See also SignalBox, David's Blog, Chicagology, Chicagology 1873-1903 Station
Marty Bernard posted six photos with the comment:
Some of the Chicago LaSalle Street Station and TrainsThe history of LaSalle Street Station in Chicago is fairly complex with four different headhouse buildings. If interested, I suggest you look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaSalle_Street_StationThe original station was opened on May 22, 1852, with the completion of the Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad. On October 1, 1852, the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad (which became the Rock Island we knew) began using the station. (Wikipedia)Captions with photos.
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| 1 This is the rebuild (circa 1871) of the original station after the Chicago Fire. It was demolished circa 1903. (Wikipedia) Mark Kocol: Oysters for sale just outside the terminal. Yum. In the days before refrigeration, that’s a lot of ice to keep them cold as they traveled to Chgo from which coast? |
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| 2 This is how it looked in 1910 (Chicagology). Mark Kocol: Drawing not to scale - the EL crowds/crowded that entrance off Van Buren. That said, are there any pics of what that space just to the west of the station looked like back then? The streetscape depicted looks a bit fanciful. |
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| 3 NKP (aka, Nickel Plate Road and actually the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad) [Alco] PA1 183 in LaSalle St. Station Chicago, IL with Roger Puta (left) and G.M. Eggert in September 1961. Rodney D Zona: Old NKP RR Bellevue, OH based passenger train crews worked to and from Chicago. Fort Wayne, IN based engine crews worked to and from Chicago. Arthur House: That’s NKP train 8, the New Yorker, with through cars handled east of Buffalo to Hoboken via the Lackawanna’s train 8 of the same name. Then for a couple of years, the through cars went east of Buffalo via the Erie Lackawanna’s trains 36 and 6, The Buffalo Lake Cities. Mike Tisdale: The bell is a nice touch and that looks like an M5 air horn, which would have sounded good. |
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| 4 CRIP 1 in LaSalle Street Station on March 1, 1961. GM's Aerotrains were meant to be light-weight higher-speed passenger trains. They failed at that. Rock Island, willing to take anything that rolled, ended up with the three trains in their commuter fleet. However inappropriate, they carried thousands of commuters. Al Westerfield: I toured it in Penn Station in 1956. Jacob Rajlich: I believe this would’ve been the ACF-Talgo “Jet Rocket”, which used an EMD LWT-12 for power but was not an “Aerotrain” as the rolling stock was not GM-built, as was the case with Rock Island’s two ex-EMD demo sets, 2 & 3. |
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| 5 RTA Bi-level Cab Car CC115 in LaSalle Street Station on March 18, 1978. |
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| 6 RTA F40PH-3s 108 and 113 (named Will County and Village of Midlothian) in LaSalle Street Station on March 18, 1978. |
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| David Daruszka posted LaSalle Street Station can be seen on the left of this map (red roofs). It was later replaced by the station designed by architects Frost and Granger familiar to most Chicagoans. Jason Nanista: This LaSalle Street Station was completed in 1882 (after the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the previous building) and stood until the end of 1901 (when demolition began for the next station). Also, the Van Buren Street bridge (with the ship sailing under it) is a Scherzer Rolling Lift bridge built in 1895 (the previous bridge was a swing bridge). Lastly, in the lower left section of this pic, I believe, shows the Chicago Federal Building with its dome. That building's construction didn't start until 1898 and it wasn't officially completed until 1905. Based on all of that, this drawing must be from between 1899 to 1901. Christopher N. Kaufmann: It was designed by William Boyington, who also designed the water tower. The LaSalle Street terminal is the oldest continually operating Chicago train terminal, since 1856, though the current version looks nothing like a traditional train station. The second version, built after the 1871 fire was featured in North by Northwest. |
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| BRHS posted Chicago station leads from the Board of Trade Building. Far left - Dearborn Station. Center - La Salle Street Station (NYC express leaving). Right Center - Grand Central Station lead. Right - Coach yards etc. and lead from Union Station. Photographer and date unknown. From the Blackhawk collection. |
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| Bill Molony posted in Facebook William Brown posted The Rock Island's General Offices up until 1976 adjacent to La Salle Street Station. BRHS posted |
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| Wikipedia: Map |
Update: Photo from Facebook with comments about NYC's 4-8-4 locomotives.
