#css&sb

Beverly Shores

We're along the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad on a bright but hot and humid summer day; the Inbound 9:28 rolls into Beverly Shores to make its station stop.

The allure of this station, built in 1929, beyond the Spanish Mission Style architecture itself, is the wonderful neon sign atop, installed at a later date. The building was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1989.

Going back further than that, I photographed a train (with a vintage Pullman car) at this station forty-eight years ago—one can see that in an earlier post here. I really need to shoot this scene during the blue hour, with the neon sign aglow.

South Shore steeplecabs

South Shore Line at Kensington Junction

Chicago

December 12, 1978

South Shore Football special Orange and College South Bend 1955

Michigan City Time Comparison

To note the changes in the recent rebuilding of the CSS&SB line through Michigan City, Indiana (double track west of this point, the elimination of street running entirely through town, and more), I have two images taken from the same spot, looking west down 11th Street from East Michigan BLVD.

In the first shot above we see train 503 on February 26th 2022 on the eve of the line shutting down for the rebuild (hence many rail enthusiasts present). The second image shows Train 7, at nearly the same spot, taken on August 8th 2025.

While the steeple of St. Paul Lutheran Church (located over on Ninth Street) was a major presence in the first view, equal to the train really, it’s nearly covered up by new infrastructure in the second.

I’ll put a diptych here below for a different way to view the changes.

Adieu to Street Running

This was taken along the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad in Michigan City, Indiana. For 120 years the railroad ran down the middle of 11th Street here.

I photographed it a few times back in the late-1970s and then again when I heard it would be double-tracked and this street running would be removed.

Surprising to realize it's been three years already since the final runs on the street. I'm thinking about returning to do shooting there once again to see how the new alignment compares.

Adieu to Street Running

This was taken along the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad in Michigan City, Indiana. For 120 years the railroad ran down the middle of 11th Street here.

I photographed it a few times back in the late-1970s and then again when I heard it would be double-tracked and this street running would be removed.

Surprising to realize it's been three years already since the final runs on the street. I'm thinking about returning to do shooting there once again to see how the new alignment compares.

Return to Michigan City

Having made its 10:09 stop at the 11th Street Station, an eastbound train 7 crests the hill and rolls down toward East Michigan BLVD.

I’ve not been to Michigan City since I did some shooting here on the eve of the rebuilding of the line through town. The charming, but dangerous street-running has been removed and a second track added from this point westward all the way through town. The 11th Street Station, still being totally rebuilt, now has raised platforms befitting a big-time commuter railroad.

I’m working on doing a before and after time comparison and will post that here soon. Until that time, you can go here to see a shot from two-and-a-half years ago when the scene was much less cluttered.