Deering Line Overview

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Ashland Ave. bridge Art Deco fresco. This bridge carries traffic over the former Milwaukee Road Deering Line and the North Branch of the Chicago River.

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This view looks west across the CP Rail drawbridge and the North Branch of the Chicago River towards the Kennedy Expressway. To the left in the distance a Milwaukee Road spur track curves around the dark, brick Hanna Cylinders (www.hannacylinders.com) building in the background, a former rail-served customer, to reach Aetna Plywood (www.aetnaplywood.com) on Elston Avenue. Aetna Plywood relocated operations to Maywood, IL, around 2000, though their former location is still standing as are the tracks along the side of the building which used to host several boxcars at a time under a extended canopy for cover. Another spur off this line went to Kilo-bar at Wabansia and was later used as a tail track to manuever cars in and out of Aetna.

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A view looking northwest of the CP Rail swingbridge.

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A view from the west bank of the Chicago River looking southeast.

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Looking downstream, or south, from the Cortland Ave. bridge, towards the rail swingbridge. The scrapyard to the right shipped out using both barges and rail. As of 2003 it apparently uses barges only.

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Rare shot of a Milwaukee Road gondola spotted in the scrapyard at Cortland and the river. In the foreground you can see a former coal trestle used for unloading coal from hoppers into bins or waiting trucks. At one time this site was occupied by the Roth Adams Coal Company which used this coal trestle for unloading. There were many such coal dealers along the Milwaukee Road tracks on the North Side which faded away as homes and businesses switched to fuel oil then natural gas for heating.

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View looking east across Chicago River from just south of the CP Rail swingbridge.

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Aetna Plywood's spur off the former Milwaukee Road with boxcars in place. As of 2003, the building and spur tracks are still in place and visible from Elston Ave., but no longer in operation.

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Looking north towards the drawbridge from the parking lot by Aetna Plywood.

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C&NW's North Line bascule drawbridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River, as seen from the Ashland Ave. bridge.

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Interchange track between CP Rail (Milwaukee Road) and the C&NW (later UP) at Clybourn Tower. This view looks south from the location of the one-time Chicago Brewing Company, a pioneer in microbrewing.

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C&NW's connecting track curves down from the North Line viaduct to reach the Deering Industrial District trackage on the west side of the North Line. Note the cobblestone pavers along the rails on West Wrightwood Ave. Wrightwood also crosses the former Milwaukee Road C&E line, now CP Rail, at Lakewood Ave. which still serves Peerless Confectionary. As of 2003 these C&NW tracks in Wrightwood are gone. This is old track!

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Looking west this time at the same C&NW connector track where it passes by the old Cotter & Co. complex in the Deering Industrial District. Tom Burke recalls seeing a C&NW switcher moving across Clybourn at this location in 1981. Too bad he didn't have a camera with him at the time! To the right in the picture you can see the transformation taking place from industrial to retail in this area.

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Looking south at strip shopping center across Clybourn where rail-served industries once existed. Note Metra train on C&NW's north line in the background.