Dearborn Station

[Ken Weller]

2 questions re Dearborn station:

(1) Was the C&O ever a tenant at Dearborn?  I have seen at 2 references that C&O was a railroad serving Dearborn, including a postcard that shows up occasionally (see attached).
The postcard would have to be pre1922, as that is when the fire occured and the roof peak eliminated.

(2) I was reading a novel recently in which a Rock Island passenger train left Dearborn station (this would be circa 1910).  I am rather sure this is wrong - but what station did the Rock use in Chicago pre-WWI?  I don't think Union Station was built until the early 1920s.

[David Longest]

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (moved to Grand Central Station February 28, 1925).-per Wikidedia

[Bob Lalich]

Ken, the C&O of Indiana used Dearborn for a short period of time. Originally they used IC's Central Station until the line between HY Tower in Hammond and Louisville Junction in Burnham, IL was taken out of service, shortly before 1915. They moved to Dearborn at that time. Not sure how long they stayed. Passenger service only went as far as Hammond by the 1930s and was dropped completely after WWII, I believe.

I tried to find the reference listed by David that the C&O moved to Grand Central in 1925 but could not find it. It is plausible though. C&O came under control of the Van Sweringens at that time. I know that C&O began using NKP facilities in Chicago as a result, and NKP was a tenant of LaSalle St Station, but the Van Sweringens also controlled PM, which was using Grand Central.

Rock Island always used LaSalle St. Station, which they owned with NYC predecessor Lake Shore & Michigan Southern. Corporate offices were there as well.

[Eric Reinert]

Hi Bob,

The C&O of Indiana had an arrangement with the Hammond Belt Railroad for this connection,  correct? The interchange track that the Erie used to deliver to the Monon at South Hammond up around, Conkey st.? wasn't a remnant of this line was it?
There's also an undeveloped area north of Cleveland street and east of Calumet Ave. at the former Erie/C&O ROW that has a large radius at the edge that looks like it might have hosted a rail line at one point. That means it would have paralleled Kenwood street west through Hammond? Is this the correct area?
Also, where the heck is/was Louisville Junction in Burnham, IL? I had never heard of that before. And why would it have been called "Louisville" jct.?
So many questions...

Eric Reinert

[Bob Lalich]

Eric, you are correct about the Hammond Belt being part of the original route. The C&O of Indiana's predecessor was the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville. I believe the CC&L's charter was limited to Indiana, so the Hammond Belt was chartered in Illinois to complete the route and connect the CC&L to existing trackage.

The CC&L route through Hammond was south of the Conkey track and paralleled Kenwood as you mentioned. The Monon was crossed just north of South Hammond Yard at a manned tower. The line then angled to the NW through what was called West Hammond at the time, now Calumet City. There is a short angled street in Cal City that is a legacy of the RoW. The line joined the IHB near Torrence Ave. in Burnham, IL at Louisville Junction, named for the original CC&L.

From Louisville Jct, the IHB was used to Highlawn in Riverdale, then the IC for the remainder of the way to Chicago. The route from HY Tower to Louisville Jct was taken out of service after the CC&L was aquired by the C&O. Afterward, the C&O used the Erie through downtown Hammond, then either the Erie and C&WI, or the NKP north of the Grand Calumet River bridge, depending on the time frame. A legacy of the original route was a downtown freight house in the midst of IC's South Water St. facilities that C&O used well into the 1960s.

[Eric Reinert]

Bob,

Thanks for the info. I'd sure like to see a picture of the tower that used to stand at the Monon intersection... yet another fairly major railroad structure that I never knew existed in my hometown.  I assume it would have been razed just after the change in route in 1915 or thereabouts? Also, What is the short angled street in Cal. City to which you refer? It isn't Michigan City Road west of Stateline Rd. is it?

Eric

[Bob Lalich]

Eric, the crossing at South Hammond was apparantly removed by the time of the 1915 valuation drawings because it does not appear on them.

The angled street in Cal City is Calumet Way. It's only a block and a half long between Burnham Ave and a park to the southeast.

[George Lortz]

Interesting shot of Dearborn found on eBay.  It's a C&EI passenger train, but Monon equipment on the right.  The date on the photo is 8/49.

Most every shot of Monon equipment at Dearborn shows it located to the right of the train shed.  Was this always the case?

George L.

[Tim T Swan]

George, Monon equipment was more often seen standing to the LEFT of the train shed (as seen in this view from the Roosevelt Road overpass).  That's the side where the Monon freighthouse stood, the low red brick building partly visible in the distant left of the photo.  The Monon car visible on the right is an RPO, which was probably spotted where ever the Post Office guys wanted it spotted.

See my attachments for photos of Monon equipment spotted on the left.  Better views of the Monon Freighthouse too.  Various Monon and other boxcars were usually seen on the Freighthouse tracks there.  F3 A-A sets and front-end cars would be stored there overnight awaiting departure of the Indy and Louisville trains the next morning.  Usually, only RPO's and mail cars would be seen on the right, plus diners on the commissary tracks there and occasionally one of the Business cars.

[George Lortz]

Tim,

The Monon cars usually visible on the right side are always either passenger or RPO.  I didn't realize that Monon's freight operations were on the left side.

George L.

[Tim T Swan]

Monon's freight operations were on the left (west) side of the Dearborn trainshed, George, because the Monon Freighthouse was on that side.  See the attached.  Bob Schultz provided a fine description of the Dearborn Freighthouse operations in a the August 2012 THL Q&A.  Monon F3 sets were usually parked on the freighthouse leads.  Monon "passenger" cars were hardly ever seen on the right, except for RPO's and diners, because all coaches (except ATSF's) were usually pulled quite soon after arrival from beneath the trainshed and hauled by the C&WI south to their 51st St. facility for servicing and cleaning.  These would not be returned until shortly before departure time.

[Bob Lalich]

Monon passenger trains were most often seen on the higher numbered tracks, which were shorter and to the right looking from Roosevelt Road. The longer tracks on the left were generally used by ATSF. Before the Monon stopped using the freight house adjacent to Dearborn, mail and express was handled at the Annex, which is off in the distance to the right in the 8/49 C&EI photo. The track on which the Monon RPO is seen was a short, 1 or 2 car holding track. Occasionally cabooses from a foreign line transfer were seen on that track. The shanty behind the RPO was the Taylor St Yard Office. Railway Express Agency cars were also handled on three tracks to the right of the RPO.

Here is a photo that I believe was taken moments after (the locomotive has a red flag on this end and is backing into the station) the 8/49 photo that George Lortz posted above, in which the entire Monon RPO can be seen. Not sure if Jack Smith was the photographer or if the photo came from his collection.

[George Lortz]

This photo was found recently on eBay.  It's not good quality, but it shows a tight grouping of locomotives, passenger cars, freight cars and REA trailers.

George L.

[Rick Dreistadt]

George, the photo has a Monon loco , in front no less, so that makes it a high quality photo! LOL!
Rick

[Mark Johnson]

Rick:

Photo scores big points for su[not allowed]ect matter if not for focus and composition!
 

Mark J