All Articles

number
title
author
posted
0. The Lakewood Branch by JOHN MIKA 5/29/1998
  Lakewood Branch pictures with map of photo locations
1. Bill Denton's Kingsbury Branch Layout by JOHN MIKA 6/5/1998
  Take a tour of Bill Denton's famous Kingsbury Branch N-scale model railroad
2. Photos of the Lakewood Branch in 1995 by TOM CARPENTER 2/10/1999
  More photos, including street track north of Diversey
3. Northward to Belmont Avenue by TOM BURKE 3/18/1999
  Explore the northernmost reaches of the Lakewood Branch, circa 1985
4. From Kingsbury to Peerless by TOM BURKE 3/18/1999
  All aboard! Catch the action as a train works its way "From Kingsbury to Peerless"
5. A Visit to Blommer Chocolate by JOHN MIKA 5/4/1999
  Visit the Blommer Chocolate Company and see hoppers unloaded on street tracks.
6. A Hidden Gem: Carroll Avenue by JOHN MIKA 5/4/1999
  Discover Carroll Avenue, a hidden street running treasure in the heart of downtown Chicago
7. Classic CNW GP7 by JOHN MIKA 5/4/1999
  Photos of a vintage GP7 in classic CNW green & yellow, still in service in 1999.
8. Afternoon Train on Carroll Avenue by JOHN MIKA 5/30/1999
  Follow a UP train across a vintage drawbridge and down Carroll Avenue!
9. Building Street Track by TOM BURKE 5/30/1999
  See how street trackage was built on Kingsbury St in 1985!
10. North Branch Street by TOM BURKE 6/25/1999
  Watch the action on Chicago's North Branch Street, including photos of track rebuilding!
11. Past "End of Track": A Blooper at Blommer! by JOHN MIKA 6/25/1999
  See a boxcar go past the end of track…
12. CP Rail at Morgan Street by TOM BURKE 2/27/2000
  A CP Rail switch job works the spurs inside a food warehouse on Morgan Street!
13. Goose Island Switch at Big Bay Lumber by TOM BURKE 2/27/2000
  See a street switch being de-iced at Big Bay Lumber!
14. Switch Job! by TOM BURKE 8/4/2002
  Follow a Soo Line MP-15 on Goose Island on Feburary 29th, 1988.
15. Goose Island Comparision by TOM BURKE 8/4/2002
  Take a look at two photos taken 14 years apart to see the changes on Goose Island…
16. Goose Island Switching Operations by TOM BURKE 8/4/2002
  Pictures of a Soo Line train switching both International Salt at the very end of the line on the southern tip of Goose Island and the Midwest Industrial Metals plant.
17. Navy Pier by TOM BURKE 9/2/2002
  See the remains of the C&NW line that once led to Navy Pier.
18. From Kingsbury to Peerless II by TOM BURKE 10/6/2002
  Follow along as the crew switches Finkl Steel and Peerless Confections.
19. North of Belmont, 1984-2002 by TOM BURKE 10/28/2002
  Take a tour of the area north of Belmont Ave…
20. Finkl Steel Northward by DOUG KANIUK 11/7/2002
  The Lakewood Branch, circa 1988-1990.
21. Chicago River Bridge by TOM BURKE 2/16/2003
  Photos of the train crossing the Chicago River bridge on the way to Peerless.
22. Lunchbreak at Kingsbury by TOM BURKE 2/16/2003
  Here's one from a few weeks ago of the crew going to lunch at Kingsbury after dropping off a pair of cars to Peerless.
23. Reconstruction at Bloomer by TOM BURKE 2/16/2003
  Pictures of the August 2002 Bloomer facility construction.
24. More Carroll Ave. Photos by TOM BURKE 3/27/2003
  Photos of C&NW's former Navy Pier line at Carroll Ave.
25. Carroll Avenue's Bascule Bridge by MARK KOLODNY 4/2/2003
  Some nice photographs of the bascule bridge at Carroll Ave., just west of the Merchandise Mart.
26. From Downtown to Kingsbury by MARK KOLODNY 6/16/2003
  A look at some of the last trackage around the Kingsbury area.
27. Far East on the Navy Pier Line by DOUG KANIUK 6/30/2003
  A rare look at a C&NW switcher at the very east end of the Navy Pier Line.
