C&WI Coach Yard - Location of Other Dearborn Station Coach Yards

[pullman jct]

Rich, not a lot has been written about the C&WI. I think John Szwajkart mentions the wye moves in his guide, and Ed DeRouin's book may have mentioned those moves as well. I will check. There are numerous photos of C&WI RS1's pulling a rainbow of passenger cars south through 21st St.

Bob

[richhotrain]

pullman jct

I have numerous references to support the statement I made, including first hand accounts from former C&WI employees.

Bob, thanks for that follow-up reply.  As I said, I meant no challenge.  I just find that so fascinating because I had never heard that C&WI or its five owner-operated railroads (Erie, Wabash, C&EI, GTW, Monon) turned its passenger trains on a wye.  

Can you point me to some of those references for further reading?

Rich

[pullman jct]

I have numerous references to support the statement I made, including first hand accounts from former C&WI employees.

[richhotrain]

pullman jct

The C&EI 37th St yard and Wabash 47th St yard were freight yards. Passenger equipment of the C&WI owner roads, C&EI, Wabash, GT, Erie and Monon, was serviced at C&WI 51st St coach yard. Trains were turned at the CJ wye at 40th St.

Bob Lalich

Bob, this is not a challenge to your statement because I have no basis for any statement to the contrary.  But, how sure are you about turning passenger trains at the CJ wye?  I had never heard that before.  Fascinating if it is true.

Rich

[pullman jct]

The C&EI 37th St yard and Wabash 47th St yard were freight yards. Passenger equipment of the C&WI owner roads, C&EI, Wabash, GT, Erie and Monon, was serviced at C&WI 51st St coach yard. Trains were turned at the CJ wye at 40th St.

Bob Lalich

[richhotrain]

From my yard diagrams, I can see that C&WI had a 115' turntable at 49th Street and a 360 degree roundhouse at the same location.  I assume that C&WI  used those facilities to turn locomotives for all 5 roads that used Dearborn Station.  

ATSF maintained its own coach yard, engine servicing facility, turntable, and round house at 18th Street, but I don't believe that any other railroad used those facilities or the balloon track which ATSF used to turn its passenger car consists.

Rich

[rcdrye]

I have seen photos of C&WI RS1's with GTW cars in tow.  I do know that GTW did do some of their own switching at Dearborn.  Monon had some joint arrangments in Chicago with Erie at one time, so they may have used the Erie coach yard.

The next interesting question is where the trains were turned.  AT&SF had a loop around their 18th St. yard, but I don't see a suitable wye anwhere near Dearborn for C&WI.

[richhotrain]

rcdrye

At least in later years, E-L and GTW stored and serviced their equipment right at Dearborn Station (E-L ran engines light to 51st St.).  Monon trains were handled by C&WI, since Monon's Chicago yard was in Hammond IN.  C&WI had some fuel facilities at Dearborn .

John Szwajkart's invaluable "Train Watcher's Guide to Chicago (Swajkart, Chicago IL 1969) comes through again.

So, is it accurate to conclude that GTW and Monon did not have their own coach yards and engine servicing facilities in Chicago, linked to their Dearborn Station operations?

Rich

[richhotrain]

rcdrye

John Szwajkart's invaluable "Train Watcher's Guide to Chicago (Swajkart, Chicago IL 1969) comes through again.

I seriously need to get a copy.

Rich

[rcdrye]

At least in later years, E-L and GTW stored and serviced their equipment right at Dearborn Station (E-L ran engines light to 51st St.).  Monon trains were handled by C&WI, since Monon's Chicago yard was in Hammond IN.  C&WI had some fuel facilities at Dearborn .

John Szwajkart's invaluable "Train Watcher's Guide to Chicago (Swajkart, Chicago IL 1969) comes through again.

[richhotrain]

daveklepper

did not they use the chicago and western indiana coach yard?

Not sure.

At first, I thought that GTW used the Elsdon Yard at 49th and Kedzie, but I don't think so because that would require C&WI switchers to use non-C&WI track.

As for Monon, I am drawing a blank.

With Erie, Wabash, and C&EI maintaining their own coach yards and servicing facilities, I would have thought that GTW and Monon would do the same, but maybe not.

Rich

[daveklepper]

did not they use the chicago and western indiana coach yard?

[richhotrain]

I have several highly detailed maps showing the various coach yards along the PRR double track headed north into downtown Chicago.  These yards were serviced by the 4-track C&WI to and from Dearborn Station.

ATSF, of course, had its own coach yard and servicing facility at 18th Street.

Then came the C&EI coach yard between 31st Street and 39th Street.

Next was the Wabash coach yard between 39th Street and 47th Street.

And, then, there were the Erie and C&WI coach yards between 47th Street and 55th Street.

But, I don't see any coach yards for GTW and Monon passenger cars which were hauled back and forth to and from Dearborn Station.  Where were their coach yards and engine servicing facilities?

Rich