DRS Rail Services former A,T & S,F Illinois Northern branchline update. Febuary 2008.

I passed through Chicago's Little Village neighborhood last Thursday evening, and was in the area around West 31st Street and South Spaulding Avenue. This photograph was taken in May of 2006, and shows a temporary "End of Track" for the former Santa Fe I.N Branch located approximately 70 feet east of South Spaulding Avenue. I noticed that this fence was recently removed, and that there may have been some recent track maintenance work. Although the railroad crossing signals on West 30th Street and South Kedzie Avenue still appear to be out of service at this point in time, the fence removal and track work indicates that service east of this location may have been partially restored. I
grew up just a few blocks from the Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe's Illinois Northern industrial branchline during the 1960's thru the 1980's, and could vaguelly recall old Alco S Series switchers in a black 1950's era Santa Fe color scheme with silver or white diagonal safety stripes. After 1972 when Santa Fe bought out the Illinois Northern from it's former partners, the railroad switched the 6 mile line with blue and yellow EMD SW series yard switchers, untill they were retired and sold in 1983. From 1983 untill the year of 2000 , five years after the BNSF Railway merger, the line was switched with rebuilt 1950's era EMD GP-9 roadswitchers, and an occasionall pinch hitting EMD CF-7 rebuild locomotive. In 2000 the line was sold to DRS Rail Services who switch the line as needed with a rebuilt EMD SW Series end cab switcher.

There just may be an I.N Branchline revival hopefully sometime soon.