Passenger Trains > CN work continues in Chicago, #49 arriving today

Stumbled across a few things today. It started with missing a westbound CN freight on CN's Chicago Sub crossing 16th St. at about 9am, often that would be M337 to Iowa. But then another Westbound came, which is very unusual. As it passed, first photo, a man is very unconcerned with walking right beside it. Otherwise in that photo, you can see the rusted rails of Main 2, which is cut for the moment as CN works on bridge replacement and single tracking this portion (more on that in the next post.)

I'm counting the cars on that CN freight, which stops at 21st St. for a few minutes, restarts, passes for a long time, stops again, restarts, and ends up being a massive 170-180 cars. As it takes forever to creep by, I go take a look at Amtrak, and spot #49 stuck in the distance waiting for it to clear. When I looked it up later this amounted to an extra 10-15 minutes delay, but I still consider it impressive. The Lake Shore doesn't operate even on CN, and is in the very last few minutes of a 20 hour journey, and right before the finish line CN manages to delay it. Once free, it passes through the water spraying at the bridge.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/19 22:00 by inCHI.

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The last shot of 49 coming in. Heading to work, I try to take a left onto State St. and am surprised by CN's bridge project, which clearly has begun. Previous posts said they are replacing these bridges on the St. Charles Air Line as part of the single-tracking of this section. The Illini, Saluki, and City of New Orleans use this trackage. I saw them cutting the pipes that carry cables on the side of the north span (Main 2).

All I can find in the news is this article from late last year that shows that they'll remove the bridges on Main 2 while Main 1 remains in use (presently Main 2 is cut and not in use.) Then once new bridges are in place on 5 streets they would make Main 2 the main track and rip up Main 1...and presumably then take up those old bridges?

http://www.gazettechicago.com/index/2018/12/new-railroad-and-traffic-infrastructure-improvements-planned-for-south-loop/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/19 22:00 by inCHI.

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 Oh yeah, that CN photo is awesome!

Thanks!

What is the deal with that Geyser. I see in the bridge shots?

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival

My question also?
 Looks like underbody wash going on.

GP25 Wrote:
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> What is the deal with that Geyser. I see in the
> bridge shots?

It’s a sprinkler system that cools the rails and the deck of the lift bridge on hot days. This will help keep any thermal expansion within the tolerances needed for the bridge to open and close.

And it was very warm for October 1 yesterday. It was 87 downtown during the noon hour.

Posted from iPhone

They couldn't stop that freight for #49?  Is there crossings that will be blocked?

inCHI Wrote:
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The Lake Shore doesn't
> operate even on CN, and is in the very last few
> minutes of a 20 hour journey, and right before the
> finish line CN manages to delay it. Once free, it
> passes through the water spraying at the bridge.

Unless things have changed 21st St. interlocking is controlled from the Joseph C. Szabo Chicago Control Center.
In that case Amtrak dispatching was complicit in the delay to No. 49.  Does the JCSCCC have access to NS 
dispatching views?  It should.

You say the the CN stopped in the plant at 21st St.  The head end could have already been at Bridgeport waiting for 
the signal there.  

In Amtrak's defense (which I hate to be) the single tracking of the Airline gives the CN more ability to hold trains hostage.
Where was No. 58 in the mix?  The CN may have shoved the westbound right up to Clark St. and told Amtrak that
when they move the westbound that No. 58 would be right behind it.

Had to laugh about the sprinkler system.  Looks like it is operable only on the south end of the bridge. 
Don't rails expand on the north end?  The previous solution to bridge expansion was to paint it silver.
From the picture you can see how well the paint job has been maintained.  Expect the shower system
to be maintained in the same manner.  I wonder if they know it will have to be blown out, just like the 
passenger cars, to avoid freeze damage?  Winter is just around the corner.
 

Englewood Wrote:
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> You say the the CN stopped in the plant at 21st
> St.  The head end could have already been at
> Bridgeport waiting for 
> the signal there.  

To add some more context for your comments, 58 was early and got through 16th St. at 8:15 I'd guess. 391 was ten minutes late by Homewood, but out of the picture before 9am. At 9am or so, the first westbound freight went through. Then I caught this 170-180 car monster at 10am or so. (My phone was broken at the time so I didn't know the actual time.) When it got the signal through 16th, it then pulled up to 21st but waited there for a few minutes. Then it was on the move again, until about 150 car lengths later, when it again paused for a few minutes (at Bridgeport makes sense, distance wise.) But it was so long that it was still fouling both 21st St. and 16th St.

Last time I was over at Bridgeport a few weeks ago signal replacement work was visible, maybe that was going on.

 

If the Amtraks were already out of the picture then only the JCSCCC knows what led them
to delay No. 49