Kirkland Crossing: ICE/Milw vs. Milw/CM&G

Jeff Rich posted
From another FB site, no idea of the details.
Jeff Kehoe This is our rare photo of a CM&G train w/caboose, so welcome to the group.

The Chicago, Milwaukee & Gary was bought by the Milwaukee because they were interested in the southern portion to give them access to their southern branch that they bought to get access to coal in Southern Indiana. The Milw/CM&G is one of the few railroads that is not on my 1928 RR Atlas. But the SPV Map indicates the CM&G crossed the Milwaukee mainline a few miles west of Kirkland, IL. There was a branch that went south on the west side of Kirkland from the mainline to connect to the CM&G. As of 2005, the east/west route was owned by Iowa Chicago & Eastern Railroad, a Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern subsidiary. It is evidently now owned by the Canadian Pacific.

See "CM&G Kirkland Depot" for a topo map of the connection between the CM&G and the Milwaukee.

You can tell that Milwaukee abandoned the northern portion between Aurora and Rockford a long time ago because there is very little evidence of the route on today's satellite map. There is a land scar and a little tree line south of IL-72.

Satellite

In fact, it appears it was abandoned by 1939. But the land scars are clear enough that you can tell it curved north and paralleled on the east side of IL-72. The crossing would have been in the upper-left corner of the aerial photo east of the highway bridge. The connecting track is on the right side of the photo. The SPV Map labels the wye at the lower-right as Kirkland Junction.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Update: The junction with the Milwaukee mainline was on the west side of Kirkland, IL.

1968 Fairdale and Kirkland Quads @ 24,000