It seems like much of the CA&E right -of-way is still very much there. It would be nice to have a Railroad similar to today's South Shore Line running on it. The CSX TRACKS along the Eisenhower Expressway in Oak Park now serve only one industry and just see use about twice a week serving the FARARA PAN CANDY COMPANY. A railroad like or similar could run on those tracks and then go to Millennium Park METRA & SOUTH SHORE LINE STATION.
This is the IHB industrial lead supporting Ferrara Candy. While IHB removed the switch north of Harrison Street, it was never formally abandoned, hence the signals are still in place at 25th Street. I think Ferrara discontinued service on this lead back in 1992. IHB used to have another lead into the other Ferrara Candy plant just north of Madison Street. The bridge over the CGW and CAE is still there. The Illinois Prairie Path is there now. The last vestige of CAE was the Mt Carmel Cemetery branch which came down Manheim and used as an industrial lead to a cement plant south of the Eisenhower. The plant stopped service in the 1970's and the rails were cut back to the Hillside Landfill. The bridge over the Eisenhower was used to get mixer trucks in and out until the Hillside Strangler was removed and the bridge demolished. The cement plant is now Hillside Town Center. The rails ran down alongside Manheim for years with little use and torn out when Manheim was widened. The substation that supported the branch line is still there, and is just north of Warren Ave. The CAE viaduct under the Illinois Central is still there behind Michaels. The CAE Westchester Branch viaduct under the Illinois Central is a few blocks east behind the Westchester Fire Department on Roosevelt Road. There are no tracks left on any of these branch lines.
Wow! I find it interesting to explore abandon railroad lines. I've seen a lot in the town of Boonton. Bridges, a turntable, yards, tracks and switches.
The "self guarding" frog at the switch neat the start.. suggests that this hasn't been a main track for a very long time. Thanks for this video, it's a good record to have if this track is removed one day.
Ed Raye Yes, that's exactly what it is. I find it really odd that the IHB posted those "Report Railroad Crossing Emergency" signs on a lamppost on both sides of 25th Avenue at this crossing. When I first saw them, I thought, "Are you serious? Someone should call in if the crossing gates are malfunctioning thanks to ghost trains?" LOL Sorry for the late reply too. I'm just now running across this comment.
The Aurora and Elgin turned into the Illinois Prairie Path. The tracks for Aurora and Elgin were torn up back before 1967 if memory serves me correct. It almost ran parallel with Route 56, aka, Butterfield
In Spring 2015, a sign went up regarding an emergency phone number to call in case the crossing is malfunctioning, and the railroad on the sign was Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. Someone from the IHB may've seen this video, and decided that the sign should be installed at this location. I'm not sure why though, since nothing uses the track, and the crossing gates/lights are inactive, unless the sign was put up to indicate ownership of this piece of track.
Tom Keating: Track removal started in March 1962 and got completed by 1963. Sadly no transit funding agencies existed back then. The NICTD thankfully saved the South Shore Line which is operating successfully today and even expanding building a line to Munster-Dyer Indiana being built over the abandoned MONON right - of-way.
The CA&E track ran parallel to the CGW track in Elmhurst, IL, which was north of Butterfield Rd. I lived about three blocks from the CA&E station in Elmhurst, and I rode it when I was a young child from around 1953 until it shut down. I rode the Illinois Prairie Path bike trail when it came into being along the CA&E right away.
The CGW did not end in Dekalb,they were known for running long trains of meat and perishables using 6 covered wagons.Which was scheduled to meet in I think in Bellwood by 1:30pm.The CGW was absorbed into the CNW in 1968
The third rail was only present on the C.A.&E. mainline & in portions of their yard. Once their tracks reached the confines of a customer's property, power was switched to overhead lines reached via a trolley pole. This was for the safety of the factory workers, obviously.
Pasquale solano I recently triple-checked online to see that it is actually part of the old Chicago Great Western Railroad, not the CA&E as I previously discovered on some website. There is an IHB placard on one pole. I'll change the video title asap.
I did see a some rail cars with lumber on them a long time ago on those rails by that factory I drive over those tracks twice a day I wish they would take down the crossing lights and do whatever needs to be done so school buses wouldn't have to stop
Alan Sklenar: The CA&E freight trains were maybe 15- 22 cars at their longest. They certainly weren't Union Pacifics, or Canadian Pacifics, or CSXs when it came to train length.
