Monday, March 6, 2017

Rock Island Junction is now broken and BRC ConnectorHalstEd Pazdzior

Satellite
A lot of track has been removed, but the connection between NS/Conrail and BRC still exists. In fact, this satellite image shows an eastbound freight using that connection. The turnout of NS/PRR to the BRC connection track is CP 509.
Steven J. Brown posted
Well this was a complete accident. I popped off the now image (top - February 24, 2017) because I thought it was interesting that a modern LED signal was protecting a severed track. No train in the image but it does have my rental car which, in compliance to Rule 9, was returned with footprints on the roof. As I was digging around tonight, I discovered almost the exact angle from forty years ago (bottom - October 9, 1977) of a Conrail freight heading from the BRC to the CR main.
Cameron Applegath Commercial Ave Yard. Very start of the BRC...for westbounds...
Stan Stanovich ...the relatively recent disconnection with the "J" at Rock Island Junction is a CN "thing!!!" (or since their acquisition of the EJ&E!!!)..

Bob Lalich commented on a post
Rock Island Jct was manned by a BRC employee. It was non-interlocked and all trains had to stop. The structure for the operator was more of a shanty than a tower. No levers. All the switches were hand thrown. Here is another photo by the same photographer showing the shanty. Power was returning to Colehour after dropping off a transfer at BRC's Commercial Ave Yard.
Lawrence Smith quite amazing - BO/CO pssgr trains ran through here for 70 or so years and the switches were always hand thrown.

Both BRC and Rock Island had tracks going straight under the PRR+NYC overpasses and along the Calumet River to the US Steel South Works that we see in the right background of the photo below. Per Steve Malachinski's comment below, the BRC track was west of the Rock Island track. That makes sense sense the BRC tracks were north of the Rock Island tracks along 95th Street.
MWRD posted
Construction of a section of the Calumet Intercepting Sewer on October 8, 1923, looking northeast towards the intersection of 92nd Street, Mackinaw Avenue and Harbor Avenue in Chicago. 

Mike Breski shared
OK who's tracks? Calumet Hotel in the background.
Bob Lalich: BRC and CRI&P each owned a track. Both tracks went to USS South Works, seen in the distance, and connected to the EJ&E.
Steve Malachinski: BRC tracks are on the left CRI&P on the right.

Steven climbed the Pennsy embankment and is looking West under the Skyway. The lone track that is left under the Pennsy+NYC bridges is no longer used! But the track that climbs the embankment to connect with NS/Conrail is the important one and it still exists.
Satellite
Steven J. Brown posted
Belt Railway of Chicago SW9 521 works under the Skyway at South Chicago, Illinois - October 9, 1977.

John DeWit Woodlock II posted two photos with the comment: "CRL 4200,9469 @ Rock Island Jct-Chicago,IL 12 NOV 1.8"
1
John DeWit Woodlock II posted again
[I added a couple of comments including a link to Steven's 1977 view that is above.]

2

William Shapotkin posted
Jerry Smigla Looks like Rock Is. junction.
John Iwanski Beyond the Skyway, with a train visible on the bridge above the departing passenger train, would be I assume the PRR and NYC tracks, respectively.
Bob Lalich Both comments are correct.

Jimi Krentkowski posted two photos with the comment: "Does anyone know about this derailment at Rock Island Island Junction in Chicago? I took these Thursday 2/25."
[A rather unique view of the junction.]
Larry Amaloo: 34G derailed coming onto the NS a couple weeks or so ago
1

2


Arturo Gross Flickr 1998 Photo, State Line Power Plant is in the background.

Arturo Gross Flickr 1995 Photo of a Conrail freight climbing the ramp towards the bridges.
Andrew OsborneI work on CP and I come from Bensenville, down the BRC from Cragin to Rock Island Jct (this location on BRC) and come to this NS control point, CP 509. I sit here a lot sometimes waiting to enter NS territory to go towards Elkhart
Aruro posted the link and some of the comments include additional photos of the BRC-PRR connection.

In this posting Bob and Rob answered one of my questions concerning this area. Also "CSL had trackage rights on the B&O to reach Rock Island Jct."

Dennis DeBrulerYou and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicago Railroad Historians. It is on my todo list to figure out which railroad had which of the five tracks that used to be here. BRC was northernmost. CRL/Rock Island went through there. I believe that Chicago Short Line had had there own track(s) through here, at least back before the B&O bridge was wrecked. It sounds like the PRR's Cummings Branch may have used the southern overpass. https://www.google.com/.../@41.7234793,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3

Bob Lalich The five tracks over Commercial Ave seen in the Google photo were two BRC tracks on the north bridge and three Rock Island tracks on the other two bridges. The single track bridge on the south was a Rock Island switching lead and spur to industries east of Commercial. CSL had trackage rights on the B&O to reach Rock Island Jct.

Rod Truszkowski Bob Lalich that photo is old the three bridges are still there but only on is used the junction was reconfigured about ten years ago or more. The only bridge used is the north one.the two r.i. tracks in the middle now veer over to the BRC track and then heads to cp509 and the district main. There is a switch that will let the trains also go down towards the ej&e yard. The two r.i. tracks are the old mains, they are owned by csl but one is controlled by the ns. The junction is controlled by the BRC south dispatchers.


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