Elston Ave Area Photos

It's the first day of September in 2005, and a cherry-red CP Rail locomotive heads north across the North Avenue viaduct on UP rails. It's headed towards home rails a few blocks north for a day of switching.
A member of the crew sets the switch which will let the MP-15AC head east across the Elston Avenue bridge and beyond, the North Branch of the Chicago River.
A sound is heard from street level, then suddenly a CP Rail hi-rail truck lumbers across the Elston Avenue bridge headed west which explains why the locomotive backed up.
A close-up view of the CP Rail truck using the zoon feature on the camera from a safe position on the Elston Avenue sidewalk. Looks like they are waiting for instructions.
A panorama view of the CP/UP interchange tracks shows the standoff between the hi-rail truck and the locomotive. In the background is the Kennedy Expressway while on the right is Sipi Metals-a current customer for CP Rail.
The hi-rail truck moves forward onto one of the two interchange tracks while the train crew throws the switch once again to move forward onto the main track across the bridge. One wonders why the hi-rail truck couldn't just raise its railroad wheels and drive off on rubber tires instead of going through this drill.
Yes, the colors really are this bright and bold on the repainted MP-15AC. No retouching done to enhance them! The locomotive is headed east across the old Elston Avenue bridge.
A passing shot of the MP-15AC from underneath. This view is from the east sidewalk along Elston Avenue just outside the former Hanna Cylinders plant-a one-time Milwaukee Road customer since relocated.