Chicago, IL: Schwinn Bicycle Factory

The first bicycles were built in a building on the northwest corner of Lake and Peoria Streets in 1895. [Chicagology]

A history and several images

3D Satellite

The "Interesting Chicago" video I came across was painful to watch and had very little information.
But the video below does have some interesting film of factory operations. And a comment on that video provided an address which I used to get the 3D satellite view.

The Facebook posting did have a comment of interest:
TIm Bostedt: Schwinn Management was in this building, the first 10 or so parking spots on Courtland had the Names of all the Schwinn Family Members. The main Manufacturing plant was one block south and one block east. There is a Chicago Public High School there now.

JENDALL7142 years ago

Trade Secret, other than the frame, The Wald Company made a lot of Schwinn's parts, handlebars, stem, and fenders. The Grips were made by the Hunt and Wilde Grip company! Wald actually made a lot of parts for most of the big name bicycle companies in those days! To this day Wald still makes the same parts, but not for any one company anymore, they actually sell their parts to the general public now since most of the companies are overseas. If anyone is looking to restore an old bicycle, don't spend hundreds of dollars buying "original" parts that are in horrible shape! Buy from Wald, they still make the same exact parts and still in America, in essence it would still qualify as original parts but new at the same time!

I can believe that the building on the corner was management, marketing, engineering and other "desk jobs." But the part with a saw-tooth roof is normally a factory. And management buildings don't have a powerhouse with a big smokestack. You can still see the embankment for the industrial spur to the northern complex even though the track does not show up on the ground in the old aerial photo. I wonder what those white things are that are being stored on the embankment in the satellite photo. The industrial spur for the southern complex looks like a half-circle.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Chicagology
The modern factory of Arnold, Schwinn and Company,
1718 North Kildare Avenue
From the 1940 catalog.

In 1901, Schwinn moved its offices to North Kostner Ave. In 1908, they built a new factory on North Kildare Ave. By the 1950s, they sold about one-quarter of all bicylces in the United States. The factory made one million bikes in 1968. [ChicagoHistory] Schwinn also made Excelsior-Henderson motorcycles. They were third behind Harley Davidson and Indian when they decided to leave that business in 1931 and concentrate on bicycles.

Update:

Chicago's Extinct Businesses posted
A vintage sign of The Schwinn Spitfire. Schwinn bikes are still made, but not in the Chicagoland area.
[The comments contain some pictures of some Sting-Rays.]

Claude Diez posted

Savanna, IL: BNSF/BN/CB&Q Railyard, Roundhouse and Depots

Railyard: (Satellite)

Roundhouse: (Satellite)

Depot: (Satellite, long gone)

Freight House: (Satellite, the land has been repurposed by J.B. Sullivan Inc)

A railroad history of Savanna, IL

While studying the Milwaukee Road facilities, I noticed the CB&Q roundhouse in an old aerial photo. The BNSF has retained several of the classification/storage tracks.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Satellite

But, as expected, the steam engine servicing facilities are gone. However, the trees have not covered up all of the land scars of the roundhouse stalls.

A closeup of the above aerial photo

Update:

William Brown posted
Not my picture of Savanna, Il in the Summer of 1939. The Milwaukee Road Roundhouse on the left. The Milwaukee/CB&Q crossing below to the left. The Wye Track for the Milwaukee's Rock Island, Il Line with five Diamonds. The ROW for the CB&Q's original Line from Fulton, Il between the Plum River and the Milwaukee's Rock Island Line. The CB&Q Roundhouse to the right. The East end of both Railroads Yards.

William Brown posted
CB&Q 245 a GP7 at the Q's Savanna, Illinois Roundhouse in early 1966. Leased NP F3's share the Outbound Track with a Q GP20/GP30 Consist. An EBay Photo.

Mike Wyatt That is an awesome picture William. I've always wanted to see an actual picture of the roundhouse and other buildings. I've been to the Savanna Historical Society but, haven't been able to find any CBQ.William Bauer I used to go to the roundhouse to yard our engines after working certain trains. It was a cool building. Savanna used to be a happening place and I'm glad I got to see it before it became a run through place.

