Saturday, April 23, 2016

Chicago, IL: C&WI's 47th Street Depot

(Update: see 47th Street Yard for the context of this depot.)

Terminal railroads like the C&WI and B&OCT used to offer commuter service. One of C&WI's depots was in the 47th Street Yard. It is now trees and "storage." (street view)

Bill Molony posted
The Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad's 47th Street Station was just 4.6 miles south of Dearborn Station, but it once was a regular stop for the passenger trains of the Wabash, the Erie, Chicago & Eastern Illinois, the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville, the Grand Trunk Western and the Chesapeake & Ohio, as well as the C&WI's own commuter trains.
The comments indicate it was used as a commuter station until the late 1970s, then as an office. Of particular interest:
David Daruszka I believe it was in use as railroad offices into the mid-70's. When I started at the C&NW in 1974, I was called out as an extra brakeman on a Proviso to Grand Trunk transfer. On our way back the C&WI found out that the Engineer and Conductor were not rules qualified on their territory. That had to go to the station to take a rules test so we could continue back to home tracks.

BRHS posted
The Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad's 47th Street Station was served by the trains of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville, the Wabash, the Erie, the Grand Trunk Western and the Chicago & Western Indiana railroads.

BRHS posted
The Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad built this station - circa 1903 - at 47th Street on the south side of Chicago to serve the railroads using its tracks to reach Dearborn Station.
For decades, it was a scheduled stop for the intercity passenger trains of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, the Wabash, the Erie, the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville and the Grand Trunk Western railroads, as well as the C&WI's suburban trains operating between Dolton and Chicago.

David Daruszka commented on the post
Another view.
In response to someone saying it was in Englewood, David commented:
"The neighborhood is officially known as "New City". "

David's view allowed me to find it in an old aerial photo.
1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

1929 Englewood Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

Scott Griffith posted some architectural drawings of details of the station. Please access the "posted" link for those photos.
David Daruszka Frost and Granger! They did a great deal of work for the C&NW including the CPT on Madison Street. I've never seen them listed as the architects for this building. Great find.


David Daruszka commented on Scott Griffith's posting
David Daruszka commented on Scott Griffith's posting
Sanborn map
You can see the shadow of the peaked roof at the top of this photo.
1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
Dennis DeBruler How did people access this station? We can still see the cantilevered platforms. https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4...
Bob Lalich answered my question with this comment on Scott's posting
There was a stairway off 47th St.

David Daruszka commented on Scott Griffith's posting
More train than station, but another photo.
Bill Molony also posted
Wabash Railroad class M 4-8-2 Mountain-type #2823, arriving at the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad's 47th Street station with a six-car passenger train - circa 1935. .

Bill Molonhy posted a lighter exposure
Wabash Railroad class M 4-8-2 Mountain-type #2823 arriving at the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad's 47th Street Station with an intercity passenger train - undated.
Bill Molony posted
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad class K2 4-6-2 Pacific-type #1016 and a helper arriving with a passenger train at the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad's 47th Street station.
Bill Molony posted
Bill Molony: The 2823 was one of 25 4-8-2's built for the Wabash by Baldwin in 1930.
James Holzmeier: Wow...a Mountain pulling a passenger train. Just...wow!!!
Richard Fiedler: I've seen pictures of Mountains pulling passenger trains on the Chicago line. Maybe during the war or some rush or convention.
As the normal power was Pacifics that could only do 5-7 cars.

Robert Daly posted four photos with the comment: "Chicago & Western Indiana 47th St station, Dec. 13 1986. This substantial building was wedged between the C&WI and PRR yards."
Robert Daly The last C&WI commuter train to Dolton was taken off in 1965.
Ean Kahn-Treras If you are driving west on 47th nowadays you'll go under the NS (PRR), and there will be a dirt ramp up to the tracks on your right. The station was in the next empty void between overpasses.
Val Ginter Did the Canadian railroad use this station? Grand Trunk Western?
Robert Daly I have Grand Trunk timetables from 1922 and 1938 showing all trains stopping at 47th St but a 1954 schedule shows only Chicago Lawn (63rd and Central Park) as an in city stop.

