Nowadays… Baseball Stadium with a remant of a once mighty B&O Freight house serving as a outfield wall.
It is my understanding that the B&O Museum was actually part of what was known as the Bailey Yard and was on one end of the entire property now used and developed extensively.
I believe there was a shortline on the east side where the children would ride the steam train back in the 50’s to the swimming holes. At a specific time late in the day the engineer would blow the whistle two blasts as a signal literally for the kids to board to get home for dinner and bed.
I have not yet been able to subsantiante this story but am digging into it.
Heyday: I live in the great state of PA in the Philly region. Back in the day there was tons of PRR, RDG, UMP, NYC, CNJ, B&O, C&O, L&N, Lackawana, Susquhanna, EL …etc action all around the area, you couldn’t go within one mile w/o runing into a mainline. There were also tons of industral spurs.
Nowdays: I know more abandoned spurs, branch lines, and mainlines than I do active ones. A bulk of the freight traffic now is NS, mainly GE power. There is also lots of passanger action over here, tons. We have Amtrak, Septa, and NJT. I also know of more passenger lines than freight lines. The busies line over here is the NEC, which is only 15 mins from my house. I peraonlly know of 10 Septa stations within 3 miles of my house. Lots of abandond right of way to walk on, there are also lots of rails to trails projects in effect.
Akron,Oh
Heyday-B&O,Erie,Pennsy,AC&Y.All the feature trains,Capitol Limited,Shenandoah,Chicago and Washington Expresses,Lake Cities,Phoebe Snow(EL).All the rubber industries and peripheral shops,lots of interchange and movement.
Nowadays-CSX,W&LE.No passenger trains,all the yards gone,all the rubber shops gone,very little industry left.Not exactly a hot spot,but at least the CSX main to Chicago is still here.
HEYDAYS any afternoon at CHICAGO UNION STATION included both the arrivals and departures of the “Lowey Green” North Coast Limited, the green-and-orange Empire Builder, and the incomparable California Zephyr. Fresh from the wash rack the westbound Denver Zephyr, dripping wet and shiney as all getout, looked really spiffy while elsewhere one could always count on seeing the dozens of expertly tailored “suits” boarding the pride of the Pennsy, The Broadway Limited. Any passenger consist equipped with an observation car and a drumhead held me in awe.
Throw in a few secondary trains, some “tired iron” operated by the G.M.& O. plus the dozens of dinkies scooting in-and-out - and it was quite a show! Oooh, and let’s not forget all of that normally aspirated power - no turbocharger whine anywhere! And best of all a teenager with a twin-lens reflex, behaving responsibly, could have the run of the platforms and nobody would say anything.
NOWADAYS at CHICAGO UNION STATION the commuter trains don’t look all that much different, but what Amtrak operates all looks pretty much the same. The variety is gone. Boring! The only really awesome sight is watching the crush of commuters at rush hour pour through the concourses and flow onto their respective trains. Oh, and forget that “run of the platforms business” … that’s all ancient history now.
HEYDAYS along the CHICAGO LOOP featured those ancient, mid-1920s-built “Cincinnati Heavyweights” protecting the rush hour schedules of the Lake Street 'L, the Ravenswood line, and the legendary “Evanston Express.” Homely in architecture, full of rivets, carrying distinctly rhythmic air compressors, and equipped with traction motors that sang with a voice ranging from basso profundo to coloratura soprano, these elements combined to make them the most wonderful passenger equipment I’ve ever known. Imagine an oppressively hot and muggy summer day with the windows wide open and having your senses bombarded with the sounds of roaring traction motors,
Wow! I suspect you probably rode the line that is now the south end of the Iowa Northern, which pretty much follows the Cedar River. That line maybe sees two trains a day currently. Every now and then they have a story on the news here about someone proposing or pushing for passenger service between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids via CRANDIC, but nothing concrete is in the works yet.
nanimo73: you are TEH correct. The direct route into Iowa City has quite a grade from North Liberty into town, so CRANDIC has gained trackage rights on Iowa Southern from the Amanas to the west, and runs its trains down to there via the line you mentioned.
Heyday: Pomona, California (circa 1970’s and 1980’s)- Both the UP and SP had tracks that paralleled each other through town. SP tended to run more trains, with UP putting in an appearence now and then. I got to see lots of relatively clean SD45s, SD40T-2s, SD45T-2s, U33Cs, moving trains at a speed where it was easy to keep up with the trains, plus a one-time only sighting of a pair of Alco C415s with a bay window caboose in tow. The UP trains would come flying through town powered by SD40s, DD35As and DD35Bs, plus the celebrated DDA40X Centennials. There was an SP station that I recall visiting with my grandmother a few times before the station was closed, and there was some sort of local powered by a pair of SP GP9s.
Nowadays: I left California in 1992 and moved to Utah, but at that time, the SP and UP were still separate railroads. The UP DD35s and DDA40Xs were long gone as were SP’s U33Cs, and the GP9s were on their way out. However, there was still plenty of trains, and ideas of reopening the old SP depot for use as a commuter rail stop.
Of course UP and SP are now one, and I wonder if that station was ever reopened.
In greater Chicagoland The Milwaukee Road and North Western boys called 'em “scoots.” Across town the Q-guys, I’m told, named 'em “dinkies.” To rest of the world they were referred to as simply “commuter trains.” Hope that answers your question.
