Tuesday, February 21, 2006

The end of the line. January 1990.


This photograph was taken in january of 1990 on Chicago's southwest side near Midway Airport.
We are a few blocks south of Archer Avenue near 52nd street and Keeler avenue. We are looking east as the Indianna Harbor Belt Railroad's -Chicago Stockyards Industrial branchline is being torn up. This line was torn up , and redeveloped into todays CTA Orange Line Rapid Transit to Chicago's Midway Airport. I used to walk this quaint and quiete scenic branchline while I attended Curie High School nearby, from 1977 to 1981. The track was in Bad shape, Speeds were generally between 5 and 10 mph for the daily switching locals that had serviced this laid back 1950's style stretch of Chicago Railroad line. Slow speed derailments happened often, and the ties were Rotted in many places here.

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