diff --git a/pywb/rewrite/rewrite_live.py b/pywb/rewrite/rewrite_live.py
index 0c9ff62c..e6860d22 100644
--- a/pywb/rewrite/rewrite_live.py
+++ b/pywb/rewrite/rewrite_live.py
@@ -8,10 +8,9 @@ import mimetypes
 import logging
 import os
 
-from urlparse import urlsplit, urljoin
-from urllib import pathname2url
+from urlparse import urlsplit
 
-from pywb.utils.loaders import is_http, LimitReader, BlockLoader
+from pywb.utils.loaders import is_http, LimitReader, BlockLoader, to_file_url
 from pywb.utils.loaders import extract_client_cookie
 from pywb.utils.timeutils import datetime_to_timestamp
 from pywb.utils.statusandheaders import StatusAndHeaders
@@ -187,8 +186,7 @@ class LiveRewriter(object):
         else:
             is_remote = False
             if not url.startswith('file:'):
-                url = os.path.abspath(url)
-                url = urljoin('file:', pathname2url(url))
+                url = to_file_url(url)
 
         # explicit urlkey may be passed in (say for testing)
         if not urlkey:
diff --git a/pywb/utils/loaders.py b/pywb/utils/loaders.py
index 6ef1355e..34eca14b 100644
--- a/pywb/utils/loaders.py
+++ b/pywb/utils/loaders.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import os
 import hmac
 import urllib
 import urllib2
+import urlparse
 import time
 import pkg_resources
 from io import open
@@ -17,6 +18,15 @@ def is_http(filename):
     return filename.startswith(('http://', 'https://'))
 
 
+#=================================================================
+def to_file_url(filename):
+    """ Convert a filename to a file:// url
+    """
+    url = os.path.abspath(filename)
+    url = urlparse.urljoin('file:', urllib.pathname2url(url))
+    return url
+
+
 #=================================================================
 def load_yaml_config(config_file):
     import yaml
@@ -129,13 +139,14 @@ class BlockLoader(object):
         # if starting with . or /, can only be a file path..
         file_only = url.startswith(('/', '.'))
 
+        # convert to filename
+        if url.startswith('file://'):
+            file_only = True
+            url = urllib.url2pathname(url[len('file://'):])
+
         try:
             # first, try as file
-            if url.startswith('file://'):
-                file_only = True
-                afile = urllib.urlopen(url)
-            else:
-                afile = open(url, 'rb')
+            afile = open(url, 'rb')
 
         except IOError:
             if file_only:
diff --git a/pywb/utils/test/test_loaders.py b/pywb/utils/test/test_loaders.py
index a765808e..312af81b 100644
--- a/pywb/utils/test/test_loaders.py
+++ b/pywb/utils/test/test_loaders.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ True
 100
 
 # no length specified, read full amount requested
->>> len(BlockLoader().load(to_local_url(test_cdx_dir + 'example.cdx'), 0, -1).read(400))
+>>> len(BlockLoader().load(to_file_url(test_cdx_dir + 'example.cdx'), 0, -1).read(400))
 400
 
 # HMAC Cookie Maker
@@ -63,11 +63,9 @@ True
 import re
 import os
 from io import BytesIO
-from pywb.utils.loaders import BlockLoader, HMACCookieMaker
+from pywb.utils.loaders import BlockLoader, HMACCookieMaker, to_file_url
 from pywb.utils.loaders import LimitReader, extract_client_cookie
 
-from urllib import pathname2url
-
 from pywb import get_test_dir
 
 test_cdx_dir = get_test_dir() + 'cdx/'
@@ -84,9 +82,6 @@ def seek_read_full(seekable_reader, offset):
     seekable_reader.readline() #skip
     return seekable_reader.readline()
 
-def to_local_url(filename):
-    filename = os.path.abspath(filename)
-    return 'file://' + pathname2url(filename)
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     import doctest
diff --git a/pywb/warc/test/test_pathresolvers.py b/pywb/warc/test/test_pathresolvers.py
index f60eafaa..d00f3348 100644
--- a/pywb/warc/test/test_pathresolvers.py
+++ b/pywb/warc/test/test_pathresolvers.py
@@ -33,13 +33,13 @@ PrefixResolver('http://myhost.example.com/warcs/', contains = '/')
 RedisResolver('redis://myhost.example.com:1234/1')
 
 # a file
->>> r = make_best_resolver(to_local_url(os.path.realpath(__file__)))
+>>> r = make_best_resolver(to_file_url(os.path.realpath(__file__)))
 >>> r.__class__.__name__
 'PathIndexResolver'
 
 # a dir
 >>> path = os.path.realpath(__file__)
->>> r = make_best_resolver(to_local_url(os.path.dirname(path)))
+>>> r = make_best_resolver(to_file_url(os.path.dirname(path)))
 >>> r.__class__.__name__
 'PrefixResolver'
 
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@ RedisResolver('redis://myhost.example.com:1234/1')
 from pywb import get_test_dir
 from pywb.warc.pathresolvers import PrefixResolver, PathIndexResolver, RedisResolver
 from pywb.warc.pathresolvers import make_best_resolver, make_best_resolvers
-import os
+from pywb.utils.loaders import to_file_url
 
-from urllib import pathname2url
+import os
 
 from fakeredis import FakeStrictRedis
 from mock import patch
@@ -69,12 +69,6 @@ def init_redis_resolver():
 def hset_path(filename, path):
     redis_resolver.redis.hset(redis_resolver.key_prefix + filename, 'path', path)
 
-def to_local_url(filename):
-    filename = os.path.abspath(filename)
-    res = 'file:' + pathname2url(filename)
-    #print(res)
-    return res
-
 redis_resolver = init_redis_resolver()
 
 #=================================================================