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General Discussion / Re: Lee Lumber moving
« on: March 08, 2013, 02:44:20 PM »
I didn't realize Prairie had left.
This is a little bit OT...Call me crazy, but it seems like the Cragin sub should have a future as a front door for WSOR. They're limited to 2 trains/day by Metra ostensibly because of the backup move between Pacific Junction and the BRC. This would work IFF the former at-grade crossing could be replaced with a flyover, and when I scaled it out, it looks like a 2% grade (a la St. Charles Air Line) would be feasible with minimal bridge work--less, if Metra would cooperate with undercutting the MD-W mainline.
I'd think this would be doing everyone a favor...get rid of the under-used crossing at Cragin and replace it with one power switch (the Mayfair plant already has a power crossover, and you could salvage the switch--and probably some of the circuits--currently used to connect the Cragin lead to the UP) and add 1-3 power switches on the BRC (don't know if the BRC mains are bi-directional). Not sure how hard it would be for WSOR to switch the bakery using a road train, but the descending grade would be finished just south of it so the bakery track wouldn't need reconfiguring necessarily. But this would easily double the traffic WSOR could market to Chicago if they could add extra trains.
Cragin used to see WEPX coal trains, Wisconsin Div. trains headed to the GT, etc., so the rail should still be 112 lb/yard, even if the ties are shot.
This is a little bit OT...Call me crazy, but it seems like the Cragin sub should have a future as a front door for WSOR. They're limited to 2 trains/day by Metra ostensibly because of the backup move between Pacific Junction and the BRC. This would work IFF the former at-grade crossing could be replaced with a flyover, and when I scaled it out, it looks like a 2% grade (a la St. Charles Air Line) would be feasible with minimal bridge work--less, if Metra would cooperate with undercutting the MD-W mainline.
I'd think this would be doing everyone a favor...get rid of the under-used crossing at Cragin and replace it with one power switch (the Mayfair plant already has a power crossover, and you could salvage the switch--and probably some of the circuits--currently used to connect the Cragin lead to the UP) and add 1-3 power switches on the BRC (don't know if the BRC mains are bi-directional). Not sure how hard it would be for WSOR to switch the bakery using a road train, but the descending grade would be finished just south of it so the bakery track wouldn't need reconfiguring necessarily. But this would easily double the traffic WSOR could market to Chicago if they could add extra trains.
Cragin used to see WEPX coal trains, Wisconsin Div. trains headed to the GT, etc., so the rail should still be 112 lb/yard, even if the ties are shot.
If you need help with Big Bay, let me know. I have scads of photos of the real one and a model of it:
