Pennsy South Chicago Depot and Freight House

(Street View; Satellite, the Skyway now goes over the land.)

Shad Steve Vargo posted
Found the bricked up stairwell of a lost station off of Commercial Avenue. Does anyone have any info of the station that stood here Or maybe any pictures?

Bob Lalich commented on Shad's posting
The bricked up openings led to the elevated platforms of PRR's South Chicago Station. One opening was for the passenger stairway. The other was for a baggage elevator. The main building was located at ground level.
Shad Steve Vargo This is the answer to my question! Did the station come down with the building of the Chicago Skyway?
Bob Lalich The short answer is yes. According to PRR timetables, the South Chicago station stop for the Valpo trains had been eliminated by November of 1952. I'm not sure when the long distance trains discontinued the stop. Photos from the mid-50s show the passenger station in place. It and the freight station west of Commercial Ave were both razed to make room for the Skyway. Plans for a roadway to connect the Outer Drive to Indiana along the NYC-PRR corridor had begun as early as the 1930's WPA era, according to HAER.
Lawrence Smith This is a very historic photo from the track elevation days. I have researched many track elev photos and have never seen this one. This photo, from 1912 shows the newly elevated tracks in the background and some tracks in front of the station. Wonder if the latter tracks are originals from pre-track elevation days that used to cross the IC at grade at Grand Crossing b/4 the elevation was finished.
Bob Lalich The tracks in front of the station are streetcar tracks.
[Bob Lalich Flickr Photo of PRR company photo]

John W. Barriger III Flickr Photo

Comments on John's Flickr photo

The yellow rectangle highlights the freight house and the green rectangle is for the passenger station.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Before Track Elevation

Marty Gatton shared a Jeff Nichols' photo
Pennsylvania Railroad East Side station, 100th Street and Ewing Avenue, c. 1908. Source: Pullman State Historic Site, Southeast Chicago Historical Society

Dennis DeBruler

Did Pennsy move their South Chicago Station from Ewing to Commercial when they elevated the tracks?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/chicagolandrailfan/permalink/1592453664127208/

Andrew Mateja posted five images with the comment:

The abandoned entrances to the the Pennsylvania RR from the now demolished 'South Chicago' station on Commercial Avenue/94th St. The larger entrance lead to stairs that would take you up to the track platform while the smaller entrance on the left took you to an elevator.

The I-90 Skyway was built directly over the grounds that the passenger house stood on. These pictures were taken by me in 2017, though a recent visit now shows that these walls are covered in graffiti and mural art.

For more info see this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/46264216@N08/16164480885

1

2

3

4

5

Westville, IL: Aban/MoPac/C&EI Depot

(3D Satellite)

Street View, kAug 2015

This branch of the C&EI was abandoned by MoPac. The north/south route on the west side of town is the CSX/(Big4+Milwaukee).

Bill Molony posted
The preserved Chicago & Eastern Illinois depot at Westville.

1940 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Chicago, IL: B&OCT 63rd Street Depot

(Satellite)
I read that a lot of the railroads built a station at 63rd Street because of the 1893 Colombian Exposition.

Bill Molony posted
The Baltimore & Ohio depot at 63rd Street.
Richard Fiedler I believe the depot across the street was torn down 69-70 just before I graduated.
Bill Molony The B&O's Capital Limited stopped at the 63rd Street depot right up until April of 1971 when Amtrak took over, so it was torn down sometime after that.

Brian Morgan posted
This station which formerly stood at the intersection of West 63rd Street and South Bell Avenue on Chicago's Southwest side was the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railway Station. This station hosted not only the Flagship train out of Chicago's Grand Central station but also other Baltimore and Ohio Railways and the Pere Marquette(C&O.) Railways passenger trains inbound and outbound to and from Downtown Chicago's Grand Central station. This station has gone to the proverbial ghost.
Bill Molony According to the Official Guide to the Railways, the B&O's Capital Limited and the C&O's Pere Marquette were scheduled to stop at this station as late as April of 1971 - just prior to the coming of Amtrak.

Brian Morgan posted again

Comments on Brian's second posting:

Comments

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Brian Morgan posted
Another view of the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railway Station formerly located at West 63rd Street and South Bell Avenue.

Chicago, IL: B&OCT 115th Street Depot

(Satellite)

Bill Molony posted
The Baltimore & Ohio depot at 115th Street on the south side of Chicago, adjacent to Mount Hope Cemetery. As far as I know, it was damaged by fire and razed sometime in the 1970's.

David Daruszka commented on the above posting
 Correct. It had been converted to a private residence and was destroyed by fire. Here's a picture of it in better days.
[Aloghough the track isn't looking very good]

It appears that Mt. Hope Cemetery has doubled in width since 1938. I remember from a talk on the history of the B&OCT that this north/south part was developed by real-estate speculators across farmland. The hoped for communities were slow to develop. But they ran a lot of "funeral trains" down to these cemeteries. The building in the upper-right corner was probably the depot.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Momence, IL: NYC Depot (Preserved)

(Satellite, Street View)  NYC's Kankakee Belt

Seventh photo posted by Eric Berg
36J at the old NYC depot.
Doug Kaniuk more: http://www.dhke.com/rrus/static/static13098.html

Update:

Bill Molony posted
This is the former New York Central depot at Momence, on June 6, 1981.

Bill Molony posted
The former New York Central depot in Momence is now owned by Bill and Phillis Munyon, and has been restored and preserved at its original location next to active railroad tracks.

