Cant wait to watch one of rollys great videos

I am a retired CNW/UPRR engineer and I used to cross that bridge to service industry on the other side of the Chicago River. Sun Times was one of them and before the Chicago Tribune's Freedom Plant was built at Grand and the Chicago River we used to service the Tribune too. I believe that track was the original CNW mainline to its Wells Street main passenger terminal. When the new CNW Terminal was built at Madison and Canal and opened for service in 1912 the Wells St. station was abandoned. Subsequently the famous Merchandise Mart was built over the CNW tracks and we used to go underneath to get to customers. Many times people would park their cars too close to the tracks and a tow truck would be called to remove them.

Former CNW line out to Navy Pier. Cut back from the pier by the 80's and was only serving to bring newsprint to the Sun Times. When the Times sold the property to make way for Trump Tower the need for newsprint to make it's way over the river was no more and the line would most likely have been abandoned and scrapped save for the small issue that UP found itself the proud owner of not only a bridge but a historical landmark that they have to maintain so IIRC the tracks are technically out of service I would assume in the event UP needed to do maintance or repairs that requires something heavier than a hi rail can manage.

I can vouch for the track being used summer of 2000 when my new hire class took a GP15-1 from North Avenue Yard to Kinzie St. bridge. Of course the bridge was in the same position it is now. A few months ago, one of my retired co-workers posted on Fakebook several pictures from this area.I don't know if he will make his pictures public but, it would be nice to see this area from times past.

Had the privilege of watching freights cross that historic bridge. They would go under all the buildings along the Chicago river all the way Navy Pier on the lake. One time I walked the entire row up to Wacker Dr. BTW, the area under the Metra tracks used to be filled with tracks feeding into that line. They came out of an old CN&W yard on the other side. That yard is long gone.

I spent many an evening sitting on CNW locomotives waiting for Lake St. tower operators to get unbusy wif the evening rush to come and drop the bridge....which by the way is known as Wolf Point. We would then proceed to the old Tribune and the Sun-times. In earlier times went went all the way to Navy pier. Railrol82 here's a job for you. See ifn you can find any RR tracks east of the old Sun-Times. My time in the entire area was all during the 1980's. Also late 70's when CNW had a yard office know as State St. a little west of that spur you walked. Another track that went straight west along past Bloomer Chocolate ended going west up to Noble Street where it join the CNW mainline. I worked and knew that whole territory like the palm of my hand .....me and many other fine upstanding railroad men. As a matter of fact my good friend was on the last Job to cross the river.

That R.O.W. is part of the first railroad track built in Chicago. Galena & Chicago Union originally built that line in the late 1840's. That bridge originally allowed trains into Northwestern Station which was first built on what is now the Merchandise Mall. The station was relocated in the 1890's to where it is now

A few blocks from there is a great hot dog place called Fast Tracks that has tons of train stuff inside as well out outside

If you look on google maps at this crossing in the oldest view This crossing had lights The taller one was a small cantilever

4:56 There used to be signals mounted on the bridge for this crossing.

Given that Chicago has nearly as much abandoned rail as some states, why not rent a bike, mount a camera and ride? There are dozens of dead rail roads from the Rock Island, to the Soo, to the Grand Trunk, to the... But the best abandoned, intact right of way is probably the New York Central Hoboken Line from the Stock Yards to the Indians border. It is truly a spectacular ride all the way to Gary Indiana

WOW!👌🏻💯💥

How come I NOW find something like this on my youtube search list?! This was a great video to watch and memories of some of these trains were blast from the past for sure. I grew up in franklin park in the 80s and hanged around the Bensenville railyard and took pictures and videos at the engine house off of green street. Good times!

Yes, I remember now. It was in my railroads of the world video in part 1. Thanks for finding it. In your future videos, can you explore Lincoln Illinois

Awesome video! Thanks for your efforts. 🇺🇸

Is that still there in 2020?

@RailRol82 we have alot of historical mill railroads here in Columbia SC as well as some leftover tracks for the old seaboard as well as a monument piece of what was left of one of the bridges.... Hope to c u check it out and give some insight someday. I'm curious to know more about it.

I was railfanning at the Metra crossing over there and I saw that abandoned CNW Line

Turn on tune in and drop out back in time to Chicago's power of place producing era of peak world modernity. Born during the early 60s My first access to Ariel photography allowed me to Rediscover long forgotten trunk lines and said road of Iron Rails still existing buildings shadowing Curvature shapes giving reasons portions of land had never built on. Today Everyone from Egyptian explorers to prehistoric archeology professors Use aerial photos to their advantage in this way. Today as a professional arborist, growing collection of Google street view photography has become such a worthy tool When helping to diagnose trees.

any and all railroad tracks ever laid in the USA should have been preserved.