28. The Mysterious Stranded Boxcar by TOM BURKE 6/30/2003
  Probably the only photo in existence of the stranded boxcar of Goose Island. This was mentioned in Tom Burke's article, "Milwaukee Road Knocking at Chicago's Back Door", found in the Third Quarter 1995 The Milwaukee Railroader.
29. Kingsbury St. Operations-Division Street to Grand Avenue. by TOM BURKE 6/30/2003
  Some of the final operations in the Kingsbury area.
30. Kingsbury St. Operations-Division Street to Grand Avenue - Part II. by TOM BURKE 7/18/2003
  More photos of Kingsbury's twilight years.
31. Replacing Rail at the Lakeshore Athletic Club by TOM BURKE 7/18/2003
  See the crew replace some rail outside Lakeshore Athletic Club on Lakewood.
32. The Circus Train Comes to Kingsbury Street by TOM BURKE 7/18/2003
  See a circus train unload on Kingsbury!
33. Your Friendly Neighborhood Engineer by TOM BURKE 7/18/2003
  The human side of railroading.
34. The Lissner Critter Switcher by DOUG KANIUK 9/13/2003
  Doug Kaniuk finds a critter on Goose Island.
35. Deering Line Overview by MARK KOLODNY 9/13/2003
  Mark takes us on a tour of the abandoned Deering Line starting at Finkl Steel.
36. Lakewood Branch by THOMAS MANN 9/17/2003
  Tom Mann's first visit to the Lakewood Branch.
37. Goose Island Walk by THOMAS MANN 9/18/2003
  Tom Mann's first visit to Goose Island.
38. Saturday Morning Blommer Operations by THOMAS MANN 9/21/2003
  Take a look at Blommer Chocolate's operations.
39. Kingsbury Remains by THOMAS MANN 9/21/2003
  Kingsbury St. is now a showcase for upscale housing, but there are still signs of it's railroad history…
40. Carroll Ave. Bascule Bridge Study by THOMAS MANN 9/21/2003
  Another look at the Carroll Ave. bascule bridge.
41. Montrose Ave. Station / Graceland Cemetary by TOM BURKE 10/28/2003
  A rather spooky shot (just in time for halloween!) of the C&E line's Montrose Ave. station.
42. Goose Island Odds and Ends by TOM BURKE 10/28/2003
  A Sunday morning walk on Goose Island turns up some interesting things.
43. Deering Relic by TOM BURKE 12/13/2003
  Just one photo, taken many years after the demise of the Deering Line.
44. Chicago River Bridge, Part II by TOM BURKE 12/27/2003
  A rare view of the General Metals switch job.
45. Snowy Division Street Yard by TOM BURKE 12/27/2003
  See some Boxcars lined up at Milwaukee Road's Division Street Yard.
46. Chicago Transparent Products Spur by TOM BURKE 1/17/2004
  Take a tour of Chicago Transparent Products, the last rail-served customer in the Deering area.
47. Deering Line-South End by TOM BURKE 1/19/2004
  Some rare photos from the south end of the Deering Line.
48. Tom Mann at Com-Ed by THOMAS MANN 1/19/2004
  Tom Mann finds a spike at Com-Ed.
49. Aerial Views From Downtown by TOM BURKE 1/20/2004
  Great views taken from downtown that show the majority of locations featured on this website.
50. Goose Island Odds and Ends, part II by TOM BURKE 1/22/2004
  Three shots of Goose Island operations, now only switched in memories…
51. Railroad Archeology by TOM BURKE 1/22/2004
  What was once the Deering Line is now only remains and artifacts.
52. CP/UP Interchange by TOM BURKE 1/22/2004
 
53. The Hassles of Operating on City Streets by TOM BURKE 2/23/2004
  A return trip from Nazdar runs into a car blocking the rails.
54. C&E Junction by TOM BURKE 2/23/2004
  C&E Junction occasionally saw some long trains..
55. Running Light to Peerless Confectionary by TOM BURKE 2/24/2004
  See a MP-15 make a return trip from Peerless.
56. Far East on the Navy Pier Line, part II by DOUG KANIUK 3/2/2004
  Doug discovers more photos of CNW's Navy Pier switcher.
