Chicago River & Indiana Railroad

Why do we need a "Chicago Bypass"? YOU WILL BE SURPRISED!

Click on any doctors to the left to see why.

This site is intended in aiding you to locate HAND TOOL suppliers. You may search by product or by manufacturer. We add both products and manufacturers, so keep checking back.

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We can find any garbage truck you might want; NEW or USED
Let us search our numerous sources for you. Contact us, give us your location, specifications of the truck you want, and the price you want to pay. "We Talk Trash"!
JWH Industrial can get ANYTHING in GARBAGE TRUCKS. Talk to us about garbage trucks,
We have: Roll-off Trucks; Front Loaders; Rear Loaders; Grapple Loaders; Side Loaders.

ec-bp.com The Forum for Supply Chain Integration
ec-bp was established in 2005 as the advocate for lowering the barriers to the adoption of EDI, and our email newsletter has been published every month since that time. Our focus has expanded beyond EDI to encompas the full gamut of supply chain practices and technologies. In addition, our readership has grown to become the largest of any similarly focused publication, and has expanded to include more than 90,000 professionals involved in nearly every aspect of the supply chain.
Today’s supply chain is more than simple transport of EDI documents. The complexity of maintaining compliance with trading partners, managing the ever increasing amount of data, and analyzing that data to drive constant improvement in processes and service take supply chain professionals far beyond the basics of mapping EDI documents.

Powered by WebRing.	Chicago River & Indiana Railroad as well as the Chicago Junction Railway controlling access to the Chicago Unon Stock Yards district As late as 1964, the CR&I, a New York Central subsidiary, had 158 track miles and owned 27 diesel locomotives. Chicago Junction predecessors were Chicago and Indiana Short Line; Chicago, Hammond and Western
This WebPage is maintained for historical articles only. For an up-to-date listing of North American Commuter Rail and Transit Systems, please visit our TRANSIT WebPage www.ominousweather.com/Transit.html

May 16, 1922: ICC authorizes NYC to purchase Chicago River & Indiana Railroad and lease Chicago Junction Railway controlling access to Chicago Union Stock Yards district.

The Chicago Junction Railway and the Chicago River & Indiana Railroad are terminal railroads located within the Chicago switching district. Prior to May 16, 1922, they were operated as independent belt lines, uncontrolled by any trunk line carrier, and they were used by the 23 railroads entering Chicago, impartially and without discrimination. Among these were the New York Central Lines and their chief competitors, the 6 carriers who are plaintiffs in this suit. The New York Central sought to obtain control of these terminal railroads. To this end, it made an application to the Interstate Commerce Commission, on December 28, 1920, under paragraph 18 of section 1 and paragraph 12 of section 5 of the Act to Regulate Commerce, as amended by Transportation Act 1920, c. 91, 41 Stat. 456, 477, 481.2 The authorization requested was to make an agreement with stockholders then owning these properties by which, among other things, the New York Central would purchase all the capital stock of the Chicago River & Indiana Railroad for $750,000, and the latter company would lease for 99 years (and thereafter) the Chicago Junction Railway at an annual rental of $2,000,000. Upon this application hearings were had. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and its coplaintiffs herein, intervened, and opposed granting the application. On May 16, 1922, an order was entered which authorized the New York Central to acquire the Chicago River & Indiana Railroad stock, and authorized the latter company to lease the Chicago Junction Railway. Immediately after its entry, the purchase of the stock was completed and the lease was executed.

On April 10, 1923, this suit was brought in the federal court for the Eastern district of Illinois against the United States, the Commission, the New York Central, the terminal railroads, and the stockholders thereof. 5 The relief sought is to have the order declared void, to have set aside the sale of the stock and the lease, to restore the status quo ante the order, and for an injunction. The case was heard before three judges on plaintiffs' motion for an interlocutory injunction and on defendants' motions to dismiss the bill. The District Court, without opinion, denied the injunction and dismissed the bill.

