Nostalgia & History > Along the B&OCT part 26 - No. 6 detours via the Blue Island Sub.

I haven't done an Along the B&OCT in a while.
Since today is the anniversary of the end of railroad passenger service
I dug these out to mark the occasion.

April 22, 1971. The end is 8 days away. After the 1 1/2 mile walk home from school,
what could be better then another 1 1/2 mile walk north on the Blue Island Sub. to
79th St. Jct. to get a picture of the eastbound Capitol Ltd. ?

If you don't know what 79th is:
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3757945,3758526#msg-3758526

Apparently I was running a little late. I had just crossed 87th St. when a headlight swings
around the curve at 83rd St. Its the Capitol Ltd. detouring on the Blue Island Sub. !!
My notes say the detour was caused by a derailment on the normal route via the Rock Island.
I had a good source for that information. These detours happened occasionally but this is the
only one I photographed. If No. 6 had gone the normal route I would have missed it.

If the location looks familiar it is because this is the sight of the rear end collision
a few years before.
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3684088,3686369#msg-3686369

So here is my last view of the Capitol Ltd.
That lead E unit looks as sad as I felt.
I was surprised by that cut of IC cars. I wonder where they were going?
I don't know if the business car was occupied. If it was, I hope those guys
on the northbound freight were out on the porch of the shack to give No. 6 a
roll by.

Anyone get pictures of the detour through exotic places like Riverdale, Dolton, State Line?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/17 15:24 by Englewood.

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---

After No. 6 went by there was no reason to continue north so I turned around and headed
back south. There was northbound freight stopped just short of 87th St. waiting
for the signal at 83rd to clear up behind the previous freight. At the time an SP unit in
Chicago was a remarkable event so a picture was taken.

---

Very nice.
I thought the B&O would have put clean units on the last week of the Capital Limited.
Excellent scans.
Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/17 15:32 by gcm.

Nice shot!! Old B&O Rr T&E crews based at Garrett, IN and worked to and from Chicago.

Great photos of a rare detour move! It looks like a few of your friends joined you as well---maybe the same kids in the 79th street photo?

ghemr Wrote:
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> Great photos of a rare detour move! It looks like
> a few of your friends joined you as well---maybe
> the same kids in the 79th street photo?

No those were just some kids playing on the dirt pile, oblivious
to the historic moment.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/17 18:58 by Englewood.

Englewood Wrote:
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> I was surprised by that cut of IC cars.
> I wonder where they were going?

Of the 4 IC cars, the closest car looks to be a Pullman heavyweight sleeper.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/17 19:57 by Rainier_Rails.

The Cap on the Blue Island Sub...what a great catch! All B&O fans are thankful you were running a little late.
This is likely the first photo I have ever seen of a passenger train on that sub, not counting the steam specials.

Looks like the lead E unit is missing the B on the side; power looking like this is not what we are used to seeing on the B&O.
If only fans with cameras had been out in force that day, at Blue, Cal Park, and everywhere along the line to Pine.

I recall seeing a B&O extra west with an SP motor in consist at Cal Park in the early 70's.
Time to look for my Instamatic prints and narrow the date down.

Second trick on a Thursday in April '71; I wonder who was dispatching?

And do you remember about how fast the Cap was moving past you? That was dark track back then.

Thanks for these incredible photos, and the two links as well. Man, those were good times!

Englewood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I haven't done an Along the B&OCT in a while.
> Since today is the anniversary of the end of
> railroad passenger service
> I dug these out to mark the occasion.



I always appreciate these.


>

>
> Apparently I was running a little late. I had
> just crossed 87th St. when a headlight swings
> around the curve at 83rd St. Its the Capitol Ltd.
> detouring on the Blue Island Sub. !!
> My notes say the detour was caused by a derailment
> on the normal route via the Rock Island.
> I had a good source for that information.

I was chief that day. My source of information was the same as yours.


> These
> detours happened occasionally but this is the
> only one I photographed. If No. 6 had gone the
> normal route I would have missed it.


They were relatively frequent in 1971. B&O trains were already getting some delays between Oakdale and South Chicago for freight trains holding out and/or engines working on the main. It's a rule violation to fail to clear a first class train, so that was fixed by making the B&O and C&O passenger trains second class. One day, the Gresham train director called right after I (and he) came to work. (Englewood's source- he and I worked together since I was at 75 and I realized that his railroad would work better if I would call him if something he needed to know was going to happen. We used to do that regularly for 49th, Ash Street, Brighton, and Western, why not Gresham?) It's not looking good for No 6 at all. He can't get the eastbound clear, maybe for 608. I ran No 6 via the Blue Island Subdiv.

It started happening frequently enough that one of us would call the other when we came to work. Sometimes, we played it out until 6 was by 49th, sometimes when 6 was looking at 79th. The extra running time was about 20 minutes, so we had to figure the expected delay on the Rock against the extra running time. With the decision point being so close to 79th, I had to have a hole open or at least figured on the Blue Island. Part of that was passing out a figure to Blue Island Jct, Riverdale, Dolton, Calumet Park, State Line, Calumet, Clarke Jct. and Pine Jct. as soon as the decision was made. Every operator knew there was a passenger train coming and when it would be there, to the minute. None of them ever delayed No 6 for cross traffic.

One day, as 6 was coming up to the decision point, out of 49th. Gresham said that he couldn't make it work. 208 from the Milwaukee at Western Ave (which we called, the St. Paul) was late, just by 79th. He would be by Blue Island Jct in 20 minutes, show up at Roll Ave (the west end of Barr Yard) in 10 more, stop to hit the speaker and get a track, then pull the train in the clear. No 6 would catch him between Blue Island Jct and Harvey Jct. I knew that long before Gresham called to tell me that he couldn't make No 6 work, so the trick man was ready for the move.

