Hello:
Sometime in the '60s or '70s, TRAINS had an article on NYC’s Kankakee Belt Line. Can anyone tell me the year and month that article was published in?
Thank you,
Genevasub
It is in the February 1969 issue. The cover has a picture of one of the Milwaukee Road’s western bridges on it.
The Kankakee Belt is back in business
Trains, February 1969 page 20
Penn Central’s Chicago bypass
( DIVISION, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, PC, “PINKEPANK, JERRY A.”, TRN )
Trust me that line is still bypassing Chicago for the BNSF and NS. They exchange 2 trains aday EVERYDAY the Pasco WA to Conway Yard PA and its counterpart the IIRC Fort Wayne to Kansas City everyday including SUNDAY. It is fun to see a 80ft car make it arond that 13 degree curve at the Connection track however.
Thanks for the replies. So it is still in use, is that correct? Was it ever considered for upgrading to highspeed as a bypass?
Probably not enough business to justify “hi speed”. Back in the 1970’s, PC/Conrail used to run two ELSF’s (Elkhart - Santa Fe) symbols each way. The amount of loose car freight trains is considerably less now than then (much of the business has gone to intermodal). As mentioned above, there are trains on the line.
Intermodal doesnt really fit on the line. Intermodal moves to Chicago, both from the east and also the west, where it is either distributed locally or rebuilt into trains beyond Chicago. The aforementioned big curve at Streator isnt too good for longer intermodal cars.
Someone can surely answer this more accurately than me…
ed
Correct on the Bigger cars not getting thyru it to WELL. Last 2 derailments there have been due to one thing a Yardmaster thinking that he could get a pair of 89 footers EMPTY with loads behind them thru that curve. Stringlined them faster than film does when 844 is making a run.