57. Aerial Views From Downtown, part II by TOM BURKE 3/8/2004
  More great views taken from Northwestern Atrium.
58. Far West on the Navy Pier Line by TOM BURKE 3/16/2004
  Photos from 1988 showing a C&NW job working the Navy Pier line west of the river. It also shows the now-gone Hubbard St. C&NW yard as well as Blommer Chocolate.
59. Goose Island Walking Tour by MARK KOLODNY 4/20/2004
  Mark's photos from the Friends of the Chicago River 1991 walking tour. Many rare shots!
60. Navy Pier Memories by ANDRE KRISTOPANS 5/5/2004
  Andre Kristopans gives a synopsis of CNW's Navy Pier Line. This was originally posted in August 2002 in the ChicagoTraction Yahoo! Group.
61. Archeology Dig by JOHN COLEMAN 5/18/2004
  New contributor John Coleman spotted some Chicago and Milwaukee rails that were being unearthed by a construction project.
62. George Street Crossing Signal by MARK KOLODNY 5/19/2004
  Take a look at an interesting crossing signal at the intersection of George St. and Lakewood Ave. in September 1991.
63. The Decline of Railroad Customers Chart by THOMAS MANN 7/5/2004
  This graph illustrates the decline of railroad customers on Chicago's North Side.
64. Engineering Diagrams for C&NW's Near North Side Lines by THOMAS MANN 7/5/2004
  See C&NW Engineering Diagrams from 2 different decades.
65. Overview Maps Courtesy of the Milwaukee Road Historical Association by THE MRHA 7/6/2004
  Two maps from the 3rd Quarter 1995 The Milwaukee Railroader, The Milwaukee Road Historical Association's Magazine.
66. Tom Burke's North Lakewood Line by TOM BURKE 7/21/2004
  Tour Tom Burke's layout featuring the north end of the Lakewood Branch.
67. Views from the Prudential Building by DOUG KANIUK 7/22/2004
  Doug's photo from 1968 shows the far east Navy Pier Line area.
68. Navy Pier Line Study by THOMAS MANN 10/11/2004
  Follow along with Tom Mann on a tour of the Navy Pier Line, 4 years after it saw it's last trains.
69. Carroll Ave. Bascule Bridge in Operation by TOM BURKE 10/11/2004
  See inside CNW's Bascule Bridge tower, circa 1988.
70. Morton Salt Operations by TOM BURKE 10/11/2004
  See an overview of Morton Salt operations.
71. Chicago Tribune's Freedom Plant by THOMAS MANN 10/11/2004
  Two shots showing the south end of the Tribune's Freedom Plant.
72. Switching Ogilvy Transportation Center by TOM BURKE 10/13/2004
  See a MP-15 on the approach tracks to Ogilvy Transportation Center.
73. Presidents Day Outing, Part I: Kingsbury Relics by MARK KOLODNY 10/13/2004
  Ride along with Mark Kolodny and Tom Burke as they explore what's left of the Kingsbury and Deering Lines.
74. Presidents Day Outing, Part II: Goose Island by MARK KOLODNY 10/13/2004
  In part II, Mark and Tom explore Goose Island…
75. Presidents Day Outing, Part III: Deering Line History by MARK KOLODNY 10/14/2004
  Check out the Deering Line Remains with Mark and Tom in this final installment.
76. The Freight House in The Merchandise Mart's Basement by THOMAS MANN 10/15/2004
  A 1935 Railage article showing C&NW's newly completed freight yard. A Joe Pierson/CNWHS contribution.
77. Snowy Lakewood Branch by TOM BURKE 12/8/2004
  See a MP15 slowly making it's way to Peerless on snowy Lakewood Avenue.
78. Historical View from Clinton Tower by GARY MORRIS 12/8/2004
  Gary Morris' photo of a CNW SW1200 taken from the Clinton Tower. Great rare shot!
79. Northwest Line Overview by TAYLOR RICH 12/15/2004
  Thanks to Taylor Rich for a nice write up on C&NW's Northwest Line's operations.
80. The City of Chicago's 2004 Crossbuck Project by TOM BURKE 1/18/2005
  See an example of Chicago's railroad maintenance projects.
81. Deering/C&E Junction by TOM BURKE 1/18/2005
  Tom's photos from last December show the area around Finkl steel.
