Rory-
You ask some interesting questions.
1) West Grossdale Station (the original name) was built c.1884 (don't recall
the exact date but it and East Grossdale (Hollywood, aka Zoo Stop) were platted
about the same time as Grossdale (Brookfield))
2) The Chicago, Hammond & Western (if I remember the name correctly)
predecessor to the IHB and B&OCT ...IHB in later years) didn't come about until
the 1890s. So there was no crossing of the tracks at the foot of the bluff
(old Lake Chicago shoreline dunes) so the mainline was at about the same grade
as the South (street) side of the station.
3) It is not known if there was a track heading south down to the quarries at
Lyons on the alignment of the present day IHB prior to 1890. I suspect there
might have been a Q spur but haven't uncovered any evidence of it other than a
early mention of a Q Freight Agent at Lyons, IL. A shot taken from the bridge
over the IHB looking north before the bridge was raised (sometime in the 20's)
shows some very old grain elevator/lumber buildings along the IHB which look
like they might predate the railroad coming through... there may have been a Q
siding down there to the north as well.
4) When the CH&W built through LaGrange Park it necessitated the Q to raise
the right of way in front of the station by perhaps 4-6 feet. The front of the
station had to be modified
so it no longer had egress to the station platforms which were now raised. The
access was by a broad flight of stairs (to the west, I don't recall if I've
seen a photo which shows a
matching set to the east).
5) At some point the grade of the mainline was further raised to increase the
clearance of the bridges crossing the IHB; at this time the stairs were removed
and a pedestrian subway was installed to the west of the station to access the
platforms and provide a way to get to the streets north of the yard. It was
probably at this time that the lead for the south interchange track was
extended across the front of the station to Maple Avenue instead of cutting
into the main just west of the station. The original grade was maintained on
the interchange except for a slight hump over the subway and then a gradual
slope up to the main just before Maple Avenue.
An intersting map shows the CH&W projected to swing northeast diagonally
through Brookfield to link up with the Harlem & Riverside (the connection that
runs along Harlem Avenue
between the Chicago, Madison & Northern (IC Iowa Line) up to a former
connection with the Wisconsin Central (Soo Line). That would have changed the
interchange with the Q as it would have fallen somewhere around Maple Avenue or
east of there!!!
The depot was razed sometime in the 1990s.... don't recall what date but I do
have it in my files if you need it.
Charlie Vlk
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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