Forgotten Lands, Places and Transit

Bachelor's Grove Cemetery is a largely abandoned cemetery located in unincorporated Bremen Twp. of Cook County. Believers in ghosts and ghost stories typically flock to the area in search of the paranormal, and numerous apparitions and ghosts sightings have apparently occurred in the cemetery.  It dates back to when the area was first settled, in the 1820's to 1840's, which is a similar timeline as many areas in what are now Chicago's suburbs. This area began to be open to white settlers in 1804, which was a main conflict of the Black Hawk War. The cemetery is in very poor condition. Many of the graves are either weathered or vandalized beyond recognition. I think the reports of paranormal activity at the site largely derives from its condition. In addition, its location, which is located on an old alignment of Midlothian Turnpike, makes it impossible to access via car toay, however, it is quite easily accessible via a short walk through the forest. This has made it a...

In the early 20th century, the Pacific Electric Railway was the pride of Southern California, boasting over 1,000 miles of track and connecting Los Angeles with surrounding cities. Known as the "World's Greatest Electric Railway System," the system provided a comprehensive transit network that was unmatched globally. This system, established in 1901 by Henry E. Huntington, transformed Los Angeles into a hub of connectivity and efficiency. 1926 Map of the Pacific Electric Railway - Pacific Electric Historical Society Today,  Los Angeles ' Metro system is a shall of the PE's peak nearly 100 years ago, where one could reach nearly anywhere in LA and many places in the Inland Empire. The system was incredibly intricate, having both dedicated electric right of way but also using trackage of its owner, the Southern Pacific Railway. This complexity means that even today, we do not have a full picture of the extent of the Pacific Electric on our  Abandoned Railroad Map . ...

One of the reasons for mapping abandoned rail lines is for my own reference: and after doing this for over 8 years now, it's extremely interesting to go back towards some of my earlier work that I've completely forgotten about and try to figure out how I was able to find some of these lines.  Such is the case of the Fountain County Branch of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railway, in which the last 15 miles of track were abandoned all the way in 1879. It was referred to as both the Fountain County Branch as well as the Indiana Division, or the Coal Branch in the  preliminary history of the C&E , which can get confusing. However the Coal Branch name comes from the predecessor road of the C&EI, the Chicago Danville & Vincennes , who opened the line in 1873. The C&EI itself would not exist until 1877. The portion of the Fountain County Branch in its eponymous county. (1876 Map, Indiana Historical Society) The Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railway (C&EI) ...

Guest blogger Alain Bernier returns to discuss an unusual part of railway history, both in Quebec and across the United States and Canada, the early adoption of using wood as opposed to steel and iron rails to save on costs for early railway lines.  NOTE : This blog was originally sent to me for publication in February, but due to email mishaps, it got lost in the shuffle. Nonetheless, I thank Alain for his hard work, research, and especially patience in contributing to this blog! Abandoned colonization wooden railroads in the province of Quebec   THE HULBERT WOODEN RAIL SYSTEM When speaking of wooden rails here, we are not referring to the wooden rails laid with strap iron that were commonly used in the early days of the railroads. We are referring to railroads that were built using rails entirely made of wood with no iron whatsoever and without using any iron spikes or other metal fasteners.  By some accounts, this system of wooden railways, developed in Norway an...