Western Railroad Discussion > Derailment at Rochelle, IL.

Was first out and waiting for my next call on a DPU coal train when I recieved a call from one of our other DPU peer trainers around midnight last night (Sunday night), that we had a derailment that took out both main lines at Dement (the old RX crossovers) just east of Rochelle. (UP/CNW east-west main line)

Was told the crew was ok, but unknown as to extent of damage, although two engines and 12 cars were on the ground. The train was an empty westbound Oak Creek hopper train.

Tom H.

I've heard trains running since about 6:30 this morning. Perhaps they cleared up one track already? At least two of these trains did come up the Peoria Sub though.

L.G.

rrnut_99 wrote:
> I've heard trains running since about 6:30 this morning.
> Perhaps they cleared up one track already? At least two of
> these trains did come up the Peoria Sub though.

They must have at least one track open because I saw a loaded coal train come into West Chicago this morning. But it had UP 4777 (yes an SD70M with flags and flares) at the point so something else must have happened this morning. Dispatcher 11 said something about needing to double the train, then wye the power and return to pick up a bird. Since the SD70Ms are common on the birds, my guess is that the coal train's power died and the bird was the closest thing that could drag it into West Chicago.

I did not stick around though. It was too hot and the radio traffic was dead silent beyond the coal train. There probably were not going to be many pictures today in West Chicago. :-)

Kevin Kuehl
kevin@ktlx.net

What's a bird--a throw-back to the former CNW Falcon Service??? Inquiring minds want to know~~~Ed

papio wrote:

> What's a bird--a throw-back to the former CNW Falcon
> Service??? Inquiring minds want to know~~~Ed
>
> [%sig%]

Yep, you got it Ed. I think former CNW people call the intermodal trains "birds", while the old UP and MP people call em "Z" trains.

papio wrote:

> What's a bird--a throw-back to the former CNW Falcon
> Service??? Inquiring minds want to know~~~Ed
>
>

Right, a throwback to Falcon days. Now and then you will hear the term on the UP radio on the Iow double track as well.

cdub wrote:

> papio wrote:
>
> > What's a bird--a throw-back to the former CNW Falcon
> > Service??? Inquiring minds want to know~~~Ed
> >
> > [%sig%]
>
> Yep, you got it Ed. I think former CNW people call the
> intermodal trains "birds", while the old UP and MP people call
> em "Z" trains.

I don't know the exact definition of a bird, but they always seem to be relatively short trains composed of trailers and single stack domestic containers. Typically they have one or two 4000HP units (mostly SD70Ms but I have seen SD60Ms, C44-9Ws and C44ACCTEs) with somewhere between twenty and fourty trailers and containers.

The only trains that take priority over them are commuter trains and I have even seen the UP run birds in the same block as a train in front until swinging over to the center track at Turner Jct. in West Chicago.

Kevin Kuehl
kevin@ktlx.net

frankly, I like the birds better than the Z's.
Usually all Roadway trailers right?

chico wrote:

> frankly, I like the birds better than the Z's.
> Usually all Roadway trailers right?

I see a variety of tailer and container owners on the birds. The only two that I can think of that I never see are UPS and USPS.

Once the Rochelle terminal is up, I am not sure how that will affect what I see. My guess is that I will not see them much, if at all, because I imagine the UP wants to keep them out of the Chicago congestion.

Kevin Kuehl
kevin@ktlx.net

Went out to the derailment site this morning, since I was not going to get ordered today it looked like, and both main line tracks have been out of service since the derailment occurred about 2308 hours on sunday night, 07-14-02.

No, traffic was getting through until a hole was to be punched open at around 1800 hours on Main Track #2, with Main track #1 expected around 0200 hours on 07-15.

Two engines and 12 cars derailed, crew OK, however lots of damage to the track, switches and signals.

In fact the signal box for the plant was completely wiped out, so in addition to no crossovers for the immediate time being, the signals are also out of service.

One work train called out of Proviso with nine flat cars of panel rail and about a dozen loads of ballast. Hulcher called in eight flat-trailers loaded with cats and cranes.

The traffic you may have seen eastbound, was the traffic that was already east of the derailment site after the accident occurred. There have been no trains to go through the site as of 1700 hours today.

First train through is scheduled to be an eastbound bird, ZOACS, then we are going to run about 5-7 westbounds that are piling up between DeKalb and Proviso.

Tom H.

tomrail93 wrote:
> No, traffic was getting through until a hole was to be
> punched open at around 1800 hours on Main Track #2, with Main
> track #1 expected around 0200 hours on 07-15.

Too bad I have to work tomorrow. It is going to be nice and sunny and I bet there will be a lot of traffic tomorrow morning. No wonder radio traffic was so quiet. Dispacthers 11 and 12 probably had nothing to do. :-)

Kevin Kuehl
kevin@ktlx.net

Sorry for the poor quality, taken thru fence on the bridge just east of the derailment at about mid-afternoon today. Trains were no where close to running when I decided to head home to Iowa at about 1700 local time

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Little closer look taken at the same time.Second pic of SD-90 taken this AM

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When at Rochelle in April, a UP work crew trying to fix signals told the DS that "the BN has a BIRD sitting at the diamond". And one of the apparently hotter BIRDS was referred to by the DS as THE BIG BIRD the same day. The meaning of the term is somewhat diluted at any intermodal almost is loosely call a BIRD.