Kenton Yard & Shop
Kenton Avenue and Harrison Street, West Garfield Park

Service Notes:

Located:

Metropolitan West Side Elevated, Garfield Park branch

Quick Facts:

Address: TBD
Established: 1895
Shop Area: unknown
Yard Area: unknown
Rebuilt: n/a
Status: Demolished

 

The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad established an elevated yard at 46th Avenue (later renamed Kenton Avenue) on the Garfield Park branch in 1895. The Kenton facility included a yard able to accommodate 58 cars, a maintenance shop that could accommodate 12 cars, a coal transfer facility, and interchange with the adjacent Belt Railway. A fleet of gondolas was purchased to move coal from the Kenton Yard to the Met's central power generating station at Loomis Street. This continued until 1914, when proprietary power generation was discontinued in favor of purchasing electricity from Commonwealth Edison.

The Kenton Avenue facility began to be phased out gradually in the early 20th century, less than a decade after it opened. When the Garfield Park branch was extended from 48th Avenue to 52nd Avenue in 1902, the new terminal included a four-track inspection shop to replace the one at Kenton. 52nd Avenue also had a small yard, although most cars continued to be stored at Kenton for a few years. Additional yard tracks were installed at 52nd Avenue in 1906, allowing car storage to be moved there. A new interchange facility at Kenton Avenue with the Belt Railway of Chicago was built on the Douglas Park branch in 1910, removing this last function from the Kenton Yard. The facility closed shortly after.

 

 

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