MJ and BRC over CB&Q

Satellite

MJ = Manufacturers' Junction Railway
BRC = Belt Railway Company of Chicago
CB&Q = Chicago, Burlington and Quincy

Forgotten Railways, Roads & Places posted
Immediately east of Cicero, IL, an abandoned transfer track from the #BNSFRacetrack. Image taken aboard a train. #abandonedrailway #urbex #history #chicago#illinois
Dennis DeBruler Looking south. The tracks still exist. But I can believe they have not been used recently.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.8451034,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3
Forgotten Railways, Roads, and Places That imagery is from 2017. I actually watched them tear up this track. It's not to say BNSF won't rebuild this section, but as of now the track is gone.
Dennis DeBruler Forgotten Railways, Roads, and Places A "stale" satellite image. Thanks for the update.

Dennis DeBruler That Unilever Best Foods building in the background used to be a very common architectural style in Chicago for industrial buildings.
https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../continental...

In this topo map it is clear that Manufaturers' Junction used to have a connection to the east end of CB&Q's Clyde (Cicero) Yard. Since MJ connected to BRC, there were connections between CB&Q and BRC in three of the four possible quadrants.

Dennis DeBruler commented on a post
There used to be (1929 Englewood Quadrant) a lot of industry and spurs in that area. The upper-left corner was Western Electrics Hawthorne Works.
https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../western...

Dennis DeBruler commented on a post
Some remnants of Manufacturers' Junction Railway, including the roundhouse, still exist in a satellite image. That railroad served the Hawthorne Works.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.8461157,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3

During a commuter trip into town on Oct 21, 2016, I took photos to the south as I went through this crossing.

20161021 6513

Nick Hart posted
BNSF train S LACNSA didn't quite meet the requirements of the height restriction at the BRC bridge in Cicero. 40 cars suffered significant damage and the bridge also suffered structural damage. Cargo is littered on and around the tracks, ranging from paper towels to boxes of cereal. A WSOR grain train is tied down on the BRC main above and likely won't be going anywhere until the bridge is inspected. 02-14-21
Stan Stanovich: ...got word of it this morning John, train destined for Ashland Avenue!!!
[It is nice to see that at least BNSF and NS do a steel-wheel interchange of containers.]

Matt Hovey commented on Nick's post
Wasn't the first time, won't be the last. You see how much lower m4 m5 are at this angle

The are more photos in the comments on Matthew Linhart's post.

Walt Del Calle: This was a through train that normally runs on the Santa Fe.

[I had seen a comment that the crew was unfamiliar with this route. This explains why. It doesn't explain why there wasn't a pilot. But some Facebook comments indicate that the crew had paper work that would explain which tracks to use for double stacks. You would think if they were on a new route they would have been more diligent about reading their paperwork, not less.]

In the comments on this post the opinion is that if a crew gets orders to do something stupid, the crew should push back using a medium (e.g. radio) that will be recorded and if they are still told to do something stupid, they do something stupid. But I doubt if the crew pushed back in this case. If they knew there was a problem, then they would not have pulled 3/4 of a mile of train under the bridge.

Twisted Truckers posted three photos.

Justin Hughes shared

Ridge Abbott: Good to know the pins work .

1, cropped

Wim Geurden https://abc7chicago.com/freight-train-hit-bridge.../133655/

2, cropped

3, cropped
Keith Huff: It is in our subdivision general notices not to have high wides go under this bridge. We are to take them down main 4 or 5. This was main 3. I was going west bound yesterday with my train and saw this train waiting at an opposing signal about noon. This location is BNSF Chicago subdivision and the bridge is the Belt Railway of Chicago. This is just east of Cicero Blvd. 3/4 mile of train went under and 64 containers destroyed.
Dylan Fadda: Keith Huff so, this would be a dispatching error?
Keith Huff: Dylan Fadda yes, but also the crew's as it is in the written directives not to go under the bridge with high cars. There is also a huge sign 1/4 mike away above the tracks saying this.
Kevin James Cox: Dylan Fadda whether you hit one or 25 the penalty is still the same.
Keith Huff: Terrence Owen about an half mile ahead is a large sign on a pedestrian bridge warning that high car trains not to use main1,2,3. Also, it is in our directive paperwork. The dispatcher is supposed to know and line the train for either main 4 or 5. The crew, if they did their job correctly, would of not took the signal that directed them straight ahead on main 3. They should call the dispatcher to line them for the correct track.
Pettigrew Arriel: I'm just glad the crew wasn't hurt. Not their fault, it's the dispatcher.
Timothy Leppert: Pettigrew Arriel no, the crews fault.
Timothy Leppert: The Belt owns the bridge. The BN lowered some of the tracks and put up warning signs, as well as put it in the Special Instructions. The Crew obviously missed those things.

Keith Huff commented on the third photo, cropped