CB&Q-IC Chicago Interchange

[SPer]

Where in Chicage do CB&Q passenger, troop, or freight trains interchange with the Illinois Central for trains going to Birmingham, Alabama

[rcdrye]

The physical connection between the CB&Q and IC took place over the St. Charles Air Line, a jointly owned stretch of track (CB&Q, IC and C&NW) between Union Tower on the CB&Q main line just west of Union Station, and the IC Central Station.  Because of the track layout at the time, all moves at the IC end had to go north, either into Central Station itself ("short hill") or into the Congress Street freight yard ("long hill"). 

Passengers interchanged using Parmalee Transfer buses between Union and Central Stations.  Interline tickets would include a transfer coupon.

Troop train handoff could have taken place anywhere in the Union Station or Central Station vicinity.  It wouldn't surprise me for CB&Q to deliver the train to IC, either with road locomotives or switchers assigned in the Union Station area (including VO1000 diesels).

Freight was interchanged by transfer run between CB&Q's Clyde yard in Cicero and IC's Congress yard over the StCAL until the southward connection from the StCAL to IC's lakefront main was built in 1969 or so.  After that transfers could go directly to Markham Yard in Homewood, about 20 miles south of downtown.