Some interior shots of the station before it was replaced by the Chicago Board of Trade. The replacement waiting room is very small and can't handle the projected commuter traffic. Since open-pit trading has been made obsolete by computer trading, maybe they can remodel some of the trading rooms into train waiting rooms!
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| Patrick Mcnamara commented on a post LaSalle Street Station from the Board of Trade - March 31, 1979 Robert Daly posted LaSalle Street Station from the 32nd floor of the Board of Trade, March 15 1979. In 1980 a multi-year project began with the demolition of the station building. Over the next few years the track area was rebuilt section by section. The Chicago Board Options Exchange was built on the station site and a new cubbyhole (I mean station) was stuck into it. I took the photo from the visitors' gallery overlooking the trading floor. Bill Fahrenwald: The bumping posts were moved about a block to the south. An two extra blocks walked for each commuter (2X / day), 5 days a week, over 4 decades, that’s a lot of shoe leather lost. Harold J. Krewer: Bill Fahrenwald, yes indeed. When the real estate was sold for the new Options Exchange building, there was NO pedestrian easement provided for access through the lobby to the station, so RI District commuters must go out onto LaSalle Street and walk around the building. OTOH, this is the very first (out of five total) incarnation of LaSalle Street Station to actually have its main entrance on LaSalle Street. Tyson Park: And now both the Board of Trade and CBOE are no more. Nina D. Gaspich: Back in the old days of "layovers" between eastbound and westbound trains, LaSalle station had a fully equipped nursery with cribs and a staff. Parents could leave their kids to play or nap while spending time shopping or sight-seeing in the Loop. | David Daruszka: http://chicagorails.blogspot.com/.../the-saga-of-lasalle... |
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| Thomas Manz posted Found this track diagram on a NYC photo site. Here's the source: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/nyc/nyc-chicmap.gif |
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Robert Daly posted four postcards with the comment: "Postcards of LaSalle Street Station, built in 1903 by LS&MS and Rock Island with NKP as a tenant. The train shed was demolished in 1934. NKP ended its passenger service in 1965. After the Penn Central merger former NYC trains were moved to Union Station, with the last NYC train departing LaSalle in October 1968. The view of the facade was never this open, being blocked by the Loop L which was constructed in 1898. Two stone medallions on the facade bearing the initials of the Lake Shore and Rock Island are now at the Illinois Railway Museum."
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Note that all of the following pictures from track side show the Chicago Board of Trade in the background.
Bill's comments:
The following photo shows that the above was a colorization.
Stuart's comment:
Note the white water tower on the right.
The info was in the comments.
Bill Molony The Rock Island never met a locomotive salesman that they didn't like!
Bill Molony The 10000 was built in 1930 by Alco and GE. It was a battery-electric locomotive that had an on-board Ingersoll Rand 6-cylinder 300 horsepower diesel engine that drove a GE generator which charged the batteries. There was no provision for sending the charging current directly to the traction motors. The 10000 was used exclusively for switching at La Salle Street station in Chicago.
Richard Mead ...because of Chicago's anti smoke law. I believe this locomotive originally was in an order for the NYC, but got nabbed from the builder by the RI.
Bill Molony The New York Central received two similar bi-power switch engines from Alco-GE in 1930 (NYC #1561 and #1562) that they used at both La Salle Street Station and at Central Station in Chicago.
We can see piggyback loading/unloading facilities in the background. But that may be the old B&OCT yards because I see their bridge in the upper-right corner is down in 1977. Their passenger station, Grand Central, was torn down in the early 1970s.
Below is almost a "now" shot for the above "then." Both shots catch part of the gantry crane over the team tracks.
William A. Shaffer added four interior shots.
It looks like Mark was experimenting with the exposure.
Mark collected his interior shots and posted them again:
William A. Shaffer posted five photos wtih the comment:
This is a repeat, but this image is worth another look.
Mark Llanuza posted another collection of the photos he took in September 1981 when they closed the station.
David Daruskz posted three photos with the comment: "The original balloon-type train shed at LaSalle Street Station. The shed lasted a mere 20 years before it was demolished and replaced."
Robert Daly posted six photos with the comment: "LaSalle St Station. First photo was taken from the Board of Trade, March 15 1979. The others were taken on the last day the old station was open, Sept. 30 1981, except for last photo which was taken a few days after demo started."
A 1978 photo of the entrance.