Please do more on chicago’s Abandoned rr’s. They are so cool, and I myself am interested in them.

Are these tracks anywhere around the old Montgomery Wards building. I used to work at Monkey Wards for a time. Id be walking down Chicago Ave. And would cross Halstead Street. And see a bunch of tracks that ran under a bridge. Is this track part of that? Just wondering. Have a blessed Christmas 🎄 everyone

Pre 1910 CNW main line ran along Kinzie Street. When the new station at Canal & Madison opened, it had been realigned and elevated along Hubbard Street toward the station. Check Google Maps =obvious east of Ogden Ave. There was a rail yard at Des Plaines/Kinzie St. BTW, the "Wm J Cassidy" building seen in the opening moments is now demolished (350 N Canal). New buildings along Kinzie St used to be railroad property. The recent changes toward Ogden Ave in that area have nearly obliterated the past. Even Kinzie St itself was rebuilt west of the river to about Ogden Ave some time ago now.

Founder of House of Blues used to use these tracks to get his private railroad car under the club in Marina City.

2014 it was still used. I believe this was also servicing blommers chocolate factory on kinzie. The tankers seemed to go and come from there in 2014

Wasn't this one of the video's you had taken when you were hacked? Did KZfaq restore this video?

0:44 Isuzu NPR

How did Union Pacific get to Chicago go check out the map. ??

This may still be active

This line should be turned into a Light Rail Line and then run alongside the METRA ELECTRIC and South Shore Line and serve McCormick Place, the Shedd Aquarium, Museum Of Science and Industry,and the Art Institute.

Should have checked that pile of rail for dates.

Have you ever been on the Metra?

Merchandise mart had cnw feiggt station after they moved to Madison used to be passager station

I like your video Are coming back what happened 😮

Why don’t they restore this line for light rail

🇺🇸🇨🇦

America Infrastructure Sucks needs serious Funding to Make much Improvement. SMFH

Should have kept walking down the tracks

Have to be good for 10

Can you come up with a different intro? It's just too "busy" I'm sure I'm not the only one who is thought that watching his videos it gets annoying seeing at the beginning of every video

Chicago the city that used to work . Ghetto town .

Really great video Rolly! Thank you for going to Chicago. Really cool stuff.

Keep up Mr. Railroad Archaeologist!

Love the info...thank you for the post!

Great video Roly!! Super excited to see what's next! You can really tell that whole area has history in it!

Nice video...So much train history in Chicago...Thanks and hoping you are enjoying the nice weather up there, it's been hot in good old Florida😄👍

Nice video.Always interested in railroad history. Keep up the good videos.

Right in my own backyard! Great video as always!

Great video fantastic I’m learning more and more about the railroads thank you.

I wish you had a railcart. I would have liked to have seen you take a trip down (or up) the spur. It makes me dream of what could be out there in my city. I think you found a real gem.

Another fine piece of work! I appreciate the way you put together your work. If you ever stop in Nashville there are tons of old railroad crossings. One in specific that comes to mind is the Texas and Pacific Railroad. It was I think born in the age of the railroad when everybody who was anybody built a railroad. This one paralleled the present day Nashville and Eastern which is a very active shortline. The T&P was eventually bought out by the Nashville, Chattanooga, and Saint Louis which was bought out by the L&N which in turn was gobbled up by Seaboard Coastal Lines and finally CSX. The trackway is so cool because it starts as a spur off the CSXmain only to become a shadow in the form of a grass-covered path to an abandoned trestle. The path continues on behind warehouses that once saw boxcar loads of vegetables but now serve a different clientele. You can follow this trackway for miles as it leaves its evidence ion form old stone supports that would have held steel support beams and track. The coolest parts are the old stone columns that would have held the trestle as is crosses the stones river. From there on to Lebanon it pops out here and there until it fades into history. I appreciate what you do.

Nice find! Can't wait for the draw bridge video.

I seen this in Chicago I can’t believer you find this, this is really cool and Metra liners goes through there

Cool, Roly!

Szuper! Szeretem az elhagyott vágányokat.

Just watched great video great to start morning

Great video

Nice video, I love old Chicago & Northwestern stuff.

Neat stuff!

Welcome to the Chi. Great historic Video.

Depressing yet I can't stop watching!

Another excellent video!!! Thanks for posting !!na

Perfect video my friend! Best regards :-)

I believe they lower the bridge once a year so a hi-rail can cross it & keep the tracks from becoming officially abandoned.

Keep up the dig!!

Awesome video. If you are ever back in the Chicagoland area, come to northwest Indiana to explore some abandoned monon railroad tracks.

abandoned chi town rails! gold mine.