Remember this set of tracks well. Had relatives that lived along this track back in 1950's before area turned African American then all whites moved out. That track was very active back then and rails were very shiney
Blackie Chong: It was also the same situation in St.Paul Minnesota. All the whites moved out on South Snelling Avenue where my friend use to live until the mid 1970s when his neighborhood drastically changed the very same way and the Milwaukee Road Railroad was just starting to enter bankruptcy.
in reality whoever owns the line after the initial company sold out or bankrupted they could restore right of way. if the need be came. most won't since industry has flopped in america. the rail roads closing were signs of a doomed economy long ago.
The railroads closing? Depends where you look. Some places they're booming. The rails in this video are abandoned for basically one reason - the railroads inability to deal with LCL freight. Trucks came in & dominated this sector. Railroads are great for bulk shipments only.
Here is an interesting link. www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?ll=41.897647,-87.975359&t=h&source=embed&ie=UTF8&msa=0&spn=0.278178,0.682682&hl=en&mid=zXCIX8LYras0.khb6T6qxf-m4 Hope this helps.
The CGW did not end in Dekalb,they were known for running long trains of meat and perishables using 6 covered wagons.Which was scheduled to meet in I think in Bellwood by 1:30pm.The CGW was absorbed into the CNW in 1968
Addendum,CGW Had a 1:30 arrival time in Bellwood at the IHB interchange so the perishables could delivered for late afternoon or evening eastbound trains.
It seems like much of the CA&E right -of-way is still very much there. It would be nice to have a Railroad similar to today's South Shore Line running on it. The CSX TRACKS along the Eisenhower Expressway in Oak Park now serve only one industry and just see use about twice a week serving the FARARA PAN CANDY COMPANY. A railroad like or similar could run on those tracks and then go to Millennium Park METRA & SOUTH SHORE LINE STATION.
This is the IHB industrial lead supporting Ferrara Candy. While IHB removed the switch north of Harrison Street, it was never formally abandoned, hence the signals are still in place at 25th Street. I think Ferrara discontinued service on this lead back in 1992. IHB used to have another lead into the other Ferrara Candy plant just north of Madison Street. The bridge over the CGW and CAE is still there. The Illinois Prairie Path is there now.
The last vestige of CAE was the Mt Carmel Cemetery branch which came down Manheim and used as an industrial lead to a cement plant south of the Eisenhower. The plant stopped service in the 1970's and the rails were cut back to the Hillside Landfill. The bridge over the Eisenhower was used to get mixer trucks in and out until the Hillside Strangler was removed and the bridge demolished. The cement plant is now Hillside Town Center.
The rails ran down alongside Manheim for years with little use and torn out when Manheim was widened. The substation that supported the branch line is still there, and is just north of Warren Ave.
The CAE viaduct under the Illinois Central is still there behind Michaels.
The CAE Westchester Branch viaduct under the Illinois Central is a few blocks east behind the Westchester Fire Department on Roosevelt Road.
There are no tracks left on any of these branch lines.
Wow! I find it interesting to explore abandon railroad lines. I've seen a lot in the town of Boonton. Bridges, a turntable, yards, tracks and switches.
The "self guarding" frog at the switch neat the start.. suggests that this hasn't been a main track for a very long time. Thanks for this video, it's a good record to have if this track is removed one day.
This track is Indiana Harbor Belt. The CGW and CA&E ran north of Madison St/Maywood drive.
Ed Raye Yes, that's exactly what it is. I find it really odd that the IHB posted those "Report Railroad Crossing Emergency" signs on a lamppost on both sides of 25th Avenue at this crossing. When I first saw them, I thought, "Are you serious? Someone should call in if the crossing gates are malfunctioning thanks to ghost trains?" LOL
Sorry for the late reply too. I'm just now running across this comment.
The Aurora and Elgin turned into the Illinois Prairie Path. The tracks for Aurora and Elgin were torn up back before 1967 if memory serves me correct. It almost ran parallel with Route 56, aka, Butterfield
In Spring 2015, a sign went up regarding an emergency phone number to call in case the crossing is malfunctioning, and the railroad on the sign was Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. Someone from the IHB may've seen this video, and decided that the sign should be installed at this location. I'm not sure why though, since nothing uses the track, and the crossing gates/lights are inactive, unless the sign was put up to indicate ownership of this piece of track.