A 1979 photo of the entrance.
A Flickr interior shot of gate #4
A view of the throat with a comment indicating how the tracks were numbered
Four interior views including one of three E-units in the train shed.
1910 LaSalle Station approach tracks including freight houses and RI grain elevators
1941 tracks and buildings around LaSalle
Eight photos including interior and demolition
Eight photos of the interior
Dearborn Street: Santa Fe, C&EI, Monon, Erie, GTW, Wabash, C&O (initially)
Grand Central: B&O, GTW, Pere Marguette, Wisconsin Central (Soo), C&O (later)
Central: IC, Big Four (initially), Michigan Central (initially)
La Salle Street: Rock Island, Nickel Plate, C&EI, LS&MS, Big4 (later), MC (later)
Chicago & North Western: C&NW
Union Station: Pennsy, CB&Q, Milwaukee, Chicago and Alton (GM&O)
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| Bill Molony posted New York Central Railroad class S-1b 4-8-4 Niagara-type #6010, bringing NYC train #10, The Mohawk, out of La Salle Street Station in Chicago on June 12, 1954. The magnificent #6010 was built by Alco in November of 1945, retired in August of 1955 and scrapped in September of 1955 when it was not even ten years old. Stuart Pearson: In your remark about the Niagara's being retired, and scrapped so quickly it was a shame indeed that not even one of them was saved, but with the influx of the Diesel I understood that towards the end they were not maintained as well as they once were, and most of the 6000's were pretty well worn out in the end. Mike Snow posted New York Central S-1b No. 6010 Chicago Ill. 1954 Swartz-McCarter Collection Photo by Harry Zillmer I'd like to think the train was headed east to the Water Level Route but the photo does not ID the train... |
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| Bill Molony posted in Facebook |
Chicago's La Salle Street Station, as it looked in 1948. On the left is a Rock Island 4-6-2 Pacific-type steam engine, with a commuter train headed to Blue Island and Joliet.In the center is an A-B-A set of New York Central EMD E7 diesel locomotives on an eastbound NYC luxury train bound for New York City.On the right is New York Central 4-6-4 Hudson-type #5245 backing out of the station after uncoupling from a westbound mail and express train.Jon Habermaas added:
Standard procedure for inbound Rock Island commuter trains was to uncouple the train from the engine and pull the coaches out with a switcher so that the locomotive could back out to be turned at 16th. It was always nice to walk past the steam engine to get into the station concourse. On a few rare occasions when the NYC 20th Century Limitied was on the other side of the platform we would get to walk on the NYC red carpet to get into the station.
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| Bill Molony posted La Salle Street Station was located on Van Buren Street between La Salle Street and Sherman Street. It was completed in 1903 and was demolished in 1981. It was the Chicago terminal for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, the New York Central Railroad, and the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (a.k.a. the Nickel Plate Road). Passenger trains of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad used La Salle Street Station from July of 1904 until August of 1913, when they were moved back to Dearborn Station. Michael O'Connor You would think it would be more impressive as the Chicago Presence of the New York Central. And is that the old Met L in the foreground? Russell F. Carlson That is just the Van Buren section of the Union Loop Elevated in the picture, although artistic liberty was taken, as the El was much closer to the station and the LaSalle Van Buren Station was a little less grand and is still pretty much intact today. The great part of the station was that you could access the El station directly from the 2nd floor waiting room. I would say, even though I only saw it in its last half dozen years or so, it was the ugly duckling of the downtown stations. However, the Metra replacement station is pathetic with a waiting room that contains exactly 16 chairs. Tom Gronkowski Don't forget, this was used as an interior in North By Northwest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea9pbTtp5l4 |
The following photo shows that the above was a colorization.
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| Dwayne Weber comented on a post |
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| Uraiwan Dutkiewicz -> Forgotten Chicago, 1940 The consensus of the comments was LaSalle train shed. Rex Nelson identified the locomotive as NYC. [Update: source was the Tribune. The train is the Twentieth Century Limited.] Paul Jevert posted Uraiwan captioning it as 1931. David Daruszka There's quite a story behind that photo. Taken by an African American it won a photo contest (he was not a photographer by trade), and launched his career as a photographer of some minor renown in Chicago. |
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| Stuart Pearson posted |
NYC 20th Century Limited Departing LaSalle St. Station.
No Photographers Name Listed.
