Re: Kenwood Line Embankment
Posted by:
Jeff_Weiner
()
Date: December 16, 2013 01:36PM
Having followed this thread, I was inspired to look at www.chicago-l.org this weekend, and noted from the pictures they do have of one of the Kenwood stations that they were spartan, except for the woodwork and plaster walls. I'm surprised the Chicago Junction bothered, since an all-concrete station would have been more robust and probably less expensive. If you were to get a look under the plates covering the staiway at one of the locations, you'd probably find very little to look at, and most of it would be in poor shape.
I also looked at the route from on high with Google Maps, and I noticed that the top of the embankment is quite overgrown, so I suspect that all rails, platforms, etc., were removed. The platform bases might still be there, since they were concrete, although who knows. And then I got any idea that might give one access to find out whats left. Since the embankment almost goes to the lakefront (actually more like Williams-Davis Park, where the terminal used to be) it might be a fair candidate for an elevated hiking trail, like what is planned for the Bloomingdale Line. I don't recall if this is one of the old rail lines being so considered, and there is a block-long portion that was removed east of Cottage Grove for new housing, but it would be a good candidate. The stations were so simple, that you could rework them as ramp locations, reworking the abiutment face, removing the old stairs, and the platform base. The supporting structure could probably accommodate the lighter enclosed pedestrian bridges where the viaducts have been removed, and the fact that there are high retaining walls means that fencing the path would be easy.
At least, you could say you were scouting out such and idea, if you were caught snooping around.