I took this photo looking east at Chicago's Brighton Junction near the intersection of South Archer and Western Avenues.The writing was already on the wall when I took this photo in early April of 2007. Brighton Junction was America's last manually operated crosstrack and interchange railroad junction. Plans were already in the works for modernizing and automating this rustic old steam era junction on Chicago's near southwest side. Concrete foundations and preparations were in place for a new automated signaling plant with a large steel shed that would be surrounded by a chain link fence. Satalite technology would soon replace the levers, the semaphore signals, and the operating crewmember on duty in the wooden dilapidated shanty.
Brighton Junction closed on July 3rd, 2007. The crosstracks were replaced, and the new automated signal system was put into operation A.S.A.P.
The historic signifigance of Brighton Junction hasn't been totally forgotten though. This set of mechanical steam era semaphores that controlled traffic on the former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad mainline ( Now Canadian National as of 1999.) and the wooden operators shanty, were destined to The Illinois Railway Museum in Union Illinois for future preservation.
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