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PRR INTERLOCKING  DIAGRAMS FORT  WAYNE  TO  CHICAGO MAIN  LINE

Mileposts are based on PC Western Region Timetable #1, 1968-04-28.

Main Line -- Pittsburgh to Chicago

JUNCTION, Fort Wayne, Ind., M.P. 321.1

VANDALE, Columbia City, Ind., M.P. 339.2

WEST VANDALE, Columbia City, Ind., M.P. 341.1

Remotely controlled from VANDALE.

WARSAW, Warsaw, Ind., M.P. 358.7

WEST WARSAW, Warsaw, Ind., M.P. 359.7

Remotely controlled from WARSAW.

PLYMOUTH, Plymouth, Ind., M.P. 383.9

WEST PLYMOUTH, Plymouth, Ind., M.P. 386.3

HAMLET, Hamlet, Ind., M.P. 397.9

The Fort Wayne crosses the NYC Kenkakee Branch.

HANNA, , Ind., M.P. 408.6

EAST WANATAH, Wanatah, Ind., M.P. 413.2

Remotely controlled from Wanatah.

WANATAH, Wanatah, Ind., M.P. 414.9

GRAND TRUNK, ?Hobart, Ind., M.P. 426.9

EAST BART, Hobart, Ind., M.P. 433.0

BART, Hobart, Ind., M.P. 434.4

Ref 9, Sheet ?1, 19??; ...x..., ...K, ?150/200 dpi

This served as the division point for the Chicago Division for many years.

LIVERPOOL, Liverpool, Ind., M.P. 437.4

Ref 9, Sheet ?2, 1947; 2169x1226, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

The Fort Wayne main crosses the M&C line (NYC Joliet Branch). (Is this a typo? Should it be MC rather than M&C?)

TOLLESTONE, Tollestone, Ind., M.P. 441.8

Ref 9, Sheet ?3, 1949; 1084x624, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

The Fort Wayne main crosses the MC (NYC) Ivanhoe branch (from PORTER). Later timetables list this location as TOLLESTON.

CLARKE, CLARKE JCT., Clarke Jct. [?East Chicago; ?Gary], Ind., M.P. 443.8, 445.7

Ref 9, Sheet ?4, 1949; 2196x1254, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

Here the EJ&E passes overhead, and the Wabash joins into parallel lines of B&OCT and SC&S (PRR) Hammond Branch, which were jointly operated for part of their route.

INDIANA HARBOR, Indiana Harbor, Ind., M.P. 448.1

Ref 9, Sheet ?5, 1948; 1084x624, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

The Fort Wayne main crosses the NYC line from Danville and Kenkakee, Ill.

INDIANA HARBOR CANAL, Indiana Harbor, Ind., M.P. 448.5

Ref 9, Sheet ?6, 1949; 2196x1254, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

The Fort Wayne crosses the Ship Canal (Indiana Harbor Canal) on a bascule bridge, passing the Standard Oil refinery in East Chicago. It then runs through downtown Whiting and then Hammond, Ind.

The tower was still standing in 1996 but is surrounded by a steel mill and difficult to photograph. [Frank Garon]

WHITING, Whiting, Ind., M.P. 450.8

Ref 9, Sheet ?7, 1944; 1519x842, ...K, ?150/200 dpi
Ref 10.

The Fort Wayne crosses the B&OCT Whiting Branch. To the north of this location, this branch crosses the NYC main and joins the B&O main immediately adjacent.

Just northwest (RR-west) of here was/is PRR's Whiting station (still standing, I believe), and just west of that is the Penn Central-era Lake Junction, where the NYC main was swung over onto the Pennsy side.

(Szwajkart 1976, pp. 172-173)

COLEHOUR JCT., ?, Ill/Ind.., M.P. 453.7

Ref 9, Sheet ?9, 1930; 1098x624, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

Junction to the South Chicago & S..., otherwise known as the "Bernice Cutoff", a connection proceeding south to the Panhandle at BERNICE. This location was remotely controlled from RIVER BRANCH JCT.

RIVER BRANCH JCT., Chicago, Ill., M.P. 454.7

Ref 9, Sheet ?10, 1950; 3470x1988, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

Junction of the Calumet River Branch to Hegewisch.

(Szwajkart 1976, pp. 120-121 is somewhat west of here.)

ENGLEWOOD, Englewood [Chicago], Ill., M.P. 460.8

Ref 9, Sheet ?11, 1947; 3470x1998, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

Crossing of the Fort Wayne main and the Rock Island main. Here the NYC main line parts company with the PRR, swinging due north alongside the CRI&P main. The Fort Wayne continues northwest over the Dan Ryan Expresswey, soon to turn due north to approach the south side of Chicago Union Station.

(Szwajkart 1976, pp. 112-113)

EC, Chicago, Ill., M.P. 461.3

A block station and train order station on tracks 3 and 4 only; no interlocking. "EC" stands for "Englewood Connecting", the track that runs from here due west to the northeastern part of 59th St. Yard on the Panhandle line.

55th St. Yard, M.P. 462.0

M.P. is for the yard office.

ROOT STREET, Chicago, Ill., M.P. ?

Ref 9, Sheet ?12, 1942; 3549x1988, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

A single interlocked switch connecting Fort Wayne tracks with those of C&WI. Later timetables give this location as 40TH STREET.

ALTON JCT., Chicago, Ill., M.P. 466.2

Ref 9, Sheet ?13, 1948; 3434x1906, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

ATSF and IC (having crossed the Panhandle at ASH STREET) cross, as does C&A (GM&O) (which crossed the Panhandle line at BRIGHTON PARK) and C&WI. The tower is a 2-story brick structure.

(Szwajkart 1976, pp. 98-99)

SOUTH BRANCH BRIDGE, Chicago, Ill., M.P. 466.2

Ref 9, Sheet ?13, 1948; 3434x1906, ...K, ?150/200 dpi

Note that this interlocking is at the same milepost number as ALTON JCT. The building is a one-story, wooden structure, separately manned at least into the 1970s. [Rick Tipton]

I'm still trying to elucidate precisely what the ownership of the trackage was in this area. Anyone with documentary evidence, please email me. At some point, the main line of the PRR officially ends, and CUS trackage begins. Some timetables explicitly mention the division post, others ignore it and merely supply a double horizontal line, implying its presence.

The present status (from an inside source) is that Amtrak is joint owner of 21ST ST. interlocking with Conrail, Illinois Central (from GM&O), and Union Pacific (from C&WI?). [Status of SOUTH BRANCH BRIDGE?] From there north to ROOSEVELT ROAD interlocking is owned by ... . Chicago Union Station property starts at ROOSEVELT ROAD and proceeds northward (RR-west?); the yard to the west is METRA (from CB&Q and BN), the yard to the east is Amtrak's (from PRR). CUS then extends northward, through the station, to Canal Street, where the trackage turns sharply west. Ownership from there west is that of ... .

[Main Line --] Chicago Union Station

ROOSEVELT ROAD, Chicago, Ill., M.P. 467.0

An interlocking on the south side of Chicago Union Station.

HARRISON STREET

Chicago [Union Station], Chicago, Ill., M.P. 467.8

Legend

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