Nostalgia & History > PRR Signals north of CUS

I've seen photos of PRR position lights on the joint Amtrak/Metra section between Chicago Union Station and Tower A2. Did the Pennsy own this trackage at one time? Who dispatches it today?
Thanks!

Andy

twropr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've seen photos of PRR position lights on the
> joint Amtrak/Metra section between Chicago Union
> Station and Tower A2. Did the Pennsy own this
> trackage at one time? Who dispatches it today?
> Thanks!

PRR was one of the owners of Union Station. Position light was the CUS standard.

Don't know about now, MILW had Train Directors (kind of a dispatcher/operator with some limitations) in the towers instead of the dispatcher controlling traffic in the terminal. Thr Rock handled the terminal the same way.

TAW

And, to add, PRR owned/controlled track in and out of the north end, then west as far as the Panhandle connection. The PRR position lights are still in place as you head west out of Union Station on Milwaukee trains as far as Tower A5 where the CNW west line crossed.

twropr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've seen photos of PRR position lights on the
> joint Amtrak/Metra section between Chicago Union
> Station and Tower A2. Did the Pennsy own this
> trackage at one time? Who dispatches it today?
> Thanks!
>
> Andy

From Canal St. (the sharp curve north of CUS) to Western Ave. was called the North Joint Tracks by CUS.
It was jointly owned by the PRR (PCC&StL) and MILW.
The CUS and later Amtrak Lake St. Train Director "dispatched" it until a few years ago when Metra (I believe the Western Ave.
Tower A-2) took over the "dispatching". They have been in charge of the maintenance for many years.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/14 17:24 by Englewood.

chico Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And, to add, PRR owned/controlled track in and out
> of the north end, then west as far as the
> Panhandle connection. The PRR position lights are
> still in place as you head west out of Union
> Station on Milwaukee trains as far as Tower A5
> where the CNW west line crossed.

That would be Tower A2 at Western Ave. Tower A5 is where the Milwaukee North and West lines split.

As TAW pointed out, this track, as well as Tower A2, was originally part of Chicago Union Station Co., which was controlled by PRR and used PRR-style signals. The interlockings at A2, Lake St. and Harrison St. were also configured PRR-style using US&S Model 14 machines.

Today the track between Canal St. and A2 is Metra-owned and considered part of CP's C&M (Chicago & Milwaukee) Subdivision. It is dispatched by CP for Metra, although Tower A2 has a good bit of leeway in making local moves.

NZ

Here is Western Ave. with Amtrak No. 326 crossing the CNW in the Milwaukee Road 8-16-1973. Note the position light signal that train is approaching.

Cliff

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Some fine points but for historical accuracy (these were verified with a retired CUS Stationmaster):

The PRR did not "control" CUS. PRR had 50% ownership, the CB&Q and CMStP&P each had 25%.
Without more than 50% the PRR did not have control.

The General Managers of CUS alternated between CMStP&P, PRR and CB&Q and became CUS employees during their term.

Between Canal St. and Western Ave. the tracks were jointly owned by the PRR and CMStP&P, but were under the
operating jurisdiction of CUS (a neutral third party). As TAW pointed out in another thread concerning CUS "It worked without modern business metaphors: nobody played hardball, there was no ball and it wasn't in anybody's court anyway,
nothing went up a flagpole". It was a "joint facility" so everybody had to get along and nobody tried to rule the roost.

In similar fashion, CUS ownership on the south side ended at Roosevelt Rd. Two main tracks became CB&Q, the other main tracks
south of Roosevelt Rd. were jointly owned by the C&A and PFW&C but under the operating jurisdiction of the CUS Harrison St.
Train Director. That remained the case until Amtrak took over control of the South Joint Tracks in 1983.

Obviously, it was signaled in PRR fashion; probably because of the owners the PRR had the most experience with large
passenger terminals.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/14 13:57 by Englewood.