William Brown posted
From the Savanna Historical Society Collection. A view of Savanna's CB&Q and Milwaukee Road Rail Yards during the 1965. The CB&Q Yard is on the right and dry. The Aurora Sub is slightly flooded. The Milwaukee's Nitrin Line is crossing the CB&Q at the bottom of the picture on five diamonds. This line had one turn five days per week. The boxcars in the bottom right of the picture are on the former Intrchange Tracks between the Milwaukee and CB&Q. These were active before the Aurora Sub was built. This is early in the flood as at it's peak the White Building(Milwaukee Road Depot) was completely surrounded by flood water.
Jim Arvites also posted
Aerial view of the CB&Q yard on right and the Milwaukee Road yard on left during the 1965 Mississippi River flood at Savanna, Illinois. Note the Milwaukee Road passenger depot, white building, in far left center of the picture.
(Savanna Historical Society)

 

William Brown posted
A Postcard with the Milwaukee Road Roundhouse in Savanna, Illinois.  This early postcard was from a photo taken between 1888 and 1903.  The CB&Q Aurora to Minneapolis Line is still Single Tracked with no Freight Yard.  The only CB&Q Structure appears to be the farthest buildings at the upper left.  The Roundhouse and the Coal Dumping Building.  The Granderson Hotel and the original Milwaukee Road Depot are on the south side of the Main Tracks.  They appear to be sited were the Car Department and Rip Track were located at the end.  The Roundhouse is at its full buildout.  The Brick Building in the center of the Postcard was the Rail Plant where Switch Frogs were built.  The Shed to the right of the Rail Plant is the Ash Dump for Steam Engines.  The building across the Street from the Roundhouse was a Bording House for the Train Crews.  I find it interesting that a large Wood Lot is behind the Rail Plant.

William Brown posted
On the West End of the BN Yard in Savanna, Illinois in August of 1974, the Second Shift BN Switch Engine is on the Westbound Main of the Aurora Sub. It is crossing the Milwaukee Road's Nitrin Branch Line from Savanna to East Moline, Illinois. The Milwaukee was here first. The CB&Q had to six Diamonds to cross this Milwaukee Road. Both Mains of the Aurora Sub, three for the West Yard Leads and one for the Roundhouse Lead. The Milwaukee used this Line as a Wye to turn Equipment. The Savanna to CUS Passenger Train turned every night on this track. The BN had a Switch Engine a Shift. This was because Northtown Hump was just starting Construction. All Minneapolis East cars were being Mine Run to Savanna. Savanna built the East Trains. More than likely Phil Hottenstein is the youngest Switchman on this Job.

Andy Zukowski posted
CB&Q Railroad Depot in Savanna Illinois. 1913
Richard Fiedler shared
Marty Benard shared

Trent Briggs posted
Richard Fiedler shared

Roger Kujawa posted
Savanna Illinois~CB&Q Railway Passenger Station B&W~Vintage Auto @ Depot~c1908
William Brown: This Station was replaced in the 1930s.
Andy Hughes: No doubt everyone under the sun in there- Dispatchers, agents/Clerks/Operators/track dept/Superintendent/ and his ontourage. and? I’m missing some one no doubt, God!😂
Pete Gambiani: Little to no trees back then…not sure why, but I find that fascinating.
Ron Atherton: A lot of the trees went to the steamboats on the Mississippi.

Same photo, but with some colorization.

Jim Arvites posted
View of the old Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad depot at Savanna, Illinois circa 1917.
Marty Bernard posted

Same photo but with more information.

Jim Arvites posted

View of old Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad passenger depot at Savanna, Illinois in 1905. The station, built in the late 1880's, was torn down and replaced by a new depot in 1913.

(City of Savanna)

Andy Zukowski posted
C.B.& Q Depot in Savanna, Illinois. 1912. Photo by C.R. Childs

Andy found a better exposure.

