61
General Discussion / Re: New Addition to Milwaukee Section-UP Green Spur
« on: June 26, 2013, 01:21:26 AM »
Am I missing the links here? Sounds interesting.
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
63
General Discussion / Re: New Google Satellite Imagery
« on: June 08, 2013, 05:05:04 PM »the Englewood Flyover is now seen for the first time in satellite imageryI can't spot anything that's obviously part of the under-construction flyover. What should I look for?
The key is to turn off the 45° layer of Google Maps. That layer always used different imagery, and in this case, it's now older imagery whereas it used to be slightly newer images. Here's a link: https://maps.google.com/?ll=41.778493,-87.628898&spn=0.002048,0.001558&t=h&z=19, just remember to turn off the 45° layer.
Also present is the construction of the underpass immediately southwest of Toyota Park.
64
General Discussion / New Google Satellite Imagery
« on: June 03, 2013, 11:25:04 PM »
Google Earth/Maps has been updated with new imagery from they say April 2nd. Judging by the activity at the North Avenue yard, I think it's the 1st of April instead. Big Bay has two cars, there's a load ready to leave North Ave yard that day, and the new Finkl doesn't yet look up and running. In other rail news, the UP North line bridge replacement is well underway, the Englewood Flyover is now seen for the first time in satellite imagery, the Orland Park Metra station features it's new bridge and track alignment, the bridge collapse over Shermer Road in Glenview is now evident, the new bridges in Evanston for the Purple Line are present, and many of the street crossings along Blue Island and Cermak have been paved over, but the tracks are usually still there when they're not on a street.
Anyone else spot an image of interest?
Anyone else spot an image of interest?
65
General Discussion / Re: Newly found static refrigerated boxcar?
« on: May 19, 2013, 12:14:48 PM »
I wonder if it's wheel chassis are still attached, and how it got down there. Yes there's the rail lines just south of there, but they're elevated and it seems like a huge cost to move a single boxcar to use for storage. I bet there's some other backstory here, like it derailed and needed to be moved anyways. Either way, still cool to see in that neighborhood.
66
General Discussion / Re: Newly found static refrigerated boxcar?
« on: May 18, 2013, 10:57:59 PM »
And the other photo. The building next door dates back almost 100 years, and is being rehabbed. The whole area is getting a lot of redevelopment of existing structures. Down the block from this box car was a former pickle factory that is now offices.
67
General Discussion / Re: Newly found static refrigerated boxcar?
« on: May 18, 2013, 10:54:41 PM »
Here are two photos I took back in December 2011.
68
General Discussion / Re: CNW Low Line questions
« on: May 16, 2013, 11:02:52 PM »
You've looked at Historic Ariels, right? I was just looking at the Kinzie yard area tonight, and I was amazed to see how many cars there were serving Pickens Kane storage.
69
General Discussion / Alpha Baking Derailment
« on: April 25, 2013, 02:01:45 AM »
On the way into the city wednesday, April 24th, I spotted what looked like the Alpha Baking delivery derailed. There was North Avenue's Yard engine 712 closest to the UP-NW line, then it looked like a gap between it and the two rails cars. At that gap were two mini-cranes which I assumed to be lifting it back onto the rails. I snapped these three pics, but the first one is the best. (Sorry, I don't know how to scale the images down for the forum, so they're the full size from my phone.)
I kept an eye out on my way back, and as of 10:45pm, the engine was still there as I could see it's cab's lights. There weren't any portable spots out there, so my pure guess is that they weren't able to get it back on track, literally, and since it's not on a busy line and it sounds like the engine isn't used much if at all on thursdays, the workers would finish the job thursday.
On another note, there was a larger UP engine on the spur east of Arthur Road in Arlington Heights. This was the first time I personally have seen anything on this MOW track. It was just sitting there with no cars, so I wonder if it's waiting to move downtown, or waiting to go on the line that skirts the west boundary of O'Hare. My bet is the later as this is the last siding before the O'Hare line breaks from the UP-NW line.
I kept an eye out on my way back, and as of 10:45pm, the engine was still there as I could see it's cab's lights. There weren't any portable spots out there, so my pure guess is that they weren't able to get it back on track, literally, and since it's not on a busy line and it sounds like the engine isn't used much if at all on thursdays, the workers would finish the job thursday.
On another note, there was a larger UP engine on the spur east of Arthur Road in Arlington Heights. This was the first time I personally have seen anything on this MOW track. It was just sitting there with no cars, so I wonder if it's waiting to move downtown, or waiting to go on the line that skirts the west boundary of O'Hare. My bet is the later as this is the last siding before the O'Hare line breaks from the UP-NW line.
70
General Discussion / UP on the spur towards Kingsbury?
« on: April 18, 2013, 02:46:44 AM »
I took the 11:30 Metra home wednesday night, and as we passed the North Avenue yard, I saw a short 13-car train loaded up on the eastern most track. It's the track that drops down to street level and runs next to Sipi Metals before rising back up to go over Elston, the river, etc. The weird part was that the train was hooked up to 3 UP engines and looked ready to move that night. What I found weird about that is that the train then needs to rise up as it starts it's journey, and then cut across all the Metra tracks to get to the UP-NW line. I'm guessing it was so that it's out of the way of Metra, but aren't there other tracks to the east side that could accommodate the train without getting on the line that the Terminal Railway uses?
