I just saw a UP coal train rattle over the dimonds on the Rochelle webcam. How does a train get clerance to do over the dimond, to avoid hitting another train on the dimond? Does BNSF or UP own it? Can trains go from the BNSF to the UP?
The diamonds are protected by an automatic signalling system and are tied into each railroad’s dispatch center. The diamonds are jointly owned. There are probably interchange tracks that are not within the webcam’s view so trains can cross from one road to the other if they have trackage rights.
I’ve always understood that the first train to hit the track circuit gets the right of way. There used to be a connection in the northeast quadrant but that was torn out several years ago. There is a connection of sorts in the southeast quadrant that is used for switching local industry, namely the canning plant. I suppose it could be used for detours as well, but I have never heard of any through trains using it. John Timm
Clearance, as it were, actually permission to occupy the crossing is by means of signals, which if I recall are fully automatic for Rochelle (perhaps true for any crossing or most of them these days).
Ownership may be joint or otherwise the first road through the location usually. Others will know for sure on that.
The diamonds only permit straight-through operation. To the left (south) of the diamond is an additional track coming from the Dole (or successor) plant to the west and south which connects to the BNSF line on the park side of the diamond. I have only seen equipment on that track once or maybe twice, the first time very exciting as there was an eastbound BNSF coming towards the diamonds “running left” when the train from the plant showed up, whiich looked like it was approaching on the UP tracks and set for a spectacular collision. That’s when I found out about the spur’s existence.
That’s why looking at the webcam can be very entertaining.
I too have seen action only once on that side access track to the bottom left of the diamond. That was several years ago.
East of town both railroads serve a logistics park. The spurs could handle interchange, if ever needed. BNSF has upgraded the south end within the last year to handle the ethanol plant and the yard access. The UP spur comes off of the south track directly to the BNSF spur. To my knowledge, this would be the only way for UP and BNSF to interchange in Rochelle. But I doubt that it’s been done.
As I pointed out in my first post, there is indeed a connection between the two railroads west of the diamond. At one time, at least, the railroads took turns switching Del Monte. I don’t know if they still do, but regardless, unless some track has been removed recently, it is physically possible to run a train from the BNSF to the UP at that point. John Timm
That isn’t a BNSF spur to the cold storage and ethanol plants…it’s Rochelle’s own railroad, so they get the credit for any extension and improvement. It’s now operated by the Central Illinois Railroad (CIR), which interchanges with both BNSF and UP.
UP does interchange some cars directly with BNSF at Rochelle, though I’m not sure just how or where it’s done. The UP sends loads of lumber (in FBC-type cars) to the Southeast Wood Treating plant, apparently on the BNSF somewhere.
I didn’t know that it was CIR. I did know they operated the yard there. UP sets out the lumber on the east side of Rochelle, just north of the logistics park. Usually, an eastbound will leave the train west of the diamond and pull across Rochelle to the spur to the logistics park. Every time I’ve watched, they set off the cars on the spur and then go back to their train west of town.
I have seen WB NBSF stack and/or TOFC trains holding at a red signal in extreme southeastern Rochelle. Ths signal is a little south of where the industrial park access road ends. (The BNSF line is running due N-S at this point). I’ve seen this hold from the ground and also from I-88, and have seen the effect of a WB BNSF train that got the green – usually they make it past the RR park before I can get there! Am I wrong to assume this is an absolute red? And that it is governed by traffic over the diamonds? - a.s.
There’s several signals on the southeast leg of the BNSF leading to the diamonds. There’s one entering the double tracking (westbound) NW of Seward. Another about 2 miles further westbound. There’s one within the yard limits at the logistics park. One towards the diamond after the turn to the NW. And the one at the diamonds. I’ve never seen a westbound BNSF holding SE of town. I have seen several westbound go right up to the signal at the diamonds. I’m certain they messed up Rochelle’s car traffic for a while.
The trackage east of the BNSF mainline southeast of Rochelle is owned by the city of Rochelle and switched by contract with the Burlington Junction Railway. They have an ex-CN S13 painted in bright red along with a chopnose Geep that is used during weekdays down along the cold storage warehouses. They will also go down to work the ethanol plant. If you travel down along the north south road along the BNSF you will notice the new track that the city put down to serve it. I don’t think the BNSF has any rights into the ethanol facility.
The BJRY also switches at DelMonte on the south side of the UP and west of the diamond with a second ex-CN MLW, still in bad CN paint. The crew drives over to work this trackage on weekday afternoons. You shouldn’t see the BJRY engines running over the BNSF trackage from one end of town to the other.
The BNSF still works the interchange track on the south side of the diamonds on weekdays. I was down around Rochelle just last Monday night and the local job was pulling cars out of there right about sunset.
You can get from the BNSF to the UP through the south track along the diamonds, but you would go through the DelMonte Yard to do so. The last things that I know of that were interchanged that way would have been some high-wide steam generators for the Byron, IL nuclear plant in the fall of 1997. They came out of Ontario, Canada through Chicago and took the UP out to Rochelle. They were backed through the DelMonte Yard to the BNSF and they ran up the branch between Flagg Center and Davis Junction, IL. The IMRL took them over to Byron from Davis Jct.
There was an interchange track on the north side of the diamonds too that was taken up around 1995 or so. During the floods of 1993 quite a few trains were interchanged between the two roads using this track. I watched an eastbound coal load come off the BN with three C30-7s and the C&NW tried to use a GP7r as
Hi all! Thank you for answering my questions, I really appreicate all youre time and effort!
That track on the far left that goes to the local area is hard to see. It is still used these days. I know the first time I saw one running on that track, I also thought a collision was about to happen until I saw it turning onto the BNSF line.
Now see that line I thought was a connection track to and from BNSF and UP. But I now know that it is a indistrial spurr to the cold plants.