Very nice 👍👍👍like

Exelente 👌

amazing R you got to come visit St Louis Mo and points on you would have a field day with some of the abandon lines here awesome R you rock my train brother :-)

Excellent video, greetings from Poland, +

lol great video! i hope you got the location

Wow, Had no idea that bridge was there. I stayed at that Holiday Inn right there. If I would have walked around that corner, I would have been right at that bridge, maybe next time.....lol.

Hey RR Archeologist. As a conductor you the training to work on a railroad. Have you ever considered working for a class 1 railroad like BNSF, CSX or Norfolk & Southern? I was just curious I mean being on the railroad is tough in the sense that you are always on call. I have heard you have like an hour? I think to get to an assignment. The train and consist could be 50 miles away in the middle of nowhere. I'm married with a family that and my age pretty much crushed any dream I had of working for the railroad. I was born too late just like my time in the military I missed all the wars the same is true of me working for the railroad. I want to work for the railroad when I got out of the military, but they weren't hiring. In fact, they had a freeze on hiring in the late 70s and early 80s. When I found out the railroad was expanding in the mid-2000s, I already had a family and they weren't going for me quitting my job at the time and moving to Atlanta to conductor school with the possibility not being hired because of my age. I know no one discriminates because of age they simply just don't hire those of an older age bracket. I didn't mean to rant I enjoy your work. Peace out!

NICE VIDEO!!!! WOW that's one old abandoned track, I think at one point those crossings had LED lights and Bells but they took them off, I just uploaded my train video on KZfaq and I found a day of every week I'll upload a train video on KZfaq if you want to go watch it RailROL82, I love your abandoned train videos, keep them coming

cool i..in my home town//48th or 49 th and california ave south soude was a track that led to brewery and a praire land..it was a warning signal there in the 60,s ..no flashing lights

Great video and I want the track and preserve the rail line

You can see those tracks across the river on caroll avenue to at least as far east as under the house of blues between Dearborn and state, maybe further

The tracks do look in allright shape

I see you premiered this video for 10am EST - I've seen that option on KZfaq, are you online at that time and seeing other viewers?

UH interesting!! good video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish I would've known you were coming to Chicago. I know of a few old crossings in the NWI area

Speaking of CNW they used to come up by me, sadly was bought out by the UP in 1995.

3:34 I’m with you. Those tracks can withstand years more of trains. And the rails? They were replaced in 1993! That track is fine.

Super Video. 🇮🇳

Love these old rail ways and that bridge is so cool! Next time I’m in Chicago I will look for it! Nice work!

BTW, CNW is now part of Union Pacific

Great video railrol that track has history I hope u find a railroad spike

South loop is spur city, they’re everywhere. Especially around Chinatown.

While you're in Chicago, Do a vid on the Kenwood line

i checked google maps and followed the tracks and i found a spur with some tank cars on them so i guess union pacific still uses them

1993...1 year year behind my birth year 😊

There used to be lights on that crossing

That spur in the video above used to served the old Chicago Sun Times printing plant on the south side of Ashland Avenue and on the east shore of the Chicago River in the loop. That printing plant closed almost eight years ago and outsourcing its printings to the arch rival Chicago Tribune.

6:21 Shit mud! Great video as always - Bob S.

Would love to see a train on that track :D

I think they last ran trains through in the early 2000s. I've been by the bridge many times starting in the late 70s through just 2 weeks ago. In 2000 or 2001 during a C&NW/UP SunTimes paper run, I remember seeing the bridge down and running over there and chatting with one of the flagmen. I got a chance to read the plaque on the head of the bridge. I waited with him until the geep came back out from under the apparel center. If smartphones were available then I'd have some pics/video. At that point they'd already cut the cord from the East/West trackage and were using the curve from the North/West trackage. In '79 I was there with my pops, and some of the North/Soputh Milwaukee Road trackage was still there. The diamond was removed already (I think) but I didn't at the time realize the CMSTPP ran trains past there and across the river. I though it was so strange that one of the tracks ran straight North as if to go on a massive barge that might have been backed up to there! If you stop your video at 1:36 exactly that is exactly the point were the track ran.The street (and bridge) was raised in the early 90s (after the tunnel flooding-the pylon hammering that flooded the tunnels occurred on the East side of the river there), so there was no grade until then. I chatted with a UP guy last year, and he said that on the East side of the river, the UP wasn't asked or even informed that the tracks had been removed between the Apparel Center (now Holiday INN) and the bridge. He told me that there were plans to hook that track back up and run a locomotive as far east as they could go (for trackage/property rights). We'll see if that happens! Thank you for posting this and all your videos! You could make a really neat video of the CMSTPP (line that ran from there up past Wrigley Field and up into Evanston!

I read the history about the track a few months back and it was abandoned in 2000 or 2001.

2:52 I thought those were removed when the lights and bells were removed!

do they still use that line?