Tom Keating: Track removal started in March 1962 and got completed by 1963. Sadly no transit funding agencies existed back then. The NICTD thankfully saved the South Shore Line which is operating successfully today and even expanding building a line to Munster-Dyer Indiana being built over the abandoned MONON right - of-way.
The CA&E track ran parallel to the CGW track in Elmhurst, IL, which was north of Butterfield Rd. I lived about three blocks from the CA&E station in Elmhurst, and I rode it when I was a young child from around 1953 until it shut down. I rode the Illinois Prairie Path bike trail when it came into being along the CA&E right away.
There were some visible tracks on the north side of Roosevelt Rd,west of Mannheim Rd where they sold cemetery markers
The CGW did not end in Dekalb,they were known for running long trains of meat and perishables using 6 covered wagons.Which was scheduled to meet in I think in Bellwood by 1:30pm.The CGW was absorbed into the CNW in 1968
Alan Skienar: The CGW ran to Olwien Iowa regularly and Omaha NEBRASKA back in the days before the CNW takeover in about July 1968.
That's from the ihb railway I've crossed it once
Cool find. It may have been part of a late freight spur that was added. The Aurora Elgin passenger cars were electric and had a 3rd rail.
PickleMan333 Thanks! Yeah, I heard that it was an electrified interurban railroad.
The third rail was only present on the C.A.&E. mainline & in portions of their yard. Once their tracks reached the confines of a customer's property, power was switched to overhead lines reached via a trolley pole. This was for the safety of the factory workers, obviously.
Overhead lines
I don't think this was a part of the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin railroad.This is a bit south of the old line.
This line is connected to the IHR and UPRR mainline.
Pasquale solano I recently triple-checked online to see that it is actually part of the old Chicago Great Western Railroad, not the CA&E as I previously discovered on some website. There is an IHB placard on one pole. I'll change the video title asap.
Ok cause i thought some parts of the ca&e track's weren't removed
Pasquale solano I heard that some haven't been removed. I can't remember exactly where they may be located.
I did see a some rail cars with lumber on them a long time ago on those rails by that factory I drive over those tracks twice a day I wish they would take down the crossing lights and do whatever needs to be done so school buses wouldn't have to stop
The CA&E did have freight service
Alan Sklenar: The CA&E freight trains were maybe 15- 22 cars at their longest. They certainly weren't Union Pacifics, or Canadian Pacifics, or CSXs when it came to train length.
Remember this set of tracks well. Had relatives that lived along this track back in 1950's before area turned African American then all whites moved out. That track was very active back then and rails were very shiney
Blackie Chong: It was also the same situation in St.Paul Minnesota. All the whites moved out on South Snelling Avenue where my friend use to live until the mid 1970s when his neighborhood drastically changed the very same way and the Milwaukee Road Railroad was just starting to enter bankruptcy.
Definitely a trip to go tag
This looks more like the CGW than CA&E
in reality whoever owns the line after the initial company sold out or bankrupted they could restore right of way. if the need be came. most won't since industry has flopped in america. the rail roads closing were signs of a doomed economy long ago.
The railroads closing? Depends where you look. Some places they're booming. The rails in this video are abandoned for basically one reason - the railroads inability to deal with LCL freight. Trucks came in & dominated this sector. Railroads are great for bulk shipments only.
Here is an interesting link. www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?ll=41.897647,-87.975359&t=h&source=embed&ie=UTF8&msa=0&spn=0.278178,0.682682&hl=en&mid=zXCIX8LYras0.khb6T6qxf-m4 Hope this helps.
The CGW did not end in Dekalb,they were known for running long trains of meat and perishables using 6 covered wagons.Which was scheduled to meet in I think in Bellwood by 1:30pm.The CGW was absorbed into the CNW in 1968
Addendum,CGW Had a 1:30 arrival time in Bellwood at the IHB interchange so the perishables could delivered for late afternoon or evening eastbound trains.
Wow. This is very interesting information. Thanks for sharing.There is a sign at the track indicating that it's owned by the IHB.