We'll get down if we can make it, Johnny, but it's not looking good at the moment. We have Mr. Stanley and his Steemers coming early in the morning to clean our ductwork of the post-construction accumulation (as well as anything that may have accumulated over the past 30 or so years). And one of us has to put the finishing touches on our historical society's newsletter, so that it can be printed tomorrow and--we hope--mailed Friday (last chance before the October cover date).Perhaps we'll just have to wave as you head out on the Zephyr. Recommend that you be on the left side of the train if possible, and stay tuned!Today, before doing some work for the Historical Society in the afternoon, I had to retrieve my bicycle from the repair shop (it had sustained a broken spoke...first one this year). This involved driving with Pat to church for our Seniors meeting (we're the juniors at this gathering, usually), then heading out early to catch a scoot to Elmhurst, from which I'd walk the mile and a half to the repair shop, then bike the five or so miles home.A mundane but interesting time before and during the train trip. I got up to the station platform and checked the eastward signals at the Grace control point. Track 1: red over red. Track 2: red over green. Track 3: green over red. First thing I knew was that I wouldn't have to cross the tracks--my scoot would be boarding from Track 3, instead of the usual Track 1. Second thing I knew was that something was coming east on Track 2, and would be crossing over. Which way? Track 1, of course, since Track 3 was already lined up for use. The third thing I knew was that nothing would be coming past our platform from the east, since all three tracks were in play with eastbound trains.So, what's the first thing to show up? A headlight from the east!Fortunately, that train stopped to the east of the crossovers, on Track 2. And sure enough, here comes the WEPX coal train, bearing down on him on 2, but crossing over before he got to him. Before the coal train went out of sight, my scoot arrived. By the time we got down the half-mile or so to the crossovers, the westbound freight was already on the move. We continued our trip, and caught up with the coal train (now on Track 1) before we got to the Elmhurst platform.
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)
I had a good trip down from Washington to the Crescent City. We came into Birmingham six minutes early and left on time--and arrived in New Orleans 1:03 late (1:18 late by Slidell), because of heavy rains. Instead of going around the wye (my illy-designed spell checker did not have "wye" in its dictionary; shame on having such an ignorant dictionary compiler! I did inform the dictionary that there is such a word, as well as the name "Slidell".), we headed in, which was quite advantageous to the sleeper passengers, whose cars were right behind the baggage car.
Among other interesting people on board from Washington, I talked with a couple from Australia, who are enjoying seeing the USA by Amtrak (not in a Chevrolet). The man was knowledgeable of railroad operation, and was interested in what I was able to tell him.
At one meet, we had to back onto the main, for the pass track was occupied (the second such incident on this trip; the first one came when we had back back to track one on the Q because ties on track two were being replaced--there is an extensive program of replacing wood ties with wood ties in eastern Iowa--there is a long stretch of concrete ties in western Iowa. I watched and listened as the conductor on the CZ wielded the monkey tail).
It's bright and sunny here in New Orleans this morning, so I expect to walk back to the station. At 8:30 last night, I did not yield to the temptation to tempt any one on the street to stop me while walking to the hotel.
Off to Chicago this afternoon, where I may see Carl and Pat as well as my nephew and his wife tomorrow!
Johnny
(1) Jeff: Digital system may be fine, but the clueless non railroaders left to design the thing scare me to death.
(2) Carl: Spent the weekend with "Thomas" at the museum. Scary to see that the adults are dumber than some of the kids. The abuse of the word "train" pales the "tanker" nonsense by several shades......Then there was the kids on a field trip with a list of questions that a teacher had them answer. If I find the teacher, either he/she relinquishes the teaching certificate or gets an old fashioned butt-whuppin'!
PTC will not register the hind-end staying behind, if it really happened, since, as I understand it, it only keeps track of the location of the head end of the train. If, however, the signal system showed the remnant of the rear end there, no amount of signal-clearing would let the following train go beyond the last block (at least not at anything over restricted speed). So PTC gains you nothing there.I guess that there's not much difference between saying "tanker" and saying "gon" or "reefer"...it's done all the time out in open railroading. What galls me is "tanker car" instead of "tank car". I think even some of the stylebooks tell journalists to do that.
