Nostalgia & History > Along the B&OCT part 21 - 1961 Employee Timetable

Timetables from previous posts:
1936
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3715001,3715001#msg-3715001
 
1950
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3751157,3751157#msg-3751157

1955
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3803048,3804581#msg-3804581

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Don't recall ever seeing a smoke inspector on a list of officers before.

rantoul Wrote:

> What/who is the I.N.R.R (map and tables)?

 Illinois Northern Ry, which served International Harvester Works in that area and crossed the PRR/BOCT/CJ at 26th Street. In fact the tracks are still in front of Cook County Jail.........

Thank you very much for taking the time to post this timetable in full.  I like the note on p. 13 that says:

"In case of fatal accident on line of road, trains will NOT be held awaiting Coroner.  Bodies will be removed to nearest station or some other place where information can be given the Coroner AND TRAINS SHOULD PROCEED WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY."  (emphasis added)  If we could still do things that way today, it would save passengers a great deal of inconvenience.

rantoul Wrote:
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> Page 9.  Why isn't Rock Island included in the
> Blue Island Junction notation....I thought the
> Rock Island lead connected B&OCT (IHB) west/north
> of the Sag Canal Bridge by the ex Clark Oil
> refinery?

The table on page 9 refers to crossings where the other railroad's tracks actually cross the
the B&OCT tracks at the same grade level. The Operating Rules have different procedures
for raillroad crossings that are interlocked vs. non-interlocked.  The table instructs crews on the
specific procedures for each location. While there is a connection to the Rock Island at
Blue Island it does not cross the B&OCT on a diamond or even directly connect with the B&OCT main.
Which brings up the question why Blue Island is shown at all.  The IHB is a junction not a crossing.
The GTW is neither a junction or a crossing. 

As someone who at one time was involved in prepartion of Employee Timetables  I can tell you
that sometimes things are in the timetable just because they are,   When it comes time to update
a timetable all the usual "authorities" (tranmasters and above) on day to day operations seem to disappear when technical or
operating rules questions are asked.  "It has always been in the timetable" is a common answer.
Also the railroad's habit of constantly moving supervision from city to city leaves little "institutional
knowledge" to draw from.  That is why railroad employees that are serious students ( there are no "experts" )
of the Operatiing Rules end up with houses / garages full of timetables and rule books.



> What/who is the I.N.R.R (map and tables)?

As I understand it the Illinois Northern trackage was originally the GTW's main line into Chicago.
Before the connection was established with the C&WI at 47th St, the main continued due north
from Elsdon, through what would later become Santa Fe's Corwith yard and then angled northeast.
That is the story I have been told.  Back to the I.N., I believe its major customer was a McCormick
Reaper (later International Harvester) plant on the near southwest side.  I also believe the ATSF
had some ownership interest in it.  The locomotives at one time were painted in the ATSF zebra
stripe scheme.  All that is off the top of my head and would require further research to verify.
Maybe someone on here is an I.N. expert.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/15 05:19 by Englewood.

I agree with the earlier comment, thanks for posting the entire timetable.  I take them and bundle them into a pdf and I'm good to go!

The Illinois Northern had a tower at 26th street, manned by what I was told were retired IN trainmasters.  I visited once in '73 and saw what a job it was.  Reminded me of Brighton Park, with just a few signal (Armstrong) levers.  And most importantly, a couch to relax on. The IN had a roundhouse just northeast of the crossing, if I recall correctly.  If you have John Swajkart's Train Watchers Guide to Chicago, the first edition (I am still looking for my copy), he has a few shots there, including one of some power.

I don't know when the tower closed or the IN traffic ceased, but the home signals on the B&OCT there lasted well into this century, long after the last IN went across.  When I was dispatching that territory ten years ago the signals often didn't work, and I would have to have the crews flag the diamonds which had no conflicting rails attached to them.  There used to be pretty good piles of fussee debris at the diamonds.  We wanted to remove the signals but am told the FRA held it up for years.

The IN even had their own switch keys, and one has a special place in my collection.

And, thanks to the Operator Englewood Tower for another amazing timetable and for the fascinating history of the IN.  Nothing tops Chicago area shortlines.

Rich

rantoul Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...As I understand it the Illinois Northern
> trackage was originally the GTW's main line into
> Chicago.
> Before the connection was established with the
> C&WI at 47th St, the main continued due north
> from Elsdon, through what would later become Santa
> Fe's Corwith yard and then angled northeast.
> That is the story I have been told....
>
> Maybe an explanation for how freight traffic was
> sometimes exchanged between Glenn Yard
> (Alton/GMO/ICG) and GTW Eldson Yard via ATSF
> Corwith Yard.

Good point. The GTW may have kept some type of rights to
use trackage at Corwith.

rantoul Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> '...The GTW is neither a junction or a
> crossing....'
>
> The B&OCT/IHB McCook route and GTW cross and
> connect at Blue Island, near to north side
> Broadway Ave south of Sag Canal, correct?

Correct. However even though the B&OCT owned the trackage the IHB
operated on, that trackage was under IHB operating jurisdiction. 
The IHB dispatched it and the IHB timetable governed that operation.

Further research finds the Illinois Northern was a key player in the argument for
the original regulation of railroads.

Go to Google Books and search “Illinois Northern Railway”.  Among many other
items you will find:  Congressional Edition –Volume 6155-Page 58:
 
“In 1901 the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company organized a railroad
company by the name of the Illinois Northern Railroad Company for the purpose
of enabling the McCormick company  to secure, instead of rebates, a considerable
portion of the freight paid to the transportation of its manufactured products, the amount
so obtained being much in excess of the amount which said company was entitled to retain.
The unlawful rebates thus obtained by said company amounted to more than one million dollars."

Perhaps this is why it was later leased to the ATSF.
 

A little research activity brought me back to here...

Seventyfive Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Illinois Northern had a tower at 26th street,
> manned by what I was told were retired IN
> trainmasters.  I visited once in '73 and saw what
> a job it was.  Reminded me of Brighton Park, with
> just a few signal (Armstrong) levers.

It was a bizzarre arrangement. The IN/BOCT crossing was interlocking. The parallel CJ and PRR crossing IN were just a non-interlocked semaphore like Brighton Park.



> I don't know when the tower closed or the IN
> traffic ceased, but the home signals on the B&OCT
> there lasted well into this century, long after
> the last IN went across.  When I was dispatching
> that territory ten years ago the signals often
> didn't work, and I would have to have the crews
> flag the diamonds which had no conflicting rails
> attached to them.  There used to be pretty good
> piles of fussee debris at the diamonds.  We
> wanted to remove the signals but am told the FRA
> held it up for years.

When Grand Central Station was torn down, the tracks were removed on both sides of the Polk Street interlocking. The tower, the signal equipment, and all of the trackage in the plant remained for quite some time because abandoning the line and removing a signal system were separate applications. BOCT received permission to abandon, but not to remove the signal system. We had a fully operational manned interlocking that had no railroad connected to either side of it.

CGW was in the same boat, with working block signals all along the line, displaying red, for long after the track was removed.

TAW