Andy Zukowski posted
C.B.& Q Depot in Savanna, Illinois. 1912. Photo by C.R. Childs

Looking in the other direction.

William Brown posted
A photo purchased on eBay, CB&Q 9993 is making a Station Stop at the CB&Q Depot in Savanna, Illinois. No date, but the Depot has five Tracks in this photo. The CB&Q Freight House is still in operation as the CB&Q 40' Boxcar is spotted on the outside Track. I did not realize that Train Crews and Waiters, Cooks and Car attendants changed at Savanna. The Westbound Train has an RPO as the Post Office Truck is ready to pick up Mail. CB&Q 9993 is an E9A built in August of 1954. Renumbered to BN 9993 after the BN Merger. Sold to WSMTD in August of 1972. Rebuilt by Morrison Knutson to BN 9923 a HEP Equipped E9AM. No photographer noted.
 Any help with the Train appreciated.
William Brown posted with the same comment

Keith Schaffler commented on Williams' second post

Keith Schaffler commented on Williams' second post

Keith Schaffler commented on Williams' second post

Keith Schaffler commented on Williams' second post

Andy Zukowski posted
Burlington Northern Railroad Depot in Savanna, Illinois. 1973

Scott Rogers: A busy place until Amtrak started in May 1971.

Thomas Whitt shared

William Franckey: A friend, former BN employee was building a dollhouse so the depot was razed and I was able to locate a piece of marble in the depot’s rubble. Must have made a nice fireplace marble mantel in that doll house.

1967 Savanna Quad @ 24,000

The two long shadows would be grain elevators by the Mississippi River.

Dennis DeBruler commented on Roger's post
It looks like it was at and south of Van Buren Street. And there were freight houses down around Madison Street.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0977631,-90.1584452,150m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/webdocs/umr1927/aerials/data/usace_ri/UMR0535.jpg

William Brown posted four photos with the comment: "I stopped by the Savanna, Illinois Museum and Cultural Center to check on Layout Progress.  The Museum has expanded the observation deck and added a Dispatcher Center resembling the Milwaukee/CB&Q Tower protecting the Diamonds in Savanna.  The overall view of the Layout representing Railroad operations in Savanna during the 1950s is spectacular.  Captions on photos."

1
The reproduction of the Savanna Tower

2
Milwaukee Road Roundhouse

3
The depth of the Layout

4
Milwaukee Road and CB&Q Yards

Savanna, IL: Milwaukee Road Railyard and Roundhouse

(Satellite, the yard was the trees between the CPKC mainline and the BNSF/CB&Q yard.)

Satellite

Notes on the depot and 1911 flood

A railroad history of Savanna, IL

You can still see the land scars of some of the roundhouse stalls. According to the 2005 SPV Map, the branch that went south still existed south of Albany, IL and was shared by BNSF and ICE. But according to a satellite map, that is now the Great River Trail. Following the trail south, I see the branch does still exist to an industrial area south of Albany.

William Brown posted
A Postcard of the Milwaukee Road's Savanna, Illinois Roundhouse in the early 1900s.
William Brown posted
A Postcard with the Milwaukee Road Roundhouse in Savanna, Illinois.  This early postcard was from a photo taken between 1888 and 1903.  The CB&Q Aurora to Minneapolis Line is still Single Tracked with no Freight Yard.  The only CB&Q Structure appears to be the farthest buildings at the upper left.  The Roundhouse and the Coal Dumping Building.  The Granderson Hotel and the original Milwaukee Road Depot are on the south side of the Main Tracks.  They appear to be sited were the Car Department and Rip Track were located at the end.  The Roundhouse is at its full buildout.  The Brick Building in the center of the Postcard was the Rail Plant where Switch Frogs were built.  The Shed to the right of the Rail Plant is the Ash Dump for Steam Engines.  The building across the Street from the Roundhouse was a Bording House for the Train Crews.  I find it interesting that a large Wood Lot is behind the Rail Plant.

