Rock Island Suburban Line - Beverly, Morgan Park, Blue Island

Fom the 

Ridge Historical Society Hosts Program on Metra Rock Island Rail ...

www.bapa.org › Neighborhood Events‎

“Because of railroads, Chicago grew from a minor lake port to the largest city in the U. S. interior within about half a century.” One of the railroads that contributed to Chicago ’s development was the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, which enjoyed a successful run for over a century.

The first Rocket, as the locomotive was called, ran from 22^nd Street, the then southern limit of Chicago, to Joliet in 1852, expanding to Rock Island in 1854. The Rock Island was the first line to build a bridge and travel over the Mississippi River . After a boating accident at that site, a young lawyer named Abraham Lincoln defended the railroad against a lawsuit to remove the bridge. The case was carried all the way to the Supreme Court, and in 1862, the opinion was handed down establishing a railroad’s right to bridge a navigable stream.

As Chicago grew and the living area of the population expanded outward mainline railroads began to concentrate on the suburban commuter markets. The Rock Island got into the commuter business in 1869 when it ran the “Dummy Line” from its mainline west along 99^th Street then over to Blue Island, where it rejoined the mainline. In 1889, the Rock Island expanded this line north to 91^st Street, paralleling the Ridge, then turning east to rejoin the mainline at 88^th Street ( Gresham ).


Dummy Line?  Who Knew?  Now I hate to

start a war between Mount Greenwood 

and Beverly/Morgan Park, (actually I love 

it) but the Rock Island called 

the Suburban line that served Beverly and 

Morgan Park the "Dummy Line".

-Submitted by a Smart Mt. Greenwood Hood.

Since 1983, Metra (Metropolitan Rail) has run the Rock Island District line and its Suburban Line (the Dummy Line) between Chicago and Joliet.

The Beverly/Morgan Park Railroad District is a Chicago Landmark. The train stations at 91^st, 95^th, 99^th, 107^th, 111^th, and 115^th Streets along the Metra line were built between 1889-1945 for the Chicago and Rock Island . These six structures represent rare surviving examples of late-19^th and early-20^th century commuter stations in Chicago . The architecture reflects the Colonial revival, Queen Anne, and Richardsonian Romanesque styles of the surrounding residences.

David M. Young has written three other books about transportation inChicago, “The Iron Horse and the Windy City ,”  “Chicago Aviation” and “Chicago Maritime.”

http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/landmarksweb/web/photodetails.htm?phoId=7302

1. Rock Island District - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Island_District‎
   

   
   

   Technical. Line length, 40.2 (6.7 Suburban Branch from Gresham Jct. to Blue Island) ... 11.3, 91st Street - Beverly Hills... The Rock Island District (RI) is a Metra commuter rail linefrom Chicago, Illinois, United States, southwest to Joliet.
2. 
   

   Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad - Wikipedia, the free ...

   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago,_Rock_Island_and_Pacific_Railroad‎
   

   
   

   The line was opened to Rock Island on February 22, 1854, and the ..... The Suburban Line served the Beverly Hills area of Chicago as a branch leaving the main  ...
3. 
   

   Ridge Historical Society Hosts Program on Metra Rock Island Rail ...

   www.bapa.org › Neighborhood Events‎
   

   
   

   The Rock Island was the first line to build a bridge and travel over the Mississippi River . ... District line and its Suburban Line (the Dummy Line) between Chicago and Joliet. TheBeverly/Morgan Park Railroad District is a Chicago Landmark.
4. 
   

   RAILROAD.NET • View topic - Metra Rock Island Beverly Branch ...

   www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=138871‎
   

   
   

   Mar 12, 2013 - 15 posts - ‎8 authors

   I much prefer main line rides when I have to visit that end of the city. .... The Rock Island's Chicago-Joliet suburban rail operation was once  ...
5. 
   

   Rock Island District History - Metra

   metrarail.com/metra/en/home/about.../rock_island_districthistory.html‎
   

   
   

   The communities of Beverly and Morgan Park, for instance, would not exist as they ... The Chicago Fire of 1871 burned down the Rock Island line's LaSalle Street ... suburban trains each way every day, mostly on the branch line to Blue Island, ...
6. 
   

   Metra Home

   metrarail.com/‎
   

   
   

   Overview of services plus maps, schedules, fares, ticket information, on-line ticketing, stations, and more. ... Line, Union Pacific / West Line, BNSF Railway, Heritage Corridor, SouthWest Service, Rock Island ... Chicago Hilton and Towers Dec.
7. [PDF]
   

   A HISTORY OF BEVERLY HILLS, CHICAGO - Beverly Records

   www.beverlyrecords.com/history%20of%20beverly1926.pdf‎
   

   
   

   Beverly Hills is a suburban community inside the city limits of Chicagoo It lies east of ... In 1870 the first train ran over the branch line of the Rock Island. This.
8. 
   

   Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Chicago: Including ...

   books.google.es/books?isbn=0912301538

   First Books, ‎Mark Wukas - 2004 - ‎Travel

   ... Beverly Review, Daily Southtown, Chicago Daily Defender,Chicago Heights ... Metra/Rock Island Suburban Line (91st Street; 95th Street; 99th Street; 103rd  ...
9. 
   

   The Rock Island Line - Google Books Result

   books.google.es/books?isbn=0253011310

   Bill Marvel - 2013 - ‎Transportation

   Then the Golden Roc/eet would take to the main line for the run to Chicago. Abruptly ... 400 rolls past Beverly Hills station, othenivise known as 91st Street ... 401 are rarities in Rock Island suburban service at this late date: They were actually ...
10.