RIGHT: After what seemed to be years of con- stant construction, the new joint terminal at Millennium Station in Chicago was dedicated in 2007. On August 1, 2009, South Shore and Metra Electric trains await their departures. CYNTHIA FREELAND PHOTO BELOW: In brilliant afternoon sun, a South Shore train departs Museum/11th Street station in Chicago on June 29, 2010. LOU GERARD PHOTO


to an aggressive marketing campaign of award winning posters and publicity, the South Shore won the title of “first and fastest” from Electric Traction magazine.


Depression and Rebirth


Nearly all of the growth the railroad experienced under new management had been wiped out by the Great De- pression. The Insull empire collapsed in 1932, and the South Shore sought its own independent reorganization. Insull left behind a well-built railroad that was able to withstand a few lean years, and slowly the South Shore climbed out of the pools of red ink. As the years pressed on, passenger


and freight service continued to grow with new freight stations being built at South Bend and Hegewisch. The war years provided a great boost in traffic, but increased competition from im- proved highways and increased auto- mobile usage soon took their toll. The Insull-era passenger cars were rebuilt and lengthened for better capacity, and modernized with air-conditioning. In 1956, a bypass was completed al- lowing trains to eliminate the slow


CHICAGO Millenium Station


(Randolph St.) Van Buren St. Museum/11th St. (Roosevelt Rd.)


AMTK CN (IC)


McCormick Place (23rd Street) (Weekend Flag Stop)


57th Street/Hyde Park 63rd Street


Pullman Jct. BRC


Commercial Ave. Yard


Kensington By-Pass Completed 2012


Kensington Ford City Hegewisch


Burnham Yard


to University Park Hammond


Peiguss Yard


CSX


CSX/CP/CSS (BOCT/WAB)


CN (EJE) Goff Miller L A K E


NIPSCO Bailly Generating Sta.


Port of Indiana U.S.S. Midwest Steel


Mittal Steel


Portage/Ogden Dunes Burns Harbor Bailly


Dune Park NICTD HQ


Tremont Siding


street running through downtown East Chicago. This re-aligned a five mile sec- tion of the railroad to follow the newly completed Indiana Toll Road. The South Shore found itself at the center of a battle for control when the Monon expressed interest in acquisi- tion in 1964, looking to tap the lucra- tive freight traffic along the lake shore. The South Shore was not interested, in- stead hoping for merger with a strong eastern partner. The Chesapeake & Ohio had purchased a majority stake in


the South Shore by 1965, but legal challenges from the Monon persisted until the Interstate Commerce Com- mission approved the takeover in 1967. It was at this time that first diesel loco- motives appeared on the railroad as C&O switchers and Geeps were run alongside the South Shore’s own elec- tric freight motors.


The South Shore route was long enough to be considered for possible in- clusion in Amtrak, but management declined. However, faced with a rapidly


Beverly Shores


CSX/AMTK (BO)


M I C


H I


G A N


I L L INO I S IND I ANA


East


Chicago


Gary/Chic (Clark


Gary/Chicago Airport (Clark Rd.)


Gary Metro Center


CSS NICTD


METX/CSS/CN/AMTK (IC)


METX/CN (IC)


/AMTK


AMTK/CP/NS (LSMS/PM)


BRC/NS


IHB (MC)


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