Richard's American Train Adventures

[richard carr]

After Streator I headed north to Ottawa Illinois, this follows the route of the Illinois railway, but it turns out this is just used for freight car storage.

In Ottawa there is a lovely bridge over the river



This is the track leading up to it, it doesn't look that good and clearly hadn't been used for some time. the photo was taken with a 100mm lens

This is in the other direction.



You can see how rusty the rails are.

Further along the Illinois railway has a small depot. This was parked outside.




Nothing wa happening in Ottawa so I headed for Earlsville, a village about 20 miles to the north east, deep in rural Illinois.
The BNSF mainline from Chicago Union station runs through it and it is crossed by a BNSF branch from DeKalb.

This was the crossing



So with this there is no gap in the mainline, the branch rail is lifts rolling stock over it, I don't think there is much traffic along the branch.

This is the mainline looking west towards Galesburg, 2 trains are coming one on each track both heading west.



The first was Amtrak, this was the second one.



Then it was a 90 minute drive back to O'Hare via the back roads to Aurora.


Richard

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

This was the crossing

So with this there is no gap in the mainline, the branch rail is lifts rolling stock over it, I don't think there is much traffic along the branch.

These are known as OWLS (One Way Low Speed) crossings with the low speed on the branch - naturally.

 

[Jordan]

These are known as OWLS (One Way Low Speed) crossings with the low speed on the branch - naturally.

2nd New Thing I've learned about modern American track this morning!! 1st was the "jump frog" in Mickoo's US Thread.

 

[mickoo]

2nd New Thing I've learned about modern American track this morning!! 1st was the "jump frog" in Mickoo's US Thread.

Everyday is a school day

 

[Dog Star]

2nd New Thing I've learned about modern American track this morning!! 1st was the "jump frog" in Mickoo's US Thread.

Everyday is a school day

Now we know that Jordan is paying attention.

 

[Jordan]

Now we know that Jordan is paying attention.

Hello? What? Yes?

 

[Dog Star]

Hello? What? Yes?

And I am glad that you are!

I had spotted the unusual detail of the crossing some posts above - although what I first noticed was that the turnout seemed to be missing a check rail. Not knowing the language of S&C work over the pond I waited for someone more knowledgeable than I to provide an explanation - which you did by noting that the US referred to the crossing as a "Jump Frog" (yes you, Jordan (@Jordan)). Oft to Wiki and there is the light.

Thanks J.

regards, Graham

 

[Jordan]

which you did by noting that the US referred to the crossing as a "Jump Frog" (yes you, Jordan (@Jordan)). Oft to Wiki and there is the light.

*thinks* should I let on that it was @David Waite who said 'jump frog' in post #458 of that Thread, & I responded in post #460 that it was a type I was previously unaware of...??
Or should I just humour Sir Redham Hat & let him think I knew all along..??

 

[Brian McKenzie]

Some detail here for anyone, who I would like to see, experiment modelwise:

https://www.up.com/emp/engineering/mapcontent/standards/track%20standard%20drawings/3272.pdf

Union Pacific RR warning signage, alongside such installations, looks like this.


36inch tall text panel on 6ft post (above ground).

 

[Jordan]

anyone, who I would like to see, experiment modelwise:

Don't look at me!! My tracklaying is done!!!
Incredible technical drawing & info, though.

 

[timbowales]

Some detail here for anyone, who I would like to see, experiment modelwise:

https://www.up.com/emp/engineering/mapcontent/standards/track%20standard%20drawings/3272.pdf

Union Pacific RR warning signage, alongside such installations, looks like this.
View attachment 211756

36inch tall text panel on 6ft post (above ground).

I’m intrigued by the limiting number of cars in any one movement thru the frog
Tim T

 

[richard carr]

The latest video from 10 days ago.

Richard

 

[Jordan]

I’m intrigued by the limiting number of cars in any one movement thru the frog
Tim T

Not to be installed on, or within 200ft of, a curve either.

 

[richard carr]

So as you all know we arrived in Chicago for the show on Thursday last week. So what to do on Friday. Jim and Stephen were going to the Illinois railway museum, JB and I have been before and unless you have a specific reason to go, once is enough.
We headed west to Aurora, this is the Mendota sub of BNSF and is often referred to as the 3 track raceway to Chicago because of the intensive rush hour metra services that run as far as Aurora. Amtrak also has a few services along here into Illinois and the California Zephyr takes this route too. Most of the photos here were taken by JB as I was busy filming. We are on an over bridge at High Street, the Metra station is 3 miles or so east of here so this metra train is running out to park up out of the way of mainline traffic. Behind us on the otherside of the bridge is a view of the small Hope street yard. Eaola yard is about 2 miles east of the bridge.



We had quite a wait before any freight turned up, so JB said he was getting artistic.



It has a certain charm about it.





We decided to go and have look at Eaola yard to see if anything was happening, we did find these old locos parked up.



Nothing much was going on then we thought we saw a freight in the distance pulling out so headed back to the bridge, but nothing cam out of the yard towards us.
This eventually did arrive from the west





Next we had a 2 bay hopper train, again approaching quietly from the west.



I had been telling JB that I was struggling to find photos of the roofs of hopper cars, so he helped out, I thin I have a million now.







What surprises me is how clean they are.

 

[mickoo]

You only had to ask.......

 

[Jordan]

I know watching passenger stuff must get boring, but placing traffic cones on the track for trains to run over.... you both should know better.....

 

[Scale7JB]

I know watching passenger stuff must get boring, but placing traffic cones on the track for trains to run over.... you both should know better.....
View attachment 211802

Ah but there was a reason for it. On the other side of the bridge, i.e. other end of the train there was a gantry with electrical hookups to charge the batteries on the coaches. The cone is there as a stopping point for the driver so that the hanging cables lined up with the sockets on the coaches....(sorry - passenger cars).

JB.

 

[Scale7JB]

Much better...

JB.

 

[richard carr]

Here's the video from our morning in Aurora.

Richard

 

[richard carr]

In the afternoon we headed over to West Chicago. We took the local roads following the branch from Aurora, but all we saw were a few hopper cars about 7 miles further on. The branch did at one point join the J just south of Turner junction, but alas no more.

When we got there the first train was a long welded rail train heading north on the J powered by a BSNF ES44 loco.



Once again JB was controlling the camera !



Next we had an eastbound UP stack train with an ACe on the point leading 3 other locos and it had 2 mid train DPUs.