Chicago Union Station to 21st Street and Halsted Street
Chicago Union Station to Tower A2
C&NW Station to Clinton Street
Grand Central Station to Robey Street Yard
LaSalle Street Station to Root Street Tower
Dearborn Station to 21st Street
Illinois Central Station to South Wye Junction
St. Charles Air Line
Root Street Tower to Englewood
Englewood to CP 509/River Junction
CP 509/River Junction to Hammond-Whiting
Hammond-Whiting to CP 506
CP 506 to CP 501 and Pine Junction
Pine Junction to Porter
The Wabash used the C&WI from Dearborn Station to State Line Tower, and the B&OCT from State Line Tower to Pine Junction
Clarke Junction to Gary
Gary to Dillon
21st Street to Englewood
Englewood to CP 509/River Junction
CP 509/River Junction to Hammond-Whiting
Hammond-Whiting to CP 506
The B&O used the B&OCT between Grand Central Station and Pine Junction
Pine Junction to Deshler
Randolph Street to 67th Street (Metra Electric)
67th Street to Kensington (Metra Electric)
Kensington to Miller
Miller to Sheridan
Sheridan to South Bend
Michigan Central used the Illinois Central between Illinois Central Station and Kensington
Kensington to Calumet Park
Calumet Park/State Line to Gibson Yard
Gibson/Ivanhoe to Porter
The Nickel Plate used the NYC (LS&MS) from La Salle Street to Grand Crossing (between Englewood and River Junction); Norfolk Southern uses the C&WI to get from its central Chicago yards to Calumet Yard.
Grand Crossing to Pullman Junction/Calumet Yard
Calumet Yard to Burnham
Burnham to Van Loon
Van Loon to Hobart
Hobart to Argos
GTW used the C&WI between Dearborn Station and 47th Street
Railport Yard/47th Street to Elsdon
Elsdon to Hayford
Hayford to Blue Island
Blue Island to Harvey
Harvey to Thornton Junction
Thornton Junction to Maynard
Maynard to Griffith
Griffith to South Bend
C&O used the Illinois Central from Central Station to Grand Crossing, the Nickel Plate from Grand Crossing to State Line Tower, and the Erie from State Line Tower to Griffith
Griffith to La Crosse
Erie used the C&WI from Dearborn Station to State Line Tower and the Nickel Plate from State Line Tower to Hohman Avenue (between Burnham and Van Loon)
Hohman Avenue/Hammond Yard to Griffith
Griffith to North Judson
Tower A2 to 59th Street
See B&OCT and Chicago Junction for 2008 status
59th Street to Riverdale/Dolton Junction
Colehour Junction to Bernice
Riverdale/Dolton Junction to Maynard/Hartsdale
Monon used the C&WI from Dearborn Station to Maynard
Maynard to Dyer & St. Johns
The Milwaukee Road used the IHB from Franklin Park to North Harvey, and the B&OCT from North Harvey to Chicago Heights, to reach its line south of Chicago.
21st Street to 76th Street +
81st Street to Pullman Junction
- 2008 Route Description (NS Terminal)
Pullman Junction to South Deering Junction
South Deering Junction to State Line Tower
State Line Tower to Maynard
81st Street to Dolton Junction
Dolton Junction to Thornton Junction (C&EI)
South Wye Junction to BRC Connections
BRC Connections to BOCT Connection
BOCT Connection to Harvey
Harvey to Richton
Randolph Street to 67th Street
67th Street to Kensington
Kensington to University Park
67th Street to South Chicago (branch)
Kensington to Blue Island (branch)
Root Street Tower to Englewood
Englewood to Gresham
Gresham to Blue Island (Main Line)
Gresham to Blue Island (Branch)
Blue Island to Joliet
21st Street to 76th Street + (C&WI)
74th Street to Landers Yard
Landers Yard to Chicago Ridge
Chicago Ridge to Manhattan
21st Street to Bridgeport
Bridgeport to Corwith X-ing
Corwith X-ing to Argo
Argo to Joliet
21st Street to Bridgeport
Bridgeport to McCook
McCook to Joliet
Halsted Street to Western Avenue
Western Avenue to Cicero
Cicero to La Grange
La Grange to Eola
Eola to Aurora
Clinton Street to Western Avenue
Global 1 Yard to Kedzie
Western Avenue/Kedzie to Proviso Yard
Proviso Yard to West Chicago
West Chicago to Elburn
CGW used the B&OCT between Grand Central Station and Forest Park.