By Ken Kinlock at kenkinlock@gmail.com

In the late 1940's, Chicago was the nation's railroad capital. Today it is freight, commuters and a greatly-reduced number of intercity passengers.
At the time of the Chicago Rail Fair of 1948, Chicago had 22 Class 1 railroads, 9 switching/terminal roads; 6 industrial railroads and 3 suburban (interurban) roads.
Intercity passenger trains were operating out of eight downtown terminals.

Gibson Yard on the Indiana Harbor Belt in 1950. Note the steamers at left side of photo: The IHB has just gone all-diesel. The Chicago River & Indiana Railroad and the Chicago Junction Railway will be next. (Photo clipped from an old New York Central Headlight)

Gibson Yard Pictures

REFERENCE

Chicago Union Stock Yards

See KC Jones BLOG about Railroad History

Our favorite Short Lines

Interesting Railway Stations

Indiana Harbor Belt has gone all diesel by the end of 1950? Find what else was doing on the New York Central in 1950.
(Photo clipped from an old New York Central Headlight)

The Global Highway:
Interchange to Everywhere
A portal to the World. The Global Highway leads everywhere! Follow it to wherever you might want to go. We have something for everyone! Travel and other greatlinks!

Tramway de Nice: New for 2007

The Tramway de Nice was designed to serve most of the population of Nice, France, as the vity of over 900,000 people is situated along a seaside, the line does not have to traverse it. Instead it was drawn as a U shape, passing through the centre.

The tramcars of the Tramway de Nice are unique and have been specially designed to blend in with the Niçois architecture. A standard 5 car 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) standard gauge tram measures 35 m but extra carriages may be added, bringing the length to 45 m. The tram is 2.65 m wide and may carry 200 passengers at 18 km/h compared to 11 km/h by bus.

Are the trams noisy?
No. Noise created is maximum 70 decibels at 40km/h. This is much quieter than any large vehicle such as a bus.

Find out more on public transportation in Nice and the French Riviera.

See a presentation on the Nice, France tramway extensions including a movie based on Deputy-Mayor Estrosi's Tramway Line 2 presentation September 26, 2011. This East-West Tramway will be completed in 2016.

Now you can see the entire NICE, FRANCE TRAMWAY in GOOGLE EARTH!!!!

Yes! Open in Google Earth and follow the path of the Tramway station-by station.

Chicago Rail Fair of 1948-1949. We have searched out tons of information available on this memorable event. Most of the railroads in the United States were represented, or exhibited. Union Pacific's Big Boy locomotive was one of the most popular exhibits. At this time, Chicago was the Rail Capital of the U.S.

Finding A 3PL Logistics Provider

I recently wrote about an interview I had with SPS Commerce concerning their Retail Universe? online community for trading partners. Subsequently I had a “real world” request from a client to find a 3PL to handle trucking and warehousing in southern Indiana. WOW! A real test for the power of RU!

Food Distributor for organic and natural products. Wholesale distribution throughout North America. We are a broker for organic and natural products. We specialize in locating organic products you sometimes can't get from your local distributors. We set you up with a relationship with a supplier. Our ORGANIC FOOD WebSite is not everything we can get, just a robust sample.

WIKIPEDIA: the free-content encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

WIKIPEDIA contains several articles of interest to the New York Central historian or fan:
New York Central Railroad
List of New York Central Railroad precursors
List of defunct United States railroads
List of Illinois railroads
List of Indiana railroads
Many of these articles have been developed by our staff researchers KC Jones and Penney Vanderbilt.

The New York Central System .. One of the great railways of the 20th Century.
Home of the Great Steel Fleet of passenger trains
including the well known 20th Century Limited. Known as The Water Level Route, serving customers between New York/Boston and Chicago.
NYC-Railroad@yahoogroups.com is a place to discuss the New York Central Railroad's US operations, including the Boston & Albany, Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, Peoria & Eastern, among others, as well as its Canadian divisions through Southern Ontario as well as the branch to Ottawa.
Discussion is not limited solely to rail operations, since the NYC had significant marine and trucking operations as well. Current equipment spottings are encouraged. The only restrictions are that the information relates to the NYC or other lines operating under its flag. Modellers, historians and anyone with an interest in the NYC family of railways are welcome.

