Monday, July 30, 2007

Ash Street Junction. Chicago Illinois USA. July 2007.

I took this photo looking through a chain link fence, in the parking lot of the Enterprise Oil Company at South Western Avenue and West 33rd Street. I used to be a delivery truck driver, and Enterprise Oil Company was one of My old delivery accounts. Ash Street Junction, is in a very innacessable location today. Seen here is the now boarded up interlocking tower that stands at the crosstracks. The Canadian National freight train with former Grand Trunk Western diesels on the head end, is traveling westbound on the former Illinois Central Iowa Division Mainline. The north and south tracks, belong to the Norfolk Southern and the CSX Railroads. The BNSF Railway's ex Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe mainline run side by side through here.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

After its closing, I heard Ash Street tower went from very-tough-to-access to nearly-impossible-to-access. Your description proves it.

What a location this must've been back in the day, when the four huge bridges over the river (just out of sight of your photo) each had two active north/south tracks, crossed by the fabled ATSF "transcon" almost at its very beginning or end, just a couple miles out of Dearborn Station.

Eddie said...

Thanks Anthony.
If nothing else, at least the tower is still standing for now.
What year did they close the tower?

Eddie.

Anonymous said...

Eddie,

Ash Street closed Dec., 2001, according to Bill Gustason's excellent site called Chicago Area Rail Junctions.