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Roundout, IL

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Roundout, IL
Posted by eolafan on Thursday, March 17, 2005 3:07 PM
Most weeks I can find little or no time Monday through Friday to railfan but this week I have been able to do more than normal. Today I found myself in the vicinity of Roundout, IL at lunch time so I ate my Big-Mac while parked at Roundout tower for about thirty minutes. No action on CP but did see EJ&E switching and then headed West (East on the compass) with six cars and one unit. What I am wondering is whether I was taking a big chance parking next to the tower or is there a better place to park at Roundout (the tower operator came down from his tower and to his car and he saw me but said nothing at all and I could hear him on my scanner and I am sure he did not report me via radio). Any comments?[:I]
Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
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Posted by dknelson on Thursday, March 17, 2005 5:05 PM
I like the bike path bridge (former North Shore Line right of way) which is just a bit north of the crossing. I got there by parking on a side street west of the CP (it leads to an industry) and then walking the bike path to the bridge. Other than having to dodge bike riders (I was there in nice weather) it is a nice spot to watch trains - lots of Metra. Did not see any EJ&E and the sun angle probably would not be great for EF&E.
On the main street that runs east/west there is a memorial to the big train robbery that took place there decades ago. Worth checking out.
Dave Nelson
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Posted by spbed on Friday, March 18, 2005 6:50 AM
For my next Chicago trip is this on the North or South side of Chicago? [:D]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Most weeks I can find little or no time Monday through Friday to railfan but this week I have been able to do more than normal. Today I found myself in the vicinity of Roundout, IL at lunch time so I ate my Big-Mac while parked at Roundout tower for about thirty minutes. No action on CP but did see EJ&E switching and then headed West (East on the compass) with six cars and one unit. What I am wondering is whether I was taking a big chance parking next to the tower or is there a better place to park at Roundout (the tower operator came down from his tower and to his car and he saw me but said nothing at all and I could hear him on my scanner and I am sure he did not report me via radio). Any comments?[:I]

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Posted by eolafan on Friday, March 18, 2005 7:13 AM
spbed, it is on the North Shore of Chicago metro not far inland from Lake Michigan. Easiest way to get there is to take Rt. 294 north and exit at Rt. 137 (Buckley Road) and take that East to Telegraph Road (Rt. 43) South a little bit to Rockalnd Road (Rt. 176) East to the tracks. The first tracks you will cross are of the EJ&E and the second shortly afterwards will be the CP/Metra/Amtrak main line from Chicago to Milwaukee. Just after crossing the EJ&E track you will want to take a quick left turn and throught the little tunnel (that actually used to take traffic under the North Shore interurban line) and then a really quick right into the tower area and small yard. When departing you can take Rockland Road west to a Southbound entrance to Rt. 294 South or go back the way you came to Rt.137 to take Rt. 294 North (there is no northbound exit from 294 to 176 and no northbound entrance from 176 onto northound 294...hope this is not too confusing to you). Hope this helps.
Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 18, 2005 7:14 AM
spbed,
Rondout is north of Chicago, just east of interstate 94 on hwy 176.
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Posted by spbed on Friday, March 18, 2005 7:17 AM
So nearer to O' Hare then say theSears tower just so I have my bearing correct? Thanks also for the reply. I have put in on my hotspot list[8D]


QUOTE: Originally posted by equinox

spbed,
Rondout is north of Chicago, just east of interstate 94 on hwy 176.

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 18, 2005 7:59 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by spbed

So nearer to O' Hare then say theSears tower just so I have my bearing correct? Thanks also for the reply. I have put in on my hotspot list[8D]


QUOTE: Originally posted by equinox

spbed,
Rondout is north of Chicago, just east of interstate 94 on hwy 176.



O'Hare is on the northwest quadrant of Chicago. Rondout is about 35 miles straight north of the loop.
Mitch
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Posted by spbed on Friday, March 18, 2005 8:05 AM
Thanks I printed it & put in my Chicago file for my next venture to the Windy City. [:o)]


QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

spbed, it is on the North Shore of Chicago metro not far inland from Lake Michigan. Easiest way to get there is to take Rt. 294 north and exit at Rt. 137 (Buckley Road) and take that East to Telegraph Road (Rt. 43) South a little bit to Rockalnd Road (Rt. 176) East to the tracks. The first tracks you will cross are of the EJ&E and the second shortly afterwards will be the CP/Metra/Amtrak main line from Chicago to Milwaukee. Just after crossing the EJ&E track you will want to take a quick left turn and throught the little tunnel (that actually used to take traffic under the North Shore interurban line) and then a really quick right into the tower area and small yard. When departing you can take Rockland Road west to a Southbound entrance to Rt. 294 South or go back the way you came to Rt.137 to take Rt. 294 North (there is no northbound exit from 294 to 176 and no northbound entrance from 176 onto northound 294...hope this is not too confusing to you). Hope this helps.