New-York-Central-Railroad Forum
This group is dedicated to modelers, historians and fans of the late, great New York Central Railroad-gone, but not forgotten!

NYC-RR Forum
This is a discussion and sharing group for friends and former employees of the "Water Level Route", the late and great New York Central Railroad Company. Our focus is primarily historical, and mostly limited to the NYC ( and PC successor ) period prior to ConRail. Our emphasis is upon routes, signaling, towers and operations.

New York Central System - About the New York Central Railroad Forum
This is a place to share information on the New York Central System, including the New York Central Railroad, Michigan Central Railroad, Boston and Albany and Big Four. Our primary focus is on the postwar history of the New York Central's Great Steel Fleet of luxury intercity passenger trains, including the 20th Century Limited, Commodore Vanderbilt, Pacemaker, Lake Shore Limited, New England States, Detroiter, Wolverine, Ohio State Limited, Cleveland Limited, Fifth Avenue Special, James Whitcomb Riley, Southwestern Limited and Knickerbocker among other trains.

Shortline: Mannheim Armitage Railway Location: Melrose Park Il The track will start at Mannheim Rd. and serve the industries in the area bounded by Mannheim, Armitage, Geneva and North ave Length: 1.006 miles with 431 ft sidings Connection with Indiana Harbor Belt at Mannheim Rd.	Interesting New York Central links Saint Joe Valley Model Railroad Club Central Indiana Railroad Information Network
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Snow Belt in New York State Boonville Station

There is a "Snow Belt" in New York State that runs above Syracuse and Utica. It goes East from Oswego to at least Boonville. Here's the station at Boonville.

Find out more about Weather around the World

Ominous Weather is about more than weather. Its about our environment. Its about our social issues that need to be surfaced if we want to save our environment. See Champions of our Environment like Al Gore SAS le Prince Albert II de Monaco John R. Stilgoe Ralph Nader. We have addressed several railroad-related projects that will conserve fuel and lessen pollution. Our Window on Europe spotlights projects that can help the rest of the World.
We have other environmental sites on garbage trucks and Rapid response temporary shelters / portable housing.

Many of my articles were published in the CALLBOARD of the Mohawk and Hudson Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
and in the BRIDGE LINE BULLETIN of the Bridge Line Historical Society

Railway World WebRing	by king5021
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Interested in Penn Central? New York Central? Pennsylvania Railroad? New Haven Railroad? or in the smaller Eastern US railroads? Then you will be interested in "What if the Penn Central Merger Did Not Happen". You will also enjoy "Could George Alpert have saved the New Haven?" as well as "What if the New Haven never merged with Penn Central?"

Chicago Stockyards Railroad Map This map shows the railroads in the vicinity of the Chicago stockyards in 1960. It is part of a map of the B&O Chicago Terminal Railroad.

Indiana Harbor Belt
Moody's Guide for 1954 shows IHB stock ownership as:
NYCRR - 30%
MCRR - 30%
CNW - 20%
MILW - 20%

There was an outstanding bond issue of about $9 million, guaranteed by LS&MS (NYCRR), MCRR, CNW and MILW, that matured on July 1, 1957. That bond maturity might have triggered a change in ownership.

According to George G. Spier in his book, TRACKSIDE around CHICAGO page 97, IHB ownership was NYC 49.5%, Michigan Central 30.3% Milw 20.2%. Book from 1959.

Indiana Harbor Belt from the Wiki
JD's Indiana Harbor Belt photos
Port of Indiana
Hammond, Whiting & East Chicago Electric Railway Company
Nearby Railroad Junctions
Indiana Harbor Belt at Yahoo! Groups
Don't limit yourself to a single Class I connection!
Illinois Air Photo Image Database
Find a lot of the Indiana Harbor Belt here.