82. Finkl Steel Area by TOM BURKE 1/18/2005
  A look at operations around the Finkl Steel complex.
83. Carroll Ave. Switching by TOM BURKE 1/20/2005
  This is one of our earlier articles - CP Rail at Morgan Street - updated with new photos and text.
84. The Building Among The Yards by TOM BURKE 3/23/2005
  See a rare shot of the the former Goose Island yard area.
85. Kingsbury Updates by TOM BURKE 4/27/2005
  Some recent shots of the northern Kingsbury area.
86. Northside Overview by TAYLOR RICH 5/17/2005
  Follow Taylor Rich as he chases a train from the Bloomingdale Line to Peerless.
87. Halloween Outing, Part 1: East Bloomingdale Spur Network by MARK KOLODNY 6/10/2005
  Part one of the ChicagoSwitching.com Halloween out takes a look at the remaining Chicago & Pacific Trackage
88. Halloween Outing, Part 2: N. Magnolia Ave. by MARK KOLODNY 6/10/2005
  Part two takes us to the North Magnolia Ave. area.
89. Presidents Day Outing, Part IV: Bloomingdale Spurs by MARK KOLODNY 6/13/2005
  The final installment of the 2004 President's Day outing moves from the Deering Line south to the east Bloomingdale area.
90. Kingsbury Operations: Eastman to North Ave. by THOMAS MANN 6/13/2005
  If you know where to look, the Kingsbury Area can turn up some interesting relics.
91. Rare Proctor and Gamble Plant Photos by MARK KOLODNY 6/13/2005
  Two rare photos of the southern, CNW served portion of the Proctor and Gamble plant.
92. Views from a Metra Train by TOM BURKE 8/29/2005
  Photos of the river west area from a Metra commuter train.
93. Elston Ave. Area Photos by TOM BURKE 10/5/2005
  Tom's latest series of photos from the Elston Ave. area.
94. Bloomingdale Line Photos by TOM BURKE 12/28/2005
  See photos of the once-active Bloomingdale line from various perspectives.
95. Switching General Iron by TOM BURKE 12/28/2005
  See the crew move their MP15 from North Ave. yard to switch General Iron.
96. Lakewood Images by MARK KOLODNY 12/28/2005
  From Mark's 1991 walk down Lakewood Ave.
97. UP Switching Morton Salt by TOM BURKE 12/28/2005
  See a UP GP15 switch Morton Salt.
98. Deering Line - West by TOM BURKE 12/9/2006
  Great shots of Finkl equipment on the current western most point of the Deering Line.
99. Chicago Terminal Railroad: Opening Week by TOM BURKE 1/7/2007
  Join Tom Burke as he documents the first week of the Chicago Terminal Railroad.
100. Chicago Terminal Railroad: Day 1 - North Ave. Yard by TOM BURKE 2/27/2007
  Tom Burke was with the crew of the Chicago Terminal Railroad to document the historic first week of operations. Day 1 starts with the crew gathering at North Ave. Yard.
101. Chicago Terminal Railroad: Day 1 - Bloomingdale Section by TOM BURKE 3/3/2007
  Part 2 looks at the stretch of the Bloomingdale Line that is still in use.
102. Chicago Terminal Railroad: Day 1 - Engine by TOM BURKE 3/3/2007
  Tom captured some engine shots in the North Ave Yard before the crew got started.
103. Gondola Delivery by TOM BURKE 3/5/2007
  A gondola delivery that caused a stretch of the Kingsbury Line to reopen.
104. Nightime Shots by MATTHEW SCHOELL 3/5/2007
  Matt Schoell was lucky enough to run into the crew when they returned to pick up the gondola! Rare night action!
105. Lumber for Waterbeds by TOM BURKE 4/17/2007
  Watch as a waterbed company receives a delivery of lumber.
106. Midwest Zinc by TOM BURKE 4/19/2007
  The Soo Line crew switches Midwest Zinc.
107. Midwest Zinc, 1998 by TOM BURKE 5/9/2007
  Tom Burke records another car at Midwest Zinc in November, 1998.
108. Switching Aetna Plywood by TOM BURKE 11/13/2007
  See a switch job at Aetna Plywood.
