Lockwood Yard
Lockwood Avenue between Harrison and Flournoy Streets, City of Chicago: Austin
- Address: TBD
- Established: 1926
- Rebuilt: TBD
- Capacity: TBD
Lockwood Yard, also referred to as “the Orchard” by employees, was a secondary railcar storage facility for the Chicago Aurora and Elgin. It was located within the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, adjacent to the larger Laramie Yard, which was owned by the rapid transit lines. Lockwood yard was added in 1926 to provide a storage facility close to the Wells Street Terminal.
History:
Full yard profile and history coming soon.
Additional Photos
Late on a weekday afternoon in 1941 we are at Lockwood Avenue, at the west end of Chicago Aurora & Elgin’s midday storage yard at Laramie Avenue. The 201 heads a four-car train westbound out of the yard. With the motorman’s hand on the whistle cord and the conductor at the switch stand, the motorman will pull his train westbound onto the eastbound main line. The train crew will immediately change ends to run eastbound over the Garfield Park branch of the Metropolitan “L” to CA&E’s Wells Street Ternunal where the terminal switch crew will reverse the train in preparation for a very fast run westbound as a rush-hour Wheaton Express. The 201 was one of four cars, odd numbers only, 201-207, built by Niles Car & Manufacturing Co. in 1904, the second order of cars delivered to the CA&E. In the left background we see an eastbound CSL Harrison Street car.
Photo from the collection of Joe Diaz
Caption by Joe Diaz1
We catch 201 in Lockwood yard while being prepped for a trip to the Wells Street Terminal on a weekday afternoon in 1941. The car has already been equipped with its green flags which signify this is the head end. This is a transitional period for the old rolling stock on the CA&E. 201 has an appearance that is more suited to modern tastes while the car behind it shows its age with its old fashioned stained glass windows. (This car is actually newer than the 201.) Eventually, all of the old wooden cars will have their arched windows hidden.
Photo from the collection of Joe Diaz
