According to a flyer next to the door of the gift shop at the Rochelle RR Park, UP is supposed to be giving a tour of the Intermodal III premises for the public.
I didn’t understand the “why’s and wherefore’s” as I was rushing to get into the store before it closed . . . and then forgot to check it out [banghead] .
Surely someone out there knows more about this than I do? IIRC June 28 is to be the date.
Someone tell us more, PLEASE!
Hope I wasn’t hallucinating. Anyway, in for a dime, in for a dollar: I just e-mailed a Mr. Davis at UPRR headquarters to learn (any) details about the event, if it is an event!
This site probably has a lot of folks who would like to be included on a public tour of Global III if they can. Count me in if possible!
Al Smalling
Please Keep Me Posted Also!
This is from the website of the Rochelle Railroad Park:
http://www.rochellerailroadpark.org/
Rochelle Transportation Festival - June 28-29, 2008Included in the weekend of events will be:
Union Pacific GLOBAL III INTERMODAL TOURS! (June 28 from 9am-5pm)
Rochelle Railroad Park activities (June 28 & 29)
4th Annual Rochelle Regatta - Power Boat Races On Lake Sule (June 28 & 29 - 11am-5pm both days)
Hub City Cruisers Car Show & Shine (June 29 - 10am-3pm on Cherry Ave.)
Rochelle Flagg Township Museum activities (June 28 & 29)
You may purchase Intermodal Tour tickets by calling the Rochelle Chamber at 815-562-4189
or Tourism Visitor’s Center at 815-562-7031.
Tickets may be purchased in person by visiting the Rochelle Chamber, Visitor’s Center or Railroad Park Gift Shop.
Tickets are limited, so don’t miss this opportunity because it may not come around again!
All who wish to take the tour must sign a waiver at the request of Union Pacific.
Listed below is a link to the waiver form.
Union Pacific waiver form
Please call 815-562-7031 for additional information.
====================================
I have been on two tours of Global III. The first was a grand opening celebration where the UP had displays of how containers are unloaded etc. There were also Metra rides out to Sterling and back. The second was as part of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society Convention, where we also got to tour the peak load electric plant right across from the Railroad Park (in some ways a more fascinating tour than Global III), and the Galesburg Fire Dept Museum.
My recollection is that for the first tour, we were permitted to take photographs out the window of the bus but for the CNWHS tour we were requested not only to not take
Great another reason for delaying Global 3 trains its going to be invaded by FRNS LOL
Update re Rochelle:
Yesterday (Tuesday May 6, 2008), I talked on the phone to a nice lady who works for the Rochelle Chamber of Commerce.
The Global III visitor’s tours will indeed take place on Saturday, June 28, and will depart from one of the two big newish truck stops out by I-39, about a mile and a half east of Rochelle proper on Illinois Route 38 (and right by an I-39 exit, of course!) – my bad & I’ll find which of the two truck stops is the one soon, I feel sure. Both have plenty of parking. Although the truck stops are on the east side of town, and Global III is just west of town, Rochelle is pretty small and I’d guess the bus’s travel time one-way would be no more than ten minutes or a couple of minutes more.
Multiple buses will be used for each excursion and I was told three are in service. (Sorry, I don’t know if each group will “keep” its own bus or whether the three buses will serve as continuous shuttles – this appears to be a fine point that still needs to be worked out.)
The tours are to last an hour, but neither the lady at C. of C. nor I know yet if the duration of the whole deal is one hour, or if the time on the Global III campus itself is to last one hour. According to the press release, the tour window is from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and I have booked for 2:00 p.m. As of now I can’t rule out the possiblity that one bus will drop us at the site and another, possibly different one, will take us back. We’ll probably find that out soon but just a caution that you should be prepared not to leave any gear behind on the bus. As for what the UP considers contraband, I am not totally sure beyond what the press release and individual accounts above say.
Tickets are on sale at the Chamber of Commerce office in downtown Rochelle and at the Rochelle Visitors’ Center, which is the restored S
You’re welcome Al. For the tour many years ago we left from the truck stop where the Iron Skillet restaurant is located – but DON’T assume that is the case this time please. I’d hate to think of my forum buddies standing forlornly at the Iron Skillet while the bus drives past them.
Our tours both times took about an hour. It takes a while to get from the east side of Rochelle to Global III, and the property itself is quite large and you don’t want to go fast. At our tours we did get to see some motive power parked at the facility, a train or two waiting to get admitted, and trailers being jockeyed around by those small cab trucks. There is a very formidable and impressive security gate to be admitted.
One thing that impressed me is the entire area is asphalt but where the landing legs would rest there wwere long strips of concrete, to avoid having the small wheels dig into the asphalt.
For that first tour we were given a very interesting little booklet about Global III. I hope they still have that in print. We also got interesting little pins from Rochelle with the front of a steam locomotive on it.
Just a reminder for those interested, that weekend is also Galesburg Railroad Days.
Dave Nelson