North Shore Line Observation cars

[daveklepper]

I am sorry, I should have said loop, not wye at the 63rd Street yard.  The obs were rebuilt into enclosed parlors, parlor-diners, and coaches well before WWII, so the loop was still in existance during their oepraton.  The wye use for the downtown Loop would have been simply running around the Loop, heading back north, then make a reverse move back through the Loop's Wells Street trackage to Roosevelt Road.   I doubt that this was done.   The lower yard must have been the spot.   Until into the Depression many Milwaukee trains ran through to Jackson Park, and most Shore lIne locals terminated at Roosevelt Avenue. 

[rcdrye]

If the track diagrams in CERA bulletin 115 are to be believed, there was no wye at the end of Jackson Park.  I'm wondering if a loop track in the 63rd street lower yard might have been used, though it's shown as removed at an unknown time prior to 1947.  I guess I could see taking the turn at tower 12 (Wabash and Van Buren), and then backing through a double crossover on Wabash down to Roosevelt Rd., but the South Side lines still used tower 12 until 1943.  There was also the nasty Harrison curve between Tower 12 and Roosevelt Rd., only recently straightened.

North Water St. Terminal was built with a wye, but it was gone before the end of Parlor Obs service.

Adding to the mystery is that the observations apparently didn't have backup controls. Photos show brake valves on the early series, but not on the last one built in 1928.

Not trying to stump anyone on this, just really want to know.

[daveklepper]

At the time the North Shore had observation cars, before they were rebuilt with closed ends, the limiteds generally ran through to Jackson Park and not just to Roosevelt Avenue.   I beleive there was a wye at at the yard there and it may still be there.   I believe all the obs cars were rebult to have closed ends well before WWII.

Some North trains did run around the Loop and then run south to Roosevelt Avenue.   It would have been possible foro such trains to operate north to Merchandize Mart and reverset to Roosevelt Avenue.

[rcdrye]

Does anyone know how the North Shore turned their parlor observation cars in Chicago?