W. J. Manon Flickr

William Brown posted
A photo of the Milwaukee Road Roundhouse on Savanna, Illinois in late 1955.  From left to right.  The Coal Tower for loading Steam Engine Tenders.  Above it the Diesel Storage Tank.  In front of it a leg of a Wye.  It connected to the Milwaukee Road Branch Line to East Moline.  Tom Lampman turned the Savanna Cannonball on this Wye.  The building separated from the Roundhouse by the Fire Wall was the Store Department.  Next to it we're the four Stalls of the Roundhouse that survived to the End.  The Remaining Stalls were torn down shortly after the photo was taken.  The Building at the end of the Stalls was the Blacksmith Shop.  The Roundhouse Locker Room is behind the Stalls to be torn down.  Behind the Blacksmith Shop is the Savanna High School Football Field "The Smoke Bowl".  The circular structure below the Football Field was the Storage Facility for Coal Gas produced at the Power Plant further to the left. A very cool photo.  I would enter the picture in July of 1956.  Found on Facebook.

 

Trent Briggs commented on William's post
Lightly enhanced

 

Andy Zukowski posted
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Round House in Savanna, Illinois. 1911

 

Andy Zukowski posted
The C.M.& St. Paul Round House at Savanna, Illinois 1912.  Photo taken by C.R.Childs

Gary Sturm posted
Milwaukee Road roundhouse and water tank at Savanna, Illinois in July 1975.

Gary Sturm posted
Milwaukee Road's Savanna, Illinois roundhouse in July 1975.
Tom VanZuiden: How many usable tracks did it have in it last years - two, three, or??
Greg Brinkmeier: Tom VanZuiden 5 inside. 3 work tracks on the left. 2 tracks to the turntable. 2 fuel tracks 3 storage and make up tracks. 1 store department track
Tom Schultz: I hired out in 74 lay offs came and went I know the Savanna boys came East to Bensenville a couple years. Carman were in Ottumwa from Savanna. 80 may be 81.

 

William Brown posted three photos with the comment:

The Milwaukee Road's Savanna, Illinois Roundhouse in the Summer of 1975.  Fairbanks Morse Switch Engines and Road Switchers out number everything else.  The order for MP15ACs has been placed.  Next year will be different.  The B&B Gang has removed the windows from Roundhouse for the summer.  A derailment damaged Tankcar is used to store used Lube Oil.  The SW1 is parked outside the Blacksmith Shop.  My Grandfather worked there until 1965.  The Steam Era Water Tank still stands with the  out bound tracks as the background.  This popped up on my Microsoft photos of the day email.  No information on the photographer.  Any help appreciated.

1

2

3
[This photo caused me to add the "towerWater" label to these notes.]

Rick Shilling posted
2 undated photos of Chicago, Milwaukee, St.Paul and Pacific Railroad Roundhouse along Mississippi River in Savannah, Illinois.

 

Cory Drowns posted
Tripping through Savanna, IL. Was once home to a major railroad hub. This was the roundhouse. The land scars are still visible today and you can see the stalls. Most has been covered in concrete and businesses.
Dion Sunderland: Some early RR background on Savanna, IL
https://www.savanna-il.us/history/rail_road.php

 

William Brown posted
A postcard purchased on eBay, the Milwaukee Road's Savanna Illinois Roundhouse.  The photo was taken from 4th Street.  The Master Mechanics and Crew Office would be to the right.

William Brown posted three images with the comment: "A photo of the Milwaukee Road Roundhouse at Savanna, Illinois in the early 1960s. The grey building to the right is the Roundhouse Locker Room. When my father worked overtime, my brother and I would bring him his dinner. I can never remember seeing two 44 Tonners at the same time; SW1s were around until the end, and Alco S2/S4s were strangers. No photographer is noted. Any help is appreciated."

1

2

3

Brian West posted
MILW H10-44 # 727 @ SAVANNA IL JUL 1974.

