Kenwood branch (CTA)
| Kenwood branch | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Type | Rapid transit | ||
| System | Chicago 'L' | ||
| Locale | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||
| Termini |
Indiana 42nd Place |
||
| Stations | 6 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | September 20, 1907 | ||
| Closed | December 1, 1957 | ||
| Operator(s) |
Chicago Transit Authority (1947-1957) Chicago Rapid Transit Company (1924-1947) South Side Elevated Railroad (1907-1924) |
||
| Character | Elevated | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 1.25 mi (2.01 km) | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||
| Electrification | Third rail, 600 V DC | ||
|
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The Kenwood branch was a rapid transit line which was part of the Chicago 'L' system from 1907 to 1957. The branch served the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago and consisted of six elevated stations. It opened on September 20, 1907 and closed on December 1, 1957.
The Kenwood branch was a 1.25-mile (2.01 km) elevated line which served six stations. The branch began at the Indiana station, which was a transfer point for the South Side Main Line and . It ran eastward along two tracks to a terminal at 42nd Place and Oakenwald Avenue in Kenwood. A storage yard was located at the eastern end of the branch. The branch was built on a concrete embankment, which it shared with the Chicago Junction Railway. Initially, service on the branch consisted primarily of 42nd Place-Indiana shuttles and 42nd Place-Loop locals; 42nd Place-Loop express trains were occasionally run. Loop service was eventually through-routed on the Ravenswood Line, and some trains were through-routed on the Stock Yards branch in the later years of the line.
The predecessor of the Kenwood branch was a freight line the built in 1864, which paralleled 40th Street between the Union Stock Yards and the Illinois Central Railroad. The freight line began passenger service in 1882, which continued along the line until 1904. In 1903, the Chicago City Council passed a measure to elevate the 40th Street line as part of an effort to remove grade crossings from Chicago railroads. The Chicago Junction Railway was formed to bear the costs of the elevation, and the task of running passenger trains on the line shifted to the South Side Elevated Railroad. The elevated Kenwood branch ultimately opened on September 20, 1907.
The new line led to increased residential development in Kenwood, a mostly white-collar neighborhood when the line opened. Crosstown service through the Ravenswood line began in 1913; in 1931, this service was changed to a Kenwood-Wilson routing. Shuttle service on the line was discontinued between 1943 and 1949.
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