Western Railroad Discussion > Trains & interesting freight cars at West Chicago, IL

Last week I posted a video of a northbound CN train picking up orders at the tower at West Chicago, IL, as well as some other trains on video. Today, I'm adding more photos, particularly freight car photos. There is a lot of interesting variety between the two railroads (CN and UP)

Previous post: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,3500666,3501092#msg-3501092

Current post:

1. A UP stack train takes the connection onto the CN Leithton Sub to go south to Global 4

2. Two stack trains are about to meet at speed

3. A CN southbound bangs across the diamonds with the UP

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4. UP K-Line train east

5. A BNSF SD70MAC leads a CN northbound mixed freight

6. Two CN C40-8M's lead a mixed freight north

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And now freight cars:

7. Three of these MOW flats were in the middle of a CN freight

8. This is a crummy shot, but I was surprised to see that D&TS was kept as the reporting mark after the repaint.

9. Are these gons unique to CN? I see them often in Chicago

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More CN cars:

10. BCOL gon...neat

11. Chicago Central repaint

12. IC hopper

CN sure has swallowed up al ot of railroads...

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13. Short SP flat. Is this a coil car without a hood?

14/15. New tractors on UP

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16. Competitors hoods on the same CTRN/UP car

17. Always neat to see ex-RI cars

18. Another old covered hopper

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19. Pretty new UP mill gon with a load.

20. Never seen this reporting mark before

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21. Looks like this ex-C&NW is actually wearing two C&NW schemes

22. A totally filthy CSX hopper

23. And last, an ex-MP...

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Great catches! Do you know the frequency of the CN trains on that line? As for the reporting mark, I think the car belongs to C.K. Industries, Inc. Two different companies were listed, but this one I saw on a Wikipedia page and not the other company, so it may be more accurate (I could be wrong, though). And yes, I believe that that is a coil car.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/14 21:15 by trainmandan.

inCHI Wrote:
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> 13. Short SP flat. Is this a coil car without a
> hood?
>This certainly is a coil car. I see these without hoods commonly. Even on my model RR, I run without hoods.

trainmandan Wrote:
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Do you know the frequency of the CN
> trains on that line?

I don't know the official answer, but I spent 8+ hours there about a month ago and caught 10 moves on the CN. One was a UP intermodal (like the one pictured in this post), and another was a CP crude oil load that entered the CN at Spaulding, not far north of here.

Overall, the broad range of 20-30 moves per 24 hours would be a good guess for CN.

-Tom

zchcsse Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> trainmandan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> Do you know the frequency of the CN
> > trains on that line?
>
> I don't know the official answer, but I spent 8+
> hours there about a month ago and caught 10 moves
> on the CN. One was a UP intermodal (like the one
> pictured in this post), and another was a CP crude
> oil load that entered the CN at Spaulding, not far
> north of here.
>
> Overall, the broad range of 20-30 moves per 24
> hours would be a good guess for CN.
>
> -Tom

Alright, thanks for the info. Should I ever swing out that way, I now have a better idea of what to expect.

inCHI Wrote:
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> And now freight cars:
>

>
> 8. This is a crummy shot, but I was surprised to
> see that D&TS was kept as the reporting mark after
> the repaint.
>

As information, the Class Ones seem to be keeping reporting
marks from roads they've absorbed more and more often these
days. This probably has to do with car hire charges. The IC
started this in the 70's when they assumed control of the
Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Northern, and changed it to the
Waterloo Railroad. They had a bunch of cars lettered "WLO"
with the thought that they'd be off line all the time and
earn car hire charges.

Another reason is to keep control of various reporting marks.
Supposedly, at least I recall reading this somewhere, the UP
continues to use DRGW and CMO reporting marks for just this
reason. Certainly, the whole business is a lot more complicated
than a simple post can explain.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Those CN welded rail cars have a walkway across the top; as there were only a few cars in the train, I wonder if it ran the length of the entire rail train.

I worked on a Chessie System rail train during the 1986 season. To start the first ribbon of rail on an empty train; a pointed nose is put on the rail end and it is threaded through the train. This is easy on a tangent track, as the nose pretty much guides itself. However, especially on curves, a track worker has to accompany the first ribbon all the way through the train to make sure it goes through the correct rollers on each car. The toughest one to thread is always the first row (of 4 or 5 rows of ten rollers); though it had to be done on each row, getting progressively easier as the train filled up. Once the first rail was through; all the other rails were given a nose that could hang off the first and each subsequent rail and did not need to be walked through the train.

The Chessie's rail trains (still in use on CSX) were converted from old gondolas and the roller racks fit squarely within the sides of the gondolas. This meant that the man 'walking the nose' had to climb up and over every rack, two on each car, and get to the next one before the nose of the rail got there. After first time I did it (everyone on the gang took turns walking the nose); I thought I was going to drop dead. As the season went on and I got in a little better shape, it became easier. I sure wish our trains had such a walkway!

Later in the season; we were given an L&N and a couple of Seaboard System rail trains (SCL and SBD reporting marks). The racks on these trains were installed on flatcars and it was much easier to just step around each rack while walking the nose.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/14 17:16 by zars.

ntharalson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> inCHI Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > And now freight cars:
> >
>
> >
> > 8. This is a crummy shot, but I was surprised
> to
> > see that D&TS was kept as the reporting mark
> after
> > the repaint.
> >
>
> As information, the Class Ones seem to be keeping
> reporting
> marks from roads they've absorbed more and more
> often these
> days. This probably has to do with car hire
> charges. The IC
> started this in the 70's when they assumed control
> of the
> Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Northern, and changed it
> to the
> Waterloo Railroad. They had a bunch of cars
> lettered "WLO"
> with the thought that they'd be off line all the
> time and
> earn car hire charges.
>
> Another reason is to keep control of various
> reporting marks.
> Supposedly, at least I recall reading this
> somewhere, the UP
> continues to use DRGW and CMO reporting marks for
> just this
> reason. Certainly, the whole business is a lot
> more complicated
> than a simple post can explain.
>
> Nick Tharalson,
> Marion, IA


Each of the major railroads seems to have a different idea about whether to reletter or not.

CN has been the most adamant with its non-relettering policy, which is why you'll still see things like D&TS (when there was a relettering/renumbering scheme for giving these and DTI cars GTW numbers). You'll see ICG cars in fresh CN paint, when it would be easy to drop the "G" without a numbering conflict.

BNSF is relettering and renumbering everything it owns.

CP does nothing to its old cars.

CSX reletters its cars to CSXT, unless they're the NYC ex-Cons.

NS also reletters everything it keeps. They have a renumbering system for the CR cars they inherited. I'm sure that they aren't directing their efforts at series that will soon be retired or otherwise gotten rid of.

KCS has a renumbering and relettering plan, finally, for the cars of the lines it acquired nearly 20 years ago.

Pan Am has some fresh paint, but its cars are still lettered BM and MEC. I don't think they've purchased any new cars to be given a unifying reporting mark.

UP has not relettered anything since the last round of mergers, beginning with MP, WP, etc. You'll find cars of every reporting mark wearing UP logos, but their original numbers. UP is perhaps the best-known practitioner of resurrecting old reporting marks to use for various reasons (CHTT and CMO for certain leased cars, SI for the ballast cars, etc.). Locomotives and some non-revenue equipment will be relettered.

P.S. You heard it here first...watch for all of those thousands of EEC box cars to be relettered WRWK.

Carl Shaver
Lombard, IL

Interesting pics!! Thanks for sharing.