Note the white water tower on the right.
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| Richard Mead posted |
Bill Molony The Rock Island never met a locomotive salesman that they didn't like!
Bill Molony The 10000 was built in 1930 by Alco and GE. It was a battery-electric locomotive that had an on-board Ingersoll Rand 6-cylinder 300 horsepower diesel engine that drove a GE generator which charged the batteries. There was no provision for sending the charging current directly to the traction motors. The 10000 was used exclusively for switching at La Salle Street station in Chicago.
Richard Mead ...because of Chicago's anti smoke law. I believe this locomotive originally was in an order for the NYC, but got nabbed from the builder by the RI.
Bill Molony The New York Central received two similar bi-power switch engines from Alco-GE in 1930 (NYC #1561 and #1562) that they used at both La Salle Street Station and at Central Station in Chicago.
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| Mark S. McCollum shared Rock Island at its finest July 1977 with E-7 and F-7 coming into La Salle |
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| Bill Molony posted Some New York Central and Rock Island activity at La Salle Street Station. A NYC Niagara is on the left is departing with a local passenger train and the Rock Island's Peoria Rocket is arriving on the right.Bill Molony My guess would be about 1950, give or take a years or so. |
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| David M Laz posted The famous (or infamous) Areo train on the Rock Island leaving the La Salle Street Station in 1961. The Aerotrain was a streamlined trainset introduced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in the mid-1950s. and like all of GM's body designs of this mid-century era, this train was first brought to life in GM's Styling Section. The cars each rode on two axles with an air suspension system, which was intended to give a smooth ride, but had the opposite effect. Nice try but no cigar. Today, the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri, and the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, each have one of the locomotives and two of the cars of the two sets built. Jim Kube They were basically GM transit buses on railroad wheels. Flimsy, noisy, bouncy.Robert Thompson the elvis presley special because it rocked and rolled [1200 hp with an EMD 567C 12-cylinder engine.] |
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| Rick De Karske commented on a posting From my daughter's dorm room at Columbia College... August 2014 |
1950 Flickr of NYC leaving while Rock Island is arriving.
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| Tim M. Hickernell posted Like usual, some of the coolest things I find are when I am not looking for them. Ran across this in Ancestry.com's US map collection. It's a promotional panoramic view of the Loop for the Rock Island, promoting it as the only station connected to the Loop L. It obviously exaggerated and not to scale, but some interesting stuff in what I would call the peak of the first great Chicago rail era. You can see Central Station, Dearborn, Grand Central, the "old" Union Station and CNW's old Wells Street Station, the old Federal Building, Marquette Building, Monadnock, the old Masonic Temple and what I think is the old City/County Building (not quite sure if it's the old or current one). Mr. Yerkes' Northside Elevated was not yet connected to the Loop L in this map either. You can also see the first feeder bridge across the river for B&O to access GC Station, before the river was straightened and the bridge was shortened and moved to it's current location parallel to the St. Charles Air Line Bridge. Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool. Enjoy. [I found a Copyright date of 1937. Actually, all of the railroads that used LaSalle, such as NYC, would be "on the loop."] |
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| Glen Miller posted It's November 1966 and the "20th Century Limited" is arriving at LaSalle Street Station, Chicago. [I'm saving this photo here until I get a chance to research the freight houses.] |
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| Andrew Keeney shared New York Central Steam powered train departing Chicago with an early Diesel streamline train alongside it. |
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| Bill Blake posted La Salle Street Station - Chicago in 1961 Jeremy Deasley The #4089 next to the last E8 for the NYC Jack Hofmann 3 units gussin a Chicago to Boston run [Also note the Illinois Bell microwave tower with many horn antennas just to the right of the black building in the middle background.] |
A photo that shows the gantry crane being used.