Burns Harbor in 1959 (Photo clipped from an old New York Central Headlight)

Indiana Harbor Belt Archives
The Unofficial IHB Site

Click HERE or on map above to view full-size map of the Indiana Harbor Belt.

New York Central 999 goes to Chicago Museum (Photo clipped from an old New York Central Headlight)

The Extent of the Indiana Harbor Belt

The West pass began at the Reynolds switch, right? When did they remove it between Superior and a rather undefined point North of 47th Street?

When the West Towns diamonds were removed they made a change in the lead at the West end of the La Grange Yard. The Eastbound crossover between the Eastward track and the East Pass was removed when they depressed three of the tracks under the CB&Q bridge.

How much of the CJ did the IHB at one time operate over? I was told long ago that they once delivered to the CB&Q at Western Avenue.

During the late 50's and through the 60's did deliveries to the AT&SF from Gibson go via Elsdon or deliver at McCook?

When did they shut down the Eastward hump at Gibson? What is the track ownership pattern between Blue Island Jct. and Rose? Between Blue Island and Superior, the owner is B&OCT (CSX).

Superior is about midway between CP McCook and CP LaGrange. Between Superior and CP Rose, the owner is IHB.

For answers,

This lantern was once owned ny NY Central subsidiary Chicago, Indiana & Southern, which was controlled by the NY Central Railroad.. In 1914, NYC absorbed CI&S so they became the official owners. Shortly after the Indiana Harbor Belt was formed, NYC leased to IHB the northernmost seven miles of the Chicago, Indiana & Southern. The CI&S originated at the Indiana Harbor lakefront and ran south through Gibson, where it crossed what is now the IHB main, to the Nickel Plate crossing at Osborn. The segment extending from the lakefront to the Little Calumet River just south of Osborn was leased to the Harbor. The IHB has operated it ever since and is now known as the Kankakee Line. South of Osborn, CI&S extended to Danville, Illinois, and ultimately via connection with another NYC property to Cairo at the southern tip of Illinois.

State Line Interlocking
In its heyday, State Line was one of the most complex interlockings in the United States. It was on the Indiana-Illinois border at the gateway to Chicago. Read more about the many railroads that crossed here.

How IHB closed an information gap with EDI

Chicago's terminal railroad, the Indiana Harbor Belt upgraded its ineffective information management systems to an electronic data exchange.

Connecting roads used to call Indiana Harbor Belt "Chicago's black hole." They don't anymore. Here's why.

The Indiana Harbor Belt is one of Chicago's key terminal railroads, connecting with 17 trunk line railroads at 960 nodes. An east-west clearing house for Chicago's complex network of rail lines, it handles over 900,000 freight cars per year on 475 track-miles. Business has been brisk in recent years.

Find out more about railroads and electronic commerce.

What is a VAN? The EDI experts can create an involved answer but lots of people (like business managers, for instance) are not quite sure what it is. Maybe if I liken it to something not Information Technology, I could better explain it.

It is like the U.S. Freight rail system. Both take your product; pack it in their own container (envelopes/files; box cars); move it to the recipient by a network of rails or phone:data lines (both built by private companies); switch from one to the other (no single VAN or railroad covers the whole country....yet); and finally deliver to the recipient (rail siding or VAN mailbox).

A VAN lets you complete all your transactions in one transmission. A train lets you send all your shipments at once.

The VAN is essentially a giant virtual switchboard where data is shunted from one participating company to another. The rail system is essentially a giant virtual switchboard where freight is shunted from a participating shipper to a customer.

A VAN is a company offering the communications skills, expertise, and equipment needed to communicate electronically. In an EDI context, a VAN acts like an electronic post office by receiving, storing, and forwarding electronic messages. A company and its trading partners have "mailboxes" on the VAN where EDI transactions can be stored. A railroad is a company offering the transportation skills, expertise, and equipment needed to move your products. At one point, railroads moved most of the mail for the post office.

