IC Passenger Yards

(Satellite, today's commuter yard is a small remnant of what the IC had south of their Central Station)

The yards were so extensive that it takes two 1938 aerial photos to cover them.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Carl Venzke posted
Train yards just south of Grant Park, 1949, Chicago
[The buildings east of Indiana Avenue between Roosevelt and 15th Place look new because all of this land used to be IC railyards. The McCormick convention complex is also built on land that used to support intercity passenger service.]

Jim Arvites posted, the exposure has been adjusted but the train is blurry
A 1940's view of the Illinois Central Railroad's passenger, commuter and freight yards in downtown Chicago. Note the IC'S Central Station in upper left corner of picture.
Matt McClure 18th Street footbridge.
Frank Hicks I'll bet this photo was taken from the tower of the RR Donnelly Calumet plant on Cermak
David Daruszka The yard and building to the far right center is the MU yards and shop. The tracks to the left of the shop building are the northbound electric tracks. The southbound tracks would be to the right, out of the picture. The yards and shop buildings are still there.
Val Ginter The biggest thing is the Bradford Gilbert waiting room which was planned for NYC's Grand Central Station, but never built...because of GCT.
[I answered a Proviso Yard request.]

Carl Venzke posted again

Edward Jarolin The photo is by Andreas Feininger, on assignment for LIFE, and was taken in 1941. I have a book of his photos from this job and it includes handful of railroad subjects. CORRECTION: further investigation dates this photo to 1948. Feininger took this one on a later trip to Chicago.

This is one of four photos posted by Jeff Bransky.

Carl Venzke posted
Another LIFE magazine photo from 1948 - Chicago. Can you identify the landmarks and lines in this photo?
Robert Petit Illinois Central yard, to the right is Soldier Field, IC Suburban MU yard in the center, RR Donnelly printing yard to the left.
Edward Jarolin The photo is by Andreas Feininger, on assignment for LIFE, and was taken in 1941. I have a book of his photos from this job and it includes handful of railroad subjects. CORRECTION: further investigation dates this photo to 1948. Feininger took this one on a later trip to Chicago.

Bill Molony posted
Penn Central EMD E7A #4238, departing from Central Station in Chicago with PC train #304, The James Whitcomb Riley, in October of 1970.

Bill Molony posted again
Penn Central EMD E7A #4238, leading PC train #304, The James Whitcomb Riley, on its way to Indianapolis and Cincinnati in September of 1970.
This train was scheduled to depart from Central Station in Chicago at 3:50 PM (C.S.T.) and arrive at Union Terminal in Cincinnati 11:15 PM (E.S.T.).
It was equipped with a baggage car, a reclining seat coach and a dining car.
Dennis DeBruler This Indianapolis-Cincinnati train is a reminder that the Big Four joined the IC at Kankakee to gain access to Chicago.

Mike Porcaro posted
Opened in 1924 as Municipal Grant Park Stadium, it was renamed Soldier Field in 1925. It had seating for as many as 120,000 people and was large enough to hold automobile races. There was a ski jumping contest held there,as well. Over 120,000 attended in 1937 the city high school football Prep Bowl between Austin and Leo. Bears and Chicago Cardinals played against each other there. While Soldier Field hardly resembles what it once looked like, it is still a Chicago gem.
[Some people see Soldier Field, I see an overview of IC Central Station. The platform roof is in the foreground of the yellow rectangle and the waiting room is on the right. We can also see some of the coach yards that were south of the station.]

Bill Molony posted
Illinois Central train #53, the City of Miami, departing from Chicago in January of 1960.
[I did not realize that the mainline cut across their yards like that. Scrolling back up this page, there are photos that show this diagonal, it just never sunk into the grey cells.]