Forgotten Lands, Places and Transit

The Puerto Deseado Railway ran from Puerto Deseado north to Las Heras in Argentina's Santa Cruz Province until 1978. ( Right of way ) It was intended to spur development into the sparsely populated Patagonia region, but was never extended past its western terminus at Las Heras, and thus had little success in this regard. Even 40 years after the railway was built, it served a population of only 7,000 people. ( Railways of the South ) Additionally, the route ran parallel to the coast, meaning that traffic destined for the large city of Comodoro Rivadavia, roughly 80 miles or 125km northeast of Las Heras, would have to travel up to 550 km by rail and steamer, or just a quarter of that distance by truck using the route, thus making the journey nearly obsolete via rail. A steam engine near Las Heras, c.1930. ( Ferrocarriles en el Cono Sur ) [Link and source in Spanish] In 1908, the railway was planned, along with an unbuilt connection that would have either constructed another line nor...

Wolf Road Prairie is located on the northwest corner of Wolf Road and 31st St in Westchester, IL, and like many of the forest preserves in the Chicago area, there is more to this place than initially meets the eye. It is not very large at just over .1 square miles,  but has an extensive mix of prairie, savanna and wetland and is home to more than 360 native plant species.  (Cook County Forest Preserve) Surrounded by development which is obstructed by fog in this photo, this is a hidden gem of the area. It also has sidewalks that enter the woods. Why would the Cook County Forest Preserve destroy prairie land just to make it easier to walk? The answer is they didn't. The sidewalks hold the clue to what this area was supposed to be; another housing development.  I visited this area in December of 2020, and what was initially a very quiet snow year, that somehow managed to snow during my visit. But that made the pictures I took that much better, I think, as it really expresse...

Bachelor's Grove Cemetery is a largely abandoned cemetery located in unincorporated Bremen Twp. of Cook County. Believers in ghosts and ghost stories typically flock to the area in search of the paranormal, and numerous apparitions and ghosts sightings have apparently occurred in the cemetery.  It dates back to when the area was first settled, in the 1820's to 1840's, which is a similar timeline as many areas in what are now Chicago's suburbs. This area began to be open to white settlers in 1804, which was a main conflict of the Black Hawk War. The cemetery is in very poor condition. Many of the graves are either weathered or vandalized beyond recognition. I think the reports of paranormal activity at the site largely derives from its condition. In addition, its location, which is located on an old alignment of Midlothian Turnpike, makes it impossible to access via car toay, however, it is quite easily accessible via a short walk through the forest. This has made it a...

The Trestle of Trestle Park. FRRandP photo collection. Trestle Park is Milwaukee's tiny answer to the growing trend of linear parks in major cities which utilize abandoned railroad corridors, in the same vein as Philadelphia's Rail Park  and New York City's amazing High Line . While Trestle Park is much smaller than the other parks mentioned, after visiting it, I can say it nonetheless has a great charm in it's small size. Looking from one end of the park to the other. The Park opened earlier this year after being proposed and approved in 2017 . The signature trestle pictured, while certainly it's namesake, isn't part of the park. The park, located in the Historic Third Ward neighborhood south of downtown Milwaukee is part of the Third Ward RiverWalk, along the Milwaukee River. It is part of a large scale redevelopment of the area as well, which was quite obvious on the drive to the park. Many new condos, restaurants, and businesses make up the nearby...

"Lyman Woods is 150 acres of oak woods, prairie, and marsh habitats that supports over 300 species of native plants", according to the Downers Grove Park District . The fact that this parcel of land exists in a largely preserved state despite being surrounded on all sides by development is a small miracle, and is an incredible refuge for humans as well as local flora and fauna. It's an excellent place to go bird watching as well. ( Map ) The DuPage County Forest Preserve, Village of Downers Grove and the Downers Grove Park District jointly purchased Lyman Woods in 1987 through a tri-governmental agreement ( NIU ), which only happened as a result of village residents voicing their opinion that this property ought to be saved. Walking over a marsh on the south end of the property. An interesting aspect of this preserve is the presence of kames, glacially deposited hills of gravel, which were deposited during the glaciation period about 10,000 years ago. As glaciers largely...

In the early 20th century, the Pacific Electric Railway was the pride of Southern California, boasting over 1,000 miles of track and connecting Los Angeles with surrounding cities. Known as the "World's Greatest Electric Railway System," the system provided a comprehensive transit network that was unmatched globally. This system, established in 1901 by Henry E. Huntington, transformed Los Angeles into a hub of connectivity and efficiency. 1926 Map of the Pacific Electric Railway - Pacific Electric Historical Society Today,  Los Angeles ' Metro system is a shall of the PE's peak nearly 100 years ago, where one could reach nearly anywhere in LA and many places in the Inland Empire. The system was incredibly intricate, having both dedicated electric right of way but also using trackage of its owner, the Southern Pacific Railway. This complexity means that even today, we do not have a full picture of the extent of the Pacific Electric on our  Abandoned Railroad Map . ...

One of the reasons for mapping abandoned rail lines is for my own reference: and after doing this for over 8 years now, it's extremely interesting to go back towards some of my earlier work that I've completely forgotten about and try to figure out how I was able to find some of these lines.  Such is the case of the Fountain County Branch of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railway, in which the last 15 miles of track were abandoned all the way in 1879. It was referred to as both the Fountain County Branch as well as the Indiana Division, or the Coal Branch in the  preliminary history of the C&E , which can get confusing. However the Coal Branch name comes from the predecessor road of the C&EI, the Chicago Danville & Vincennes , who opened the line in 1873. The C&EI itself would not exist until 1877. The portion of the Fountain County Branch in its eponymous county. (1876 Map, Indiana Historical Society) The Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railway (C&EI) ...