My old neighborhood railroad today. April 2003.

This is the "Current Incarnation" of the old "Illinois Northern Railroad". One morning in April 2003, I had to actually drive through My "Old Neighborhood" where I had actually grown up during the 1960's and 70's era. This railroad line, now privately owned by DRS Rail Services, was originally the Illinois Northern Railroad. It was a Santa Fe subsidiary that used ALCO switchers in Santa Fe Black with Zebra Stripes until 1972. From 1972 to 1995, this line was owned in whole by Santa Fe and was Reequipped with EMD SW Switchers until 1983, and Rebuilt EMD GP-7 Roadswitcher diesel locomotives afterwards. In 1995, the Santa Fe and Burlington Northern railroads had merged and became a new company called BNSF. The line was sold in 2000. There is now only maybe One or Two customers on this line, and it is "Switched as Needed".
This railroad is only a shadow of it's former self. Santa Fe operated this line 5 days a week. This photograph was taken approximately 5 blocks west of Kedzie Avenue, Just south of 31st Street in the Little Village neighborhood, on Chicago's near Southwest side.