Forgotten Lands, Places and Transit

One of the shortest interurban lines in the state of Illinois was the Anna-Jonesboro Line, officially known by its owner, the Fruit Growers Refrigerating & Power Company. Just three miles in length, it connected the far southern Illinois villages, running from a hospital in Anna to Jonesboro's business district. At the turn of the 20th century, refrigeration cars  were beginning to revolutionize the food industry of the United States. Fruit from far away places could become available, bringing exotic tastes to the nation. To that end, ice production went hand in hand, and that's where this company's money was made. The company would be incorporated in 1900, with interurban operations beginning 7 years later. The line could connect to the Illinois Central Railroad at Anna, and the Gulf Mobile & Ohio Railroad at Jonesboro. From  The smaller Electric Railways of Illinois The line was the brainchild of Arnaud A. Fasig. His obituary discussed the line and the FGR&...

Perhaps having grown up in an area where trains ran seemingly everywhere made me curious to spot trains that were in less common places. With that thought in mind, there are two railroad spurs that I was aware of growing up that would have a profound impact of my love of uncovering rare mileage and abandoned railroads. The first is the Santa Fe Argonne Industrial District , and the other is from a time when I was even younger, the Illinois Central Railroad 's Forest Park Branch.  The latter days of the CN (former IC) Forest Park Branch were captured in this picture, taken 1/29/2007 by Kevin Vahey. By 2012, the rails were torn out and the crossings removed. I took the bottom photo in 2018, after Dominick's had become Tony's Finer Foods. The Forest Park Branch is much older, and has a lot more history associated with it, and a lot more of it was documented, thankfully, than the Argonne Branch, which is why I've held off on doing a blog on it until now. Here's the rig...

The Old Plank Road Trail is one of the longer trails in the Chicago area, running between Joliet and Chicago Heights, IL. It has an extensive history as a proposed plank road, railroad, and interurban right of way during various times in its life. It was one of the first " Rails to Trails " projects that I experienced, or at least that I'd realized upon walking it that was an abandoned railroad corridor. It is also, in my mind, one of the best examples of rail trails, in that it preserves the history of the right of way, fits seamlessly into its surroundings, particularly in the Frankfort, IL area, and improves the area around it. Today, we're going to explore some of the history of the trail, and show some of the area, particularly around Frankfort. The Old Plank Road Trail at Frankfort in October, 2019 Like many of the transportation routes we know today, Native Americans were the first to create these routes. This area would be part of, or lead to, the Sauk Trail,...

Archer Ave is a diagonal road running between State Street in Chicago and US Highway 6 in Joliet, IL. The road dates back to the creation of the Illinois & Michigan Canal , which it parallels, and the engineer of that project was its namesake, William Beatty Archer. Before asphalt and modern road technology, the road was home to a wooden bridge over the South Fork of the Chicago River, also known as Bubbly Creek . This bridge was used in the days of horse-drawn carriages and streetcars , before closing in the early years of the 20th century. Archer Avenue Swing Bridge #1, 1902. DN-0000188, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum. Via BridgeHunter . In 1906, this bridge was replaced with a Through Truss Bridge . This bridge too has been demolished,  and has been replaced twice over since - as recently as 2005 .  Photo: Chicago Department of Public Works Annual Report, 1906 In 1924, the road became part of Illinois' new highway system, becoming ...

The Copper River & Northwestern Railway operated between Cordova & McCarthy, AK along the Copper River for 192 miles, with construction beginning in 1904 and finally being completed in 1911. As best I can tell, it is the longest American abandoned rail line that exists outside the Contiguous 48 States. Outside of its location, however, it was just like any other railway. ( Right of way ) Copper River Bridge 27A. Image: Cook Inlet Historical Society The original right of way of the line was to begin at Katalla as opposed to Cordova, AK, but a 1907 flood, combined with competition with the Alaska Anthracite Railroad derailed those plans. Construction commenced at Katalla, but no revenue trains ever operated, as it is unlikely the right of way was completed beyond a few miles north from the settlement. "Copper River & Northwestern Railroad, Gilahina Bridge, Mile 28.5, McCarthy Road, Chitina, Valdez-Cordova Census Area, AK" ( Library of Congress ), >1968 Railroad...

Just as Video Killed the Radio Star , so too did the highway kill the railroad, or at least some of them.  Now without trying to shoehorn some early 80's pop culture into my blogs, the more nuanced take is that highways built upon existing railroad networks and certainly disrupted the rail industry, but that doesn't mean railroads aren't highly profitable even today. Still, if one takes a look at the abandoned railroads map  in the Houston, TX area, you'll see rights of way used to exist where three freeways exist today, and that's the subject of today's blog.  At least in one case, the freeway did not come until over a decade after the railway was abandoned. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway The Katy Freeway is one of the widest freeways in the world in spots. It is signed as Interstate 10 between Houston and Katy, TX. I-10 continues east to Jacksonville, FL and west to Santa Monica, CA. Image: Gary Morris, 1978 While the freeway has existed since the 1960's, ...