As the railroads came to Joliet in the second half of the 19th century, a complex web of tracks and separate facilities provided a frustrating and dangerous situation for the railroads and the citizens of Joliet. At the insistence of the city, the tracks in downtown Joliet were realigned and elevated from 1908-1910.
As part of the realignment, all three roads combined their passenger facilities at the new Union Station. The station, opened in October of 1912, was designed by prolific architect Jarvis Hunt, whose work included Kansas City (Missouri) Union Station, the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters building in Omaha, Nebraska and the Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago, Illinois. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1978 and is listed on the Great American Stations website.
As built, Joliet Union Station was the crossing of these railroads:
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe from Chicago to Fort Madison, Iowa -- now operated by BNSF.
Chicago & Alton from Chicago to St. Louis -- The C&A was acquired by the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, which in turn was merged with the original Illinois Central to become the Illinois Central Gulf. The ICG sold off the line south of Joliet to the short-lived regional railroad, the Chicago, Missouri & Western. With the demise of the CM&W, the line was purchased by the Southern Pacific, which in turn was merged into the Union Pacific. Meanwhile, the ICG, which had retained the line north of Joliet, reorganized as a new Illinois Central and was eventually purchased by the Canadian National.
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific from Chicago to Rock Island, Illinois -- Originally the first railroad into Joliet, with the bankruptcy and liquidation of the Rock, ownership was transferred to the Regional Transportation Authority, the mass transit district for suburban Chicago and operator of what was the Rock Island's commuter service. Just west of the station, at the Des Plaines River, the tracks were leased to the Chessie System and are now operated by CSX. The regional railroad Iowa Interstate now has trackage rights on this line as well.
The Michigan Central was a tenant in the station from 1912 until 1925, when it discontinued passenger service to Joliet. The MC's “Joliet cutoff” from East Gary, Indiana connected with the Rock Island about one mile east of the station. This line was shuttered in the early 1970s by Penn Central. East of Joliet, the right-of-way is a biking and hiking path called the Old Plank Road Trail.
As built, there were passenger platforms with canopies between the first and second tracks on both the east and south sides of the station. Stairs from tunnels under the tracks allowed access to the platforms without walking across track one. In later years, the tunnels and platform canopies were eliminated, forcing passengers to cross the tracks to reach uncovered platforms. The station handled passenger, express and mail business, but each railroad had their own facilities in Joliet for freight and less-than-carload (LCL) shipments.
Celebrating 100 Years of Service
The Blackhawk Railway Historical Society recognized the station's 100th Anniversary with a gala banquet on October 14, 2012 in the Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station, the former waiting room, recreating the banquet of 100 years ago celebrating the building of the station and the raising of the tracks out of the streets of downtown Joliet. For their efforts to recognize the historical station, the Blackhawk Railway Historical Society was presented the 2013 City of Joliet Historical Preservation Award by the city.
Although it was impractical to replicate the original menu, diners were treated to a menu of Filet Mignon or Boneless Breast of Chicken, California Rainbow Salad, Green Beans and Potato Duchess. The attendees were a mix of historians, railfans, and city, county and state officials with guests.
After dinner, Blackhawk member Joe Petric presented a program on the history of Joliet Union Station, starting from before the station was built, till present day, with plenty of photographs of the classic trains that served the station. Following Joe's show, the plans for Joliet Union Station's redevelopment were presented by a representative from Knight Engineers and Architects.
