Western Railroad Discussion > Crew Change at Freeport. IL

1) CN M-337 snakes through Rockford, IL

2)M-337 WB to Waterloo on right swaps crew with M-338 EB to Chicago

5/15/20

Bob Jordan

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I know it has been asked before, but where are all of the crew change points between Chicago and Waterloo / Sioux City, Iowa?

By the way, great pictures. I always enjoy photos from this line.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/20 06:57 by PRR_4859.

Well, the crew change points on the old Iowa Division used to be Freeport, Waterloo and Ft. Dodge.  I think the latter has been eliminated, and I remember being told Waterloo crews run east to Dubuque where the supposedly swap with crews from Freeport.  This, of course, frees the carrier from the obligation of putting a crew up at an away from home terminal.  I can be corrected on any of this as I don't get to Waterloo that often anymore.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Dubuque is a crew change for sure.  I don't think there is a turnback their .  There are extras so I'd assume some of those crews do not swap trains at Freeport.

Bob

Nice shots, Bob.  What are they doing on the second photo?  Are they turning around and going home the same day instead of going to a hotel?

thanks.

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX

texchief1 Wrote:
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> Nice shots, Bob.  What are they doing on the
> second photo?  Are they turning around and going
> home the same day instead of going to a hotel?
>
> thanks.
>
> Randy Lundgren
> Elgin, TX
Yes, they are doing a turnaround back to terminal.

Bob

Does anyone know if the crew is all the way from Kirk Yard, or is there a Kirk to somewhere district, like Kirk - Hawthorne Yard.

Normally 337 pulls up to Hawthorne  yard  and waits for a Waterloo crew  to arrive.  In this case,  they may have kept the Chicagoland crew rolling if they are qualified on territory. The crew change shown   is at what us old folks knew as "Wallace Yard"  in Freeport.   Name lost to history..

PWM

Before all this COVID stuff, Waterloo crew would take 338 to Dubuque. Then a 338 Crew from Dubuque would take east to Hawthorne. Reverse with 337, Dubuque crew to Dubuque with 337 and then a WLO Crew would take west. 

Now as Bob stated. Dubuque crew takes 338 to Wallace(Freeport) and meets a Chicago crew on 337, swap and go back. I m not sure if this is the case with grain/ethanol moves. 

In somewhat related CN Iowa Zone stuff....L 571 is only running to Sioux City 3x a week out of Ft. Dodge.....also 3x a week down the Omaha too. 571 is still daily Waterloo to Ft. Dodge and vice versa. 

MILW86A 

1994 back when it was still Wallace Yard.  Looking back tail end at bridge is where original photo was taken.

Unfortunately I did not go there back in the day.  There was a branch going north to Madison and the Gruber line came up from the south thru central Illinois.

Bob Jordan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/20 14:34 by robj.

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