INTERURBAN TRAIL PHOTOS

NORTH SHORE LINE

Highland Park to Lake Bluff (Skokie Valley Route)


The segment within Lake County (north of Lake Cook Road) has been made into a path.


View is looking north at Park Avenue in Highland Park, the bases for a catenary support are visible.


North of Highland Park, the area becomes more rustic. This is the approximate location of the old Highmoor station.


US Hwy. 41 parallels this route, east of the right of way in the Highland Park area, and west of the right of way in the Lake Forest area. The highway crossed under the North Shore Line, the width of this bridge suggests that this may have been the original bridge. Along this right of way, the newer type solid supports for the electrical transmission lines were constructed on the old railroad right of way. The transmission lines with the older lattice type supports presumably existed when the railroad did.


Much of this right of way is used by Commonwealth Edison for its electrical transmission lines. The utility has made some effort to preserve a natural quality to this area through Lake Forest. Both Commonwealth Edison and the North Shore Line were formerly controlled by Samuel Insull.


Some interesting evidence of the North Shore Skokie Valley Route, is the bridge over Deerpath Avenue in Lake Forest. View is looking west. The North Shore Line bridge in the foreground for many years was not used for anything, until the bicycle path was extended that way. The bridge in the background is the Union Pacific's former Chicago & North Western freight line. Stairs are visible which formerly went up to the North Shore Line station, the stairs at present lead nowhere. The trail connection with Deerpath Avenue actually makes the connection about a block east of the bridge.


North of Deerpath Avenue was Tower KO on the paralleling Chicago & North Western. On the C&NW, this was the junction with a connecting line, which would connect with the C&NW passenger and commuter line at Lake Bluff. Seen are both the freight main track and the connecting track, north of Tower KO. The tower controlled the junction, and also controlled where the North Shore Line crossed the connecting track. (Tower KO is now really remotely controlled by the Union Pacific dispatchers in Omaha.) Next to the C&NW passenger and commuter line at Lake Bluff, was the North Shore Line's junction with its shore route, the Mundelein branch, and this Skokie Valley route. Except the North Shore Line continued to parallel the C&NW freight main line almost to the Mundelein branch, and then turned east into Lake Bluff.


Distance from Highland Park (Briergate) to Lake Bluff is 9 miles.

The Briergate station can be reached from the Metra/Union Pacific Highland Park station using the Pace #473 bus route. The overpass in Lake Forest is located 1 1/2 miles west of the Metra/Union Pacific station in Lake Forest. The path connects with the Mundelein path about a mile west of the Metra/Union Pacific station in Lake Bluff.