“Q-guys,” you ask?
By the letter “Q” I’m referring to the “Crash, Bounce and Quiver,” builder and one time operator of the famous triple-track “Aurora Raceway.” Today the line is owned by another railroad.
HEYDAYS vs. NOWADAYS, one adventure remains the same: whether riding behind Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Burlington Northern, or Amtrak power, being on a transcontinental streamliner slammin’ through the western suburbs of Chicago along the Aurora Raceway at 60+ mph is the best, most imperial way I know to either approach or depart The Windy City. In fact, between Denver and Chicago it’s my favorite segment of the trip!
Heydays: mid 1970, Milepost 173, Mattoon - Evansville - Illinois Central line. Two trains daily on 35mph track. An occasional GP 7 or 9 still in IC black, but mainly IC orange/white GP8/10’s.
Now: As of last month, very little evidence left of the line. Trees and weeds have overgrown the ROW, tracks long ago pulled.
Heydays 2: Late, 1970’s…Valparaiso, In.
GTW - 22 trains day with occasional GP7/9’s running long hood forward. Trains would stall on the hill if underpowered. Depot standing
NW - 8 - 10 trains daily, mostly nights. Depot standing
Conrail - double mainline (Chicago - Pittsburgh), 25 + trains daily plus 2 Amtraks. Depot open for Amtrak and standing.
Nowdays:
CN - 30 -35 trains daily. Trains still stall on the hill, usually underpowered UP or BNSF led coal trains. Massive manifest trains, up to 150+cars. Depot still standing and used by maintenance.
NS - 25+ trains daily, many intermodals and some coal. Depot long gone
CFE (Chicago Fort Wayne & Eastern) - single track. One train daily, usually 30 - 40 cars. Depot gone. Trackwork being done!!!
Back in the late 70’s towers existed at Porter, Wanatah, Hobart, Kouts, Wellsboro, Willowcreek, plus many more in Lake County.
Today, several towers still exist in Lake County and more plentifully in Chicago. Towers at Calumet and Grassilli in East Chicago still standing and I think are used.
Hay Days
The SOO and the Milwaukee Road were major railroads in the TC’s. Then BN and CN&W got a bit of the share too. Then the small railroads MN&S and the Minnesota Transfer railway. Then Change happened. Soo bought the MILW, abondan Shoreham, and used Pigs Eye as the main yard. Bought teh MN&S in 1982. Then the WC , a new railroad ran on CP tracks to the interchange yards for the daily trainsfer.Then the SOO was pronounced dead in the 1990’s to 1993(not sure on the date), it was then CP. CN&W was done for in 1995. BN, and the ATSF came together also. The minnesota Transfer was gone long before then, and the new Shortline called Minnesota Commercial began operating. Twin Cities and Western were formed, a railroad called the Minnesota Dakota & Eastern also formed. WC was also bought in 2001. What we have left is CP,BNSF,UP,and a once a day transfer by CN. Oh how times change.
Heyday: Erie-Lackawanna main and regular freight traffic as well as passenger trains. Also, a lot more competition with other railroads around. Lots of places to see different carriers and trains.
Nowadays: Around here, NJT and almost no freight. That traffic is all concentrated on one or two lines nd you are lucky if you catch anything. Only thing different is NYS&W if you can catch a train there.
I dont remember much about the older days, mostly start with early Conrail, but even that was interesting.
I really like the DM&E a lot. I havent seen it yet, but i know it come to Hoffman yard, so one of these days ill catch em! When i get older, they are on my “hire wishlist” too.
Bob-Fryml: Thanks for explaining “dinkies” to me. My mother-in -law one time gave me a birthday card that said : “For your birthday, I was going to get you one of those little dinky bikinis…but I didn’t know what size your little dinkie was!” Now I realize she was talking about Chicago commuter trains. It all makes sense now.
I agree with you about the Aurora speedway and many times departed Chicago on a westbound CB&Q, BN, or Amtrak train, going to places in Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, the West Coast, Seeing the towers of Chicago recede behind a triple-track right of way while barreling down the center track and passing bilevel gallery dinkies on both sides and an occasional freight transfer job a thrill it the trainman didn’t chase one off the back platform or if you snagged a seat in the DZ or CZ obs.
But equal in my estimation was barreling down the multiple thinning down to double main of the IC from the Lake Front Central Station. For a while you could do in it in real style at the back of the French Quarter decorated parlor observation that handled the first class commuters on the Panama to Carbondale and Champaign-Urbana. If one was only going that far, one had a tough choice between enjoying the view with preztels and a beer in the rear of that car or enjoying the Kings Dinner in the excellent diner. Not really time for both. However, if one was bound for Memphis, Jackson MS, or New Orleans, then one could stay in the parlor lounge obs until sunset and then go in for dinner and then to one’s roomette.
Coming back to Chicago one didn’t, of course, see the Chicago sky line but did have the privelege of seeing the number of tracks grow.
I suppose no one would object today to anyone’s pressing his face to the rear door window of a Superliner coach or sleeper to see the same sights.
On the Waterloo Ceder Falls and Northern, if memory is correct, we did wind along the banks of a river for a while going south to Iowa City.