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| John J Kulidas posted New York 20th Century Limited, departing La Salle Street Station (Chicago), 1946. New York Central John Rich: Odd to see NYC use F's on a passenger train. Robert Bogie: The NYC had two sets of ABA F3 units equipped for passenger service. They were actually classed by the NYC for dual service. They were bought for use on the B&A, but by the late 1950's had moved to freight service, renumbered to after the last of the F7 units and had the passenger equip removed. Stuart B. Slaymaker: It's either the New England States or the Pacemaker. Somewhat later than 1946. Not the Century... Rick Smith: Stuart B. Slaymaker is correct. This has to be later than 1946, since those F-units were F3s, built 1947. The Central also had EMD E7s in service (beginning 1945), but it wasn't uncommon for it to deploy its passenger F3s concurrently. Another detail is the consist with primarily Budd cars, which, along with Pullman-Standard cars ─ beginning 1948 ─ represented the Central's "new-start" in postwar modernization order. Both the "Pacemaker" and the "New England States" had been reequipped with Budd cars, but actual delivery of the cars themselves didn't begin until 1949. Carl Byron: I suspect this is The New England States in 1947. They were the first to receive passenger equipped F3 ABA sets. Several photos in Lawson Hills Trackside Boston book of them in color on the States. Edwaord Kwiatkowski shared Dennis DeBruler: This is the first photo I have seen that shows the gantry crane unloading a freight car. |
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| American-Rails posted A busy scene at Chicago's LaSalle Street Station on February 18, 1968 as Rock Island RS3 #494 works suburban service. Roger Puta photo/Marty Bernard collection. Bob Lalich Milwaukee Road transfer is seen in the NYC yard. |
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| Mark Llanuza posted It was rare to get all the same color back in 1975 but this day i got lucky with E-8 red and all red cars leaving La Salle St [This also catches some of the freight houses on the south side.] |
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| John Peters posted June 12, 1954. The Niagara had been the height of technology less than ten years earlier, but now it is not hauling the Century, the Commodore or even the Pacemaker. This is train #10, a nameless Chicago to Buffalo run that will make all the local stops. Two years later in June of ‘56, the last Niagara would be retired. (Eugene Van Dusen photo) John PetersAuthor Timothy Warner in 1946 the NYC ran a month long comparison of a Niagara vs a pair of new E-7 Diesels. Over the course of thirty days the Niagara actually cost slightly less to operate — However, they like any other steam were in for service 35% of the month, the Diesels only 10%. In the winter months steam cost even more due to dealing with freezing temperatures. The end was inevitable. John PetersAuthor For those who haven’t seen this — Niagaras at speed come in at the 9:00 mark . https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ntzO4HAxwgg |
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| Carl Venzke posted A week before its inaugural run, the newly streamlined 20th Century Limited leaves Chicago's LaSalle Street station on a trial run, June 9, 1938. |
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| Michael Colangelo posted New York Central 4-6-4 J-3a #5450 at LaSalle Street Station, Chicago, ILL, 1939. Vintage print from my collection. Ned Carlson shared 20th Century Limited at LaSalle with the Chicago Board Of Trade Ceres statue in the background. Pretty iconic. Brian A Morgan: Next Stop ENGLEWOOD UNION STATION! 63rd and State Street. The next stop after Englewood was Elkhart, Indiana which was a division point and inspection stop for the Century. |
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| Ned commented on his post The alternative was 4 hours in a DC-3. The 20th Century itself likely carried more passengers per day than the entire United Air Lines fleet between Chicago and New York. |
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| Paul Mencke posted December 3 - This day in history - 1967: The "20th Century Limited"- often called the most famous passenger train in the world - makes its final run between Chicago and New York City. Beginning in 1902, the 20th Century Limited" was the New York Central's name train, catering to business travelers and offering itself as an exclusive, sophisticated, streamlined trip on the rails. It was also fast. With minimal stops, the 20th Century would leave New York City's Grand Central Station at 6PM and arrive at Chicago's LaSalle Street Station at 9AM the following morning. 958 miles in 16 hours. For a few years after World War II, the schedule was actually shortened to 15-and-a-half hours. In both New York City and at LaSalle Street Station, passengers would board the "20th Century a Limited" by walking across a red carpet - popularizing the term "red carpet treatment." When making their cross country trips from Los Angeles to New York, movie stars quite frequently would take the Santa Fe Super Chief to Chicago's Dearborn Station, then catch a cab to LaSalle Street and take the "20th Century" to New York. The "20th Century" was included in a number of famous films - "North by Northwest" and "The Sting" among them. |
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| William A. Shaffer posted LaSalle Station - Chicago, IL (Circa 1973) (Photo by William A. Shaffer) Tom Klimczak Gotta be 1978-1981, since the roof is gone, the bumping posts still line the tracks, and the RTA bilevels are seen. William A. Shaffer posted a different exposure |
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| William A. Shaffer posted Rock Island Commuters at LaSalle Station - Chicago, IL (Photo by William A. Shaffer) |
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| New York Central System Historical Society posted |
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| Steven J. Brown posted Illinois Central Gulf's transfer job with Gulf Mobile and Ohio F3 883A (built 1947 became MBTA FP10 1153 then Edaville RR 1153) passes the ex-Santa Fe coach yard where Amtrak Alco RS3 129 (built 1951 as NYC 8268 to PC 5510) is switching baggage cars in Chicago, Illinois - June 12, 1977. Dennis DeBruler The best view I've seen so far of the five smokestacks on Santa Fe's powerhouse. And the smokestack to the right of those must be the one that was on the west side of the LaSalle Station. In this view, the stack is photobombing the switcher. New York Central System Historical Society posted the B&W photo above. |
William A. Shaffer added four interior shots.
