Passenger Trains > Amtrak in Chicago

Here are a few scenes from work in progress, although I'm working on this project I'm limited
from getting more images without holding up traffic. There is a little lens distortion at 18mm on a couple of
pics. Anyway, here goes.
Pic 1) This view is loooking north down tracks D1, 2, 3 and 4.
Pic 2) This is one of 4 GP38's that are used in work train service. They're rebuilding the mainline (3 tracks)
from Roosevelt road to Lumber Street. I don't know if it's Amtrak leasing these units or Kiewit (The contractor).
Pic 3) Here is 518 switching out the facility with the NS GP60 in the background switching (I believe) their
farthest north customer in Chicago.
The work to this facility is extensive and is to run through February 2011. Thanks for looking. Dan Tracy

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Just one more to add. 518 smokes it up coming out from under 18th street. Dan

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Great Pix. I am sure the smoke was for your benefit!

Amtrak #518 had a little bit of a cough

That's probably why it's the yard goat. Black smoke is partly unburned fuel...probably bad timing or a bad injector. That smoke will probably soon turn white and become another candidate for the shop.

Great photos, thanks for posting. I always enjoy shots from my hometown.

dt8089 Wrote:
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> Just one more to add. 518 smokes it up coming out
> from under 18th street. Dan


Yeah, rock on Dirty Diet Pepsi-Cans!! And dig that original Pepsi-Can can paint A/C still holding down the 90's P32 paint....

Why would they need the 518 to "switch" what appears to be a train ready to roll or having just arrived? I could understand if the 518 was on the blind, end of the train, but why couldn't the P42's just motor themselves around?

scooter Wrote:
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> Why would they need the 518 to "switch" what
> appears to be a train ready to roll or having just
> arrived? I could understand if the 518 was on the
> blind, end of the train, but why couldn't the
> P42's just motor themselves around?

UNION RULES! (in Chicago)

stone23 Wrote:
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> scooter Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Why would they need the 518 to "switch" what
> > appears to be a train ready to roll or having
> just
> > arrived? I could understand if the 518 was on
> the
> > blind, end of the train, but why couldn't the
> > P42's just motor themselves around?
>
> UNION RULES! (in Chicago)

Not so fast. In Chicago, as elsewhere, Amtrak uses the road power all the time to yard a train. Depending on where it could even be the road crew, but in most cases it is a yard crew that gets the train. In this case the reason for the 518 could be two fold: The road power was not able to move the train, or most likely, the yard crew was on the 518 already and rather than park the engine and ride the van down to the train, which may not have been conveniently there to pick them up, they took their yard power down to the train and drug it back.

MW4man Wrote:
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> stone23 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > scooter Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Why would they need the 518 to "switch" what
> > > appears to be a train ready to roll or having
> > just
> > > arrived? I could understand if the 518 was
> on
> > the
> > > blind, end of the train, but why couldn't the
> > > P42's just motor themselves around?
> >
> > UNION RULES! (in Chicago)
This unit was used all day for making and breaking up trains along with moving units and cars to and from
their respective facilities. Dan Tracy

Great pics, but I'd rather see a switcher push that train set, not that Pepsi Can!

Believe me, the crew would rather have a switcher too.