The ugly side of urban railroading. May 2006.

This photograph was taken in May of 2006 at 22nd Street and Canalport on Chicago's near southside. After the 1995 Burlington Northern / Santa Fe merger, there was some systemwide downsizing. This line had served the factories and lumberyards along 22nd Street , as well as the factories in an industrial section of the Pilsen neighborhood under Burlington Northern. After the merger, this line was sold to DRS Rail Services. The lines 2 EMD SW series diesel switchers are kept behind a chain link fence at Cermak Rd (22nd Street) and Canalport Street. Though this is on private property, Some not so nice individual, or a gang of young vandals may have climbed over the fence at night and let their spray paint cans do the talking. This is not one of the nicer areas of Chicago obviously, but there is not one city on the face of the earth, that is a "Garden of Eden"either these days. The large smokestack behind the locomotive, is the Commonwealth Edison Throop Street power plant.