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William posted three of the above scenes but with a different exposure.
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Michael D Gilmore shared Brian Sopke's photo. (The shared link tested OK with an incognito window.) I like the photo because it is further south from the station than the typical LaSalle Station photo, and it shows the NYC piggyback yard and some freight houses in the background.
1935 video of NYC's 20th Century Limited . Shows train preparation in Chicago.
Mark Llanuza posted a couple of photos with the comment:
Its Sept 1981 Friday afternoon the very last day of operation of La Salle st station .I went down there and captured everything i could on its final day and had a few beer's afterwards.
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| Mark Llanuza posted Its Sept 1981 the last day of La Salle st station |
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| Mark Llanuza posted Its Sept 1981 the last day of La Salle st station |
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| Mark Llanuza posted Its Sept 1981 the last day of La Salle st station |
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| Mark Llanuza posted
Its 1979 La Salle st station looking beat up up inside of many years of use. The railroad shut down four months later after i took this shot.
Mark Llanuza posted
Its 1979 I'm inside La salle st station RTA is everywhere at this time with all the old cars and engines long gone .Within five months the Mighty Rock will shut down for good.
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Mark collected his interior shots and posted them again:
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| William A. Shaffer posted Interior of LaSalle Street Station (Photo by William A. Shaffer) |
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| William A. Shaffer posted LaSalle Station - Chicago, IL (Photo by William A. Shaffer) |
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| William A. Shaffer posted LaSalle Station - Front Facade (Photo by William A. Shaffer) |
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| William A. Shaffer posted LaSalle Station Exterior (Photo by William A. Shaffer) |
William A. Shaffer posted five photos wtih the comment:
LaSalle Street Station - Chicago, IL[I include duplicates because the exposure is different.]
(All Photos by William A. Shaffer)
I remember agonizing over whether to shoot interior photos of the Depot, because I was running out of film and there would still be trains to photograph. Glad I took these shots!
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This is a repeat, but this image is worth another look.
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| Bill Molony posted La Salle Street Station was located on Van Buren Street between La Salle Street and Sherman Streets. It was the Chicago passenger terminal for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the New York Central and the New York, Chicago & St. Louis railroads. David Daruszka No postcard ever shows the correct distance from the elevated tracks to the building. Artistic license to say the least. Dennis DeBruler Now that I know to look for it, I see the smokestack in the right background. |
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| Bill Molony posted Post Card picture of La Salle Street Station - 1907. |
Mark Llanuza posted another collection of the photos he took in September 1981 when they closed the station.
