Western Railroad Discussion > IC SD70's in Chicago; getting soaked under a rusty CN bridge

Duos and trios of IC SD70's continue to roam the Chicago area on CN. L536/L537 are a pretty sure bet for them, I've usually got something twice a week where L537 passes by in the background and sometimes I can get a photo. So, the other week two photos show L537 after it gets the light through 16th St (commonly just after 7pm when some Metra trains pass.) That single standalone signal is such a strange one to me; I wonder if they will redo the signals here and it will go. I think the signals just west of this spot on the St. Charles Air Line just got replaced.

Yesterday, another edition of L537 is shown passing 27th St. on the Metra Electric, with a friendly wave from the conductor. It had about 110 cars, including a long block of steel slabs (30+ cars) that I've seen on recent trains. A severe storm had just rolled through and is still showing in the south, more on that in a moment.

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Two interesting freight cars on that train, a 60' ft. CN box, and this stranger covered gondola.

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Referring back to that severe storm... before seeing the CN train, I was biking south from work down Clark St. I knew rain was coming but was hoping to beat it. No such luck, the downpour began in a spot where I had no cover. But, a bus shelter and the CN bridge at 16th St./Clark St. were a block ahead. I figured the bridge would be better, since it is large and should offer some space that the wind isn't blowing into. Wow was I wrong!

The video here really shows it; it was like it was raining through the bridge. Water was pouring through everywhere. In some spots that I could see it was coming through rusted out holes. I'm not claiming to be an engineer, I don't know if anything is wrong with the bridge, but it was an unexpected sight.

The last photo shows the bridge in sunnier times. It has a odd, floating beam underneath the left side. I wonder if that used to have supports?

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Love the look of those standard cab SD-70's.

Well done "urban" photos. Just about anything with a tower is special  too. I agree about the standard cab SD70s. They have a lanky look.

The unused "lanes" on the far side of the Clark St. underpass were used by streetcars back in the day.
It was more obvious back in the mid-70's when I worked the tower.

What has happened to the tower?  Was siding removed, or did they run out of material
when possibly trying to upgrade it?

The CP transfer, I think 521, up to Spaulding and back, typically has been using a similar pair of black IC SD70's. However the last week or so this job has had the IC 1009 and BLE 902, both in CN colors.

Jeff Eggert
Plainfield IL

Posted from Android

Seventyfive Wrote:
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> What has happened to the tower?  Was siding
> removed, or did they run out of material
> when possibly trying to upgrade it?

Tower is on short time. Once the signals at the crossing are updated, control of the crossing will be transferred to Metra's operations center. Aldridge Electric has a construction yard set up just to the south of the crossing and to the right of inCHI picture.

inCHI Wrote:
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> That single standalone signal
> is such a strange one to me; I wonder if they will
> redo the signals here and it will go. I think the
> signals just west of this spot on the St. Charles
> Air Line just got replaced.

There are two upcoming projects that will change this location. 16th Street Tower is expected to be replaced with an upcoming signal upgrade. A much bigger change is that the Wells-Wentworth connector project should get underway this summer. Wentworth will be extended north and under the CN/IC Freeport Sub where it will make a hard left and then a hard right under the St.Charles Air Line. Both the Freeport Sub and the SCAL will be single-tracked during the project with the north track of each out of service.

I was by there yesterday and survey stakes have appeared. 

Thanks for that news. I had seen the reconstruction of Wentworth between Cermak and 18th, but I didn't realize the full project was to extend it north to Roosevelt. That will be a huge change, and from a railfan standpoint, a really dissapointing one. That gravel parking area that leads up to the tracks is such a rare thing in a Chicago; a track level public space (seemingly, if you don't do something stupid) where you can see an interlocking. Funny that I feel like I'm looking at that view to often when now I realize it'll be gone forever soon.

From another standpoint, I'm a big user of the park on 18th and creating another busy road next to it isn't appealing. The fact that Wentworth is a dead end is nice at the moment; no one is speeding by, baseballs, soccer balls, and frisbees aren't at risk of landing in traffic; and you can actually walk around safely in the area. Of course it was never going to stay as is, with the giant undeveloped property between 16th and Roosevelt, but during the time it has been like that it is a remarkable space of relative quiet in that area. I really wish it had become a larger park.

My favorite is Pic 3!!