A few days ago the train ahead of me was hit by a dragging equipment detector. (10000 foot manifest, hit about 2/3 of the way back.) The conductor found the bottom cap of an empty tank car had come off and hit the detector paddles. He reported he had secured it the best he could and it looked banged up, probably from hitting switch frogs/rails and crossings. Anyway, when the dispatcher was repeating back the information he said the bottom cap off of an empty TANKER set off the detector.
While we were sitting behind the guy ahead, the dispatcher called us and asked for our location. Specifically if we were entirely north (actually time table east) of the CP at North Council Bluffs. I stated our head end location, which would've put us a good quarter mile clear of it. He said he just wanted to check because his computer display still showed the rear of our train occupying south of the CP. I've heard things like this before where the computer has advanced before the train has reached or failed to advance after the train has passed a control point. It gives one a lot of confidence in CAD and (in the future) PTC.
Jeff
CShaveRR There is supposed to be a parallel program in northwest Indiana called the Indiana Gateway Project (or some such). It obviously hasn't gotten as much publicity, probably due more to tight-fisted or impoverished partners not allowing it to go ahead. Yeah, I vaguely recall that. I think there were one or two connections between railway lines or something. After the initial ballyhoo, it's as if the initiative dropped off the face of the earth. The only other happenings I'm aware of in NW Indiana are rerouting the ex-EJE line around the Gary Airport runway extension, and CN performing a lot of trackwork to integrate the J into their operations (as a once-upon-a-time J employee, I am delighted to see the property finally coming into its own as "Chicago's Outer Belt," as originally intended -- but that's another story). Anyway, it seems likely that the only way any Northwest Indiana rail network improvement program can be summoned up lies in going hand in hand to NICTD (the agency that funds South Shore passenger service), and maybe even encouraging additional NICTD service on other lines, telling them, "We'll open our lines to your passenger trains, but to make the service work, we'll need some help [read capital and perhaps eminent domain assistance], or none of our trains will get anywhere on time, and the whole schmeer will seem like a bad dream."
There is supposed to be a parallel program in northwest Indiana called the Indiana Gateway Project (or some such). It obviously hasn't gotten as much publicity, probably due more to tight-fisted or impoverished partners not allowing it to go ahead.
Yeah, I vaguely recall that. I think there were one or two connections between railway lines or something. After the initial ballyhoo, it's as if the initiative dropped off the face of the earth. The only other happenings I'm aware of in NW Indiana are rerouting the ex-EJE line around the Gary Airport runway extension, and CN performing a lot of trackwork to integrate the J into their operations (as a once-upon-a-time J employee, I am delighted to see the property finally coming into its own as "Chicago's Outer Belt," as originally intended -- but that's another story). Anyway, it seems likely that the only way any Northwest Indiana rail network improvement program can be summoned up lies in going hand in hand to NICTD (the agency that funds South Shore passenger service), and maybe even encouraging additional NICTD service on other lines, telling them, "We'll open our lines to your passenger trains, but to make the service work, we'll need some help [read capital and perhaps eminent domain assistance], or none of our trains will get anywhere on time, and the whole schmeer will seem like a bad dream."
Yesterday, I had a so-so trip down to Florence, S.C., arriving on time after being as much as half an hour late here and there; there is a good bit of padding built into the Palmetto's schedule between Dillon and Florence. Today, I have had a pleasant day, going to church at a church I had known of almost all of my life, but did not know just where it is. I saw several members of a family I had more or less grown up with for they went to the same school I went to, and I saw one of my school classmates I had not seen since I graduated from high school (1954) As the service began this morning, I rang the bell that had been in my home church-for the first time in fifty-nine years; it had been moved from my home church to this church. Tonight, I leave for the north on the Silver Meteor, and tomorrow evening I will head for the Crescent City.
There is supposed to be a parallel program in northwest Indiana called the Indiana Gateway Project (or some such). It obviously hasn't gotten as much publicity, probably due more to tight-fisted or impoverished partners not allowing it to go ahead.As for Western Avenue, I think that's pretty on Metra's wish list. I happened to be among the lucky ones caught there last week, but it has been providing problems due to age for months on end. I have heard that they'd like to place the crossing further east, near CNW's old Noble Street Tower, and swap tracks between there and Western Avenue. It's supposed to speed things up for everyone, but I'm not sure how Metra's line would go faster with those curves off the old UP track by the existing tower. A crossing in this spot would afford more headroom out of the coach yards of both railroads before encountering the crossing, though; that would also be to the good.I'm wondering whether, with that mile or so of parallel lines, it would be possible to accomplish an effective crossing of routes with only crossovers, equilateral switches if necessary, and perhaps OWLS diamonds for the UP tracks from the shop, keeping them along the north edge.I'm with you on crossing elimination, though I'm not sure all that many people see it as a solution, but rather as more of a neighborhood blight or destruction.
CShaveRR Billio, you are correct about the current status of the three-tracking (to the east end of Proviso).Future plans do in fact call for not only the third track from 25th Avenue (the east end of Proviso) to Vale (where three-track railroading resumes), but also the stretch west from West Chicago to Peck, which would give them three tracks everywhere from Kedzie (the junction with the Rockwell Subdivision) all the way out to Elburn. There are CREATE projects calling for two or three grade separations between the line and streets in Maywood and Melrose Park as well. Another CREATE grade separation, on Highway 38 between West Chicago and Geneva, is well underway.
Billio, you are correct about the current status of the three-tracking (to the east end of Proviso).Future plans do in fact call for not only the third track from 25th Avenue (the east end of Proviso) to Vale (where three-track railroading resumes), but also the stretch west from West Chicago to Peck, which would give them three tracks everywhere from Kedzie (the junction with the Rockwell Subdivision) all the way out to Elburn. There are CREATE projects calling for two or three grade separations between the line and streets in Maywood and Melrose Park as well. Another CREATE grade separation, on Highway 38 between West Chicago and Geneva, is well underway.
Speaking of CREATE, I personally believe that it is one of the few joint rail government efforts that makes much sense. I hope that when all the projects contemplated under the present CREATE umbrella are finished, that a second CREATE program would begin. I would hope that the second program spills over into NW Indiana, where the spaghetti maze of CSD trackage continues (mostly) unimproved, and where a few grade railway separations, connections, and rail-highway grade separations could do almost as much good as the original CREATE program. In Illinois, one additional project that would help untangle things on the North Side would be some sort of flyover, by which scoots and the odd Amtrak coming off the ex-MILW at Western Avenue and crossing the CNW main at grade enroute to Union Station could vault over it (or vice-versa). I'd like to see a whole bunch more rail-highway grade crossings eliminated, with particular emphasis on the CNW West Line, BNSF (Chicago to Aurora), and the old Rock Island between, oh, 95th Street and Joliet (maybe even put the ROCK up on an embankment -- above street level -- between 95th Street and Blue Island), the first two of which see significant freight traffic and all of which see mucho passenger traffic. Ditto for some major street grade crossings on heavily travelled stretches if IHB and BRC. I presume other readers may have a few pet projects that they'd like to see done, too, to speed trains along and keep them out of each other's way, and out of the way of highway traffic.
As to whether anyone will have the foresight and brains to keep up the effort, who can say?
Billio, you are correct about the current status of the three-tracking (to the east end of Proviso).Future plans do in fact call for not only the third track from 25th Avenue (the east end of Proviso) to Vale (where three-track railroading resumes), but also the stretch west from West Chicago to Peck, which would give them three tracks everywhere from Kedzie (the junction with the Rockwell Subdivision) all the way out to Elburn. There are CREATE projects calling for two or three grade separations between the line and streets in Maywood and Melrose Park as well. Another CREATE grade separation, on Highway 38 between West Chicago and Geneva, is well underway.I can't tell you about Canal Street with certainty. I understand that it was closed when UP opened Global 4, outside of Joliet. But then I have heard that some things still go on there, and that it's still switched by Chicago Rail Link, the same folks who handled the switching there for UP. Someone else will have to provide the authoritative answer, though.
CShaveRR Oh...early in the post I mentioned being disappointed by a lack of blueberries at the station in Antioch. Well, where else are you supposed to go to get fresh Antioch-cidants?
Oh...early in the post I mentioned being disappointed by a lack of blueberries at the station in Antioch. Well, where else are you supposed to go to get fresh Antioch-cidants?
Dan
CShaveRR ...One further report, closer to home: I believe that all of the tracks for the CREATE project that built the third track around Proviso and the revised connections to the IHB are in service now. There was one stretch of main line that I was in doubt about when I rode the route a week ago (track 3 from Provo Junction to 25th Avenue), but our train rode over that stretch at a decent speed this evening.
...One further report, closer to home: I believe that all of the tracks for the CREATE project that built the third track around Proviso and the revised connections to the IHB are in service now. There was one stretch of main line that I was in doubt about when I rode the route a week ago (track 3 from Provo Junction to 25th Avenue), but our train rode over that stretch at a decent speed this evening.
Just for the record, I checked the C.R.E.A.T.E. website which lists this project as complete as of September 2013 (Project B2 for construction geeks like me who may wish to verify it). From an overhead inspection from Google Earth, this -- the completion of the third main track through Bellwood, Berkeley, Elmhurst and Melrose Park) appears to give the CNW West Line three tracks from West Chicago to the east approaches to Proviso Yard. I'm sure the completion cannot come too soon for the dispatchers. Do long-term plans call for three-tracking the line from Proviso to Western Avenue (I don't know the name of the junction, but the place where the line to Wood Street veers off to the south?
Also, to skip topics a bit, has the UP intermodal terminal at Canal Street been closed down? I recall reading that UP would like to get rid of that terminal, and I was under the impression that it had finally been shut.
Thanks in advance.
Well, Carl, you are back up to your old tricks. Does it take a bad day at the railroad track (races) to bring it out? I am glad we had no problems with our morning trip, but pleasure all the way.
Jim, I am sorry you were not able to meet with us in Antioch; I would have been glad to meet you.
Since the sun at last came out, I did walk down to the LaSalle Street station to see what it looks like now; I don't think I had been there since 1974, and it has certainly been reworked.
I had a good trip to Washington on the Cardinal, we were only about a half hour late arriving here--and there was no rain. May there be none when I walk back to the station in the morning.
In spite of the fact that I'm a railfan who (a) knows what's going on, and (b) has--at least relatively speaking--all the time in the world, this afternoon had to be acknowledged as the Metra Experience from Hell!(No, I'm not talking about the trip to Antioch and back with Johnny Degges...that went very smoothly, in spite of the fact that I couldn't find any blueberries at Antioch. It was after an enjoyable trip, and an enjoyable lunch with Johnny that the fun began. Johnny, I could have stuck around for another hour...)I left Union Station on foot with 15 minutes to get over to Ogilvie and catch my train, the 1:40 (#35) on the West Line. By the time I got to the train, it was pretty packed, and I wound up on the upper deck. Not a problem. I could still see out the window, albeit looking in reverse from an inside-facing seat.A few minutes out, I noticed that we were on the third track from the left, instead of the left-most track. It was interesting to listen to the jointed rail underneath our coach, and we weren't going as fast as normal. I knew why were over there--there had been a surfacing gang at work on our normal track. But then we stopped.
And stayed.
It was the dreaded "A-2 Interlock", as the Channel 5 "investigative" reporters called it...Western Avenue, as we call it. Sometime in the hour after the last westbound scoot passed, it became impossible for UP trains to receive a lineup. An eastbound was already on the other side of the plant waiting to come at us (he, too, was on the slower tracks). The pre-programmed announcement (20 minutes after we stopped) said we "might be affected by signal problems". The next announcement said that we were "running" 30 minutes late due to switch problems. No, we weren't running. The crew did its best to reassure us that the problem was being worked on. Meanwhile, trains on Metra's Milwaukee District kept going by us in both directions (there are Metra trains from three commuter routes, and Amtrak's Chicago-Milwaukee service). These trains have to cross over our route here, and obviously had no problem doing that. A Metra track crew went west on their line. The UP surfacing gang came east on ours, probably after not getting across. More scoots on the Metra line.I finally heard some encouraging radio chatter about 55 minutes after we'd departed (we've gone less than three miles at this point). And the train began to move. We crossed the plant, met the eastbound scoots (yes, there were two by this time, normally an hour apart) that were also now moving, then we got more bad news.Our train crew was getting dangerously close to going "dead on the law"...after twelve hours on duty you can no longer operate your train. So the plan was to make the stops needed through Oak Park (that would be Kedzie and a stop to unload some deadheads at Keeler), and drop all of the passengers off at Oak Park except for those going to the end of the line, at Elburn. We were to wait for the following train, which was scheduled to be "only about five minutes" behind us to pick us up. We stopped at Kedzie, where the westbound "Salad Shooter" train of refrigerator cars was slowly paralleling us (that train, by the way, had come off the Rockwell Sub, so things were getting through after last night's wreck). We stayed alongside him through the stop at Keeler, and finally got ahead of him well before Oak Park. At Oak Park we were on Track 1, the track normally used by eastbound trains. I was hoping the next train didn't come in on 3 (the Salad Shooter was on 2), so this whole crowd didn't have to use the underground passageway and get up on the extremely narrow platform between the tracks. (Stay tuned, folks--this last observation is fraught with irony!)They finally got everybody off the train and away from the platform edge, then took off. So there we sat...the five minutes turned to ten, fifteen...the Salad Shooter came through slowly and stopped at the crew-change platform west of the Oak Park station. Some folks fretted that he'd be going ahead of us, but I could assure them that we were the ones who had the signal for Vale, where the tracks narrow from three to two. Another ten minutes or so, and we could finally see the headlights of Train 37 coming. They came and boarded us all, finally departing a full 30 minutes behind their schedule. After making the extra stop for passengers at Maywood (a stop for Train 35, but not normally for #37), we were running about 35 minutes late. The conductor cheerfully announced that some of us were now an hour and 35 minutes late, but there was no need to stand for this--the coaches up front had plenty of seats. I chose to stand anyway.I got off at Elmhurst, where I had to visit two banks (one about three blocks away) and the hobby shop. A stack train was going east when we stopped, and I missed closeups of two freights while running my errands. One of those was the Salad Shooter, finally able to go west unhindered; the other was an inbound train exclusively made up of frac-sand cars. In spite of the fact that I had only 25 minutes (instead of an hour) to do my errands, I got back to the platform in time for the hind end of the frac-sand train. I crossed to the usual boarding platform on the south side of the tracks, and it only took a minute before the announcement from my old nemesis, Automated Metra Lady: "Attention, Union Pacific West Line passengers: Train 39 to Elburn will operate off [sic] Platform 1--the north platform. Please safely make your way over to Platform 1--the north platform--for boarding. Thank you." Yes, I'm sure of the wording, because it was repeated six times in rapid succession.Then came the normal announcement about the next outbound train expected to arrive in five minutes. I ran to the deli and got myself a drink, and got back with time to spare (after all, I didn't have to cross to the south platform). Then the headlight showed up on the south track. Fine, I thought, he's going to cross over at Park...umm, just where is that crossover?.... "Metra Commuters, your attention please--the next westbound train from Chicago is now arriving in your station..." And he was crossing Haven Street on the south track. I just said, "Time to hit the tunnel, folks!", and the 30 or so waiting passengers safely made our way to Platform 3--the south platform--to board our train which Automated Metra Lady had said would be "operating off" the north platform. It took a while to board the stragglers, but the conductor waited for everyone after some of them poured out the tale of woe, and off we went. Even that wasn't the last mishap to befall us. As we left Elmhurst, I heard the "Another Train Warning System" working. I expected that we'd meet an eastbound freight about then (Automated Metra Lady had told us that the next eastbound scoot, due imminently, had not yet left Elburn due to "late arrival of equipment caused by previous delays"--no big surprise there; I just hope they didn't have to replace that poor, dying crew en route). But no trains blew by us. We stopped at Villa Park. Again, "Danger--another train coming!" And this time it came--a westbound stack train who had been following us on Track 2. We departed Villa Park, matched his speed, started to pass him, then slowed for Lombard as he kept going, having nicely prevented anyone from crossing the tracks ahead of our arrival, if they'd needed to catch us from the downtown side. I was glad to say goodbye to both the stacker and the scoot before heading home.Oh...early in the post I mentioned being disappointed by a lack of blueberries at the station in Antioch. Well, where else are you supposed to go to get fresh Antioch-cidants?
