I'm planning my annual visit to Rochelle in the next week or 2. The best days for me to be there would be a Thurs and Friday. Based on what I've seen on the webcam this summer, traffic is down, at least compared to my last visit, July of '07. At that time, there was at least one 3hr gap with nothing. Best visit was the first one in 2000. On the UP side it was one train every 20 minutes or so, all day. Part of the slowdown last summer was trackwork west of Rochelle.
I'm curious to know from anyone who has spent a day or 2 at Rochelle this summer, how was the traffic?
Someone had suggested a drive south of Rochelle to the BNSF transcon main, where traffic may be heavier. I may also consider going there.
john
I was there last month and I wasn't really pleased. There was 35 trains in about 12 hours most of them came in small spurts. I was not happy with my trip to Rochelle and was a big let down for me. That might change for you though. Good Luck!
Kevin
Traffic on the UP is definately down from previous years, but it won't be very noticeable. The UP is so unpredictable. Maybe a stack or auto train less. You'll still see over 50 on the UP and over 20 on the BNSF. I've never gotten a 24 hour count along the BNSF so I'm too sure about that #. But this January I did stay along the UP in Malta IL and got about 50 on a Sunday night.
I have stayed along the transcon many times. On a Thursday or Friday you'll probably see as many as 60 BNSF trains plus a few UP's. I prefer the transcon because I like the higher speeds. I personally get kind of board watching UP lope through Rochelle with many trains hitting the diamonds at 15mph or so. But you will definately see more trains in Rochelle and theres more variety.
You could always start at 1 spot and if it isn't working out for you then check out the other. Only 1 hour drive between Rochelle and Toluca on I39.
Enjoy your trip!
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.