Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour


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Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: daveg (130.36.62.---)
Date: July 30, 2012 04:06PM

Bus tour on Sunday 7/29/2012 sponsored by the Clear Ridge Historical Society (CRHS) and Forgotten Chicago.

Some photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/k9jdk/sets/72157630811794654/detail/

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Re: Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: shekaago (70.58.230.---)
Date: July 31, 2012 07:36PM

So sorry to have missed the tour. Looks like everyone had fun! Thanks for posting photos.

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Re: Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: davem60612 (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: August 01, 2012 10:53PM

I bring trains into and out of BRC Clearing almost every day, so feel free to send BRC Clearing questions my way.

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Re: Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: daveg (130.36.62.---)
Date: August 02, 2012 11:55AM

OK davem60612 here are your first and second questions:

How busy is BRC Clearing compared to say 30 years ago?

How much has the decline in the Clearing Industrial District affected BRC?

TIA

Dave...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2012 04:05PM by daveg.

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Re: Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: daveg (130.36.62.---)
Date: August 02, 2012 12:00PM

I have added 8 photos of the Harry Weese designed Clearing Bank on 63rd Street to the Flickr set above.

There are links to Harry Weese info on several of the photo's description fields.

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Re: Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: nordsider (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: August 02, 2012 01:01PM

For anyone interested in Clearing, I recommend this fine book:

A little known story of the land called Clearing : a book of the people, whose deeds history has recorded, by the people, who have helped through countless interviews over the years, and for the people, who seek this unknown land of the past / by Robert Milton Hill.(published 1983)

Available at these libraries:

Suburban libraries: Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Oak Lawn Local History, Prairie Trails, Stickney-Forest View, and Summit.

Chicago Public libraries: Clearing, Garfield Ridge and HWLC 6th Floor.

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Re: Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: davem60612 (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: August 05, 2012 04:51PM

daveg,
Couldn't tell you about volume 30 years ago, but it isn't much different from 12 years ago. That's as far as my personal knowledge goes back. Seasonal swings, economic ups and downs, and who interchanges with who come and go, but overall I would say about the same.

As far as rail served local work, there was never all that much to begin with. Of the thousands of cars procesed each day, a hudred, max, are locals. Chatting with BRC guys, and just seing places closed or go entirely to trucks over the years, there might have been a couple of hundred local cars spoted around here durring the Clearing hayday. It has always been mostly interchange at BRC Clearing.

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Re: Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: daveg (---.lightspeed.joltil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: August 05, 2012 05:22PM

Thanks for the update davem60612.

Time for another?

Is the BRC Clearing one of the largest yards in the country? World?

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Re: Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: bowler (---.chipublib.org)
Date: August 09, 2012 08:22PM

Dave,

According to Wikipedia, The Belt Railway of Chicago is the largest switching terminal railroad in the United States, the vast majority of which is located in the Clearing Yards:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt_Railway_of_Chicago

And as far as the Clearing Book, the Clear-Ridge Historical Society is putting the final touches on a repint of this wonderful book (with permission from the Hill family) complete with photos which Robert Hill was unfortunately unable to include in his original book. If all goes well it should be for sale on Amazon soon.

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Re: Clearing / Clearing Industrial District tour
Posted by: daveg (130.36.62.---)
Date: August 10, 2012 12:30PM

Thanks for the link Rob, and look forward to the Clearing Book's publication.

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