Forest Park (Des Plaines) to Ingalton
21st Street to Bridgeport
Bridgeport to Broadview
Broadview to Munger
Tower A2 to Pacific Junction
Pacific Junction to Cragin
Cragin to Franklin Park
Franklin Park to Tower B 17
Tower B 17 to Spaulding
Spaulding to Big Timber Road
Soo Line used the B&OCT between Grand Central Station and Forest Park.
Forest Park (Des Plaines) to Franklin Park
Franklin Park to Leithton
Leithton to Antioch
Clinton Street to Clybourn
Clybourn to Mayfair
Mayfair to Des Plaines
Des Plaines to Barrington
Barrington to Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake to Harvard
Tower A2 to Pacific Junction
Pacific Junction to Tower A20
Tower A20 to Rondout
Rondout to Fox Lake
40th Street Yard to Mayfair
Mayfair to Peterson Avenue (and Evanston)
(Mayfair and) Skokie to Valley
Valley to Skokie Junction/Lake Bluff
Skokie Junction (KO) to St. Francis (Milwaukee)
Clinton Street to Clybourn
Clybourn to Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff to Kenosha
Wood Street Yard (Global 1) to Ashland Avenue
Ashland Avenue to Root Street
Des Plaines to Robey Street Yard (Global 1)
Robey Street Yard (Global 1) to Blue Island/Barr Yard
Blue Island/Barr Yard/Dolton Junction to East Chicago Yard
East Chicago Yard to Pine Junction
Cragin to 22nd Street Yard
22nd Street Yard to 55th Street
55th Street to Hayford (Clearing Yard)
Hayford to Belt Junction/79th Street
Belt Junction/79th Street to IC Connections
IC Connections to South Chicago/CP 509
Franklin Park/Provo to Broadview/LaGrange
Broadview/LaGrange to McCook/Argo (Clearing Yard)
Argo (Clearing Yard) to Chicago Ridge
Chicago Ridge to Blue Island Junction
Blue Island Junction to Dolton Junction (via Blue Island Yard)
Dolton Junction to Calumet Park/State Line
Calumet Park/State Line to Gibson Yard
Osborn and Gibson Yard to Hick/Indiana Harbor
Gibson Yard to Ivanhoe (and [formerly] to National Steel)
Proviso Yard to Bryn Mawr
Bryn Mawr/Tower B17 to Saeger/Normal
Normal to Valley/Tower A20
Waukegan to Rondout/Leithton
Leithton to Barrington/Spaulding
Spaulding/Munger to West Chicago/Eola
Eola to Walker/Joliet
Joliet to Richton
Richton to Griffith
Griffith to Cavanaugh
Cavanaugh to Pine Junction/Kirk Yard
The routings by which passenger trains reached central Chicago in 1928 are shown in the map on pages 42, 43 and 44 of Trains Magazine, Vol. 63, No. 7, July 2003.
The routes by which freight trains interchanged among Chicago main lines in 2003 are shown in the map on pages 45, 46 and 47 of Trains Magazine, Vol. 63, No. 7, July 2003. In earlier days, individual railroads brought cars to their terminal yards, where those to be interchanged were tripped to other lines' terminal yards, over connections or by the orbital lines, or dropped off at interchange tracks for a trip freight on an orbital line to pick up and transfer to the destination line. Many changes to Interchange Routes occurred as a result of mergers among Chicago main lines, and many lines now run long-distance freights through to the yard of other railroads for direct interchange, using the connections and orbital lines, where necessary.
The major yards in the Chicago region include: