http://www.businessrockford.com/multimedia/x96459631
from the looks of this story, it would seem that way.
what effect will this have on the line? i know ABEBE is as good as gone, but will the locals on that line be enough to keep it around?
Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.
Although Chrysler is the king client on that track, I think there are enough customers to keep it active. The tracks and bed are in great condition up to Belvidere, but they still run a weekly train across US20 in Cherry Valley (have yet to catch it, though). I've heard switching operations in Marengo (I live close enough to the tracks to have my floor shake when the auto racks come flying through) or at least I imagine that is what is occuring when I hear a honker go back and forth across town 3-4 times in a couple hours.
Fortunately, this shutdown is only temporary. The cascading effect described in the report, however, will be real, and the railroad will feel it as well, one way or another.
Personally, my worst concern will probably be what we'll do with all of those empty racks. But, as the Kat says, there's still business out there.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
TEMPORARY!
That means it will open again, probably sometime in January. In the last couple of months, the Belvidere plant cut production back from three shifts to two. Nobody is predicting that the plant will be closed for good.
I am sure the plant is a nice little piece of business for the UP, but the shutdown is not going to put them in the tank.
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics
Shutdowns like this are part of the auto industry--they always have been. My father retired from the Belvidere plant more than 5 years ago. The 'inventory adjustment' shutdown between Christmas and New Years (and maybe a couple of weeks beyond) was standard procedure.
The third shift is still running at the current time, but it will be eliminated sometime this spring, I think. The line between Belvidere and West Chicago is busier now than it has been over the previous 15 years. There is the night-time road train to Proviso and an over-night turn that runs from Belvidere down to West Chicago and back. That gives four moves a day when the plant is running. On the weekends they will run extra moves to cycle empty autoracks up to Belvidere. Nothing is brought into the plant via hi-cube boxcars anymore, everything is trucked in or made via the stamping plant on-site.
Other industries in Belvidere include Central Grain near the wye along with a few other things. Grain loads on an infrequent basis--although I saw some cars there the other day.
The line over to Rockford is run three times a week--on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They usually leave Belvidere about 7-8 AM and head to Rockford. They work the yard on the west side of the Rock River and run up the K.D. Line through Sinnissippi Park to Loves Park on those mornings to go to Cadbury-Adams (the old Warren Lambert plant). They are usually back to Belvidere in the early afternoon.
Lance
I also grew up shooting the C&NW in Belvidere, IL from 1980 onward.
A selection of old 110-color prints and scanned slides can be found on my flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wales23/sets/72157603224465401/
Thanks for looking!
LWales wrote: I also grew up shooting the C&NW in Belvidere, IL from 1980 onward.A selection of old 110-color prints and scanned slides can be found on my flickr page:http://www.flickr.com/photos/wales23/sets/72157603224465401/Thanks for looking!Lance
Great photos. Loved the old open auto-racks. I wonder which lasted longer: the open auto-racks or those Chryslers they carried?
Michael
EJE818 wrote:I am interested to see what effects this would have on the Illinois Railway Museum, and what effects it would have on the rest of the UP system. Now I am hearing UP is running two autorack trains as of a few days ago to Belvidere. This makes me wonder why they would shut the plant down in Belvidere, as it must be somewhat of a busy place to warrant two auto trains a day instead of one.
I usually hear 2 eastbound autoracks and a westbound light each night. If I stay up really late, I sometimes catch more. Can't say what they run between 6am and 5pm, since I'm at work in Rockford.
Lance,
Do you know this Rockford/Loves Park local's symbol? I rode the trolley on the Loves Park Spur this summer and would love to catch the local at the same locations.
LWales wrote:Thanks for looking!Lance
Love the shots with the "wig-wag" grade crossing signal. Bet that's gone by now!
Oh yeah, wigwags in Belvidere are long gone. They would have come out around 1987 or so when the line was rehabed.
I don't know what the symbol is for the Rockford job--I'm usually at work too when he's running and haven't paid much attention. He has one or two GP15s.
The road trains from Belvidere to Proviso currently have the UP 1995, the CNW heritage unit, and the CNW 8646. Neat to see them up in the old hometown.
wigwags eh? we got one up in bloomer. but the trains on that line are too puny for me to care enough to fan them.
good that this is only temporary. IRM is by that line and if they lose it, they cant get anymore donations and my chances of seeing a CNW SD40-2 donated will be lost, possibly with those, my chances of seeing a true CNW ever again. too much importance lies on that track to lose it
i confess i could not view your pictures. i'm sure they're most excellent photos, but i can't look at anything CNW. it just hurts too bad. so nothing personal
Lord Atmo wrote:wigwags eh? we got one up in bloomer. but the trains on that line are too puny for me to care enough to fan them.good that this is only temporary. IRM is by that line and if they lose it, they cant get anymore donations and my chances of seeing a CNW SD40-2 donated will be lost, possibly with those, my chances of seeing a true CNW ever again. too much importance lies on that track to lose iti confess i could not view your pictures. i'm sure they're most excellent photos, but i can't look at anything CNW. it just hurts too bad. so nothing personal
Even if the UP calls it quits on the line, I would bet that METRA would be interested at least out to Marengo. I don't forsee the IRM losing its active connection anytime in the near or far future.
Lance.
Those are pretty good photos for a 110 camera. Nice job. Love the old F7's.
Lance:Those were fantastic photos. Even the 110's which were a bit blurry had an "affect" to them. Hard to explain, perhaps it is the "blurriness" of our memories...whatever, but the going away shot of MILW 3, even tho lo res, was great.
Do you have any more to share?
ed
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