Listed here are some junctions that don't warrant separate
pages but might still be of interest to some.
Although not in the south suburbs, this Chicago site is still within the Calumet area. It is on an east-west elevation that parallels the north side of 95th Street (US Rtes. 12 and 20) and is just west of Stony Island Blvd. Two railroad bridges cross 95th Street here, and between these bridges a dirt road leads off the north side of 95th and climbs up to the elevation. However, there is a trespass sign posted here.
The Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC), a major terminal road, and shortline Chicago Rail Link (CRL) travel the length of the elevation with the double track BRC on the north side. In the old days, the CRL trackage belonged to the Rock Island and was also used by the B&OCT and other roads. Both BRC and CRL connect with Norfolk Southern's ex-CR Chicago Line two miles to the east, and some NS trains--as well as CP trains on trackage rights--use the tracks here to reach BRC's huge Clearing Yard in southwest Chicago. In addition, CSX intermodal trains use BRC tracks to access CSX's Bedford Intermodal Terminal just south of Clearing.
Until the 1980's, the Chicago and Western Indiana, which carried Erie, C&O and Monon trains into Chicago, entered the junction from the southeast and then curved to the west, running between between BRC and CRL. These tracks are now used by NS, whose ex-NKP main also enters from the southeast paralleling the C&WI. At one time, NKP had a line crossing CRL and BRC that headed northwest to a connection with Illinois Central; the line also carried NKP passenger trains into Chicago. This line has been cut back and is now just a long lead track. Entering the junction from the southwest is the Pullman district industrial branch, used by NS, CRL and others to service industries to the south.
Once one of the busiest junctions in Chicago, Pullman now sees only modest traffic--an educated guess would be 35 to 40 trains a day. Probably most of the traffic consists of NS transfers and locals working out of Calumet Yard, which begins just south of the interlocking. However, traffic through the junction appears to have increased somewhat since the Conrail split, with road trains from NS, CSX and CP using the BRC tracks more often than BRC itself. The CRL line sees limited traffic, consisting mostly of locals and switch jobs, as well as an occasional Chicago Short Line transfer. The area around the junction, while not dangerous, has seen better days. Caution is advised.
THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL. A much better place to observe
the IC is the Amtrak platform at Homewood station, about three and a half miles south of Harvey.
The platform is alongside the IC main, with the Metra Electric on one side and the lead
tracks to IC's Woodcrest Shops and Markham Yard on the other.
The Metra high level platform can also be used, but you'll have to pay a fare to
access it.
To get to Homewood, take I-94 (the Dan Ryan, then the Bishop Ford expressways) to I-80. Head west on I-80 to the first exit, Halsted Street (Illinois Rte. 1). Head south on Halsted to 183rd Street. Turn right and go west about a mile and a half to the IC bridge over 183rd. Turn right immediately after the bridge; the station is just a few blocks. Of course you can also get there by taking a Metra Electric train from the Randolph or Van Buren stations in downtown Chicago.
Located on Chicago's south side a half mile west of the 115th Street exit of I-94 (the Bishop Ford--formerly the Calumet--Expressway), driving to Kensington is an easy matter but not recommended. The Kensington area has deteriorated over the last fifteen years and should be considered dangerous. Instead, take a Metra (ex-IC) Electric commuter train from downtown Chicago to the Kensington/115th Street station and STAY ON THE PLATFORM. The station can be reached from the east by the South Shore electric line (but do not use the South Shore from downtown Chicago), from the south by the Metra Electric main line originating at University Park, and from the southwest by Metra's Blue Island branch line .
The Metra Electric and the Illinois Central main line (now of course CN) run parallel on an elevation here. Entering from the east is the South Shore which crosses the IC tracks and joins Metra just south of the station. South Shore trains then proceed on trackage rights to Randolph Street in downtown Chicago. Until about 20 years ago, Conrail's ex-NYC, ex-MC main line from Michigan paralleled the South Shore's approach and joined the IC freight tracks here. However, the connection has been removed and the line cut back from Kensington. Metra's Blue Island commuter branch leaves the main line a half mile south of the station. The tower is still in operation, although there are rumors that it will be closed soon.
