The Santa Fe Illinois Northern branch. My old childhood neighborhood railroad. 1984.

A favorite railroad line I grew up with, but unfortunately don't have many photos of, was the old Illinois Northern Railroad. The Illinois Northern was a 6 mile industrial shortline railroad that was owned by International Harvester Corporation, and the Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. This was a light railed slow speed industrial switching branchline, that operated between the Santa Fe Corwith Yard, and the Burlington Northern interchange junction at South Western and Blue Island Avenues on Chicago's near southwest side.

I grew up in the Little Village neighborhood, and this line served the neighborhood factories Monday to Friday with a switching local. Seen here in the year of 1984, is the switching local photographed just east of South Kedzie Avenue near west 28th Street. I vaguely recall during the 1960's and very early 1970's, this line used Alco S Series diesel switchers in the Santa Fe black and silver 1950's era diagonal Tiger Stripe color scheme.
After Santa Fe bought out the I.N in 1972, the line was switched with blue and yellow EMD SW type diesel yard switchers. After the EMD SW Series switchers were retired and sold in 1983, the line was then switched with rebuilt 1950's era EMD GP-9's like the example seen here.