I stumbled across this interesting 20 minute video of an interview with one of the Santa Fe/BNSF track geometry car operators:
Back in the '70s I got to ride over the entire Grand Trunk Western system while accompanying their C-N geometry car over a period of three days. The GT borrowed the Michigan Railroad Club’s ex-Nickel Plate City of Lima, now named Cynthia after the I-C renamed the car and I was the ‘steward’ or porter for the trip. Fun stuff for a high school kid!
Cheers, Ed
Well, if you did that, Ed, then you rode past my childhood home on the southwest side of Chicago.
Interesting video, by the way.
Rich
I’ll have to see if I can pull up the old 8mm film I made during parts of the trip. I do recall that the GP9 assigned to us derailed in a yard which would have been in Chicago. Pretty ironic that a trainload (well, two cars) of GTW/CN track engineers and R-of-W maintainers would have to explain how their engine derailed (it was the trailing truck as I recall) while inspecting track!
I still have my GTW marked Star lantern they gave me for my ‘service’.
Cheers, Ed
Probably Elsdon Yard.
Rich
Here’s a few captures from the film:
Our train:
GT4952 by Edmund, on Flickr
Entering Chicago area, yard office:
GT Track Geometry Train by Edmund, on Flickr
Big Hook to the rescue. I thought it was the rear truck but obviously it was the lead. Four guys later stood on the back of the counterweight for a little boost!
Rerailing GT4952 Track Geometry Train by Edmund, on Flickr
I’ll have to dig out the itinerary (TN in RR parlance) which may have the details. I think it was April of '73? They gave me a few sheets off the recorder, all analog then, of course. It looked like an EKG married to a seismograph.
Here’s the 4952 in ‘better’ years:
Two Grand Trunk Western Inbounds Shot From Roosevelt Road by Marty Bernard, on Flickr
Great memories!
Ed
Great photo of the east side of the Dearborn Station complex looking south. 
Rich