I rode the Cardinal out of Chicago in mid-November and noticed that we did not exit the old Pennsy maineline at Colehour Junction. I asked the conductor and got her cheat sheet of various mileposts and railroad names but I can't piece it all in sequence. The railroad she has listed:
CN MP 31.0-25.2 (ex GTW?)
UP MP 20.0-9.0
BRC MP 16.0-15.3
NS CP 518-521
METRA for 4 miles
I thought she mentioned something about a quick ride on B&OCT for probably not even a train length.
Can any one help me unravel this maze?
Mel Hazen; Jax, FL Ride Amtrak. It's the only way to fly!!!
The Bernice Cutoff, which began at Colehour Junction, has mostly been abandoned. The Cardinal's route out of Chicago is as follows:
Chicago Union Station trackage to 21st Street, former C&WI (now Metra/UP) to Dolton Junction, CSX/UP joint line (former C&EI) to Thornton Junction, GTW to Dyer, CSX (former MON) beyond.
Thanks for the quick reply. The conductor mentioned the B&OCT as a link between two of the other roads. Is that true and where would that occur?
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