The operator at Blue Island Jct was a long way from the Blue Island Subdiv main tracks. Only once ever, in a real jam, did I ever tell an operator to hike over there with detour (preprinted fill in the blanks form for against the current of traffic). I told my trick man to fix No 6 at 79th Street for the wrong main move between Blue Island Jct and Dolton. Just as No 6 was coming by Barr, Charlie Rosenbach, the Assistant Superintendent...

This guy: Date: 12/15/16 09:36 Re: Depression on the job
I had an assistant superintendent show up at 75th Street, looked around for only a few seconds, observed that I had a real mess, so I should call out lineups for him to pull while I handled the phone work and the other end of the machine.

...called every afternoon just before going home to find out how his railroad was doing. He had gotten used to No 6 going via the Blue Island Subdiv and never took exception. On every occasion, we got No 6 through to Pine Jct without delay. I told him that 208 was at Roll Ave heading in and that 6 was going by me on the reverse, going back regular at Dolton. The crossover at Dolton is the same size as the others on the line, good for 15 mph, but is at the end of a curve, making it look sharper than it was. He was a little concerned.

Are you sure that crossing over at Dolton is going to work?

Sure. 55 shoves a train of autos through that crossover every night, pulling on a passenger train through it should be no problem.

Oh yeah. Good. Let me know if anything comes up and I'll see you tomorrow.


> Anyone get pictures of the detour through exotic
> places like Riverdale, Dolton, State Line?

I always wondered that when I set up unusual moves. One night, I ran the New Yorker with A-B-B-B-B-B-A F units. We had to power the New Yorker, New York Trailer Jet, Philadelphia Trailer Jet (when it ran) and The Baltimore Jet with power for Sand Patch right out of Chicago. I avoided GP30s because they were too slippery unless there was more power than needed, and avoided GP35s because of shortage of fuel capacity. No internet and railfan network back then. Everybody found out by chance, like you did.

TAW

Seventyfive Wrote:
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>
>
> And do you remember about how fast the Cap was
> moving past you? That was dark track back then.
>

He was just coming off the 83rd St curve, so probably 20 mph.
Nice clear day so who knows what he was doing by 95th.

Seventyfive Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I recall seeing a B&O extra west with an SP motor
> in consist at Cal Park in the early 70's.
>

They showed up occasionally at that time. I don't really know why. There were also occasional brand spanking new SP power on B&OCT trains. B&OCT had some sort of deal with SP that we could use their power from delivery until it was due to leave on the delivery to the connecting line. One night, I had a brand new SD45x on hand and was really short of power. I wanted to use the SD45x as a single unit on 203 to Proviso. I called the CNW Chief. I described an SD45x to him and asked what he thought of me running it on 203. He said
God No! This is the CNW, man. You'll crush my rails!

I don't remember for sure; I think I used it on an East Chicago job instead and that power on 203.


>
> Second trick on a Thursday in April '71; I wonder
> who was dispatching?

CDH, if I remember correctly. I had Tue-Wed off. I think the trick job (Bob Heller) was Wed-Thu. If I had to detour No 6 when he was working, it took a lot of my attention to keep him calm enough to make it happen :
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?18,3351933,3351938#msg-3351938 Date: 03/16/14 02:12 The Mad part of the Mad Line-5


> Thanks for these incredible photos, and the two
> links as well. Man, those were good times!

As Bill Murray said in Stripes: That's a fact, Jack!

TAW

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> It started happening frequently enough that one of
> us would call the other when we came to work.
> Sometimes, we played it out until 6 was by 49th,
> sometimes when 6 was looking at 79th. The extra
> running time was about 20 minutes, so we had to
> figure the expected delay on the Rock against the
> extra running time. With the decision point being
> so close to 79th, I had to have a hole open or at
> least figured on the Blue Island.

With 21st century dispatcher communication systems if you started calling
when he was by Western Ave. you would be lucky to get the phone answered
by the time he was at 79th St.

Englewood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TAW Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > It started happening frequently enough that one
> of
> > us would call the other when we came to work.
> > Sometimes, we played it out until 6 was by
> 49th,
> > sometimes when 6 was looking at 79th. The extra
> > running time was about 20 minutes, so we had to
> > figure the expected delay on the Rock against
> the
> > extra running time. With the decision point
> being
> > so close to 79th, I had to have a hole open or
> at
> > least figured on the Blue Island.
>
> With 21st century dispatcher communication systems
> if you started calling
> when he was by Western Ave. you would be lucky to
> get the phone answered
> by the time he was at 79th St.

Actually, in 2017, what is the chance that someone would anticipate a problem long before it occurred and do something about it?

TAW

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Actually, in 2017, what is the chance that someone
> would anticipate a problem long before it occurred
> and do something about it?
>
> TAW


Put it on auto-route, brother.

Englewood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TAW Wrote:

> > Actually, in 2017, what is the chance that
> someone
> > would anticipate a problem long before it
> occurred
> > and do something about it?
> >
> > TAW
>
>
> Put it on auto-route, brother.

And set the Digicon train i.d. to silver. That will part the waters.

Seventyfive Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Englewood Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > TAW Wrote:
>
> > > Actually, in 2017, what is the chance that
> > someone
> > > would anticipate a problem long before it
> > occurred
> > > and do something about it?
> > >
> > > TAW
> >
> >
> > Put it on auto-route, brother.
>
> And set the Digicon train i.d. to silver. That
> will part the waters.

Yup. That is why America has the finest precision railroading in the world, second to none.

TAW