The South Shore Line

For many of us, our very first train ride (sorta) was on the South Shore, a commuter rail that ferried many Hammond kids to the City of Chicago, some 30 miles away. It was our first excursion past the sights and smells of the nation's second largest metropolis, dumping us off within walking distance of the Loop, Marshall Field, Carson Pierre Scott & Company, the museums, the Adler Planetarium, and all of the other cultural offerings of the Windy City. It was our first opportunity to "see the world" from the aging leather and soiled metal seats of the South Shore.  But there were other trains and other train stations that Hammond residents depended on for jobs, for vacations, for bringing families together again. In later years, the South Shore would take HHS graduates to jobs in Chicago or to other transportation hubs and on to college or the military service.

A steam engine makes its way through downtown Hammond, filling the air with the smell of burning coal and hot steam.

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The State Line Tower
From this vantage point, railroad switchmen could control the traffic that made it's way through the Hammond, Indiana railroad yards.

Railroad crews in Hammond, Indiana
 

This rare photo offers a glimpse inside the master control room of the State Line Tower in Hammond, railroad workers mechanically threw the levers that controlled the railroad switches as trains slowly moved through the congested rail yards of the city putting together trains of railroad cars destined for other parts of America.

The Monon Depot

The 12:44 PM Hoosier Limited, pulls into the Monon Depot in Hammond.

The Lake Shore and Nickel Plate Railroad Station

The Michigan Central Depot

The Railroad Switching Yard - Near 173rd & Harrison

The Ladies Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Engineers, pose for this unity photo, December 13, 1910.