February 20, 2020 – The engineer on Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Loop Train 403 keeps a watchful eye on the track ahead as he navigates his train around a curve as he makes his seemingly never ending loop through the canyons of downtown Chicago, Illinois.
February 22, 2020 – Indiana Harbor Belt 2920 backs into the Blue Island Rail Yard at Riverdale, IL as IHB 2160 works it’s own job during a cold winters morning as IHB caboose 54 sits waiting to be the shoving platform on its next assignment.
According to the IHB Website: The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad is the largest switch carrier in the U.S. with 54 miles of mainline track (24 miles of which i… See More
February 20, 2020 – A Metra Express train passes another Metra local as they approach the Gladstone Park station on the UP-NW Line as they head northwest out of Chicago, Illinois at dusk.
January 30, 2020 – Canadian National (CN) A432, passes CN A408, as it heads south at at Effingham, Illinois on CN’s Champaign Subdivision.
January 30, 2020 – Indiana Railroad (INRD) 3803 and 3806 power the Palestine Utility train 1 (PAUT-1), as it makes a dropoff and pickup at the Rain Carbon Inc. plant behind the Marathon Refinery in Robinson, Illinois on the INRD Indianapolis Subdivision.
January 30, 2020 – Canadian National (CN) A408, led by ex-Illinois Central 1005, makes it’s way through the yard, toward the Pike Avenue Overpass, as it prepares to do drop off and pickups at Effingham, Illinois before continuing it’s trip south on CN’s Champaign Subdivision. Behind IC 1005 was IC 1027, GECX 2037 demo unit headed for repaint to CN colors, CN 5780 and CN 3106.
January 30, 2020 – Indiana Railroad (INRD) 3803 and 3806 power Palestine Utility train 1 (PAUT-1), as it passes through granaries at Palestine, Illinois, on it’s way north back to INRD’s Palestine Yard, after doing its work at the Marathon Refinery in Robinson, Illinois on the INRD Indianapolis Subdivision.
According to Wikipedia: The Indiana Rail Road (reporting mark INRD) is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of 155 miles (249 km).
This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road’s Indianapolis Subdivision, comprises most of the former IC line from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois; Illinois Central successor Canadian National Railway retains the portion from Newton to Effingham. INRD also owns a former Milwaukee Road line from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Burns City, Indiana (site of the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center), with trackage rights extending to Chicago, Illinois.
INRD serves Louisville, Kentucky, and the Port of Indiana on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana, through a haulage agreement with the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC).
September 8, 2019 – CTA Blue Line train 209 to Forest Park approaches the Damen Station as it heads toward downtown Chicago, Illinois.
September 9, 2019 – Union Pacific 5375 leads stack train as it pulls westbound from UPs Global Three yard, on the Geneva Subdivision at Rochelle, Illinois.
September 9, 2019 – Burlington Junction Railway 1517 works a string of refrigerated reefers at the Americold plant in Rochelle, Illinois on the City of Rochelle Railroad.
According to Wikipedia: “The Burlington Junction Railway (reporting mark BJRY) is a Class III short line railroad which was chartered in 1985. Originally operating on the southernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the former Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway mainline in Burlington, Iowa after abandonment by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it provides short freight hauling, switching operations, locomotive repair, and transloading services, the latter currently handling over 3,000 carloads a year. Typical commodity types transported include chemicals and fertilizer.”
The BJRY operation in Rochelle is more sophisticated than most. First of all, the track is owned by the City of Rochelle Railroad. Second of all, it interchanges with UP as well as BNSF. It has enough track capacity to handle unit trains. It does not provide intermodal service because UP has its Global Three intermodal yard on the other side of town.
September 8, 2019 – CTA UIC-Halsted Blue Line train 108 passes a line of Maintenance of Way equipment as it heads into its next stop at Jefferson Park station in Chicago, Illinois.
September 8, 2019 – CTA Blue Line train 105 to Forest Park passes a crossover as it approaches the Damen Station as it heads toward downtown Chicago, Illinois.
September 8, 2019 – CTA Blue Line train 117 crests a hill coming out of downtown Chicago, Illinois as it approaches the Damen Station, headed toward O’Hare airport.
