You will get ample warning of approaching trains fron the grade crossing signals, the block signals, the train horns and the scanner in the shelter. It is a great spot. Reasonably priced refreshments are available on site in the railroad shop and there are plenty of places nearby.
Thanks for the tips guys, now I hope these aren’t the loud belled xing gates that will strtle the crap out of you when they ring. Are they??
Now that we’re off Daylight Savings and given the disadvantageous position of the setting sun at Rochelle, you would effectively have to end your photographing day around 3:30 unless you are used to low-light conditions (even Kodak doesn’t recommend 400 speed within an hour of sundown).
The smart money says, and I tend to agree, that Tuesday is the worst day for trains. Theory is that it’s too late in the week for the trains to have left Chicagoland and too early to be receiving the western trains.
Quite possibly you’ll go long periods – a couple (frequently) or several (occasionally) hours without a BNSF. One train I have found fairly consistent is a westbound intermodal that is scheduled to leave Chicago at 11:00 a.m., actually pulls out around noon, and usually passes thru Rochelle between about 1:30 and 2:00. It consists of long strings of TOFC’s (piggybacks), not a common sight on the UP line these days. The UP’s intermodals are almost entirely made of stacks, but the stacks are quite colorful.
If you don’t want to go as far west as Galesburg you can see some BNSF mainline action at Mendota, Illinois, about 35 minutes to the south and west of Rochelle. Three Amtraks a day each way go through (the CZ doesn’t stop, the other two do). This is BNSF’s “Northern Transcon” which was shifted up from the Streator - Chillicothe line to the Plano-Mendota-Princeton line. The old train station still functions as a depot but in back is a small museum devoted mostly to railroading in Mendota over the years; in the very back is a nice layout of the town as it was ca. 1940 and the folks there were happy to operate it for us even though there were only about four of us in the museum at that time.
Unfortunately, there seem to be no motels in Mendota’s immediate vicinity, but Princeton to the west, Rochelle to the north and east and Peru/La Salle to the south are not terribly far away. Princeton is on the same line as Mendota and many people prefer it.
Look at my pictures from my link, some are at Rochelle
You will no doubt hear the road crossing bells where the road crosses both sets of tracks but they are far enough from the pavilion that they will not startle you.
I spent 5 hours there in the summer of 02 and it was GREAT! I have been planning a trip back, but just can’t get everything to line up.
You will have a great time!
Regards