I promised a more detailed report on my train-watching trip of last Friday (my birthday). It was a pretty good time…
I left the house at about 8:45, and arrived at my selected spot in far western Gary about an hour later. Even though it’s my special “fishing hole”, it’s not private by any means. I’ll describe this crossing:
Clark Road in Gary is off Industrial Drive (former U.S. 12, which passes the entrance to the Gary airport). One goes north on this road trough what can best be described as “industrial wasteland”–few buildings, lots of potholes, and plenty of urban jungle growth–still safe to visit during the daylight because nobody’s around.
First, one crosses the abandoned line of the former Pennsylvania Railroad. Speed records were set on this stretch of railroad once–nothing is left. Then the old Wabash main line–gone from the crossing, but recently replaced by a new connection to CSX so Norfolk Southern can continue to serve a sugar factory to the east. This connection crosses just to the north of the abandoned tracks.
"Clark Road in Gary is off Industrial Drive (former U.S. 12, which passes the entrance to the Gary airport). One goes north on this road trough what can best be described as “industrial wasteland”–few buildings, lots of potholes, and plenty of urban jungle growth–still safe to visit during the daylight because nobody’s around. " - My guys just referred to it as “yechh”., were always expecting to find bodies in the thickets - Charming “hood”. Notice the missing 2 span GW/IHB Dune Park Branch bridge at Tolleston (PRR/WAB/GW) west of the NYC diamonds? CSX made it go away.
Blue Island Junction and Lavergne on BNSF are my usual spots when I get a day off. I usually start at either spot at about 8:30 AM and stay until about 1:00 PM when I check out nearby yards (plus NRE if I’m at Blue Island). If I have just a little time, I’ll check out Argo (IHB) and Clearing, possibly Landers.
Clark Road (now called Gary-Chicago Airport in the NICTD timetable) is the last of the “street” flagstops in Gary on the South Shore.
Paul, is there actually good access to the airport from that stop? It’s on the opposite side from the terminal. I know you couldn’t get to “my” spot from there without a bit of a hike, and I don’t recommend it. I haven’t seen any bodies yet (MC), but that may be because I keep my eyes on the road (or the tracks).
When I wrote the initial report, I was on another train-watching trip–slightly more mundane (details forthcoming).
I wrote my report on my special birthday trip on Monday…I was armed with my computer, but trackside, at the station in Elmhurst, on Metra’s “UP West” line and Union Pacific’s Overland Route, the original transcontinental railroad (they extended it east from Omaha by taking over the Chicago & North Western–may not be historically accurate, but it’s true for all intents and purposes).
Pat and I had some errands to run at a grocary store, a hardware store, a pharmacy, a bank, and Chipotle (not in that order). After we were done, I lingered for a few hours to prepare my report, garner more sightings, and continue work on the ones I had. Of course, I kept getting interrupted…
1335: Westbound stack train on Track 1 (usually the eastbound track).
1338: Eastbound stack train on Track 2.
1354: Westbound stack train on Track 3. This one was comprised of mostly K-Line containers, so I named it “Al”. That was the Tiger in me.
1359: Westbound WEPX empty gons on Track 2.
1420: Westbound scoot on Track 3.
1420: Eastbound scoot on Track 1 (both were about eight minutes late, due to “track construction”).
1430: Eastbound intermodal on Track 1.
1432: Westbound intermodal (“The Bird?”) on Track 3.
That is quite a report. I was at the site in February (-10 degrees) and in an hour there were 13 trains, before getting run off by an FRA official.
What is name of the restaurant? I will have to stop in sometime.
Next time you are in Chesterton, stop at the bookstore downtown. Quite a collection of used books on just about any subject imaginable…including railroads. It is well worth the stop.
Ed, what were you doing that invoked the wrath of the FRA? (I just sat in the car except for the one time when the car couldn’t have made it as close to a train at the crossing as a pedestrian could.)
The restaurant is the Great Lakes Cafe. It’s on the east edge of Gary proper (not Miller–go west on U.S. 12-20 from I-65); signs will direct you north from the highway. To get there, you have to cross the South Shore and the CN-CSS connecting track, then duck under the CSX and NS main lines, followed by a spur off the NS. Workers from nearby industries go there, as do Gary firemen and policemen. “Mom” (Cindy) runs the place, “Pop” runs the kitchen, and daughter Jessica is one of the waitresses. I seldom can go in there without getting a hug from Cindy or Jessica (if you go, tell 'em I sent you!).
I agree with your assessment of that bookstore in Chesterton; we were in there once, and I saw their railroad books, but did not buy any (I either had them already or didn’t want them that badly). Pat was impressed with the store, too.
Thanks for the tip regarding Great Lakes Cafe. Sounds like my kind of place. I will certainly drop your name and see if it results in either a hug or a discount! What is their specialty?
The fact we were on railroad property was probably the issue. No problem with that as I respect the job they have to do.
Their specialty is breakfast and lunch. I usually get a burger or a salad for lunch, and a “2x2” for breakfast. They close at 2:30 in the afternoon (12:30 on Saturdays), and are closed on Sundays and major holiday weekends. Definitely a family thing.