Just wondering.
Just wondering.
71
General Discussion / Re: Grand Ave. Yard fence
« on: March 27, 2013, 08:06:09 AM »
I take it you're talking about at the corner of Ohio and Des PLaines streets? I wonder who complained to whom.
72
General Discussion / Re: New Engine Spotted at North Ave. Yard
« on: March 19, 2013, 08:12:45 PM »
tytrain, I noticed that too. I passed by there at 8:30PM, saw the engines all hooked up to box cars and other miscellaneous cars that frequent the North Ave. yard. Must've just been the beginning of a long haul with those cars. Anyone know where Tribune gets their newspaper from, or where the cars go after they leave North?
73
General Discussion / Move times?
« on: March 11, 2013, 12:28:10 AM »
Thanks to D. Kaniuk, we now all know that Alpha Baking gets their deliveries "Monday-Wednesday-Friday. The train comes out of North Ave yard, usually around 10am, gets to Milwaukee around 11:00am and returns around 1:pm." I've seen the North Avenue yard active around 10am three monday's so far this year. Outside of that, when else are scheduled moves? I've never seen a move to or from Tribune, and certainly never seen one at Blommer. Are either of these routinely scheduled? How about Big Bay? General Iron?
On a side note, it was briefly hinted that Sims Metal Management at 1509 West Cortland Street may be a new rail customer. Another user, I forgot who, mentioned that there were empty gondolas parked over Elston next to the former Aetna on the bypass track. I've kept a close eye on those cars, which are perpetually sitting there, and haven't gotten proof either way. Yes there's cars parked there, and there's now a front end loader with a long arm, but I've never seen anything in them and there still looks to be a fair amount of plants and trees in the way. That would explain why the trackage in this whole area was redone a couple years ago. McGrath parks cars on the former bypass track, so I just thought that they moved where it was located. One last note, from Google Maps it looks like there's an opening in the retention wall leading to Sims where something used to be poured into the site. Obviously materials would go the opposite direction now, but maybe the site used to be rail served for an entirely different business and may now be again.
Anyone have specific info on freight move times for Morton, Tribune, Blommer, Big Bay and anyone else I'm forgetting (am I forgetting anyone else)?
Thanks.
On a side note, it was briefly hinted that Sims Metal Management at 1509 West Cortland Street may be a new rail customer. Another user, I forgot who, mentioned that there were empty gondolas parked over Elston next to the former Aetna on the bypass track. I've kept a close eye on those cars, which are perpetually sitting there, and haven't gotten proof either way. Yes there's cars parked there, and there's now a front end loader with a long arm, but I've never seen anything in them and there still looks to be a fair amount of plants and trees in the way. That would explain why the trackage in this whole area was redone a couple years ago. McGrath parks cars on the former bypass track, so I just thought that they moved where it was located. One last note, from Google Maps it looks like there's an opening in the retention wall leading to Sims where something used to be poured into the site. Obviously materials would go the opposite direction now, but maybe the site used to be rail served for an entirely different business and may now be again.
Anyone have specific info on freight move times for Morton, Tribune, Blommer, Big Bay and anyone else I'm forgetting (am I forgetting anyone else)?
Thanks.
74
General Discussion / Re: Lee Lumber moving
« on: March 11, 2013, 12:06:31 AM »Currently, the bakery is the only customer on that line, it is switched Monday-Wednesday-Friday. The train comes out of North Ave yard, usually around 10am, gets to Milwaukee around 11:00am and returns around 1:pm.
Attached are pictures from April 2010 of the train.
This was uncanny timing. I've been taking the train into the city for a long time, and regularly for that past 3 years, but last friday I saw something new at around 11am. My Metra train was approaching Clybourn when it passed a single covered hopper (probably the wrong name) being pulled by a UP engine. It was moving quite slowly and never caught up to us as it headed inbounds. The only cars I knew of like that were for Morton Salt so I had no idea where it was coming form. Now I know it came from Alpha Baking. Thanks!
75
General Discussion / Re: Lee Lumber moving
« on: March 04, 2013, 02:31:19 AM »
For a while I thought you meant Big Bay. Here's Lee's website confirming it: http://www.leelumber.com/igsbase/igstemplate.cfm/SRC=SP/SRCN=contactus1/GnavID=20 When was the last time that Lee got a lumber shipment via rail though? I pass by there on the Metra a lot, and can't remember seeing ANY railcars there in a long while. The materials yard there that had been a Prairie yard and closed for several years has reopened as Terrell Materials, but while they're restocked with sand and whatnot, again, I never saw any rail deliveries there in many years.
Anyone have more specific timeframes on last rail deliveries or potential future ones? Any photos from that spur?
Anyone have more specific timeframes on last rail deliveries or potential future ones? Any photos from that spur?