Chicago IL Railfan Guide

RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S.

Todd and Denver Todd's Railfan Guide to
CHICAGO IL
Crossings and Junctions

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With all of the railroads that come thru Chicago (and used to come thru), the landscape is littered with crossings and junctions all over the place. This page covers them, along with some of the CP's (control points).

Distances are from "the Loop" in downtown Chicago, using compass headings such as N, NW, W for the approximate direction.

Pictures and additional information is always needed if anyone feels inclined to take 'em, send 'em, and share 'em, or if you have something to add or correct.... credit is always given! Contact info is here

Additional resources:
http://www.dhke.com/CRJ/

16th St Crossing
21st St Crossing
23rd St Junction
25th St Crossing
49th St Crossing
55th St Crossing
Argo Junction
Ash St Junction
Belt Crossing
Belt Junction
Blue Island
Brighton Park Crossing
Canal St Wye
CGW Junction
Corwith Crossing
C&E Junction
CP 509
CP 513
CP 518
CP 1009
CP 1010
CP 74th St
CP Canal
CP Hill
CP LaGrange
CP Norpaul
CP Rose
Cragin Crossing
EC Junction
Grand Crossing
Hayford Junction
IN Crossing
McCook Crossing
Ogden Junction
Pacific Junction
Pullman Junction
Provo Junction
RI Junction
Rockwell Junction
South Wye Junction

16th St Crossing

GPS Coordinates: 41.860313, -87.630814
Location: About 1.5 miles south of the center of the Loop
Status: Active
Tower: yes
Interchange: no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ICG, ATSF, B&OCT, LSBC
Activity: High with lots of commuter trains
Tracks/Details: 2 n/s, 4 e/w
Railfan Access: yes

Photograph courtesy Brent Maxwell and his wife. Nice Shot!

21st St Crossing

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

23rd St Junction

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

25th St Crossing

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

49th St Crossing

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

55th St Crossing

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Argo Junction

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Ash St Junction

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Belt Crossing

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Belt Junction

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Blue Island

GPS Coordinates: 41.650277, -87.686396
Location: ~14 miles SSW of the Loop
Status: Active
Tower: yes
Interchange: several
Owning Railroad(s): not/applicable
Railroads: IHB, CSX (ex B&OCT), CN (ex GTW), IAIS (ex CRI&P), METRA
History: ?
Activity: High
Tracks/Details: see map
Railfan Access: Only from Broadway Street

Brighton Park Crossing

GPS Coordinates: 41.826695,-87.686976
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: NS, CSX, Amtrak
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: 2x(1+4), Used mechanical semaphore interlocking until 2012
Railfan Access: ?

Before the semaphores were removed

After, notice tracks realigned

Just below the crossing at S Archer Ave

Bridges over Pershing and Western

Canal St Wye

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CGW Junction

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Corwith Crossing

GPS Coordinates: 41.825668,-87.714307
Location: About 5-1/2 miles SW of downtown Chicago IL
Status: Active
Tower: no
Interchange: yes
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: Everything is well signaled,
The Google aerial is newer and shows one of the crossings removed, the Bing aerial shows it still in place
Looking at the vintage map below, it used to be called Corwith Junction
Railfan Access: Limited, as 38th St goes under the tracks

C&E Junction

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP 509

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP 513

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP 518

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP 1009

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP 1010

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP 74th St

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP Canal

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP Hill

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP LaGrange

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: n/a
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP Norpaul

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: n/a
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

CP Rose

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Cragin Crossing

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

"EC" Junction

GPS Coordinates: 41.788273,-87.636008
Location: South Chicago IL, about 6 miles south of downtown, due south
Status: Removed in ???
Tower: no
Interchange: not anymore
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: PRR/PC/CR
Activity: n/a
Tracks/Details: Wye
Railfan Access: None, 59th St goes under the tracks, other streets do not go under at all

Grand Crossing

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Hayford Junction

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

IN Crossing

McCook Crossing

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Ogden Junction

Pacific Junction

GPS Coordinates: ?
Location:
Status: Active
Tower: yes/no/used to have one
Interchange: yes/no
Owning Railroad(s): ?
Secondary Railroad: ?
History: ?
Activity: ?
Tracks/Details: ?
Railfan Access: ?

Pullman Junction

Provo Junction

RI Junction

Rockwell Junction

South Wye Junction

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NEW 11/4/2013
Last Modified 03-Jan-2016