Type Rapid transit Status Closed | System Chicago 'L' Stations 8 | |
 | ||
Locale Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Termini Indiana
Armour (last stop in terminal loop) | ||
The Stock Yards branch was a rapid transit line which was part of the Chicago 'L' system from 1908 to 1957. The branch served the Union Stock Yards and the Canaryville neighborhood of Chicago and consisted of eight elevated stations. It opened on April 8, 1908, and closed on October 6, 1957.
Contents
Operations
The Stock Yards branch was a 2.9-mile (4.7 km) elevated line which served eight stations. The branch began at the Indiana station, which was a transfer point for the South Side Elevated and Kenwood branch. It ran westward along two tracks to the Exchange station, before making a counterclockwise loop, serving the Union Stock Yards with stops at the Morris & Company packing plant at Racine Avenue, the Swift & Company packing plant, Packers Avenue, and the Armour and Company plant.
History
The Stock Yards branch had its origins in a freight line which the Union Stock Yards and Transit Company 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. Passenger service along the line from the Stock Yards to Kenwood continued until 1904, and from the Stock Yards to the LaSalle Street Station downtown until 1908. In 1903, the Chicago City Council passed a measure requiring the 40th Street line be elevated as part of a larger effort to remove grade crossings from Chicago railroads. The Stock Yards "L" branch opened on April 8, 1908. As the Union Stock Yards declined after World War II, so did ridership on the line. The Wallace station closed on May 3, 1952, and all service on the branch and the remaining stations closed on October 6, 1957.