Hello - I have a quick question for those of you in the Chicago area…
I am currently modeling the “racetrack” between Chicago and Aurora. I’m curious if anyone knows of any industry between Chicago and Aurora serviced by this stretch of track? Basically, I’m looking for simple trackside industries that have freight cars delivered/picked-up throughout the week. I know there is a plant near Congress Park that gets some tank cars (although, those might be delivered by the IHB). Also - I know GEE Lumber in LaGrange and Hinsdale used to get lumber deliveries as late as the 80’s. (I’m planning on using a “modeler’s license” to model that as well).
The follow-up question is: What “local” delivers these cars? Do they originate from Cicero, Eola, etc?
I sincerely appreciate any help you guys can offer. I love these forums and the help you folks always manage to provide me.
The Pepperidge Farm bakery between Downers Grove and Westmont gets a couple covered hoppers ~4 times a week. The same local switches the Hines lumber yard in Downers Grove and may do the Gee sidings in Hinsdale & LaGrange as well. The local originates out of Eola usually around 11-12 a.m. and returns 2 - 3 hours later. Some days the loco has been turned, so it probably went to Congress Park, other times it hasn’t. Motive power is often a GP38, but sometimes it runs with a GP30 still painted SF blue & yellow. The consist varies from just 2 covered hoppers to the hoppers plus 2-4 lumber flats. I believe I’ve also ssen a corn syrup tank car and occasionaly a box car or two.
On most days, after the morning commuter ru***here’s a parade of Eastbound Intermodal traffic. One of the last through is a UP-CSX train, often with UP SD70s. This is followed by a coal train between ~11-11:30 a.m. and the local usually shows up going east after that. There’s hourly commuter service in each direction, so the local has to work around that.
Lumber spur in LaGrange? Can’t think of anything on that line between Congress Park and Hinsdale. The transloading facility in what used to be the Amstar sugar plant gets a bunch of corn-syrup tanks and sugar-carrying covered hoppers, but I doubt that the local out of Eola takes care of that.
This job goes on the West Chicago branch first(thru Batavia) then comes back by Eola(usually around 11am) and goes to Pepperidge and Hines(rarely). It does not do the Gee sidings, they are done by a job out of Cicero.
Wow… Thanks guys… This is EXACTLY what I’m looking for. I don’t think the GEE lumber spur is still in LaGrange (between Stone Avenue and LaGrange Road). I think you can see where the spur used to be though… Not sure about Hinsdale.
I appreciate your info. Please keep me posted on other local deliveries. I’ll go out and photograph the plant you mentioned next time I’m in town.
If you drive east of Fairview along the north side of the tracks you’ll come to a great train watching spot across from the siding and the Pepperidge Farm plant on the south side of the tracks. The road is elevated with a great view.
Interesting about the local. I’m going to have to figure out why it occasionally goes to Congress Park(comes back with the loco turned). Interchange from West Chicago to the IHB???
Just west of the Post plant is a large new-car receiving facility with a spur running north-south down the middle. Do you know if that’s switched by BNSF out of Eola? I don’t get out to Eola often but don’t recall seeing auto-racks there, but UP/CNW in West Chicago always has lots of them.
Yes, there WAS an auto unloading facility serving the many area dealers but that yard was torn up about a year or so back and all that remains are two tracks adjacent to the Post plant. The area formerly occupied by the auto yard was used by Naperville police for a while as a driving training area but is now vacant. Interesting, BNSF had built a new building to serve as yard office about four years back and that too is now vacant! What a waste. You will seldom see what was formerly lots of auto racks in Eola yard any more, still lots of activity at Eola but no racks.
How big was this “unloading facility”? Was it just the two tracks or were there more? I’m modeling the '88-'98 era so I could definitely include that.
Also - I was able to get a lot in info from the “RACETRACK” issue in TRAINS 1988 (can’t remember the month). Gave me some info on the locals that ran between Eola and Cicero. Looks too that some “through” freights to Cicero would sometimes have work at Eola.
Any idea what the Congress Park yard was used for before the track equipment was stored there?
Not sure exactly how many tracks in the unloading facility but my guess is about ten or so in the “north” side which funneled down to one which crossed the street then fanned out into about six or eight in the “south” side as I can best recall. Hope this helps.
I vaguely recall some sort of furniture factory or something, across from the Naperville station. It was your typical DPM kit type of building. I haven’t been there for years, so I have no idea if it’s still there. I just remember cars sitting on a siding there around those years, or maybe a little earlier.
Of course you’ll want the EJ&E connection too.
I recall the switcher crews coming out of Eola to work the auto place previously mentioned.
Dave, yes, the old Kroehler furniture factory is still there (right accross from the Naperville Metra/Amtrak station) but it is now all condominiums and stores and restaurants, etc. and has no siding. And, yes, the connection from EJ&E to BNSF is still very much alive and doing lots of business since the UP and CN now use the J to get around Chicago and its busy yards. We see the J come down into Eola yard every day and sometimes two or three times a day. It is a real site to see the J power come up “the hill” from Eola yard to go south on the J main to Joliet with a loaded coal train and the power pulling for all it is worty to get up the hill. I would suggest anybody who can tell from their scanners that this is about to happen go up and sit at the J crossing at Liberty street (nest traffic light on Eola north of New York street) and wait for the sound (first) then the sight of two or three SD’s pulling for all they are worth).
All the transloading facility traffic from the plant near congress park in brookfield is handled by BNSF’s Western AVenue Yard (which you should include on your model) and I’m pretty sure, but not certain that it then gets shipped to points northwest of chicago. I have one question though…
Why is this stretch called the “racetrack”? I’m unfamiliar with the history and would love to know.
Why is this stretch called the “racetrack”? I’m unfamiliar with the history and would love to know.
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Well, this line is triple (for the most part, some short stretches actually more) tracked and it is not at all unusual to see two trains barrelling down the track in either direction in what appears to be a “race” of sorts. I have personally been on Metra trains eastbound and have “raced” another Metra train until one or the other slows for a station stop while the other keeps on going as an express train. This happens at times with freights too.
Does this happen at a fairly regular time? The use of J power may explain another mystery. I’ve wondered about light engine moves, often 2 or 3 BNSF SD70Mac’s, down the racetrack probably to and from Clyde. It sounds like they’re bringing the coal train in to Eola, the J takes over, and they’re heading to Clyde for service, inspection, or re-assignment?
