On my daliy commute, I cross over the EJ&E trains in Hoffman Estates. The tracks go under I-90. There is a siding there that extens north toward Barrington. Lately, I have noticed a lot of unit trains parked in the siding waiting to go southbound. I have noticed a lot of different power on these trains. Lately, it has been BNSF, with empties. What I'd like to know is this.
How are BNSF trains routed from that point back to Powder River (assuming that they will reload there)? Where are these unit trains coming from? I usually see coal unit trains with UP power that I assume comes from or goes to West Chicago. Those trains are usually headed to a power plant at Prairie Point, Wisconsin. Today I saw a train with CN power and the uniot train looked like it had a full train of coal, but the cars were only about 1/2 of normal length, and the train was facing south. Where might that train be going, especially loaded? I'm familiar with the Chicago area, so I know most of the interlocking places. If you can help, I would love to follow some of these trains.
If the CN train you saw today had small brown hopper cars that were about half the length of a normal hopper and that were actually loaded with small brown pellets there's a chance that it was a taconite train headed to Gary Indiana, not a coal train. Taconite is a form of iron ore that is shipped from Northern Minnesota to steel mills. While much of the ore goes via the Great Lakes on boats, some of it also goes "all rail," or that is completely over rail to some steel mills. I think there was one of these trains that would have passed through Chicagoland today with CN power, and it's possible it was routed via the EJE. I don't know the exact routing unfortunately, as I'm not that familiar with Chicago.
There are others on here who are far more qualified to comment on the BNSF coal trains than I, so I default to them.
Noah
ndbprr Routing would have been EJ&E mainline all the way as it ends at USX Gary. South to Joliet where it turns east south of I -80 and runs pretty much straight east to about Cline Ave. in Indiana and turns due north to the lakefront where it turns east and enters the yard and engine facility outside Gary works. By the way, the EJ&E just before turning north goes through what was the biggest set of crossings in the world at one time in Highland, Indiana. PRR, GTW, IHB, EJ&E and a couple of other railroad all crossed on a huge number of crossings in very close proximity. While many tracks are gone now it is still easy to discern where tracks were. It must have been a great railfan location fifty years ago.
Routing would have been EJ&E mainline all the way as it ends at USX Gary. South to Joliet where it turns east south of I -80 and runs pretty much straight east to about Cline Ave. in Indiana and turns due north to the lakefront where it turns east and enters the yard and engine facility outside Gary works. By the way, the EJ&E just before turning north goes through what was the biggest set of crossings in the world at one time in Highland, Indiana. PRR, GTW, IHB, EJ&E and a couple of other railroad all crossed on a huge number of crossings in very close proximity. While many tracks are gone now it is still easy to discern where tracks were. It must have been a great railfan location fifty years ago.
That 'biggest set of crossings in the world' at Highland, what was it called?
Alton Junction
Don't know that it ever had a formal name although there is a tower still standing there. It was all before my time in the Chicago area. It is easy to get to. Take Cline Ave south from I-94 in Indiana. It has a jog in downtown Highland and continue south about one mile. Can't miss the location.
The crossing in question is actually in Griffith and goes by that name. In the 1970's, the crossing involved EJ&E, GTW, PC Joliet Branch and EL/C&O. C&O assumed trackage rights into Chicago at Griffith and the EJ&E Porter Branch split from the main at Griffith.
CSSHEGEWISCH The crossing in question is actually in Griffith and goes by that name. In the 1970's, the crossing involved EJ&E, GTW, PC Joliet Branch and EL/C&O. C&O assumed trackage rights into Chicago at Griffith and the EJ&E Porter Branch split from the main at Griffith.
Thanks for that info.
Would it be Griffith Crossing or Griffith Junction?