Bacon Keven D posted
Railroad Yards at Savanna, IL 1908

Bacon Keven D posted
The previous map that I posted of the rail yards in Savanna, IL was cropped from this larger map of the west side of the city from 1908.

The 1939 aerial photo that would have had the roundhouse has been lost. The Milwaukee Road had a pretty big classification yard in this town.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Update: I found a US Army Corps of Engineers photo that includes the roundhouse.

1927 Aerial Photo from ILHAP, rotated 180 degrees

  

William Brown posted
From the Savanna Historical Society Collection. A view of Savanna's CB&Q and Milwaukee Road Rail Yards during the 1965. The CB&Q Yard is on the right and dry. The Aurora Sub is slightly flooded. The Milwaukee's Nitrin Line is crossing the CB&Q at the bottom of the picture on five diamonds. This line had one turn five days per week. The boxcars in the bottom right of the picture are on the former Intrchange Tracks between the Milwaukee and CB&Q. These were active before the Aurora Sub was built. This is early in the flood as at it's peak the White Building(Milwaukee Road Depot) was completely surrounded by flood water.
Jeff LewisJeff and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicagoland Railfan. I had no notion of the extent of operations in Savanna before.
William BrownWilliam and 10 others are consistently creating meaningful discussions with their posts. Jeff Lewis In 1960 the Milwaukee Road Yard handled 1M cars.
Jeff LewisJeff and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicagoland Railfan. It looks nearly as large as Bensenville.

William Brown posted
Looking North from the Water Tank at the Milwaukee Road Roundhouse in Savanna, Illinois in 1908.  The locomotives are on the Roundhouse Outbound Tracks.  The black chimney is the Savanna City Electric Plant and Coal Gas Facility.  The three tracks next to the locomotives serve the downtown receivers on the Milwaukee Road.  The tall smoke stack in the background is the City Steam Plant.  This is where the Railcar Museum is today.  The next Track is the CB&Q Main Line to St Paul.  Track to the left is a passing siding for Trains bypassing the CB&Q Depot.  The left most track serves the Grain Elevator up River.  Both the CB&Q and Milwaukee Served the elevator.  This was also the Interchange Track between the Railroads.
William Brown posted with the same comment

William Brown posted with the same comment
William Brown posted with the same comment

Andy Zukowski posted
Railroad Yard and Trains in Savanna, Illinois, 1908
Thomas Whitt shared

Paul Schmidt: This was not even the yards but staging tracks and sidings looking north from the crossovers.

Chris Ness posted
Savanna, Il 1965 Flood
Every once-in-a-while I come upon one of my really old pictures. This was taken in April, 1965 during a flood on the Mississippi River about a third of a mile ahead. The tower is the one for the Milwaukee Road classification yard, not the one for the CB&Q crossing closer to the river. The Milwaukee dusted off one of their old steam engines to move the cars out of the yard since the diesel-electric engines don't do well in water.

William Brown posted
At the Milwaukee Road's Savanna, Illinois Roundhouse in the Fall of 1974, is a Milwaukee Road FP7A. The slide says it is 61C which which was built as 91C in May of 1950. It was renumbered to 61C in May 1959 and sold to PNC in April 1975. The building in the right rear of the photo is my Grandfather's Blacksmith Shop. The Water tank made it to very end and was knocked down with the Roundhouse in the 80s.

Gary Sturm posted
The Milwaukee Road roundhouse at Savanna, Illinois in 1975.

Mark Llanuza posted
Its 1984 westbound leaving Savanna IL

William Brown posted four photos with the comment: "I stopped by the Savanna, Illinois Museum and Cultural Center to check on Layout Progress.  The Museum has expanded the observation deck and added a Dispatcher Center resembling the Milwaukee/CB&Q Tower protecting the Diamonds in Savanna.  The overall view of the Layout representing Railroad operations in Savanna during the 1950s is spectacular.  Captions on photos."

1
The reproduction of the Savanna Tower

2
Milwaukee Road Roundhouse

3
The depth of the Layout

4
Milwaukee Road and CB&Q Yards