North Avenue Yard Relatively Dead...

[TBurke]

I drove past the UP North Avenue Yard on Saturday and noticed that other than those same three AOK gondolas that never move there were just three freight cars parked there.  A bulkhead flatcar with a load and a pair of covered hoppers.  I assume the flatcar is for Big Bay and the two hoppers are either for Morton Salt or Blommer Chocolate. 

It seems like as recently as the 1990s this yard was normally full. 

[Brianbobcat]

Were at least all the newspaper cars there monday?  I drove by sunday and I too saw the emptiness of the yard.

[TBurke]

Looks like a few more freight cars were back in the North Avenue Yard this past Wednesday.  I took this video clip from a passing Metra train.  (And no that is not me blowing my nose in the background!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Js_WuFAips

UP for whatever reason now stores and stages boxcars to and from the Tribune by the small yard off Grand Avenue next to the Freedom Center instead of the North Avenue Yard. 

[TBurke]

It's gone from bad to worse...passing by the North Avenue yard today (March 13, 2014) I saw that there was just ONE freight car in the entire yard and it was a single boxcar.  I presume it was for Big Bay Lumber.  Then farther south I did not see any boxcars at all outside the Tribune's Freedom Center plant. 

There were two UP locomotives and the Chicago Terminal locomotive parked alongside the yard office.  Two vehicles were parked outside of the office.

Bloomer had some six covered hoppers on their upper spur and a tank car on the lower spur so the question is-has North Avenue yard been deactivated or is the lack of activity just some blip? 

[GM]

Yard had a lot of cars in it this morning. Several center beam cars of lumber, also about 7 cars of scrap metal went out last week. Have seen UP delivering to bakery on Weber line several times over the last week. I have noticed a lot of box car traffic for Tribune.

[TBurke]

Glad to hear that things are picking up.  Did you mean the Cragin Line with that bakery?  The Weber Line is no more. 

[GM]

Yes Cragin, couldn't remember so named the closest one. The engine and 3 hoppers in tow were sitting outside the switch which leads down the Cragin line to the bakery. Have noticed lately the loads of lumber have been sitting in the yard awhile before delivery. I wonder if they are having any issues with getting the bridge to open and close properly due to the brutal winter we had?

[GM]

Chicago Terminal engine was busy at 7:30 this morning cutting off 4 hoppers and pulling them into the yard from the lead track going to Morton Salt so that it could get to the two center beam cars of lumber going to Big Bay I assume. Not sure why UP had the 4 hoppers and the two centerbeams tied together that far up the track. I have been noticing the lumber loads on the back track lately towards Elston closer to the engine track.