and were at the RR watchers’ park from about 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Saw four UP - EB coal (empty), WB stacks, WB autoracks (appeared empty), WB coal (full). Believe “RORX” was the symbol on the outbound coal.
Saw three BNSF’s: The first was mixed, but mostly black ADM tankers – ethanol? Also saw EB stacks and WB TOFC’s.
Seven in an hour and a half? Guess that’s not too bad for the “Metra blackout” period. Only one other person was at the park besides Chuck and me, a man headed west.
Al, are you sure the coal loads were westbound and the coal empties eastbound?..it is always the other way around…with loads eastbound and empties westbound back to the mines.
Indeed, my flub! EB = full; WB = empties returning to Wyoming (or wherever). Thanks, he said sheepishly. [:I]
No need for sheepishness, we all get directionally confused at times…especially when wives are in the passenger seat asking “are we going in the right direction?”. Glad you had some time at Rochelle.
We had a great time at Rochelle.They are having a railfest June 6-8.(according to the ad in my new trains magazine)
stay safe
joe
Union Pacific has (or maybe still does) run westbound loaded coal through Rochelle. These are the trains for the Cilco plant near Peoria. They’d come up into Chicago from the south on CSX (through Wateska) and then run west on the main to Nelson and then down the S.I. (Southern Illinois) to Peoria. They’d run with CSX power and cars. These moves started back in C&NW days, around 1992 or so. They were the trains that the CSX used to hand off to the TP&W at Wateska for Peoria. The Cilco plant may be getting PRB coal now, so these moves could be history. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one besides.
Lance