Both VANs and railroads use “Service Messages” to track “shipments”. Ironically, railroads use a series of EDI transmissions to do the tracking.

The term mailbox is used to refer to a unique identified area of information storage within a computer, a point of private user access and data consolidation to which EDI transmissions are sent and held until retrieved by the individual EDI VAN customer. Each VAN participant can retrieve documents from its assigned mailbox whenever convenient to it's own operations. Well, that is like a railroad siding. The customer can open the door and unload when he is ready.

The file is sent to either a VAN mailbox, FTP site, or directly to AS2 recipients to be picked up. Railroads are in the 21st Century too: ever hear of a UNIT TRAIN?

Yes, sometimes we go outside the system. Internet EDI goes over the “Internet” (who owns or built the Internet?). Non-rail truck traffic goes over the highway system (guess who pays for our highways).

Read more about What is electronic commerce and the supply chain?

The Kankakee Belt Line

The Kankakee Belt Route is the nickname for the Illinois Division of the New York Central Railroad, which extended from South Bend, Indiana, through Kankakee, Illinois, and westward to Zearing, Illinois. It was marketed as the "Kankakee Belt" route to connect with western railroads and avoid the congestion of the Chicago area.

This line was sometimes referred to as the "3 I Line", in reference to the line serving as an Iowa, Illinois and Indiana connector.

Today, the Norfolk Southern operates the Kankakee Belt Route (ex-Conrail, ex-NYC, Kankakee Belt Line). Sections at the east end (to South Bend) and West End (Zearing area) have been removed. The Kankakee Belt Route sees around eight to ten trains daily, from the BNSF (old AT&SF main line) at Streator, Illinois to Norfolk Southern Railway interchanges and facilities in Indiana. It still serves as a Chicago bypass.

It's gone now although sections remain, but here are some pictures

This New York Central map from employee timetable shows the path of the Kankakee Belt. Click on it to enlarge.

The Kankakee Belt Line and connections (1964)
Location	Railroad
South Bend, Indiana	New York Central and Grand Trunk Railway
North Liberty, Indiana	Wabash
Walkerton, Indiana	B&O and Nickel Plate
Hamlet, Indiana	Pennsylvania
Knox, Indiana	Nickel Plate
North Judson, Indiana	Pennsylvania and Erie
San Pierre, Indiana	Monon
Shelby, Indiana	Monon
Schneider, Indiana	New York Central
Delmar, Illinois	Milwaukee
Momence, Illinois	Chicago & Eastern Illinois
Kankakee, Illinois	Illinois Central and New York Central
Reddick, Illinois	Wabash
Dwight, Illinois	GM&O (Alton)
Streator, Illinois	Santa Fe, Burlington
Lostant, Illinois	Illinois Central
Depue, Illinois	Rock Island
Ladd, Illinois	Northwestern, Milwaukee, LS&BC RR
Zearing, Illinois	Burlington

RailwayStation.com has provided a 1942 Quiz Book on Railroads and Railroading.
Here's some interesting questions and answers:

When did the "Iron Horse" reach Chicago?

The first locomotive to reach Chicago (the world's greatest railroad center) was the "Pioneer," which arrived by the sailing vessel "Buffalo" October 10, 1848, for service on the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad (now the Chicago & North Western). The "Pioneer" made its initial run out of Chicago on November 20 of that year, and by 1850 it was running as far west as Elgin. This historic locomotive is now preserved in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The first train from the East entered Chicago over the Northern Indiana Railroad (now the New York Central) in the spring of 1852.

Head End Railway Express and Railway Post Office
		On passenger trains, railroads operated lots of equipment other than sleepers, coaches, dining cars, etc. This equipment was generally called 'head-end' equipment, these 'freight' cars were at one time plentiful and highly profitable for the railroads. In the heyday of passenger service, these industries were a big part of the railroad's operations, and got serious attention. We have text and pictures not found elsewhere on the Web.