Eric Berg posted several photos concerning the NYC in Momence. They include the tower, but I'm going to post them all here to keep the collection intact.

1
13-I 4-4-0 #20 is at their Momence yard just east of the tower in 1902.

2
Bob Brooks at Momence tower.

3
Bob Brooks at Momence tower.

4
Momence tower, ca 1947, operator Jim Wilson, Wilson family collection

5
NYC MJ Tower (1980)

6
NYC MJ Tower (1980)

7
NYC MJ Tower (1980)

8
NYC MJ Tower (1980)

9
Lew Kennedy retirement photo 11-9-1945

10
NYC accident, Momence (3-7-1960)

11
NYC train at Momence along bottom of photo.

12
3-I depot at Momence, ca 1900

13
C.A. Kennedy closing up Momence depot for the last time in 1960. 

14
NYC depot at Momence

15
NYC depot at Momence

16
NYC depot at Momence

17
Eastbound NYC train at Momence, ca. 1950's. Robert W. Mcquown photo, C&EI HS collection.

Hinsdale, IL: West Hinsdale and Hinsdale Depots and Hinsdale Freight House

West Hinsdale: (Satellite)

Hinsdale: (Satellite)

CB&Q had a policy that if a community would pay for a depot, it would stop there. BNSF now regrets that because they have to make a lot of stops on their way to town. That is why they run so many expresses. A local takes about an hour whereas an express can do it in half that time. I know that Downers Grove has three stations (Belmont, Main, Fairview). I just learned that Hinsdale also has three stations (West Hinsdale, Main, Highlands).

Bill Molony posted
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy depot at West Hinsdale.
Brandon McShane: Looks like it had living quarters for the agent in the second story.

BRHS posted

This two-story frame depot at West Hinsdale on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy was built in 1874.

CB&Q photograph.

From the Blackhawk collection.

Marilyn Hewitt: My father took the train to and from this station from 1955-1974. I can remember sitting in the waiting room with my mother when we would take a Saturday train downtown. It was heated by a stove, and the stationmaster lived upstairs. This was in the 1960's. I would guesstimate it was torn down about 1967 or so.

David Daruszka commented on BRHS's post
Another view.

David Daruszka commented on BRHS's post
RRpicturesarchive dates this Marty Bernard photo as 1965. The file itself is labeled as 1952.

 

Jim Arvites posted
View of a westbound Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad commuter train passing the West Hinsdale depot in Hinsdale, Illinois in July 1965. The station, built in 1875, was replaced by a new depot in 1982.
(Bob Bullermann Photo)
Timothy Leppert: This station had agents living there, which was common in the old days. When it was replaced, it eventually became the first RTA station on the Q before the Transit Agency Metra was created.

So many depots has also created a maintenance expense. I wonder when this was replaced by basically a roof.

Hinsdale

Hinsdale Historical Society posted

❄️ #Hinsdale is covered in snow, but at least we aren't in charge of shoveling off the train tracks! ❄️ This photo, from the #HinsdaleHistoricalSociety's Archives, is just over 100 years old--the snowfall of 1918! Here, we can see the men of Hinsdale out shoveling off the railroad tracks to make it safe for the train to pass through town! 

The Snowfall of 1918 greatly impacted all of Chicagoland: a 15+ inch snowstorm on the 6th and 7th of January, followed a week later by another 10+ inches of snow on the 11th and 12th!

Dennis DeBruler shared

I checked with Google Maps, Hinsdale in IL is the only Hinsdale in the country.

Mark Hinsdale: There are actually several Hinsdale communities across the U.S. I’ve been to most of them. Hinsdale IL is the largest, and perhaps the best known, but towns named Hinsdale also exist in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Minnesota, Montana and California. There is also Hinsdale County, Colorado, which is the least populated county in the state! Immigrants with a surname of Hinsdale landed in Massachusetts in the mid 1600’s, and as their descendants migrated west, they named settlements after themselves. A number of early Hinsdale families settled in Deerfield MA, and the name is often seen in historical records of the town.

Dennis DeBruler: Interesting. Then I guess specifying Illinois was worthwhile.

Mark Hinsdale: Dennis DeBruler, that’s also a great picture of the Burlington looking east. The depot, three tracked main line, and tall hospital smokestack at upper left above the freight house still survive today.

Mark Hinsdale: Dennis DeBruler, that’s also a great picture of the Burlington looking east. The depot, three tracked main line, and tall hospital smokestack at upper left above the freight house still survive today.

West Chicago, IL: EJ&E Depot

Jerry Hund posted
A wood framed depot on the Elgin Joliet and Eastern serving West Chicago, Illinois. Built around 1908, it lasted until the EJ&E was acquired by CN in 2009. This station was used as a freight office when passenger service ended sometime after WWII.
[A reminder that at least some beltline railroads used to provide commuter service. I have skipped a lot of B&OCT depot pictures.]
Bill Molony posted
The EJ&E depot at West Chicago - October 11, 1969.
Bill Molony posted
The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway station and yard office at West Chicago, Illinois on October 11, 1969.
From the Blackhawk collection.
Bill Molony shared

Jerry Hund commented on a posting
Here's a photo of the former West Chicago Depot on the EJ&E.
Bill MolonyBill and 1 other are consistently creating meaningful discussions with their posts. That EJ&E depot in West Chicago was for the agent and was used to handle less-than-carload freight; it did not have a passenger waiting room because the "J" never operated passenger train service to West Chicago. The EJ&E depot in Plainfield was the only combination freight-and-passenger depot on the entire railroad.