This is an old topic, but, they are now doing excavating work where the UP and BNSF meet. “I’ve heard” that it’s suppose to be done by November. Any one else know anything?
mostly stackers are to get off and go north on up to nelson illinois and then go east on up to global 3 at rochelle illinois and terminate switch unload there. i thought oct was due date. they moved it back a month. nelson will be even hotter than it is now. best place in illinois to see up action in my book.
may have double track up to nelson? best fish sandwiches around at railside,nelson,ill.slaw too!
Good to hear as it will mean more UPRR trains going by the Ft. Madison web cam of the BNSF transcon. My understanding is that the UPRR trackage rights on the BNSF trainscon are for intermodal & rackers only.
I thought the UP trains were going to be on the old BN-CB&Q west of Galesburg, missing Fort Madison.
yes they were originally to build a line off cb&q line at buda ill. to the up line there up to nelson to global 3 rochelle, but must have a change of plans. that line is no way near as congested as the santa fe at edelstein ill.
Isn’t the congestion on the ex ATSF west of Galesburg and on the ex CB&Q east of Galesburg ?
Actually, the old Santa Fe is busy both sides of Galesburg (part of the reason they took Amtrak off that line east of there). The big UPS facility at Willow Springs, and the new terminal at Logistics Park add to that.
UP has trains that use both lines, but I suspect that those will eventually be routed off at Edelstein to come up to Global 3. I don’t think that the connection will increase the use of the BNSF lines by UP trains at all. However, as ChicagoRails said, it will probably liven up the line between there and Nelson a bit. Haven’t heard about double-tracking that part of the line yet, or even any siding work, but it’ll probably come. It will need to!
H’mmm you ought to check out the BNSF transon via the Ft, Madison web cam & you will see it is not as “busy” as most make it out to be. I see a EB & WB UPRR train every morning mostly before 0900 go by the cam. The end of each WB train has tarped over pyramid like objects at the end of the train. There also used to be UPRR rackers but have not seen any of them in several months. Maybe the stackers & intermodal trains now being seen are going to the old MP yard in Chicago?
If you have been to Colton CA you can see many trains transferring on to & off the Sunset route to the BNSF Cajon line where they enter or depart at W. Riverside to the UPRR own track. My guess is some of those trains using the Sunset route to/from El Paso coming or going off the GSR to/from Hutchinson KS then the BNSF transcon to/from Chicago. I wonder if the UPRR is going to divert traffic now moving on the old LA & SLC RR to the Sunset then GSR then BNSF then UPRR at Edelstein
It comes and goes, but Galesburg yard is full and busy
I was at the ‘Edelstein Connection’ on Sunday and took these photos.
There was almost no equipment around and looks like it would take a good couple of weeks before it would be ready for tracks.
UP Autoracks westbound at Edelstein on the old Santa Fe route. In the background you can see the curve that will be the connection between BNSF in UP.
the Double tracks of the BNSF Chillicothe Sub in the foreground, notice the sweeping grade of the soon-to-be connection just right of center and way in the background the UP Peoria Sub. Anderson road has been turned into a dead end.
I found this survey mark to be very informative ‘Union Pacific RR Connection Point’
Later BIll
Bill: CONTROL POINT (not connection point, set as to not be confused with a land surveyor’s boundary pin per statutes in multiple states)
I’m not sure where that auto-rack train goes on the Chicago end; it will probably stay on BNSF even after the connection is open (at least until the Peoria Sub becomes a little more traffic-friendly!).
I saw two westbound autorack trains east of Toluca early Saturday afternoon. The last one was UP and the first one probably was too. These trains are either from the IHB (CN automotive traffic coming from Detroit) or Logistics Park, where I believe UP has access to the automotive ramp there. These might stay on the BNSF east of Edelstein but at least the one daily pair of Rochelle - Los Angeles and two daily pair of Global 2 - Los Angeles stackers will shift to the new routing after the connection is done.
DPJ
Thank you for the correction Mud Chicken.
I stand Corrected.
Later Bill