109. Navy Pier Photos by BOB FELDMAN 3/3/2008
  New contributor Bob Feldman sends some images from UP crews working the Sun-Times job.
110. Accounting Office Spur by TOM BURKE 5/29/2008
  Follow along with Tom Burke as he explores a spur once leading to Milwaukee Road's accounting office.
111. YouTube Videos by TOM BURKE 7/3/2008
  Tom Burke captures the CP crew switching Peerless.
112. Deering/North Line Photos by TOM BURKE 9/5/2008
  These images are from scanned slides and show the C&NW’s own Deering Yard in the Deering Industrial Area on a bright, sunny day in June of 1990.
113. Rare Goose Island Photos by TOM BURKE 9/5/2008
  Recently rediscovered slides show glimpses of Goose Island industries National Tea, Klemp Corporation, and the track arrangement used to access the building used by Pickens-Kane.
114. Passenger Service on the Chicago Terminal! by TOM BURKE 11/10/2008
  Chicago Terminal runs a passenger excursion on the former C&E and Goose Island trackage!
115. Plibrico Refractories by TOM BURKE 2/25/2009
  See two photos of Plibrico Refractories in the north Kingsbury area.
116. Gons Everywhere! by TOM BURKE 7/14/2009
  Chicago Terminal recently parked some gondolas on little used tracks.
117. Geese on Goose Island by TOM BURKE 8/1/2009
  See a police-escorted flock of geese on Goose Island!
118. More Gons on the Lakewood Branch by TOM BURKE 8/1/2009
  More gondolas are spotted on Lakewood Branch tracks.
119. C&NW Line That Traveled on a Trestle over the River and Through a Building! by TOM BURKE 12/21/2009
  See photos of CNW's branch line that connected the North and Northwest lines.
120. Trailers on Goose Island by SHAWN O'DAY 12/22/2009
  New contributor Shawn O'Day sends some photos of railroad owned trailers on Goose Island.
121. New Version 6 of the Chicago Switching Site by THOMAS MANN 4/28/2010
  If you can read this, you are looking at version 6 of the Chicago Switching website! This version focuses on a lot of backend changes, so we would appreciate the feedback if something doesn't seem right or if a feature you're familiar with is missing.
122. BIG Week for Photos! by THOMAS MANN 11/8/2010
  In 2004, a large collection of photos was discovered in Milwaukee Road's old Galewood Yard Office by Milwaukee Road Historical Association staffers. These photos were taken in 1980 to document an internal study regarding abandonment options. Throughout this week, the Chicago Switching website will present these photos. Special thanks to Bob Storozuk and the MRHA for granting us permission to share, and to Tom Burke for organizing, scanning, and writing captions for each photo.
123. Milwaukee Road Photos of the Dunning Line by THE MILWAUKEE ROAD (CAPTIONS BY TOM BURKE) 11/9/2010
  These photos were taken in September of 1980 by Milwaukee Road employees to accompany an internal study determining which Chicago lines should be abandoned.
124. Milwaukee Road Photos of the Deering Line by THE MILWAUKEE ROAD (CAPTIONS BY TOM BURKE) 11/10/2010
  In September of 1980 the Milwaukee Road employees made a field trip by car to photograph the Deering Line on Chicago’s North Side as well as the Dunning Line on the West Side. The purpose was to provide documentation for an internal ROI study on which lines to propose for abandonment.
125. C&E North Line Photos by THE MILWAUKEE ROAD (CAPTIONS BY TOM BURKE) 11/11/2010
  Photos of the northern end of the C&E Line, taken by Milwaukee Road employees in September 1980.
126. C&E South Line Photos by THE MILWAUKEE ROAD (CAPTIONS BY TOM BURKE) 11/12/2010
  One month later, Milwaukee Road employees document the Kingsbury Branch.
127. Goose Island Photos by THE MILWAUKEE ROAD (CAPTIONS BY TOM BURKE) 11/13/2010
  This set of photos was taken during October of 1980 on Goose Island by employees of the Milwaukee Road for an internal study regarding lines for abandonment candidates.
128. Akzo Salt Soo Line Delivery by KEVAN DAVIS 11/15/2010
  New contributor Kevan Davis shares photos of a Soo Line Geep making a delivery to Azko Salt on Goose Island.