Street Running Sunset
February 26th, 2022 marked the second to last day of normal operation on the Chicago South Shore’s famous 1.8 mile stretch of street running on 10th and 11th streets in Michigan City Indiana. The railroad and the community have shared this stretch of roadway since 1908, and over the past 114 years much has changed. Michigan City and the surrounding areas have changed, the railroad has changed and modernized with the times, but one of the things that, for the most part, has stayed relatively the same is the presence of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend railroad and its interurban and freight trains running down the middle of the streets. The community and railroad have coexisted fairly well over the past 114 years considering trains and motorists share the same piece of roadway and the proximity of homes and businesses to the railroad.
However, change is inevitable whether we like it or not I guess, and soon the famous street running will be significantly altered. The streets will close and vehicle traffic will be detoured onto alternate routes. Interurban passenger service will use buses to bridge this stretch of railroad, and freight traffic will mostly run at night. Once the $500 million project is complete the vehicle traffic will return to a new one-way road, the interurban passenger and freight trains will once again run on a more normal schedule but will return to a new double track main through town. The project is designed to help with congestion, efficiency, and safety through Michigan City. But at the same time it comes at a loss of the famous street running that was a time capsule glimpse back into a forgotten era of railroading over 100 years ago.
As the sun dips down close to the horizon on this late February day, a pair of CSS SD38-2s run light down 10th street, as people from all over flocked to Michigan City to document the final moves of normal operations down what could be the most famous stretch of street running left in North America.
Street Running Sunset
February 26th, 2022 marked the second to last day of normal operation on the Chicago South Shore’s famous 1.8 mile stretch of street running on 10th and 11th streets in Michigan City Indiana. The railroad and the community have shared this stretch of roadway since 1908, and over the past 114 years much has changed. Michigan City and the surrounding areas have changed, the railroad has changed and modernized with the times, but one of the things that, for the most part, has stayed relatively the same is the presence of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend railroad and its interurban and freight trains running down the middle of the streets. The community and railroad have coexisted fairly well over the past 114 years considering trains and motorists share the same piece of roadway and the proximity of homes and businesses to the railroad.
However, change is inevitable whether we like it or not I guess, and soon the famous street running will be significantly altered. The streets will close and vehicle traffic will be detoured onto alternate routes. Interurban passenger service will use buses to bridge this stretch of railroad, and freight traffic will mostly run at night. Once the $500 million project is complete the vehicle traffic will return to a new one-way road, the interurban passenger and freight trains will once again run on a more normal schedule but will return to a new double track main through town. The project is designed to help with congestion, efficiency, and safety through Michigan City. But at the same time it comes at a loss of the famous street running that was a time capsule glimpse back into a forgotten era of railroading over 100 years ago.
As the sun dips down close to the horizon on this late February day, a pair of CSS SD38-2s run light down 10th street, as people from all over flocked to Michigan City to document the final moves of normal operations down what could be the most famous stretch of street running left in North America.