Corwith Yard facts for kids
Corwith Yards is a very important place for trains in Chicago, Illinois. It's a huge area where trains bring and pick up goods. Today, it's called the Corwith Intermodal Facility. It helps move lots of things like clothes, electronics, and food across the country.
What is Corwith Yards?
Corwith Yards is a special kind of train station. It's known as an "intermodal freight terminal." This means it handles cargo that travels using different types of transport. For example, a shipping container might go on a truck, then a train, and then another truck.
This big facility is located in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago. It covers almost a full square mile of land. That's a lot of space for trains and cargo!
A Look Back in Time
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built Corwith Yards in 1887. When it was first built, it was the largest "railway yard" in the world. A railway yard is where trains are sorted and put together.
Back then, trains arriving at Corwith Yards carried many different things. They brought livestock (like cows and pigs) from places like Dodge City, Kansas. This livestock was headed to the Union Stock Yards in Chicago. Trains also brought grain and other goods from the western United States.
Today, the largest railway yard is Bailey Yard. It's owned by the Union Pacific Railroad, which is a rival to BNSF.
Corwith Today
Now, Corwith Yards is called the Corwith Intermodal Facility. It handles even more freight than it did when it first opened. It's operated by the BNSF Railway.
Most of the cargo today comes in large metal boxes called shipping containers. Giant machines called container cranes lift these containers. About 1,900 containers are loaded or unloaded every single day!
Smart computer systems help sort and route all these containers. This makes sure everything goes to the right place quickly and efficiently.
