Kenwood branch
| Kenwood branch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chicago 'L' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Chicago Transit Authority (1947–1957) Chicago Rapid Transit Company (1924–1947) South Side Elevated Railroad (1907–1924) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | September 20, 1907 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | December 1, 1957[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 1.25 mi (2.01 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | Elevated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | Third rail, 600 V DC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Kenwood branch was a
and consisted of six elevated stations. It opened on September 20, 1907 and closed on December 1, 1957.Operations
The Kenwood branch was a 1.25-mile (2.01 km) elevated line which served six stations. The branch began at the
History
The predecessor of the Kenwood branch was a freight line the Union Stock Yards and Transit Company built in 1864, which paralleled 40th Street between the Union Stock Yards and the Illinois Central Railroad. The freight line began passenger service in 1882, which continued along the line until 1904. In 1903, the Chicago City Council passed a measure to elevate the 40th Street line as part of an effort to remove grade crossings from Chicago railroads. The Chicago Junction Railway was formed to bear the costs of the elevation, and the task of running passenger trains on the line shifted to the South Side Elevated Railroad. The elevated Kenwood branch ultimately opened on September 20, 1907.[4]
The new line led to increased residential development in Kenwood, a mostly white-collar neighborhood when the line opened. Crosstown service through the Ravenswood line began in 1913; in 1931, this service was changed to a Kenwood-
In the 1930s, the Chicago Junction Railway stopped regularly maintaining the branch due to financial difficulties; since it did not operate trains on the line, it cared little about its upkeep. The Chicago Rapid Transit Company, which by then had taken control of operations, replied to the Chicago Junction's actions by refusing to pay rent on the line.[3] The Chicago Junction took the CRT to eviction court over the matter; the Illinois Commerce Commission initially ruled that the Chicago Junction had rights to operate on the line, but federal bankruptcy court ultimately granted the CRT a stay on eviction.[3][5] The CRT agreed to assume maintenance of the line and deducted maintenance costs from its rent. The CTA took over the line from the CRT in 1947. Ridership on the line began to fall in the early 1950s, and the line continued to deteriorate from the ongoing lack of maintenance. The CTA contemplated refurbishing the Kenwood branch in 1956, but the costs of modernizing the branch were prohibitive, and it ultimately closed the line on December 1, 1957.[1][3]
Later uses and abandonment
Upon closing the line, the CTA sealed the stations but left the branch itself intact. The Chicago Junction Railway continued to use the branch for freight service, and its freight track remained until the 1960s. The right-of-way along the Kenwood branch was assumed by the
Proposed rail trail
There are currently plans to convert the former railroad embankment into a
Station listing
| Station | Location |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 4003 S. Indiana Avenue |
| South Parkway | King Drive (South Parkway) and 40th Street |
| Vincennes | Vincennes Avenue and 40th Street |
| Cottage Grove/Drexel | 41st Street, between Cottage Grove Avenue and Drexel Boulevard |
| Ellis/Lake Park | 41st Street, between Ellis Avenue and Lake Park Avenue |
| 42nd Place | 42nd Place and Oakenwald Avenue |
References
- ^ a b "An Era Ends: Wood 'L' Cars on Last Runs". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 29, 1957. p. A2.
- ^ South Side and Loop Track Map (PDF) (Map). Chicago Transit Authority. 1952. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- ^ a b c d e Graham Garfield. "Kenwood branch". Chicago-'L'.org. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
- ^ "First Trains Will Run Today Over Kenwood "L" Extension". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 20, 1907. p. 3.
- ^ "Kenwood-Yards 'L' line will revert to junction railroad". Chicago Daily Tribune. October 26, 1943.
- ^ Golden, Jamie Nesbitt (12 April 2022). "Bronzeville Trail, A 606-Style Bike And Pedestrian Path For South Side, Finally Moving Forward". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Bolton, Cameron (6 January 2023). "A path to success? Here's the route Bronzeville Trail development has taken so far - Streetsblog Chicago". chi.streetsblog.org. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ "Home". Bronzeville Trail. Retrieved 10 December 2023.