Triple Crown service

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I was in Bridgeview Il today (suburb on the IHB southwest of Chicago) and saw a Triple Crown train parked.

It was around 1pm.

That is nowhere near the Calumet Yard which is on the southeast side of Chicago. The only thing I thought was that they run the Triple Crown out of Calumet to the UP for running to Minn/St. Paul.

Does anyone know for sure?

ed

2

Geez, I hope not. They’re supposed to leave Proviso around 2pm. Then again, according to the schedules I’ve seen, it takes 3-4 hours to get across Chicago (!). And sometimes probably more!

BTW, how far is Bridgeview from Proviso?

-Mark
http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken

3

From my recollection Bridgeview is about 15 miles south of Proviso, but it takes about 2 hours on train to get there. The IHB is incredibly congested just like every other railroad in the area. I rarely take trains north of Blue Island on the IHB, but when I do it is either to Proviso or to Bensenville to the CP yard. Those trips are always a guaranteed 12 hours and it’s a nice change of scenery than going to Clearing yard at BRC or Barr yard.

4

So, does that mean the TC originates at Calumet Yard? Goes to Proviso before heading north?

The IHB is congested! Always something moving (slowly) or sitting…particularly south of Clearing Yard.

n_stephenson…do you always go north out of Danville? Or ever to Evansville?

ed

5

With my work schedule, I should never see those trains at Proviso, yet they often leave after I’ve gotten to work.

Saw one Sunday–it had over 90 vehicles on it, according to the advance consist (they started out expecting around 30!).

6

So, if UP does go for Triple Crown to capture the lettuce, they had better hand the train over to NS in St. Louis or Memphis or just about anywhere except Chicago?

7

I would hand it off at Memphis for the south and Kansas City for the north.

That old Wabash line from KC to Detroit is a great line. Bypasses St. Louis and Chicago. I remember the Trains story on it from about 5 or 6 years ago. It sure is a busy line. Wonder what it is like today.

At some point one would think that NS would consider double tracking it. Or perhaps taking a look at the old TPW line.

Take a look at the Official Guides from the 60’s and look at the opportunities that are now gone regarding Chicago:

  1. The NYC’s Kankakee line which connected the Chicago - East Coast line at South Bend with the IC, Santa Fe, Rock, and Burlington.
  2. The EJE’s Porter branch which connected the NYC at Porter and essentially would have provided a tollway around Chicago.
  3. The TPW which thankfully still exists which connected the Santa Fe with Wabash and PRR.

With a little foresite, Chicago could have been a destination terminal rather than an interline point.

ed