Some wandering around along Pulaski Road and Cicero Avenue in Chicago and Cicero on a beautiful late spring afternoon.
The first location is where Pulaski Road crosses above BNSF's ex-Santa Fe Chillicothe Sub, at the north end of Corwith Yard. The small yard below the road bridge is called Junction Yard, and serves as overflow for Corwith. A stack train comes around the curve out of Corwith and through Junction Yard, with ES44DC #7836, C44-9W #4382, and ES44DC #7882 leading. The train will go to Willow Springs Yard, where TOFC will be added before it heads west on the Transcon. The main line into Corwith Yard and past the now-gone Corwith Tower curves south from here, whereas the double track former passenger main toward Dearborn Station went/goes straight from Junction Yard. Now, that line ends at a connection to NS at Ash Street Crossing to the east, and allows a few BNSF stack trains to reach CSX's 67th St Yard, or NS's Ashland Ave Yard.
Later, a bit east of Hawthorne Crossing (the Belt Railway of Chicago's name) or Belt Crossing (CN's name), the crew of a CN local job powered by EJ&E SD38-2 #671 prepares to head east on the former Illinois Central Iowa Division after picking up two boxcars from local industries. EJ&E 671 rocks and rolls along the jointed rail, then glides across Pulaski Road on its way east, probably to the junction with the CN Joliet Sub at Bridgeport.
Later on, we are at the east end of Cicero Yard for some BNSF switching, the Metra rush, and Amtrak.
BNSF GP38-2 #2016 (a GP40 rebuild) and SD40-2 #1976 (BN's # was 6373) pull out for headroom in Cicero Yard with a string of empty well cars.
Inbound Metra/BNSF express train #1276 is running late through Cicero with 7 cars and F40PHM-2 #200 pushing, and meeting outbound express train #1261, with F40PHM-2 #213 leading 6 cars.
Next, outbound train #1263, the "Brookfield Local", stops at Cicero with F40PHM-2 #185 heading up six cars.
Meanwhile, Norfolk Southern power runs light on the BRC bridge. Seven units in all- two Dash-9s, a GEVO, a Dash-9 Spartan cab, an SD70, another Spartan cab Dash-9, and an SD60M, head south.
"Meeting" the light NS units, an inbound train heads into Chicago with MP36PH-3S #402, the "State of Illinois" pushing, and next, another MP36 leads another outbound express through Cicero.
Between Metra runs, BNSF GP50 #3136 (though with its horsepower de-rated and reclassed a GP25 by BNSF) pulls out of the yard to switch onto another track that will take it further back into the yard.
Finally, Amtrak's westbound train #383, the "Illinois Zephyr", whips through Cicero with P42DC #38 leading the usual consist of an Amfleet cafe car, two Horizon coaches, an an Amfleet coach.
~Thanks for watching!~
Негізгі бет Railfanning at Corwith, Hawthorne & Cicero, 29.05.12: BNSF, EJ&E, NS, Metra & Amtrak
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