Has the UPRR begun operating trains yet over this cut off from the BNSF to the UPRR & then up to the former CNW mainline?
The Connection is not done yet. The grading is underway but no ballast or track has been laid at this time.
Thank U
Still grading on Saturday.
Keep in mind that this connection isn’t going to be useful at all until UP upgrades its line from Nelson down to the connection. That may require a little track work, mostly a second track and signals to allow the speed to be increased. That’s coming (next year, probably)–then we’ll have some excitement!
“Keep in mind that this connection isn’t going to be useful at all until UP upgrades its line from Nelson down to the connection. That may require a little track work, mostly a second track and signals to allow the speed to be increased. That’s coming (next year, probably)–then we’ll have some excitement!”
The Peoria Sub sees about 8-10 trains per day and sometimes more and even with passing tracks at Nelson, Manlius and Storage and five miles of double track near NW Peoria, congestion can be a frequent occurance. The double track is ABS but everything north to Nelson is dark territory, controlled by track warrants. An average of 8-10 trains a day is quite a bit for an 80-mile, mostly single track segment, especially when about half of these are loaded and empty coal trains that can be up to 8,000 feet in length.
Mainline track speeds are probably 49mph, though it seems trains operate at slower speeds - more like 30-40mph. Many crossties were replaced in the early 2000’s after several costly derailments but the track could use some improvements, as it gets beaten up by about 800+ loaded coal trains each year (108,000+ annual carloads), plus grain trains and manifests.
The apparent plan is to install long passing sidings at Speer (possibly just a northward extension of the conenction) and Normandy in 2007 to increase capacity. In 2008, double tracking will be under way as will the installation of CTC. I’m sure these dates will slip as they always do but the line will need them because traffic will about double with the diversion of double stack and automotive trains. (Running 15-20 trains per day on 62 miles of single track mainline with the congested Geneva Sub at the north end and several control points in the Peoria area to the south were trains exit and enter the main track woud be a challenge.)
OK, I’m curious.
UP has rights over both BNSF lines east from Galesburg. The old ATSF to the south and the old CB&Q to the north. Both lines are double track.
If they would have built the connection off the old Q line they would have reduced the distance they have to upgrade. Does anyone know why they chose to build the connection at Edelstein on the ATSF instead of Buda on the Q?
You ask good questions. I dont have the answer, but perhaps they are limited by the number of trains they can run on the Q line. Just a thought.
ed
Purely speculation here, but I can think of a couple of possibilities:
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Land may have been more difficult to acquire at Buda, or the amount of work needed to build a connection due to the “lay of the land” might have been prohibitive. I don’t buy this, owing to the nature of the connection being built at Edelstein–that’s a classy piece of trackwork!
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To change over to the Q at Galesburg would require two slowdowns that aren’t there on a straight shot on the former Santa Fe. First, the Cameron Connection, which has sharp curves both to and from; and second, the big yard in Galesburg itself, which the former ATSF line avoids completely.
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It is possible (again, purely speculating) that BNSF may have had something to say about this.
Your guess think it will be done by sping 07 as I would like to train watch there for a day
Just common sense here but if the UPRR decided to outlay some $$$$$$$ to build the connector then they are expecting a immediate return on there investment. They must have some grand scheme in mind in Omaha as they are doubling tracking portions of the Sunset route which is costing many $$$$$$$ & unless they are expecting a real HUGE upswing in traffic from the SW like Houston, Dallas,New Orleans & Atlanta then once this connector is done they will begin routing more UPRR trains over the Sunset route then the GSR then connect to the BNSF where they hold trackage rights for rackers & intermodal trains from Hutchinson KS to Chic. When I was in Colton in early Nov I saw about 15 UPRR trains come or go on the Sunset route in just 4 hours & some of those came or went off the BNSF Hutchinson connector I would suspect.
Does anybody know for how long (50, 100 years) that the UP has trackage rights on the BNSF Transcon?
CC
Southern Pacific recieved those rights when BN and the ATSF merged, and UP got them when they merged SP.
The Q line avoids the yard as well But all UP trains off of there goes to the Santa Fe anyway off the connection.
But for the most part Buda is on a grade and like you said its kinda tight around there land wise. Might have been more NIMBY reaction there then at Edelstein.