I took this photo one early summer day, in June of 2007.We are looking south on Lawndale Avenue in Chicago's Elsdon neighborhood. This railroad crossing, is located on South Lawndale Avenue, just north of West 50th Street.
I discovered this location in 1977 when I was a freshman student attending nearby Curie High School. I consider this location, "The birthplace of My railfanning experience".
Yes...This is where My off the deep end train spotting actually began.
This crossing, is along a stretch of heavilly ballasted railroad track, owned by the Belt Railway of Chicago. I used to think that this was owned by the Santa Fe during My high school days, because the only trains that I would see on this line...
were the many A,T & S F transfer trains entering and leaving nearby Corwith Yard. Prior to December of 1988, approximately 50 feet north of this track, was the badly deteriorated Indiana Harbor Belt Stock Yards branch. The stock yards industrial branch was also known as the Chicago River and Indiana RR at some point in past years. Today, the CTA Orange line to Chicago's Midway Airport is on the R.O.W.
During My high school years, the original flashing crossing signal that stood here did not have crossing bells. It was just a standard silent flashing model with incadescent lights. After all
of these years, it was great to see one of My early railfan haunts again on location in 2007.
3 comments:
I can remember traveling through this crossing on AT&SF -BRC transfer trains wondering if it would be the fatal time as autos would keep crossing lights or no lights. Just to the east was the end of the Santa Fe hump lead that only held around 45 cars.
I could remeber the A,T & S,F transfer trains -light engine moves and caboose hops always traveling slow at this location.
During the late 1970's and early 1980's, I still can fondly remember the old EMD SW series Cow and Calf units on some of the transfers through here.
Railfanning during My Curie High School days was a blessing. I only wish that I had actually taken photos back then.
Thank You.
Eddie,
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