G&W Dune Park Construction: Part Two
This section was a lot harder to research, being that after a certain point in time there is almost zero publicly available data. Information tapers off significantly until the 1980’s and early ’90’s — but we’ll get to that later.
First, let’s pick up where we left off… kinda.
From a New York Central PDF located HERE the G&W’s main track assembly began in March of 1907 and was completed December 19th, 1910. As of June 30th, 1917 there were:
7.529 mi. of main track
0.869 mi. of secondary track
4.007 mi. of yard tracks and sidings
The G&W did not own any equipment on the line. It was under the control of Chicago, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway (CLS&E) - previously known as Indiana Harbor Railroad. The CLS&E will later be merged with the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad (EJ&E). Of course, CI&S (NYC) operated trains on the G&W as well.
Let’s talk about the easternmost end of the DPB, which is a subject of particular fascination in the forums I’ve researched, starting from the north-running portion.
I mentioned that initial construction of the DPB ended December 19th, 1910. Gary Union Station was completed in 1910. The DPB had a spur that broke away from the main line and curved west about 41-44 yards beyond the Dune Park over B&O (now CSX) bridge (now dismantled). It sloped down to grade and continued due west until it reached the Gary Union Station Freight Express building, the smaller concrete structure that sat directly behind Union Station.
The above photo shows the DPB to Union Station spur in magenta. I have it measured at 1.32 miles, yet it’s hard to say exactly where the tracks went after reaching Union Station. This Union Station spur trackbed can still be seen on aerial photography from all available years, yet nature is slowly reclaiming it. This spur has been out of use for a very long time. It’s hard to tell from aerial photography exactly when the tracks were ripped up, but I would say that it probably fell out of use during the ‘30′s or ‘40′s. The trackage probably wasn’t ripped up until the ‘50′s or ‘60′s, it’s hard to say at this time. The DPB can be seen to the bottom left corner in blue. EJ&E “City Track” is in orange.
This is a photograph taken by airplane in 1937, obtained from IUN’s IGSMap. In the future I will purchase a bigger thumbnail but even at this height and resolution certain features can be seen. Toward the center-right you can see the DPB make a fairly dramatic turn northeast. The photo cuts off the portion where it curves due east along the old IHR/CI&S Lake Shore line. Before the photo cuts off you can see the same westward curve I have highlighted in magenta. Due to pixelation you can’t see exactly where it ends but I have every reason to believe that it stopped at Union Station.
North is the top of the photo. Broadway is the centerline in the photo. The G&W DPB, Wabash (WAB) & the New York Central/Michigan Central (MC) almost meets up directly in the center of the picture. NYC (MC) is the line that comes into the photo at the very bottom righthand corner. West of Broadway, you can see the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) line, towards the bottom left quarter of the photo. The WAB can barely be seen, it would be heading east and west under the G&W. The G&W, NYC (MC), WAB & PRR lines neaerly all converge again towards the center-left of the photo. The triangle area would be just 180+ yards northwest of Tolleston Interlocking.
Tolleston Interlocking is a very interesting place because it was the only location in the region where G&W trains could come off of the DPB mainline and have access to the PRR Ft. Wayne, WAB 4th District and the NYC (MC) Joliet (now CSX Porter) Branch in one spot. I don’t know if this ever happened, but it could have... theoretically. Tolleston Junction will be the subject of a future post. There are other industries and geographical areas of Gary that had not been built or cleared yet at the time of this photo. We’re focusing on the pre-Penn Central era of the G&W. I provided this photo just to paint a picture.
Returning east, we will pass Broadway again and focus in on a structure just before the G&W straightens northeast. The most informed of us will know the large black structure on the southeast side of the G&W is the infamous Gary Screw and Bolt Company. 901 Alabama Street if I’m not mistaken. I’m focusing on Screw & Bolt because the DPB and Screw & Bolt kinda grew together like sisters. Both were constructed in 1906, and both fizzled out in the early ‘80′s. Let me help out those who don’t know.
On the left would be what my generation of Garyites would call “The Valley” neighborhood. The blue line would be the DPB, on its graceful turn to the northeast. On the southeast side of the DPB is a warehouse, the one sitting in the woods. That is the Gary Screw & Bolt Co. site. The pink line is a spur that comes off of the DPB. It curves around the southern side of the building, then curves north-northesast before curving northeast. The orange line at the right top corner of the photo is the EJ&E “City Track”. The two yellow lines below it represents Route 20 (5th Avenue).
I might have read somewhere that EJ&E freights did service Screw & Bolt from the DPB in the past. Screw & Bolt was also serviced by WAB... which had a spur coming off of its mainline that sat directly south of Screw & Bolt.
It looks sloppy because of the watermarks but this is a photo of the Screw & Bolt Co. from 1959. Almost the same view as the previous photo. Towards the bottom, the white line is the WAB. The curving white line towards the center-left, that’s the DPB. In between them is Screw & Bolt. You can clearly see how the DPB’s spur intersects the Wabash spur.
Once again, the DPB mainline is the blue line. The red line represents WAB. The pink is the DPB spur off of its mainline. The green line that crosses the pink is the WAB’s Screw & Bolt spur.
This is an aerial photo from 1954. I-65 had not been built this far north yet. I wanted to know if trains coming off the DPB could access the WAB from Screw & Bolt. It’s hard to tell from the aerial photos. This is the closest I could zoom in and still recognize what I was looking at.
My guess would be no, the DPB spur terminated at Screw & Bolt.
I’ve never heard anyone speak anything of the sort but it doesn’t seem like too far of a stretch, being that the termination point I measured (where the pink line stops) was only about 30 yards or so from the WAB ROW, as you can see in the above photo from 2013. I’m just saying that it was possible that that pink line could have continued on that slant 40 yards and connected to the WAB. It is unlikely that freights could use the DPB spur to access the WAB spur. I don’t see how that would be possible. Would it make sense for WAB to want to access the DPB?
Maybe.
Far as my knowledge, the WAB never connected to Tolleston Interlocking directly. The DPB passed over the WAB & the PRR via a bridge (that’s no longer there) after Tolleston Interlocking. The DPB would be the only way for WAB trains to access Tolleston in Gary.
Nine miles to the east would have been Willowcreek Rd Interlocking in Portage, where WAB, B&O & NYC (MC) intersected. Certainly WAB could have gotten onto the NYC (MC) there. My knowledge of actual daily train operations as far as the when’s and why’s outside of Gary are limited... but that’s why I created this blog. To seek knowledge and share it.
I will continue my DPB east dissertation in the next entry but as far as this topic, what do you think? Did the WAB access the DPB @ Screw & Bolt? Did EJ&E or IHB access the WAB via the Dune Park Branch - Screw & Bolt?