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| 5 Evan shared a Flickr link for this photo and David Daruszka added a couple more photos of the entrance as comments |
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| WWII David Daruszka New York Central Niagara type locomotive at LaSalle Street. The Chicago Board of Trade building is in the background.Dennis DeBruler I don't remember seeing a smokestack in this area.David Daruszka PowerhouseDennis DeBruler I presume steam heating for the some buildings.I'll have to keep my eye out for this in other photos. I noticed that Union Station's still stands. Goggle Map labels it "Historical Landmark." https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4... |
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| David Daruszka commented on the above posting You can see the stack in the distance in this photo. |
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| Bill Molony posted New York Central class S-1a 4-8-4 Niagara-type #6000, leading NYC train #46, the daily Interstate Express to Boston, out of La Salle Street Station in March 1952. |
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| David Daruszka posted Holiday Greetings from Chicago Railroad Historians. [Note the cross on the trading center.] |
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| David Daruszka posted This image of LaSalle Street Station comes from a site called Chuckman's Collection (Chicago Postcards) The site is not searchable (using the search option yields very little), but if you're willing to spend hours scrolling through the blog you'll find some gems related to Chicago railroads. http://chuckmancollection.blogspot.com/ |
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| Patrick McNamara commented on David's posting NYCS Poster 1946 - Leslie RaganManage |
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| Bill Molony posted The ticket windows at La Salle Street Station - mid-1950's. BRHS posted Customers at the La Salle Street Station ticket counters - circa 1955. Jon Roma Oh man, this is an awesome picture – but this area (and actually the whole station) was pretty dark and ratty by the time I first explored it around 1975. I loved LaSalle Street station in spite of (or perhaps BECAUSE OF) its warts. |
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| Ned Carlson commented on a share Not long after this, Alfred Hitchcock shot "North by Northwest" on location at LaSalle St. |
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| Bill Molony posted The escalators and main staircase at La Salle Street Station - 1956. Paul Rivers Had my pocket picked getting on the train at this location! |
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| Bill Molony posted The ticket wheel at La Salle Street Station - 1955. Ray Weart This is the RI reservations bureau. Any railroad that sold reserved space on their passenger trains had reservations bureaus to keep track of space sold, vacant and released for resale on their trains.Mitch Markovitz This is why the computer reservation system was such an advancement. I remember the summer of '72 I worked in the new Reservation office for Amtrak. The "Wheels of Santa Fe" had just been retired. Even so most of the outlying ticket offices, still railroad owned and maintained had to call us for reservations. We had to send "wires" to other offices in order to secure return accommodations. In the afternoons two clerks were assigned to fulfilling wires we had received. |
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| Bill Molony posted
New York Central class S-1a 4-8-4 Niagara-type #6000, departing from La Salle Street Station with NYC train #46, the daily Interstate Express to Boston, in March of 1952.
The 6000 was built by Alco in February of 1946, and was retired by the NYC in March of 1956. |
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| 3 Dwayne Weber commented on a post |
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| Philip Wizenick posted Photo of The 20th Century Limited under the train shed at LaSalle St station in 1918, by King Daniel Ganaway, a Chicago Newspaperman. Patrick McNamara Ganaway was one of the first African Americans to break into Chicago's newspapers. David Daruszka Ganaway won an award for the photo which set him on his career in industrial and commercial photography. https://www.blackpast.org/.../ganaway-king-daniel-1882-1944/ David Daruszka http://www.railphoto-art.org/.../2012/10/RH3-Ganaway.jpg |
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| Carl Venzke posted New York Central and Rock Island passenger trains meet just south of Chicago's LaSalle Street Station on August 21, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. |
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| Bill Molony posted New York Central class S-1a 4-8-4 Niagara #6000, departing from La Salle Street Station in March of 1952 with NYC train #46, the eastbound Interstate Express to Boston. Stuart Pearson Amongst the smallest 4-8-4's on United Stated Class 1 Railroads yet the Most Powerful at 6600HP. Capable of a 16 Hour Trip Chicago to New York as well as the other way around while making 1 Coal Stop enroute. At either end of the run they were serviced Hot by Men wearing Asbestos Suits--a BIG NO-NO today. It was common for them to log 27,000 Miles a Month. Not one survives today. Stan Stanovich This photograph almost comes across as being black and white!!! |
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| Bill Molony posted Rock Island commuters at La Salle Street Station - 1975. |
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| Matt McClure commented on the second photo Architecturally very different, but similar to CNW's Chicago Passenger Terminal with the tracks up one floor from the street. The google photo from Hitchcock's North By Northwest: |
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| Tom J. Cassidy posted
"Arthur LaCaille uses a gasoline torch to light gas jets which thaw out switches in the rail yard outside LaSalle Street Station in Chicago on Dec. 26, 1944. — Chicago Tribune historical photo"
http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-140207.../...