Jim, that would have been nice, but I didn't see it until now. I don't think we would have had time for a bite there in Antioch, as it was only 20 minutes before our return train. Johnny had to catch the Cardinal tonight, so we had no choice of trips along this line. I was glad that we could add this to his tally of route-miles...he's now done everything he could possibly do out of Chicago (except for Geneva to Elburn).We had a good trip, and Johnny spent practically all of the eastbound trip looking out the cab-car window. CN has a pretty impressive stretch of railroad there, especially the connection to the old J at Leithton (I forgot what they call the junction now).Had a good visit during the trips, and a good lunch afterwards at Union Station; I trust he's now well on his way to Washington via the Cardinal.Going into Chicago this morning, I had an amazing score of over-under meets. There was a train of grain cars moving on the CN underneath us between Villa Park and Elmhurst. We went under a CP train on the BRC at 40th Street. And when we crossed over the north lead into Union Station near our terminal, all three tracks were occupied by moving Metra trains--two eastbound, one westbound!I found out that last night's wreck was indeed a stack train. Fortunately the derailment didn't happen right at Kedzie, but rather off on the Rockwell Subdivision a few carlengths away from the main line. So our route didn't incur any damage, but I could see a pile of trucks, a cleared-away stack car, and several double-stacks of containers on their sides. Colin Mucha posted something over on Facebook that suggested that this derailment may have been weather-related (stacks blown over, perhaps?).Unfortunately, the day went downhill after I left Johnny standing at the platform...I've got another long post about that. So that will be two long-winded posts, and not a single mention of hand brakes !
CShaveRR See you in a couple of hours, Johnny!
See you in a couple of hours, Johnny!
I'm up, at this hour, so I can catch a train into the city to meet Johnny. It's a gray day, with thunderstorms this morning.Last night a freight-train derailment completely blocked the UP West Line at Kedzie. No details, but my vivid imagination pictures a stack train with cars going every which-way over the plant there. In spite of added tracks through there, there's no way for mainline trains to get to them and go around the wreck through the yard. Anyway, trains were on the move an hour or so later, so I expect no problems today (maybe a good visual of some cleanup, though).See you in a couple of hours, Johnny!
Johnny - everyone sleeps thru Lincoln & Omaha!
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
Yes, I was dismayed when Carl did not greet me at the gate in Union Station when I came in, even though we were more than an hour late (tie replacement was largely responsible, but a computer problem kept us from being lined up to enter the station for about ten minutes.
I forgot to tell Mookie that I would be passing through Lincoln this morning, but I slept through both Lincoln and Omaha, so I would not seen her to wave at her--and my roomette was on the north side of the train, so I would not have seen her anyway.
The trip from Grand Junction to Denver was not really bad, even though it was by bus and not train. I was hoping that sleeper passengers would be treated to lunch at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, but we stopped at a fast food mecca well east of there, and had to pay for our lunches.
I'm looking forward to the trip to Antioch and back tomorrow, with Carl.
I leave for Washington tomorrow afternoon, on the Cardinal, which will give me a daylight trip across West Virginia and Virginia.
As a friend in South Carolina says, Toodle
zardozCNW 6000 That being said, this place (these forums as a whole) sure have changed over the years...and definitely not for the better. Good thing there are still, at least for now, a few of the old heads still around to keep things on the level (or at least from getting too far 'off-track').
CNW 6000 That being said, this place (these forums as a whole) sure have changed over the years...and definitely not for the better.
That being said, this place (these forums as a whole) sure have changed over the years...and definitely not for the better.
Amen to both of the above revered friends. I think a lot of the change is that we now have other outlets for our more sociable, or human, side in many cases. That's part of the reason both the diner and the lounge probably aren't as busy as we could be. For example, you no longer see menu listings in the diner like you used to, and they certainly don't lead to the commentary on food preferences, or even the exchange of recipes, that once occurred here. I don't mind the absence of food, but the missing camaraderie does hurt a bit.And Jim, one has to realize how bad things are when nobody posts on the humor thread...or is that something that has been banned? I'm assured that things will improve here soon, if they haven't already.Having said all of that, today I'm feeling embarrassed. I completely forgot to check on Johnny's progress today, and he consequently got into Union Station below the radar. He was bustituted in portions of Colorado...even the UP Overland Route is having problems from this flooding.The good news is, I'll get to see him tomorrow before he presses on eastward, and I think we're going to do a little exploring of the CN, by way of Metra's North Central line.
The public meeting on SOTL high-speed rail (south of the Lake) was time that could have been put to better use by me. Except that seeing the Gallery Room off the Great Hall at Union Station was a neat experience.
Basically, what they said has been accomplished at this point has been narrowing down the choices to basically one of two major alignments between Chicago and Porter, neither of which is perfect. One would basically be parallel to the existing route, using the NS (ex-NYC/PRR) between Porter and Chicago, possibly with some routing over South Shore right-of-way thrown in; the other would use a combination of the St. Charles Air Line, Illinois Central (CN) and IHB/Michigan Central between Kensington and Porter. An alternative would route the line over the former PRR right-of-way down to the crossing of the MC in Gary, then back up to Porter.
