Forgotten Lands, Places and Transit

On June 22, 1918, a tragic train crash occurred near Hammond, IN. 86 people lost their lives with another 127 being injured in the crash, which was caused by an engineer asleep at the controls. Known as the "Hammond Circus Train Wreck", most of the casualties were workers and performers for the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus . Photo: Northwest Indiana Times Early that morning, one of three Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus trains had stopped to oil up a wheel bearing, with the rear car jettisoning out onto the mainline, when a troop train was coming up behind it at full speed. Immediately upon impact, the four rear cars of the circus train caught fire, trapping anyone inside. Unfortunately, nearby marshes were the only source of water to fight the blazes. Sadly, they were nearly to Hammond, which was the next stop on their tour. The two other trains had made the journey safely. Image: The aftermath of the wreck, attracting numerous people to see the wreckage. (Wikipedia Commo...

The 606 , or the Bloomingdale Line, is undoubtedly the most famous abandoned rail line turned linear park in the Chicago area, but it's far from the only one. The Illinois Prairie Path , Great Western Trail , Major Taylor Trail , and the under-construction El Paseo Trail are examples as well. What sets the 606, otherwise known as the Bloomingdale Trail apart from the rest of these, however, is that it sits on former elevated right of way, more resembling the High Line  in New York City. In fact, both railroad lines have a similar beginning, in the sense that both were surface lines before being raised due to safety concerns. What we're left with is a wonderful park to bike or jog in, safe from cars. The 606 Bridge over Milwaukee Av, looking east. One thing that is different about the 606 compared to the High Line is that the 606 is much more geared toward cyclists than those looking for a nature walk. I'm no cyclist, so it took me awhile longer to visit this park t...

This Memorial Day Weekend, we stayed with a friend in Southwest Michigan. For me, it was a chance to step outside of the Chicago area and take in some of the history and ambiance of the other side of Lake Michigan, including its significant railroad history. I even managed to learn a thing or two! I had not traced the right of way where the Blue Bridge now stands today and learned it was a former GR&I line into downtown Grand Rapids, for example. Just like many places in the United States, Michigan is full of abandoned railroad corridors . While there are many differing reasons for abandonment, the majority of abandonments in Michigan mirror the rest of the United States; competition from the US Highways and Interstates, as well as the ongoing efficiencies and technological advancements that the railroad industry is undertaking. One of the really neat exhibits at the Grand Rapids Public Museum is a map of what Michigan's highway system looked like in 1920, 1960, and...

The Illinois Railway Museum is one of the largest railroad museums in the US, located in Union, IL. It has active rolling stock along what used to be the right of way of the Elgin & Belvidere Electric Railway, having been in its current location since the early 1960's. IRM 1630 - An ex-Frisco steam engine, running during my 2014 visit. According to its website, "the mission of the Illinois Railway Museum is to educate the public as to our nation’s railroad and railway history by collecting, preserving, and restoring rolling stock, artifacts, structures, and related transportation equipment for display to the public; exhibiting and operating restored rolling stock and equipment on a demonstration rail line; and collecting, preserving, and maintaining a reference library of publications, technical information, and other materials regarding railroads, railways, and related forms of transportation for research and other purposes." The museum has dozens of...