On Fri, 03 Feb 2006 21:22:29 -0800, Scott en Aztl‡n
Sure there are. Some are even older. The question is whether there's any nearly 150 years old around Chicago. I doubt it.
How Did I Miss This One 3717They won't behave like trains. Trains have tracks and are tied together. Their condition is also doesn't range from perfection to Judy's beater. Judy's car...
That may be true today, but during the late 19th-early 20th century, generally it wasn't. Also, during the early 20th century most of the heavily used mainline track inside the city was elevated to eliminate grade crossings, same as happened in NYC. The original ROW is way down below present day tracks.
Furthermore, much of the actual ground & street level of the City of Chicago was raised by fill in order to eliminate marshes. In some cases you can see this first hand, where porches and-or backyards of housing that predated the re-levelling are below current street level.
Grover Garfield (who has researched this more thoroughly that you or I) states: " "L" service entered Evanston by way of an agreement to use the tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway on May 16, 1908, replacing the steam service that the St. Paul had previously provided. The steam railroad's original station remained, though the "L" constructed a high-level platform station of simple frame construction, all of which was demolished during the elevation of the tracks in 1909. (as per the 1907 franchise agreement from the City of Evanston)."
"In 1908, the Northwestern "L" was extended over the tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway's tracks to Evanston. The tracks descended to grade-level north of Wilson, but the original station remained in use."
IOW, no elevation was done until the L trains came, and it was done expressly to facilitate L trains, the CM&StP steam pbuttenger service expired the same day the L trains showed up.
In the 1970's, Northwestern Industries unloaded its railroad on its employees, and Metra took over the commuter rail service. Don't blame this on Ben Heineman and the old C&NW!
BTW, the idea of double-deck "commuter streamliners" in Chicago was invented by the Burlington in 1950. Not by the C&NW.
How Did I Miss This One 3718Brent P) I gotcha so far. My real point was that if that keeps you from taking a job with me, great. I don't interview people in the way that's ideal to them...
-- Ned Carlson www.tubezone.net South Side of Chicago,IL USA 2-4-2006 2:21:45 AM
