CSX's The New Rock and IAIS

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When I was taking pictures in Seneca, IL, I noticed this sign along what had been the Rock Island tracks. This is the best I have been able to piece together the story because different sources tell it differently.

The early history after the bankruptcy trustee decided to liquidate Rock Island on April 1, 1980.
Ken Roble Jr The EJ&E worked the RI to Bureau but decided they didn't want it so Chessie System took over.
Harold J. Krewer EJ&E ran Joliet to Peoria. They wanted to keep the line but could not come to terms with the RI Trustee on a price to buy or lease, so they bailed. Chessie came  in in August 1980 on a 50-year lease with an option for 49 more.
Harold J. Krewer Chessie could not bring in any B&O/C&O employees onto the New Rock until every last Rock Island employee with Illinois Division seniority had been offered a job. IIRC that finally happened around 1989-90 when a few B&O guys out of Garrett, IN showed up.in in August 1980 on a 50-year lease with an option for 49 more.
C&NW was the interim operator of the suburban service.
[comments on a Facebook posting]

IAIS got the Rock Island from Bureau west including the tracks in Iowa. CSX quickly let IAIS operate the Bureau to Peoria segment. IAIS also had trackage rights of CSX to their Chicago-land yard. But the number of trains IAIS can run is limited. That is why some IAIS trains go down to Peoria to connect to NS even though it is a very round-about route.

Metra controls the segment from La Salle Street Station to 100' east of the Des Plaines River Bridge.
Metra requires CSX and IAIS to use the track at night when the commuter traffic is low. The freight operators do not use the former Rock Island' Blue Island Yard. CSX has to do a very awkward backing up move with their trains from north of Blue Island Junction to their Barr Yard. It appears they have to pull their train north until then clear this crossover turnout on the B&OCT. Then it has to shove (back) down the B&OCT route crossing all of the tracks to the B&OCT track that goes to Barr Yard.

Even though this map shows CSX operating past La Salle, it no longer serves industries out that far. IAIS gets loads of cement from CSX and shoves 20-car cuts up the 2.8% hill in La Salle to the PVTX Yard.

CSX Interactive Map

Comments on a Facebook posting taught me the early history of this Rock Island track after the bankruptcy trustee decided to liquidate Rock Island on April 1, 1980.
Ken Roble Jr The EJ&E worked the RI to Bureau but decided they didn't want it so Chessie System took over.
Harold J. Krewer EJ&E ran Joliet to Peoria. They wanted to keep the line but could not come to terms with the RI Trustee on a price to buy or lease, so they bailed. Chessie came  in in August 1980 on a 50-year lease with an option for 49 more.
Harold J. Krewer Chessie could not bring in any B&O/C&O employees onto the New Rock until every last Rock Island employee with Illinois Division seniority had been offered a job. IIRC that finally happened around 1989-90 when a few B&O guys out of Garrett, IN showed up.

C&NW was the interim operator of the suburban service.
IAIS got the Rock Island from Bureau west including the tracks in Iowa. CSX quickly let IAIS operate the Bureau to Peoria segment. IAIS also has trackage rights on CSX to the Chicago area. But the number of trains IAIS can run is limited. That is why some IAIS trains go down to Peoria to connect to NS even though it is a very round-about route.

Metra controls the segment from La Salle Street Station to 100' east of the Des Plaines River Bridge.
Metra requires CSX and IAIS to use the track at night when the commuter traffic is low. Neither CSX nor IAIS use the former Rock Island's Blue Island Yard. CSX uses its own Barr Yard and IAIS uses a small yard.

CSX has to do a very awkward backing move with their trains from north of Blue Island Junction to their Barr Yard. It appears they have to pull their train north until it clears this crossover turnout on the B&OCT. Then it has to back down the B&OCT route crossing all of the tracks to the B&OCT track that goes to Barr Yard.

Even though this map shows CSX operating past La Salle, it no longer serves industries out that far. For example, IAIS gets loads of cement from CSX and shoves 20-car cuts up the 2.8% hill in La Salle to the PVTX Yard.

CSX Interactive Map

Update: Mark Hinsdale posted four photos with the comment:

"Blasting Off"
The tail end of Iowa Interstate Train "BICB" (Blue Island IL to Council Bluffs IA) has just cleared the switch from Burr Oak Yard out onto the Metra Rock Island District main line back at Vermont Street, as the engineer "opens it up" at the start of the westward run. The Metra platform at Robbins is usually a very good spot to watch this phenomenon occur. September, 2000 photos by Mark Hinsdale

Mark Hinsdale All of its main line from Utica IL to Council Bluffs is ex Rock Island. It uses Metra (ex Rock Island) from Chicago (Blue Island) to Joliet, and CSX (ex Rock Island) from Joliet to Utica. It leases from Utica to Bureau (ex Rock Island) from CSX and owns (long term lease from RI Estate) Bureau to Council Bluffs.
Harold J. Krewer Mark Hinsdale , actually I believe IAIS owns Bureau-Council Bluffs and Henry-Peoria outright now. Heartland Rail Partners was formed by Maytag and other shippers to buy the line form the RI estate in 1983 using $31 million loaned by the state of Iowa. IAIS rent payments finally retired the $31 million loan about 10 years ago and IAIS then exercised its option to buy the property outright from Heartland.
Harold J. Krewer CSX is still on a long-term lease (50 years with a 49-year option) between Joliet and Bureau and Bureau to Henry. CSX sub-leases Utica (MP 95) to Henry to IAIS. The RI estate sold its interest to IMC Corp., which is now CSX's "landlord"
Mark Hinsdale Very good, Harold. Thanks for the info. Don't think I was ever aware of the outright purchase by Heartland..

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Nick Hart posted

CSX Rockdale Job headed to the industries in Channahon, crossing the I&M Canal in Joliet (unincorporated Will County). The train just exited the old Rock Island (now CSX New Rock Subdivision) and will prepare to switch the industries for the next several hours. Neat little slug set they have assigned out of Rockdale, currently.

06/09/19
Jeff Lewis I think that paint scheme looks better on Geeps than it does on GEVOs.
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To find the above bridge, I scanned the New Rock on a satellite image westward from Rockdale. The first industrial branch I found uses a swing bridge and has been cut back to just one industry. The second branch uses culverts and serves just Ecolab. The third one was this bridge. There is indeed several industries served by rail off this branch. Some of the businesses take advantage of rail and barge service.

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That bridge seems to be a popular railfan spot.

Halsted Pazdzior posted
Over the I&M. CSXT 2610 crosses the Illinois and Michigan Canal bridge. J747 originates at Rockdale yard and works industry along the Amoco Branch. Seen here on the return towards Rockdale.
5/31/20

Some messages from Sam Carlson concerning the Rock Island route in Illinois:

That's in Illinois. I think CSX has it out to Utica. They used to have it down to Peoria, but the No Trespassing signs now read Iowa Interstate.

EJ&E ran it for a few months from Joliet to Peoria, but the bankruptcy judge wanted too much for it, so EJ&E backed out.

A video of an IAIS steam locomotive passing some grain elevators in Iowa.

Shortlines posting

Dustin Holschuh commented on a post: "CSX only goes to milepost 95 between Utica and Lasalle."