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Posted by spbed on Friday, March 18, 2005 8:06 AM
Thanks one more time [8D]

QUOTE: Originally posted by artmark

QUOTE: Originally posted by spbed

So nearer to O' Hare then say theSears tower just so I have my bearing correct? Thanks also for the reply. I have put in on my hotspot list[8D]


QUOTE: Originally posted by equinox

spbed,
Rondout is north of Chicago, just east of interstate 94 on hwy 176.



O'Hare is on the northwest quadrant of Chicago. Rondout is about 35 miles straight north of the loop.
Mitch

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Posted by dknelson on Friday, March 18, 2005 8:20 AM
Rondout is the place made famous for the instructions to the steam powered Milwaukee Road Hiawatha train of the 1930s. For Roundout the instructions were "reduce to 90" That's reduce speed to 90 mph. Otherwise is was going 100 mph plus.
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Posted by spbed on Friday, March 18, 2005 8:33 AM
Interesting & thanks. [:D]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson

Rondout is the place made famous for the instructions to the steam powered Milwaukee Road Hiawatha train of the 1930s. For Roundout the instructions were "reduce to 90" That's reduce speed to 90 mph. Otherwise is was going 100 mph plus.
Dave Nelson

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Posted by eolafan on Friday, March 18, 2005 12:53 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson

Rondout is the place made famous for the instructions to the steam powered Milwaukee Road Hiawatha train of the 1930s. For Roundout the instructions were "reduce to 90" That's reduce speed to 90 mph. Otherwise is was going 100 mph plus.
Dave Nelson


[:0] Dave, for what it's worth the speed sign posts now say 79 mph for passenger and 40 mph for freight...still pretty darned fast.







Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
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Posted by spbed on Friday, March 18, 2005 1:09 PM
40 to me is a bit slow as I have seen them in other places going far faster. I fact once between Needles & Barstow I was pacing a WB BNSF & I was doing 80 & he was pulling away. I finally caught him when he slowed for a yellow signal. I also paced a UPRR EB on the Sunset route & finally caught him when I hit 71 or so. [:o)][:o)]


Originally posted by eolafan

Originally posted by dknelson

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Posted by eolafan on Saturday, March 19, 2005 9:19 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by spbed

40 to me is a bit slow as I have seen them in other places going far faster. I fact once between Needles & Barstow I was pacing a WB BNSF & I was doing 80 & he was pulling away. I finally caught him when he slowed for a yellow signal. I also paced a UPRR EB on the Sunset route & finally caught him when I hit 71 or so. [:o)][:o)]


Originally posted by eolafan

Originally posted by dknelson



Yes spbed, I agree, 40 is not terribly fast but you need to consider that Roundout was not in a really super built up area of metro Chicago when the Milwaukee Road steamers used to do 100 through there but now the area is really built up with residential and light commercial real estate and so the speeds are somewhat lower, and remember only the passenger trains did 100, not the freights. Passenger now does a max of 79...still very fast!
Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
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Posted by spbed on Saturday, March 19, 2005 9:47 AM
Yes I did see a A/trak scooting thru Daggett going pretty quickly. I do not think though it was 79. I do understand that urban sprawl will slow things down as well. You know you can see a EBer A/trak every day on the Ft. Madison cam between 10AM & 2PM usually FM time? [:D]

Originally posted by eolafan

Originally posted by spbed

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 19, 2005 9:51 AM
Nice I will have to take a road trip just as soon as the weather breaks here in Southern WI.
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Posted by eolafan on Saturday, March 19, 2005 10:24 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by spbed

Yes I did see a A/trak scooting thru Daggett going pretty quickly. I do not think though it was 79. I do understand that urban sprawl will slow things down as well. You know you can see a EBer A/trak every day on the Ft. Madison cam between 10AM & 2PM usually FM time? [:D]

Originally posted by eolafan



Originally posted by spbed



[8D] Yes indeed, we usually see both EB Amtrak trains (the Chief and the Cal Zephyr) through here in the mid afternoon between 2 and 4 p.m. (normally) every day of the week. I saw a picture this morning on www.railpictures.net of the EB Zephyr leaving CA two days ago with a neat private car on the rear. We may just see that same car going through here today (sound about right?).
Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
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Posted by spbed on Saturday, March 19, 2005 10:55 AM
Wow I hope I do not miss it as I will shortly be departing for a while for lunch. The time line to me sounds also OK. [:D][:D][:D][:o)][:o)]

Originally posted by eolafan


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Posted by DPD1 on Sunday, March 20, 2005 2:04 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Most weeks I can find little or no time Monday through Friday to railfan but this week I have been able to do more than normal. Today I found myself in the vicinity of Roundout, IL at lunch time so I ate my Big-Mac while parked at Roundout tower for about thirty minutes. No action on CP but did see EJ&E switching and then headed West (East on the compass) with six cars and one unit.[:I]