September 10, 2019 – Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad 3896 and 4210 approaches heads toward the crossing at 1st Street at Terre Haute, Indiana as it heads onto the Danville Secondary Subdivision with a mixed freight.
According to Wikipedia: The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (reporting mark DREI) is an American regional railroad that is a subsidiary of Watco Companies operating in eastern Illinois and western Indiana.
In January 2018, CSX Transportation announced that it was seeking offers to buy the Decatur Subdivision and the Danville Secondary Subdivision as part of a system-wide sale of low-traffic routes, and in July, Watco, via the DREI, was identified as the winning bidder. Following regulatory approval from the Surface Transportation Board, The DREI began operations on September 9, 2018.
The DREI operates two intersecting routes totaling 126.7 miles (203.9 km)the former Decatur Subdivision between Montezuma, Indiana and Decatur, Illinois, and the former Danville Secondary Subdivision between Terre Haute, Indiana and Olivet, Illinois. It interchanges traffic with CSX, the Eastern Illinois Railroad, the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Canadian National Railway, and the Union Pacific Railroad.The railroad is headquartered in Paris, Illinois.
September 9, 2019 – Union Pacific 6013 leads a mixed freight over the BNSF Aurora Subdivision, at the diamond, as a track inspector watches from the side as it heads westbound on the the UP Geneva Subdivision at Rochelle, Illinois.
September 9, 2019 – Lights reflect off the side of refrigerated reefers as Burlington Junction Railway 1517 works on picking up and dropping off cars at the Americold plant in Rochelle, Illinois on the City of Rochelle Railroad.
According to Wikipedia: “The Burlington Junction Railway (reporting mark BJRY) is a Class III short line railroad which was chartered in 1985. Originally operating on the southernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the former Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway mainline in Burlington, Iowa after abandonment by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it provides short freight hauling, switching operations, locomotive repair, and transloading services, the latter currently handling over 3,000 carloads a year. Typical commodity types transported include chemicals and fertilizer.”
The BJRY operation in Rochelle is more sophisticated than most. First of all, the track is owned by the City of Rochelle Railroad. Second of all, it interchanges with UP as well as BNSF. It has enough track capacity to handle unit trains. It does not provide intermodal service because UP has its Global 3 intermodal yard on the other side of town.
September 9, 2019 – A Union Pacific intermodal passes under the former Chicago and North Western Railway coaling tower, as it heads westbound on the Geneva Subdivision with UP 4729 leading at DeKalb, Illinois.
September 8, 2019 – CTA Blue Line train 105 heads downhill as it approaches the Damen Station, bound for Forest Park, after passing a O’Hare bound train in Chicago, Illinois.
May 10, 2019 – A loaded Union Pacific coal train with UP 5455 and 4311 leading, crosses over the Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railway (COER) and UP diamond as it heads south on UP’s Marion Subdivision at Marion, Illinois.
According to Wikipedia: The Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railway (reporting mark COER) (formerly American Rail Heritage, Ltd. d/b/a Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad Company) is a Class III common carrier shortline railroad that operates in the cities of Marion and Herrin in the Southern Illinois region. It is most historically recognized by the FRA for being the last U.S. railroad of any kind to use steam locomotives exclusively in regular revenue freight service up until 1986.
The present-day shortline currently operates a total of 13.5 miles (21.7 km) of track across the industrial centers of Williamson County in two separate railroad districts with a fleet of two diesel switcher engines. One line being known as the “Marion District”, which is the railroad’s main working division with roughly 8.5 miles (13.7 km) of track; and the other division being the “Herrin District”, which mostly serves the city’s manufacturing industries along a 5-mile (8.0 km) stretch of track.
I tried without success to find their units on this trip, but, like Arnold, “I’ll be back!”
April 27, 2019 – BNSF 9123 and 8831 lead a loaded coal train over the CN/Evansville Western Railway Diamond as they head south on CN’s Centrailia Subdivision at Ashley, Illinois. – #jimstrainphotos #illinoisrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #bnsf #bnsfrailway
April 27, 2019 – Norfolk Southern 4129 leads a coal train as it enters the CN-IC Junction at Centralia, Illinois as it makes its way along the NS Southern West District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway