While Keele originally ran straight north, today there is a brief cut-off to deviate around the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway corridors, near the former Canada Packers stock yards.
During their occupancy of Colinton the Balfours built stockyards on the north bank of Greenhide Creek near its junction with the Brisbane River.
When the Union Stock Yard and Transit Company of Chicago was incorporated in 1865 to consolidate the Chicago stock yards, its powers included the construction of a railroad outside the city limits (then Pershing Road and Western Avenue) to link the stock yards with the railroads entering Chicago south of Roosevelt Road
Feeder cattle are steers (castrated males) or heifers (females) mature enough to be placed in a feedlot where they will be fattened prior to slaughter.