What they want to have is a two-track route all the way, dedicated only to high-speed rail, and with curves and other obstacles ironed out so that 110 m.p.h. would be achievable over most of the route. They have planned for diesel-powered operation at present, but would design it so that electrification could be looked at in the future, if business warranted it.Here's the interesting part: they are projecting that this corridor would be needed to have a capacity of 56 trains per day, half of which would go to Michigan (not sure whether this includes current or expanded Pere Marquette or Blue Water operations), and the remainder to corridor service to Indianapolis and to Fort Wayne. Those corridors aren't part of the discussion, but somebody is looking for them.What was frustrating was the number of questions that were asked, to which the answer was that they weren't far enough along in the process to be studying that yet. They don't know what kind of cooperation they'll get from NS or CN. I haven't looked at the website that shows what's been done yet, but it's www.greatlakesrail.org. The boards, slides, and such that were presented in the room were not made available in hard-copy, so the website is probably the only source for that material.End of report.
One further report, closer to home: I believe that all of the tracks for the CREATE project that built the third track around Proviso and the revised connections to the IHB are in service now. There was one stretch of main line that I was in doubt about when I rode the route a week ago (track 3 from Provo Junction to 25th Avenue), but our train rode over that stretch at a decent speed this evening.
mudchicken Carl: Bridge that collapsed was former TP&W west end that was taken away from A&K Materials by the STB (not Tazewell & Peoria)... I knew that, MC...they said the train was going to be interchanged with the Tazewell, Peoria & Western, which, as far as I know, is not nor ever was the name of the former P&PU.
Carl: Bridge that collapsed was former TP&W west end that was taken away from A&K Materials by the STB (not Tazewell & Peoria)...
I knew that, MC...they said the train was going to be interchanged with the Tazewell, Peoria & Western, which, as far as I know, is not nor ever was the name of the former P&PU.
CShaveRR Looking at the etymology here, though, I think that some people are choosing annihilation over moderation. Come back, Bergie! Or Mark!
Looking at the etymology here, though, I think that some people are choosing annihilation over moderation. Come back, Bergie! Or Mark!
Word
Carl: Bridge that collapsed was former TP&W west end that was taken away from A&K Materials by the STB (not Tazewell & Peoria)...Whilst cheap shot from a retired railroader on there can't be substantiated, it will certainly raise the attention of the 4 FRA bridge & track guys in Chicago who will be wanting certain reports and credentials provided by the holding company with the anything but stellar reputation in the industry.
The jeffrey-wimberly moderator just shut down anohter thread..........
zugmann jeffhergert Gee, I haven't been offered membership in the club. I'm beginning to feel left out. Jeff That's ok, I was kicked out of that club. Even they didn't want me.
jeffhergert Gee, I haven't been offered membership in the club. I'm beginning to feel left out. Jeff
Gee, I haven't been offered membership in the club. I'm beginning to feel left out.
That's ok, I was kicked out of that club. Even they didn't want me.
I guess I'm too moderate for moderation, so far.Looking at the etymology here, though, I think that some people are choosing annihilation over moderation. Come back, Bergie! Or Mark!
I was away for most of the fun here. You folks who PMd me and otherwise wrote about this, thanks. I'll be getting back to you. We have a busy week ahead of us, though, so it might take a while.Before we reached the Land of No Trains, we went through the Area of Occasional Bonanzas, where I got former numbers (sometimes two of them) off a couple dozen CSXT steel Bethgons that are being used in coke service on the SouthShore, I think.By the way, somebody somewhere (not here, I don't think) mentioned that the towers at Blue Island had been torn down. It ain't so. The gate tower by Broadway Street is still standing (didn't see if it was occupied), and the interlocking tower across the channel is also still up, though we know that one is no longer in use, and probably won't survive. There is a sign for the street advising of "increased train traffic" here. Naturally, it never shows up when I do...Going to make the trip to the city tomorrow for the public meeting on SOTL high-speed rail. I hope I can take home a few good talking points or solid plans.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
zugmann Hey, I'm part of the moderated club, too.
Hey, I'm part of the moderated club, too.
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