Map of Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad Company and the Belt Railway Company of Chicago

Chicago’s ‘belt line’ railroads in the mid-20th century.

This interesting map of Chicago highlights how complex rail infrastructure and cooperation between private companies are needed to facilitate the movement of thousands of trains and thousands of tons of goods across the region. The lines of the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad Company, connecting Dearborn Station to Dolton and Hammond, are highlighted in red. The Belt Railway of Chicago, embracing the southern and western edges of the city, are colored in yellow. Team tracks and trackage rights are also noted according to the legend in the upper right. Here, black marker has crossed out the ‘Route to Lake Calumet Port’ – presumably de-commissioned sometime after publication. From Adam Burns, a contributor to American-Rails.com;

“The Belt Railway of Chicago has been an integral part of the region’s transportation network since the early 1880s. It was formed by a growing need to provide efficient interchange services at America’s railroad capital. The company’s heritage begins with the Chicago & Western Indiana, itself a belt line of sorts. Over time, the property was acquired by numerous railroads giving it the greatest number of Class I connections. The move enabled these carriers to utilize the Belt Railway for interchanging and transferring their freight through and within the city rather than doing so themselves. Today, it continues to function much as did a century ago despite many mergers and bankruptcies of the big roads.”

Source.