Chicago and Illinois Western Railroad

By 1918 all track was in place with the exception of that between Hodgkins and Willow Springs, which had been removed. At that time the railroad owned 12.027 miles (19.36 km) of track, leased 4.758 miles (7.66 km), and had trackage rights on 9.95 miles (16.01 km). The general route was from Western Ave. in Chicago west along 35th St. to Cicero., south along Cicero Ave. to the Sanitary Canal, and then west along the canal through Stickney Township to Harlem Ave. There it crossed the Des Plaines River and went southwest parallel to it through Lyons and McCook to Hodgkins.^[11][12][13]

The railroad's engine servicing and main yard were in Dolese and Shepard's Hawthorne Quarry, on the east side of Cicero Ave. from 30th St. to 33rd St. The area was bounded by Western Electric's lumber and pole yard on the North, the Belt Railway of Chicago on the East, the Illinois Central Railroad (now CN Railway) on the South, and Cicero Ave. on the west.^[14][15]

The eastern end of the tracks was a connection with the now defunct Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (the "Panhandle Line", part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system), from the southbound Panhandle it split west, crossing 31st Bvld. on a curving bridge, and then followed the Sanitary Canal. Just east of Damen Ave. they crossed the "Collateral Channel" (now a slip) on an unusual Rall bascule lift bridge.^[16][17]

West of Damen Ave. the Illinois Central crossed over to the north side of the Sanitary Canal and ran west just south of 33rd St. The C&IW crossed it and ran along its south side, switching heavy industry on the south side of the tracks.^[16]

At Central Park Ave. there was an interchange with the north–south Illinois Northern Railroad.^[16]

In 1925 Pulaski Road was named Crawford Ave. Commonwealth Edison built a large coal generating plane east of Pulaski Rd., Peoples Gas Light and Coke (under common ownership) had one on the west side, and the C&IW had a large yard west of Pulaski, switching coal to the plants. All three were named Crawford Ave. even after the 1952 name change.^[7][8]

The Belt Railway was the Chicago city limits, after the Illinois Railroad and Warehouse Commission gave approval to a crossing with the Belt Railway in 1913 the eastern part of the line could open in 1914. When the line crossed the Belt Railway it curved south through an industrial area between the Belt Railroad and Cicero Ave. down to the sanitary canal. There the tracks turned southwest.^[18]

In 1930 the Sanitary District of Chicago (now Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago) opened its Stickney plant. The sanitary district has its own railroad which the C&IW used for short distances switching outside traffic to the district, but the two railroads don't interchange cars.

At about Oak Park Ave. the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (now BNSF Railway) crossed over to the north side of the Sanitary Canal and went west. Just west of Harlem Ave. it crossed the Des Plaines River and generally followed along the north side of the river through Hodgkins and on to Joliet. The C&IW ran along the north side of the Santa Fe southwest to Hodgkins, where it entered the Santa Fe's yard and ended.

Just east of today's 1st Ave. (Ill. 171) the tracks turned farther south and continued into the C&IW McCook yard. At the west end of the yard they crossed the north–south Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad and ran along the south side of the Dolese and Shepard (now Vulcan Materials Company) and other quarries to the Santa Fe yard at Hodgkins.

The C&IW had one branch line from the north–south section along Cicero Ave. Northbound traffic could, instead of curving to the east and crossing the Belt Railway at 33rd St., continue north, cross the Illinois Central, and run through the Hawthorne quarry to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (now BNSF Railway) and a connection with the Manufacturers' Junction Railway north of there.

In 1913 the C&IW owned three steam locomotives,^[19] in 1918 they owned four,^[20] including [0-4-0] switcher #701. They then owned 2-6-0 #201 and 0-6-0 #601. In 1926 they bought two Baldwin 0-8-0s, #801 and #802. In 1929 they bought two Lima 0-8-0s, #803 and #804.

In 1936 the C&IW bought a very early diesel switcher, Alco HH600 #1.

In 1950 they dieselized with three EMD SW7 and one EMD SW9 switcher locomotives, #101, #102, #103, and #104.^[21]

In 1913 the C&IW owned five hundred and thirteen cars total, five hundred and four gondolas, three box cars, three flat cars, and three cabooses. In 1918 they had 50 fewer revenue cars.^[19][20]