Let me guess... Was it #703? :-)

Dave

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Posted by eolafan on Sunday, March 20, 2005 3:22 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by DPD1

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Most weeks I can find little or no time Monday through Friday to railfan but this week I have been able to do more than normal. Today I found myself in the vicinity of Roundout, IL at lunch time so I ate my Big-Mac while parked at Roundout tower for about thirty minutes. No action on CP but did see EJ&E switching and then headed West (East on the compass) with six cars and one unit.[:I]


Let me guess... Was it #703? :-)

Dave

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[:0] Wow, I'm impressed! Yes it was the 703, how did you know, are you the tower operator as I did not see anybody else hanging around there that day?
Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 20, 2005 3:42 PM
EJE 703 is their only GP38-2 and is always assigned to the Waukegan Local.
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Posted by dknelson on Monday, March 21, 2005 8:38 AM
By the way, one more reason to railfan Rondout -- and take your telephoto lens -- is that, at least the last time I was there last year , they still hoop up orders at the tower. They place the hoops on a rack and the engineer leans out, holding his right arm in a crooked angle, and snags the string with the orders. This is railroading as it was practiced before radio. If you take the day to railfan Brighton Park on the south side of Chicago you'll see armstrong operated semaphore signals at the crossing then head north to Rondout to see orders being hooped up. Then head west to the Illinois Railroad Museum, or north to the trolley museum at East Troy WI and your entire day can be a time travel to the past
Dave Nelson
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Posted by spbed on Monday, March 21, 2005 8:51 AM
Are you serious hooping still exists in the age of electronics? That is a very big wow. [:D][:p] Yes from the Train Magazines Chicago issue I had targeted Bpark when I was in the area last year. Buuuuuuuuuuuut I decided to try Dolton 1st & was so transfixed with it I did not want to move. I saw like 25 trains fron various roads in about 6 hours. It was also close to the hwy to get me from south to O'hare as I was departing that day back to Florida. Thanks for the suggestion & I have a Cam with a very long lens so I would really love to capture a hoop before it goes the way of AMC Rambler. [:D][:D][:D]


QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson

By the way, one more reason to railfan Rondout -- and take your telephoto lens -- is that, at least the last time I was there last year , they still hoop up orders at the tower. They place the hoops on a rack and the engineer leans out, holding his right arm in a crooked angle, and snags the string with the orders. This is railroading as it was practiced before radio. If you take the day to railfan Brighton Park on the south side of Chicago you'll see armstrong operated semaphore signals at the crossing then head north to Rondout to see orders being hooped up. Then head west to the Illinois Railroad Museum, or north to the trolley museum at East Troy WI and your entire day can be a time travel to the past
Dave Nelson

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 21, 2005 9:03 AM
I'm curious as to what, if any, train orders are still hooped up at Rondout. In 1981 the territory east (south) of Rondout became CTC, with the crossovers electrified. At the same time it became the rule that trains turning off the main line onto the "J" Line to Fox Lake could proceed with only the signal indication, instead of a clearance and train orders.

Before then, on suburban trains going west up the "J" Line, we would have to open the side door of a gallery car, brace our feet to the two stancheons, lean way out and snag the orders. It was especially thrilling in the cold with a vestibule full of passengers waiting to exit the train at Libertyville.

We would get clearance, perhaps a "rights over" or "meet" order, a possible bump notice, and my paycheck all in the orders.

Mitch
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Posted by eolafan on Monday, March 21, 2005 1:56 PM
Dave, I may have missed it, but I do not recall seeing order hoops at Roundout the day I was there, however the snow was really flying so I could well have missed them.
Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
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Posted by DPD1 on Monday, March 21, 2005 2:45 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dbld1218

EJE 703 is their only GP38-2 and is always assigned to the Waukegan Local.



Yes, it's not hard to make a guess on the power for that train. Though they do bring 703 into Joliet or Gary every so often for service. Then one or two SW1200's get brought out for temp service. They usually stick them into the #21/Long West night train.

But on this hooping thing... I remember when they still did it at West Chicago tower. They don't still do it there, do they?

Dave

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Posted by eolafan on Monday, March 21, 2005 5:22 PM
Dave, I saw one of the OC SD40-2 units in Aurora (at the Liberty Street crossing) on Friday night. Nice to see something different once in a while.
Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
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Posted by DPD1 on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 2:11 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Dave, I saw one of the OC SD40-2 units in Aurora (at the Liberty Street crossing) on Friday night. Nice to see something different once in a while.


Yeah, those are pretty cool. They'll probably be going back pretty soon. I think the tac runs were supposed to stop the end of March.

Dave

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