I spotted this photo at My Link page Yesteryeardepot.com, located to the right of Your computer screen at www.yesteryeardepot.com
The Belt Railway of Chicago, has always been focussed on moving long and very heavy transfer freight trains to and from their humongous Clearing Yard facility in southwest suburban Bedford Park Illinois, near Chicago's Midway Airport.
During the steam era, huge 2 -10 -2 steam locomotives like the example shown here in this 1948 photo courtesy of the Paul Elinberger collection, provided the much needed muscle to move those long and heavy freight drags across the city of Chicago Illinois.
Can You imagine the sound that this big coal burning "Brute" must have made starting a heavy freight train moving? How about the smoke and cinders?
The Belt Railway of Chicago retired and scrapped all remaining steam power by 1952.
1 comment:
The house I live in, just steps from BRC's north-south mainline, was only a three years old when the BRC retired steam in 1952.
Would have been awesome to see a locomotive like this out my living room window...but I'm old enough as it is, no need to wish for that!
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