Apparently Canadian Pacific train 284 (St. Paul—Bensenville) Is slated to terminate in Proviso Yard tonight.
I can imagine there are a few reasons as to why they’re doing this…Has such a thing occurred before?
Tell me more about the blocks that 284 carries, or used to. They are probably a pure Proviso train now from as far away as Milwaukee, with any cars for Bensenville being set out there.
This would fit in with Bensenville being downgraded (the hump closed) and St. Paul being the primary classification yard in the States.
UP used to have a decent bit of business with CP at Proviso, including a lot of auto racks. I’m sure that a train could be sent or arrive there with no problem, instead of the transfer run that I remember. Any cars between UP and CP that wouldn’t go on this through train could probably still be handled with a direct transfer or via IHB.
From what I know…CP train 284 has a lot of grain and tanker cars, not to mention a few refrigerated cars and box cars (not quite sure the loads though) I could imagine, if they continue this form of operation, that they would simply remove the Bensenville bound cars near Bensenville (the small UP yard at Elk Grove?) and then have a local train operate to pick up those cars…
The union pacific and canadian Pacific still has about two trains a day that operate between Bensenville and Proviso, and both haul a large amount of autoracks (sometimes, they’re so long, you’d mistake the transfer as a long-haul manifest)
And rumor has it that the CP wants to purchase the controlling stake in the IHB, and turn Bensenville into a full Intermodal yard…