Southbound Grand Trunk Western Railroad light engine movement departing the Elsdon Yard site south of West 51st Street. Chicago Illinois. October 1983.

Southbound Grand Trunk Western Railroad light engine movement departing the Elsdon Yard site south of West 51st Street. Chicago Illinois. October 1983., a photo by Eddie from Chicago on Flickr.

I took this photograph way back in October of 1983.

It unfortunately was the end of the line for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad's old steam era Elsdon Yard on West 51st Street in Chicago, as the train yard facility was actually in it's final week of operation. The GTW recently had decided to close Elsdon Yard, and move their former Elsdon operations to the Belt Railway of Chicago Clearing Yard near Midway Airport.

The yard tracks were being cleared of any remaining rail cars at the time of my visit. I
spotted this consist of GTW locomotives heading southbound and running light, south
of West 51st Street.

An era was ending in Chicago's Elsdon neighborhood, withthe closing of the GTW
Elsdon Yard, and 1914 built railroad roundhouse on South Kedzie Avenue at approximately West 49th Street.

Thanks.
Eddie K.