Dennis Holler posted:Here are a couple of prewar AF 3/16ths passenger sets both would be from 1941.
Great photo of the NYC and PRR racing over the bridges ... on the south side of Chicago ( land of big bad Leroy Brown) at about 96th street crossing the Calumet river , there were 4 lift bridges and one bascule bridge ... NYC on two of the lift bridges, PRR on the other two lift bridges and the B&O on the bascule. The Broadway Limited and Twentieth Century would leave downtown at the same time ( two different stations) and meet at Englewood, stop and take off at the same time , along miles of parallel track through the wastelands of south Chicago steaming across the bridges in a race daily ( that was then). With all the consolidation of the railroads .... one of the lift bridges remains active. Back in the 60's they scrapped one of the lift bridges killing two workers... so they decided to leave the others in place. A run away barge ran in to the B&O bascule bridge ... so it was scrapped ..Chessie main ties into old PRR main to cross the Calumet and returns on the other side. In my youth rode the lift bridge several times ...the operator had to leave his track side office and climb atop the the raising section of the bridge to the house in the center to operate the bridge ....the action of the bridge raising and lower was so smooth ... perfectly balanced with counter weights . Operating lift bridge dates to 1911 + - .
for some photos of the bridges in the south side please see link
http://www.inlandmariners.com/...ges_95th-st_2014.htm
for photos of the daily races NYC vs PRR please see link
http://industrialscenery.blogs...utes-in-chicago.html
Happy New Years
Carey