Commuter traffic is heavy on the Metra line, and especially so at rush hours. The IC tracks see perhaps 30 or so trains a day, including Amtrak's Illini and City of New Orleans. Most freights are transfers headed to or from IC's Markham Yard and intermodal complex near Homewood, Illinois, although road trains--especially from Wisconsin Central--are not uncommon.
Listed below from north to south are three junctions on the double track
Danville Secondary. The first is in East Chicago, the others are in Hammond.
All are south of both CP502, where the line begins, and Calumet Junction,
where it crosses CSX's ex-B&OCT main line. All are located along Kennedy Avenue,
and may be reached by following the directions for Calumet Junction or by
taking I-80/I-94 (the Borman or Tri-state Expressway) to the Kennedy exit and then
heading north. Since this route no longer runs to Danville, Illinois, it has recently
been renamed the "Kankakee Line" by Norfolk Southern. Nowadays, it extends south
only to Schneider, Indiana, where it connects with the ex-CR, ex-NYC Kankakee Belt,
acquired by NS in the Conrail breakup. For more about the Danville line, see the
Calumet Junction page.
Located along Kennedy Avenue, Grasselli is about a mile south of Calumet Junction. The Danville Secondary, here operated by the Indiana Harbor Belt, is crossed by an EJ&E branch line running roughly northeast to southwest. The line originates about three miles to the east at Cavanaugh Junction where it departs the J's main line. Just east of the crossing, a north-south EJ&E branch line--the same one that passes through Calumet Junction--connects here with the Cavanaugh line via a wye arrangement. An abandoned line belonging to the IHB once ran through here south of and parallel to the Cavanaugh line and connected with the Danville line. Several industrial spurs connect with the Danville line and the EJ&E in this vicinity. Grasselli Tower still stands and continues in operation. Traffic is light on the branchlines, and the Danville line is better viewed at Calumet.
Just over a mile south of Grasselli, Gibson is located along Kennedy Avenue at 161st Street. The Danville Secondary here crosses the east-west Indiana Harbor Belt main line on which CSX has trackage rights. At Ivanhoe, about three miles to the east, the ex-NYC, ex-MC Porter Branch, acquired by CSX in the Conrail breakup, feeds into the IHB. The latter also crosses the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern main line at this point, and a little-used IHB branch from Gary crosses the EJ&E as well (do not go to Ivanhoe; it is difficult to access and near a dangerous neighborhood). West of Ivanhoe, the Michigan Central tracks, which at one time paralleled the IHB through Gibson, are gone.
Most of the traffic here is on the northern leg of the Danville line and the western leg of the IHB main. Connector tracks are located in the northwest and southeast quadrants of the junction, and a third, little-used connector is in the northeast quadrant. The IHB's headquarters building and shops are located here just south of the crossing. The shops area includes a still-active roundhouse and turntable built in 1906. Only a third of the stalls are used to service locomotives; the rest have been converted into offices and storage sites. There are trespass signs at the shops, and you should stay clear of the area. The IHB's Gibson Yard is directly west of the shops area, and mainly handles auto rack traffic.
Access is the chief problem with this junction. The parking lot at the headquarters building is devoid of trespass signs and affords a view of the junction from about 50 yards. However, you might be questioned by suspicious IHB security officers if you spend any amount of time there. Perhaps the best course is to use the Kennedy Avenue viaduct that crosses the IHB line from Ivanhoe. It provides a nice bird's eye view of the crossing and the trackage surrounding it.
Located about a half mile south of Gibson, Osborn is just west of Kennedy Avenue and just north of 169th Street. Norfolk Southern's ex-NKP main crosses the the Danville line here. North of here the Danville line is owned by IHB; south of here it is the property of Norfolk Southern. NS runs about 30 trains a day on the NKP, and a few use a crossover in the northeast quadrant to access the Danville route. Traffic on the latter is much less, about eight or ten trains. A few of these are BNSF trains which use the Danville-Kankakee route as a Chicago bypass. UP coal trains occasionally use the line as well. There is a small yard along the NS main just west of the junction, and connector tracks in the northwest and southwest quadrants feed yard movements onto the Danville line. Just about anything seen here on the NS main can also be seen at State Line, Hohman or Van Loon. And at Calumet Junction in East Chicago, traffic on the Danville line is heavier .