Faithorn, IL: Boundry between B&OCT and Milwaukee

(Satellite)

Andrew Urbanski posted questions about the abandoned B&OCT line in Chicago Heights.
Bruce Beaty Our jurisdiction ended at Faithorn, the Milwaukee took over from there.

Bill Molony posted
This is the Milwaukee Road's building at Faithorn, near Crete, as it looked on June 17, 1978.
The north end of the building housed a restaurant for employees and the south end was the yard office area.
The building at various times housed clerk's offices, the trainmaster's office, a record room, the engineers locker room, showers, etc. .
Upstairs were rooms for the south-end men to lay over.
Today, this building is long gone, as are the Milwaukee's tracks in the area. Nothing remains there to suggest that a railroad facility was once at this location.
John LaRochelle Originally the Chicago Terre Haute and Southeastern RR (Affectionately called 'Southeasterns') between Bensenville, Illinois and Seymour, Indiana, using the Indiana Harbor Belt between Bensenvile and North Harvey and the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal between North Harvey and Chicago Heights. Faithorn was 5.3 miles south of Chicago Heights.
[Bruce noted above that B&OCT dispatched to Faithorn and Milwaukee dispatched south of Faithorn.]
Bill Molony The CTH&SE of Illinois was chartered in 1910; it was leased to the Milwaukee Road in 1921 and completely absorbed by the Milwaukee Road in 1948. The former CTH&SE line between Chicago Heights and Terre Haute was abandoned by the Milwaukee Road in 1978.
John LaRochelle From my understanding, when the line from Faithorn to Danville, Illinois was abandoned the MILW used the IHB to the Conrail (former NYC) connection at Gibson, Indiana to Danville, thence on their own rails to Terre Haute and beyond.
Brandon McShane Correct, except that in the Soo era they moved onto the former C&EI. Now CSX handles successor Indiana Rail Road's traffic in its own trains, except for unit trains.
[The Conrail/NYC/Big Four Egyptian Line has been abandoned south of Schereville, IN.]
Bill Molony posted
Stuart B. Slaymaker: Major division point, at one time. I used to have a CTHSE Employee TT from 1941, and it had every letter, behind the name, in the listing...

According to the 2005 SPV Map, Faithorn was a little north of where the CTH&SE turned straight south. Since a 1939 aerial photo shows there were no buildings south of Deer Creek, it would have been north of Deer Creek. The Create Bike Trail is on the CGH&SE right-of-way. There was not only a little town, there was a lake. Obviously the lake was created by a dam because the lake no longer exists.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Update:

Bill Molony posted
Milwaukee Road map showing the location of Faithorn - January 1953.
[Just north of where their CM&G route joined this Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern route at Delmar.]
Jerry Hund: I never knew the Milwaukee Road went past Chicago.
Tyson Park: Jerry Hund Eventually it gained access to Louisville in the 1970s thanks to legal action giving it trackage rights over the L&N from Bedford south. The Southern Railway aided the MILW in their effort.
Victor Zurcher: Faithorn was a crew change point between Bensenville and Latta, Indiana.

Peter Zimmermann posted

Crete Township Illinois:

Milwaukee Road's Faithhorn yard on the Terre Haute Division, on the former Chicago Terre Haute & Southeastern Railroad. This yard, main line trackage was abandoned on March 1st, 1980.

Jeff Kehoe posted
Here's an Illinois post featuring Faithorn Yard, coming/going, summer/winter photos taken about a decade apart. Said to have once been a busy place. ---top photo Jim Scribbins, bottom R. Janz.

Bill Oerke

Went there one time, it made me 5 days pay in one day.

Mike Mihaly Janušek

I walked to the Faithhorn yard once by following the Milwaukee tracks south from Chicago Heights. It was ‘79 and all that was left was a solitary diesel unit abandoned in the middle of the yard with no buildings left.

Jeff Kehoe posted

It's MILW's Faithorn Yard, near the Indiana border, and once was a busy place. Not so much in these pictures; top-Jim Scribbins, bottom-Rob't. Janz.

safe_image for Flickr
MILW, Faithorn, Illinois, 1978
Southbound Milwaukee Road freight train at Faithorn, Illinois, on July 1, 1978. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Bjorklund-66-20-06
Larry Graham Nice set of pics in this Flickr file. Shots of St. Bernice, Humrick and Walz.
Larry Graham Good shots on the Monon as well, near Pekin.
Evie N Bob Bruns This is a late running #102 in early morning, it has three engines. Usually thru here in night. #100 usually south around 5-6pm this is too early for it and it usually had two engines.
Tom Wendt https://www.chicagorailfan.com/rfttcsxh.html Here's some info on Faithorn

Tony Therasse Wonder what is left from this picture
Larry Graham Tony Therasse
Nothing that I know of. All very tall trees and overgrowth now. The 394 overpass was also cut down to a "hump" with a tunnel just big enough for ComEd to service the high tension line that runs along there. Some trivia. There used to be a spring switch underneath the old highway overpass at this location. Old trainman by the name of Boggs, I believe, told me that years and years ago.

Kenneth Jackson It is all farm fields now. I am sure it was a lot of work for the farmer because as I recall the yard was on a built up berm. Faithhorn road (now Burville Rd.) crossed over the tracks at "grade". You went up the steepest incline to get over the tracks and then back down. That was at the south end of the yard. The north end you went under the tracks on Exchange Street. I believe that is correct. It has been a long time. I am headed down that way tomorrow so I may drive by it again.
Evie N Bob Bruns Larry Graham there was a spring switch on both ends of the yard. You may be thinking of switchman Leo Baggs went to Terre Haute when Faithorn shut down.
Larry Graham The combine to the very right of the pic is the real mystery lol😂 What appears to be a John Deere combine.
Larry Graham The combine to the very right of the pic is the real mystery lol😂 What appears to be a John Deere combine.
Evie N Bob Bruns local farmer parked it there to keep from getting it vandalized

Evie N Bob Bruns commented on the above post
Evie N Bob Bruns Burville road originally crossed under four tracks. It was referred to as the subway. Later farmers went to court because of width and height restrictions. Railroad then filled in subway with and old tank car and covered it up. Hence road crossed at grade. Exchange Street always crossed at grade.Here is a picture of the top of the "subway" as it was being dug up in the mid 80's to lower the road. Concrete was like new after being buried since around 1908. This was the main and double track that crossed. Just east there was a wooden bridge that the yard lead and #10 track crossed this was also covered up.
Nothing left. The concrete foundation of the beanery is still there with twisted lockers sticking out of the bricks still left and also the engine house. Engine pit still open. Can not reach in summer to much brush. Nothing else but concrete foundations for different buildings. The brick fireplace my father built in early 50's is still hidden in the weeds where we lived at north end of yard. As is the sidewalk to our trailer. It was the top of the roof of the powerhouse at the roundhouse my father used as sidewalk. There is some wreckage covered by brush just north of Burville Road of a Milwaukee yellow covered hopper that was derailed and tore up around 1977. A lot of malt was taken from that car when it leaked out that ended up being beer.

Kam Miller posted
July 1980. I was there after the last train came in and derailed. Faithorn, IL.
Richard Fiedler: I remember how bad the track was.