CHICAGO'S INTERLOCKINGS

ROCK ISLAND LINE

Subdivision 1

Now owned by Metra.

Multiple track line.


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POLK STREET
Electric interlocking installed 1903
Closed 1980

Tower controlled movements at La Salle Street Station. Now controlled by dispatcher.

16TH STREET
Electric interlocking installed 1901
Interlocking rebuilt 1940
STILL IN USE

Crossing with St. Charles Air Line and CN former Illinois Central Iowa Division.

40TH STREET
Mechanical interlocking installed 1892

Crossing, prior to elevation of Chicago Junction Railway around 1903.

ROOT STREET
Electric interlocking installed 1928
Closed April 23, 1999

Junction with Chicago Junction Railway, formerly serving the Union Stockyards.

45TH STREET
Electric interlocking installed 1909
Interlocking rebuilt 1926
Closed late 1960's, remotely controlled from Root Street

North end of 47th Street yard.

61ST STREET
Mechanical interlocking installed 1891
Interlocking rebuilt 1898 and 1926
Burned late 1960's, remote interlocking installed, controlled from Root Street

Former junction with New York Central, which had previously jointly operated line north to La Salle Street Station.

ENGLEWOOD
Tower listed with Pennsylvania Railroad

79TH STREET
Tower listed with Chicago & Western Indiana

GRESHAM
Mechanical interlocking installed 1891
Electric interlocking installed 1913
Interlocking rebuilt 1929
New tower constructed 1953
Closed January 30th, 2010

Originally known as South Englewood. Junction where Beverly branch diverges west from main line. Connecting to the east is branch to South Chicago. Previously, Baltimore & Ohio passenger trains from Chicago headed east from Beverly Branch, and operated over now abandoned trackage passing south of the tower, crossed the main line, and continued east over branch to South Chicago. Those passenger trains were discontinued May 1, 1971, with the creation of Amtrak.

95TH STREET
Mechanical interlocking installed 1892
Out of service around 1902

Little is known about this interlocking. It is known that the Beverly Branch originally diverged from the main line further south than Gresham, but it is not known if this was an original junction with the Beverly branch.

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS
Tower listed with Pennsylvania Railroad

BLUE ISLAND
Electric interlocking installed 1929
New tower constructed 1953
STILL IN USE

Junction where Beverly Branch rejoins main line.

MOKENA
Interlocking installed 1927
Closed 1943, replaced with CTC installation at Blue Island tower

Crossovers installed enabling bidirectional operation on westward track.

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EAST JOLIET
Tower listed with Elgin Joliet & Eastern

MC TOWER (Joliet)
Electric interlocking installed 1913
Closed 1980's

Former junction with New York Central Joliet Branch, abandoned 1976.

JOLIET (old tower)
Mechanical interlocking installed 1899

Prior to 1912 track elevation and construction of Joliet Union Station, Rock Island and Alton and Santa Fe lines all crossed at Michigan St. and Van Buren St.

UD TOWER (Joliet)
Electric interlocking installed 1914
Closed May 3, 2015

Tower across tracks from Joliet Union Station controlled Metra Rock Island District running east and west, and BNSF former Santa Fe and Union Pacific former Alton main lines running north and south.

BRIDGE 407 (Joliet)
STILL IN USE

Former Rock Island, now CSX, bridge over Des Plaines River. Bridge constructed in 1932, replacing older bridge.

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EARLY CTC INSTALLATIONS

Blue Island-Mokena
Installed 1943, control machine at Blue Island tower

Mokena-Joliet
Installed 1943, control machine at MC Tower