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| Classic Streamliners posted NKP (New York, Chicago & St. Louis) Railroad train photo of PA-1 No. 185 leading 'The Westerner' passenger train at LaSalle St. Station in Chicago, 1961. NKP was commonly referred to as the Nickel Plate Road. Dan Pope Collection. http://tinyurl.com/y3a5l3ym Bill Molony shared to Chicago Railroad Historians Bill Edrington The Erie baggage car and what appears to be a Lackawanna sleeper are reminders that this was a joint Hoboken-Chicago operation with the DL&W for years. It didn't last long after the EL merger in 1960, though. David Nelson June 3, 1963 RIP Dennis DeBruler I'm surprised there was so much vegetation in the track work in the early 60s. The coach yard on the right reminds me that I don't know the locations of the NYC and RI intercity yards nor the RI downtown commuter yard. Bob Lalich The NYC coach yard was on the east side of the tracks at 43rd St. The RI intercity coach yard was on the west side of the tracks at 47th St, and is still used by Metra. Lawrence Smith Bob Lalich Bob, wasn't there also a yard also on the W side of the ROW which was taken out when the Ryan went through? Bob Lalich Lawrence Smith - yes, there was a Rock Island freight yard at 43rd St. David Daruszka The Rock suburban train equipment is tail hosing into the station. Lawrence Smith am glad to see a NKP pssgr pic sited in CHI with PAs. Not many around. As a kid Grannie took me to Gary and back on South Shore. Saw this train at Hegewisch then ran from Randolph St to La Salle St Sta to see it again standing in station. Some yrs later took the night NKP to BUF - the Westerner and the PAs were gone by then. |
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| Bill Molony posted
New York Central EMD E8A #4081, leading Penn Central train #366 to Detroit out of La Salle Street Station on the evening of October 26, 1968.
This was the very last Penn Central passenger train to depart from La Salle Street Station.
[David Daruska provided an enhanced image.] Bill Molony I think that this photograph was taken by Bob Olmsted, but I'm not sure. Bill Downes And puts a date on final construction of First National Bank bldg in background. [Comments about group admission.] |
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David Daruszka brightened a photo posted by the C&NWHS
Another fabulous Chicago photo from the archives of the Chicago and North Western Historical Society. Yes. It IS a C&NW related photo. The 0-60-0 "M-3" i in the photo is really a C&NW locomotive. The reverse of the photo says that the loco is "transferring transcontinental cars at the LaSalle Street Station, August 1950." Do you know what that tower is which is peeking out from behind the big building at left? I am sure that you do but whose church is that? Also, how would the C&NW loco get to the Madison Street terminal from where we see it?David Daruszka We are looking southeast from Polk Street. The Polk Street Tower is on the lower left. The church spires are St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church. The Wabash freight house and Dearbon Street clock tower are beyond that. The dark building to the right of the church spires is the Wabash YMCA. The white building beyond that may be a bank building at 900 S. Michigan Ave.. Bill Edrington I believe the route from La Salle Street Station to the C&NW Station would have been: south on the joint NYC/RI to 16th Street Tower; west on the St. Charles Air Line past Wood Street and then north on the C&NW Rockwell Sub; then east on the Geneva Sub (“West Line”) to the CPT. Kevin Leahy Exactly Jason Simon shared Andre Kristopans Likely routing via West Line to Rockwell, south towards what was then the Produce Terminal yard at 13th, east towards Rock Island via St Charles Air Line, north on Rock Island to LaSalle St. |
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| Bob Lalich commented on Jason's share in response to David repeating his comment The white building is the old Standard Oil building on Michigan Ave, Leon Kay photo 1967. |
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| One of eighteen photos posted by Ted Lemen Old LaSalle Street where Rock Island Railroad offices occupied the upper floors. The New York Central also had regional offices in the building, including those of Merchants Despatch Transportation Co., the NYC refrigerator and perishable protective services company that I worked for in an office on the 6th floor above the train shed. [It was the smokestack that caught my eye. But then I realized that this is one of the best shots I have seen of the old headhouse.] |
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| Another of the eighteen photos posted by Ted Lemen Looking north from the throat of tracks leading into LaSalle Station.. [Another overview shot. This one captures the weeds that show up in many of this photos.] Bob Friedlander Imagine how nice it was of the Rock Island to "plant a garden" between the rails for people to enjoy! Great way of keeping the dust away too! |
A 1978 photo of the entrance.
A 1979 photo of the entrance.
A Flickr interior shot of gate #4
A view of the throat with a comment indicating how the tracks were numbered
1910 LaSalle Station approach tracks including freight houses and RI grain elevators
1941 tracks and buildings around LaSalle
Eight photos including interior and demolition
Eight photos of the interior
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