of Buena Yard so that steam engines would not have to run on the embankment, and CRT got the two steeplecabs. The easternmost track had gauntlets at Central thru South Blvd for freight clearance, Howard had a gauntlet on the west track, and west track had no platforms fronting on it south of Howard until the west platform at Wilson was built circa 1960. Remember, there was no 3rd rail north of Howard for many years until 3rd rail was installed Howard to South Blvd in the 50's, plus the west track had no 3rd rail Howard to Granville until early 70's. South of Granville the freights used a gauntlet track all the way to Wilson.

The last freight moved to South Blvd team track about 1970 (a double-door boxcar of bricks), after that only customer was Lill Coal at Berwyn. In later years the west track gauntlets were removed except at Howard and north of Catalpa to Granville, and entirely once Lill Coal closed down about 1974.

Also, North Shore ran freight service (box motors hauling piggyback flats) off the Skokie Vallet to their pig yard at Montrose in the 1920's. Regular North Shore freights only went as far as The Weber Industrial District west of McCormick Blvd.

Andre

Tadman wrote: I believe all freight was either received off the CNW Weber Industrial lead, which is also how new cars are routed to Skokie shops.

Others have clarified the use of the Buena yard to interchange with the Milwaukee's Lakewood line. The Weber line's connection with the CTA snuck through property owned by Niles Gas, on a spur that started just north of where the weber line crossed under the Skokie Bypass. It connected inside the Skokie Shops complex. In later years, the CTA was the northern-most customer on the line, and its connection was last used was in 1987 when the North Western delivered the last of the 2600-series L cars (also last railcars built by Budd), after which the line was cut back further south.

All 3200-series cars were *trucked* to the CTA from Hornell NY. I used to see them being delivered two at a time through the streets of Morton Grove in the early 90's, with the destination signs dutifully displaying "Not In Service." When the 2400s and 2600s were sent out to Hornell for rebuilt, I believe they all moved by truck as well. The same will likely be done in the future, as CTA prefers to receive all new equipment at the Skokie Shops, rather than set up a facility at 63rd to do the same.

As a footnote, I am looking for ANY good pics of the flat cars used to deliver the 2600's, as I have visions of building a pair of the IHP cars as a load. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/7547061@N02/2398699824/

The rail connection at Lower 63rd from NS thru their Park Manor intermodal yard has been unusable for at least 10 years now. Buried and partially paved over. Last used in mid 80's at the very latest. Everything since then has come in by road.

What about the small yard, team track maybe, that is just north of South Street in Evanston? I rode the Evanston line to Noyes and back this evening for fun and it's been years since I've been north of Howard.

Tadman wrote:What about the small yard, team track maybe, that is just north of South Street in Evanston? I rode the Evanston line to Noyes and back this evening for fun and it's been years since I've been north of Howard.

That is indeed a team track, and was once used by the Milwaukee Road (the original owner of the line) to serve freight customers in the area. Haven't been up that way in quite sometime, but I believe CTA stores MOW equipment here periodically...

SlowFreight wrote:When the 2400s and 2600s were sent out to Hornell for rebuilt, I believe they all moved by truck as well.

The 2400s were overhauled in house at Skokie in the early 1990s.