The Belt Railway Company of Chicago

Building Chicago’s Belt Railway network.

Established in 1882, the Belt Line Railway Company of Chicago was designed to link the disparate networks of the various primary railroad operations across the city. The following year, five major railroads signed leases to use trackage along the belt line. By WWI the number of operators had increased to twelve and included some of the nation’s largest rail companies.

This bold map was published around 1940 and shows the B.R.C.’s network stretching from the Indiana border to near today’s O’Hare International Airport. Company lines and tracking rights are highlighted in red, while additional relevant infrastructure like team tracks, rail yards, freight houses, docks, and stock yards are also labeled.

Text at the bottom of the sheet provides fascinating contemporary information on the railway’s operations, including details on icing facilities, livestock care, and available team tracks (small private spurs used primarily by local businesses). The request to ‘Include “B.R.C.” In Your Routing Instructions” indicates the map was issued for a specialized railroad audience. An old rubberstamp in the lower left corner indicates this example was distributed by a B.R.C. General Agent in San Francisco, W.M. Anderson.