Hello everyone
Just curious if Rochelle IL is worth the drive out to the country from Chicago. We will be staying in the city this weekend and I have always wanted to visit there. Besides going to the railroad park is there anywhere else to park and watch the trains? What is the frequency through the area as well?
Thanks so much.
Rochelle is good but there are plenty of equally good spots in the immediate chicago vicinity. I recommend looking at http://www.dhke.com/CRJ/
activated.
The site has some interesting spots, but Rochelle is still one of the tops, given the traffic flow of about 120 trains per day on UP and BNSF intersecting lines. Here’s the webcam link:
http://trn.trains.com/en/Interactive/Web%20Cams/Rochelle.aspx
Not all that much of interest nearby for railfans, although Mendota (south about 33 miles, 40 minutes) has CB&Q engine 4978 (2-8-2) on display, along with other old rolling stock from the three lines that used to pass there: CB&Q (which still hosts 8 Amtrak trains per day), IC and CM&StP.
There is a radio scanner and loudspeaker set to the UP and BNSF frequencies in use in the pavilion. I believe the frequencies used are posted for the convenience of those who may wish to go elsewhere with their own radio.
Well, let’s see…Rochelle has lots of trains (normally), it is safe, you’ll likely meet fellow railfans (especially on weekends), food (etc.) are close by, they have a scanner set up in the gazebo, you can stay out of the direct sun in the gazebo, they have good parking, they’ve set up grills for your use, they have restrooms right there…what else could we ask for? I have been there many times and highly recommend it.
Cackle, I suspect that however hot it is in Chicagoland this weekend, it will be worse out in Rochelle. You may wish to take that into consideration (you said “we”–definitely think twice about subjecting a non-railfan to that kind of abuse!).
If you want just a big number-count of trains seen, you’re probably as well-off at some of the Chicagoland spots, such as Elmhurst or LaGrange. There are handy options for cooling down at either of those. Also, there are commuter trains (and Amtrak, at LaGrange) to add to the mix.
If you do decide to go out to Rochelle, take Illinois Highway 38 instead of I-88. It will keep you fairly close to the UP main line. Sometimes you can get a good idea of how the action will be at Rochelle by watching the trains on this line–if you pass a bunch of westbounds, they should catch up with you again, eventually. The BNSF line, unfortunately, doesn’t have any highways that work as well for as long.