Passenger Trains > Brighton Park Maintenance shop

Does anyone know how Amtrak gets cars to the Brighton Park Maintenance shop on the southwest side of Chicago? Does Amtrak itself run to and from there, or do they require CN to do any part of the move? And, would the spurs for the shop be Amtrak trackage? I just realized the whole facility existed. One morning in 2018 when I rode 301 out of Chicago to St. Louis we passed a northbound with Amtrak cars near Brighton Park that I couldn't figure out (nothing was scheduled). I'm wondering if that was a shop move. Last question - how frequent are moves to there - daily, weekly?

The shop is owned by Amtrak and they run a pair of 500 series P32s to and from 14th street as needed to move cars to and from Brighton Park. Moves are usually done in the middle of the night.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/20 00:25 by DevalDragon.

When they have to steal the 500's for scheduled Amtrak trains, then what ? 

What do they do at Brighton that can't be done at 14th st?

Amtrak makes the shop moves itself.  It owns all the tracks at the shop, and they were just rebuilt about 7 or 8 years ago.

Thanks for the info. I never realized they existed until I saw them in a satellite view last night.

Turns out I will be moving this spring to a place with a slight view of the Joliet Sub. If I have a sleepness night, I'll probably see the move at some point. I think that would be the only train using the Joliet Sub from 306 at 11pm to the first Metra inbound after 6am.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/20 08:07 by inCHI.

That was the site of the old GM&O coach yard.
CJV in Illinois

Amtrak serviced the French turbo liners there too

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/20 12:53 by amtrakbill.

What's this four-track X-ing about 3/4 mile east of Brighton Park shop?
 

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Lurch_in_ABQ Wrote:
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> What's this four-track X-ing about 3/4 mile east
> of Brighton Park shop?
>  

Brighton Park Crossing.  Until 2007 it was non-interlocked with semaphores governing some of the train movements.  That's CSX (B&OCT) and NS (former CR&I, NYC) crossing the CN (GM&O) north-south.  The CTA Orange Line from the Loop to Midway Airport is in the SE quadrant.

niagara484

Here's another photo of Brighton Park. Last fall I used the Orange Line to follow CN's L537 that was headed to Glenn Yard. The first photo shows it at 35th/Archer from the Orange Line platform before I got on the next Orange Line train. The second photo is from the rear of the Orange Line, as we rise to swing up and over the NS/CSX at Brighton Park, and the third shows Brighton Park, where L537 didn't yet have the signal so I didn't catch it crossing.

There some other photos from the area in this thread I posted yesterday:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4945278

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joemvcnj Wrote:
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> When they have to steal the 500's for scheduled
> Amtrak trains, then what ? 

Well, it's not like shop transfer runs are scheduled or anything.
They run it when they can run it.

MattW Wrote:
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> What do they do at Brighton that can't be done at
> 14th st?

What work does 14TH St. do!

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During my Amtrak days I had a little involvement with the task or reopening "turbotown".
I think it was around 1988 when they got the idea to shift some work to Brighton Park.
If I recall correctly the "E-Cleaning" was moved to BP.  I don't know if that is the correct term
or if it is even used today but it was a light overhaul of the car interior.  

The idea was to have one of the 14th St. yard jobs, as the last move of their day, take a couple
cars from 14th St and exchange them with cars at BP.  In true railroad fashion it went from a 
yard job making a quick move at the end of their shift to a designated BP job who may have
been able to do something else after their arduous round trip to Brighton Park.

On "opening day" a set of Valpo Dummy equipment ran a bunch of "dignitaries" out there and back
for the re-dedication celebration.

At that time Amtrak was also looking for vacant railroad property to build a satellite coach yard
to supplement 14th St.  That was when future service expansion was contemplated.

Interesting to hear!

 May I share this poor-quality photo? Per my notes it was taken on 3-6-82 and these trains are in storage.

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More at Brighton Park crossing, circa 1995.

B&OBill

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Englewood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> During my Amtrak days I had a little involvement
> with the task or reopening "turbotown".
> I think it was around 1988 when they got the idea
> to shift some work to Brighton Park.
> If I recall correctly the "E-Cleaning" was moved
> to BP.  I don't know if that is the correct term
> or if it is even used today but it was a light
> overhaul of the car interior.  
>
> The idea was to have one of the 14th St. yard
> jobs, as the last move of their day, take a
> couple
> cars from 14th St and exchange them with cars at
> BP.  In true railroad fashion it went from a 
> yard job making a quick move at the end of their
> shift to a designated BP job who may have
> been able to do something else after their arduous
> round trip to Brighton Park.
>
> On "opening day" a set of Valpo Dummy equipment
> ran a bunch of "dignitaries" out there and back
> for the re-dedication celebration.
>
> At that time Amtrak was also looking for vacant
> railroad property to build a satellite coach yard
> to supplement 14th St.  That was when future
> service expansion was contemplated.

I ran “ out here” off the Midnight job and got all jammed up, too. The earliest return was 230p

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