• Where was Rock Island Yard where movie Omen 2 was filmed?

  • Discussion relating to The Chicago & North Western, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road), including mergers, acquisitions, and abandonments.
Discussion relating to The Chicago & North Western, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road), including mergers, acquisitions, and abandonments.

Moderator: Komachi

  by carajul
 
In the movie Omen 2 (1978) there is a scene in the NYC area where a Rock Island switcher is moving piggy back trailers around. I always wondered where this was filmed? Can someone show me on google maps? The area looked pretty slummy. It was along the waterfront somewhere. Nice shot of a baby blue Rock Island hack in that scene too. Yard probably set up for the movie the trackage looked all weeded. I don't even know if it was flimed in NYC area as I believe the Rock Island was a midwest line...may have been Chicago.
  by carajul
 
Ok I'm going nuts trying to find the location of this small yard where the movie was filmed. The Chicago area is a maze of rr tracks - all pax. The background of the film shows the CBOT building and the Sears Tower. You can see both thoese two buildings clearly directly behind the tracks. The tracks dead ended up against those buildings. The tracks went under a busy highway that was on an overpass. The overpass had arched supports. Tracks were on a curve. Can't find it anywhere. Can anyone help!!?? I'm searching bing maps and the only way that shot could be made with the buildings visible like that was looking eastward from across the Chicago River. I'm wondering if they used the union station yard and just made it to look like an old run down freight yard.
  by charlie6017
 
Problem is, there's no guarantee that this yard is even there anymore. In 35 short years, so many things have
probably changed and the entire landscape may be different. Remember that a whole lot of tracks that may
have been redundant are likely gone by now.

Hopefully you can find the answer and keep your sanity in the process! ;-)

Charlie
  by carajul
 
I DID A LITTLE MORE DIGGING.... STILL NEED HELP.

I viewed the movie on my 80" led screen. A lot more detail. The tracks went under a busy highway with metal guard rails ontop of the cement barrier. The supports for the overpass were rounded like archways. After passing under the overpass the tracks stub ended against old slummy run down red brick 1800s looking factories. One of the factories had a painted green sign on the top of the facade that said "CHICAGO PAPER COMPANY" It looks like the river and then the sears tower are in the background. So you are looking across the river at the Sears tower. Definately was an active Rock Island small TOFC yard. Looks like an old freight depot with trailers parked against it.

Come one everyone use your memory, intelect, and maps!
  by charlie6017
 
Okay, I'm doing a little pawing around,

Try these co-ordinates and is this the general area in question?

41.887279,-87.640861

Charlie
  by carajul
 
Yes in that area. In the bg you could see the river and the Sears Tower in back. You could only see that by being west of the river looking eastward into the city.
  by carajul
 
I FOUND IT!!!!

The only way I could find it was using historicaerials web site. Take a look at the 1973 view. The yard is gone today. It looks like there was a run down TOFC facility there at one time but now it's either parking lots or a mud field or new buildings. The factory buildings are gone too. The roadway the train was going under was Roosevelt Ave.

It is in Chicago proper at the north west corner of the intersection of W Roosevelt Rd & S Clark St, just on the east side of the river bank. There is a small apartment complex there now where the street South Delano Court runs where the yard tracks were. Going northward you can see the Sears Tower which was in the bg of the movie scene. The yard was there in 1973 but gone by 1988 I'm assuming a result of the Rock Island liquidation.

Here is the map link http://maps.google.com/maps?q=sears+tow ... 6&t=h&z=16" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
  by charlie6017
 
Excellent!!

You did exactly what I was about to suggest, which were looking at the old aerials.

Nice work! ;-)

Charlie
  by Thunder
 
12 th street intermodal yard and coach storage.Metra didnt need it so they dumped it. The engineer that ran the engine said it was a PITA as he had to lay down and run it ( so as not to see him in the cab) took a ton of takes. Lot of the old Rock guys here remember the making of that movie and laughing that it was set in NYC, yet you have so many Chicago landmarks ;)