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Steven J. Brown posted
Chicago and Western Indiana depot at 47th Street in Chicago. The slide mount is dated May 83 but from the look of the tree it is most likely January or February. The depot didn't last much after this.
Bob Lalich Flickr 1986 Photo
At the time, the old N&W Orland Park commuter train was one of the few (maybe the only) that ran with its power on the inbound side of the train. It is seen passing the old C&WI 47th St station, 6-86.
Bob Lalich 3mo 
The tower was a busy place in the 60s Lou. I first went up there in 1981, where I met C&WI dispatcher John Vaisvil. He was friendly and tolerant of my unending questions. I had many interesting discussions with him about operations on the C&WI over the years.

Bob Lalich commented on a posting
 I'm not certain of the date but I think 47th St Station was closed in the 1960s. The building remained for a long time afterward and was used by the signal department. Here is a shot I took in 1986.
William Shapotkin posted
The 47th St C&WI psgr station in Chicago was still standing (and still served by N&W's Orland Park "Cannonball") when Dr. Robert F. Breese took this photo off the back end of Amtrak's E/B BROADWAY LIMITED on July 13, 1974. View looks N-N/W.
Eric Lorenz The platform still exists at this location.
Lawrence Smith it never dawned on me you could actually see this station from the Pennsy tracks at 47th, but you clearly can. i had thought the C+WI tracks were much further W by 47th.

William Shapotkin posted
The 47th St C&WI psgr station in Chicago was still standing (and still served by N&W's Orland Park "Cannonball") when Dr. Robert F. Breese took this photo off the back end of Amtrak's E/B BROADWAY LIMITED on July 13, 1974. View looks N-N/W.
Bob Lalich William Shapotkin - a friend confirmed that his N&W public timetable from 1971 shows trains 112 and 113 stopping at 47th St. I haven't determined when the stop was discontinued yet. Later today I will post some info regarding GT use of 47th St station.Bob Lalich North side of 47th St.Eric Lorenz The platform still exists at this location.Lawrence Smith it never dawned on me you could actually see this station from the Pennsy tracks at 47th, but you clearly can. i had thought the C+WI tracks were much further W by 47th.
Bob Lalich commented on William Shapotkin's posting

William commented on his posting

Bill Molony posted two photos with the comment: "The Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad Company's new station at 47th Street on the south side of Chicago." I have deleted them because the following has more resolution. But I note Bob Lalich's comment on the photo with three semaphores: "Note the dwarf signal on the eave of the station, and the milk platform to the right."

Bill Molony posted the same two photos with the comment: "The Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad's station at 47th Street on the south side of Chicago - undated. From the Blackhawk collection."
Steve Malachinski: That station outlived Englewood by quite a bit. M&W and the siginal dept used it and the managers had a speeder they kept parked there.
Joseph Tuch Santucci: The offices were there as well. I took my promotion test in the offices there. All conductors and engineers on the railroads operating over the C&WI had to also be tested on the C&WI rules, signals and physical characteristics.

Bill Molony shared
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Bill Molony: The structure in the center of this photograph is the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad's 47th Street Station on the south side of Chicago.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Bill's share
The first photo must have been of the north side. The second photo is of the south side. This street view from 47th Street is of the south side of what is left.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Bill's share
It looks like they built a retaining wall and filled the station's location with dirt. The cantilevered platform along the track still exists.


David Daruszka enhanced a photo posted by Bill Molony
This photograph is labeled "WABASH 47th STREET DEPOT CHICAGO,ILL 1957" but I cannot verify that information to be correct.
[There are a lot of comments discussing what this building really was. The comments include track diagrams and  By 1957, Wabash should have been using the C&WI depot. I think the working theory is that this may have been the Wabash depot before the tracks were elevated and then it was moved to the elevated tracks as a yard office.]

Bob Lalich commented on Bill's post
[The current theory is that the building on the far left was the "mystery building."]

Chuck Roth posted two photos with the comment: "CW&I Depot at 47th street seen here in 1988."
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Chuck Roth posted
Chuck Roth it seems the old station was torn down in 1999.

Dennis DeBruler commented on a post
It appears they have backfilled against the south foundation of the station.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.8093383,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3

Dave Arganbright posted two photos with the comment: "Here are a couple cool photos ca. 1905 of the C&WI's 47th St. station from the Steamtown archives."
Bob Lalich: Notice the platform east of the station for unloading milk. I recall the track may have been there in the early 1980s and was still called the milk track.
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[This is cropped differently than Bill's copy above.]

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