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A Chicago Subdivision Photo
Album (Part 4 of 4)
Written and
Photographed by JD
"Tuch" Santucci,
MPRR Engineer '78-'85
New
material added (at bottom)
Click on the thumbnails for a larger image
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60) EJ&E 321 began life as MP 1185. It was
retired in 1985 and went to "the J" in 1986
via Precision National. Oddly enough, I never operated
this or any other SW1200's on the MoPac as they
were never assigned to Chicago. However, I got to
operate all twelve of them the EJ&E acquired
during my brief tour of duty there. I also ran the
1107 and 1278 at Wisconsin Central which became
the WO 1230 and 1232 respectively.
Here the former 1185 toils at Whiting, IN on a cloudy
day in May 1992.
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61) This overpass clings to its C&EI heritage
in the April 1990 photo. To this very day, it still
has its C&EI lettering and has been repainted
since this picture was taken.
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62) On the subject of C&EI, this tool car is
parked at Salem, IL in April 1983. It also clings
to its "Coal Road" heritage. Considering the
C&EI completely vanished in 1976, it is surprising
to see how clean and crisp the paint and lettering
are.
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63) A Union Pacific steam special operating on
former C&EI trackage in 1993. This is the north
branch of the Kankakee River, site of a very serious
wreck on a brutally cold morning in January 1980.
A southbound clipped the side of a derailed northbound
knocking two SD40's and several cars off the bridge
and into the icy waters of the river below. Amazingly
enough, while there were injuries to the two head
end crewmembers of the southbound, nobody was killed.
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64) The same steam special coming south into Crete,
IL several days later on a very dark and rainy
morning.
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65) A southbound Soo Line trackage rights train
coming off the IHB and Harbor lead at 142nd Street
and onto the Chicago Sub at 144th Street on April
27th 1990. The Soo began operating on the Chicago
Sub in 1989 between 142nd Street and Woodland
Jct (MP82.3). At Woodland they turnout onto the
old Evansville Division of the C&EI and later,
L&N, Seaboard System and now CSX.
The track to the left leads to what used to be
the north end of One and Two Yards at Yard Center
and is now the north end of Yard Center Intermodal.
The track on the very far left leads to the north
end of Yard Center Diesel and the RIP track.
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66) Yard Center Diesel in April 1990. This is
a view of the south end of the facility. The track
closest to the camera is track 11, to its
right is 10, the 9 and the crossover
to the sand track where locomotives are turned
in at the south end of the diesel shop facility.
Track 8 is the run-through track that goes through
the roundhouse itself (where the large open door
is). It can accommodate four, four axle engines
and three, six axle engines, four if you allow
part of them to stick out the doors. The UP power
is on the east fuel track and the west fuel track
is clear. Out of view is the switch to the wye
that comes off track 11. This is where power is
turned.
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On the north end of the house were two additional
service tracks, 7 and 6. Both of them were stub-ended
tracks that went onto the house. A single unit
could be service on each one. There was a drop
table on both tracks that allowed for such chores
as changing out wheels and traction motors or
replacing broken springs.
Other repairs like power assembly change outs
could be performed at Yard Center Diesel. Minor
wreck damage, daily, monthly and 92-day inspections
were also performed here. Brake shoe change out
and piston travel adjustment was handled as well.
The storage tanks visible in to the left are for
lube oil storage. The fuel storage tanks are to
the left and behind where I was standing when
I shot this picture. The object that resembles
an overhead crane above the fuel tracks is actually
for sanding locomotives. The yellow structure
above the crane is a sand tower. Two old C&EI
sand cars were used to store sand.
Out of view but to the left of the sand tower
is the oil track. Locomotives are frequently held
here in between assignments.
The small building on the right is a storage facility.
The RIP track is further to the right attached
to the diesel shop. It has two run through tracks.
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80th Street - Looking south, the Switchtender's
shanty is the small building in the middle of
the photo. The Switchtender is walking across
the tracks. The track extending behind the shanty
and breaking to the left is the connection to
the C&WI Mainline and also the Dolton Branch
which separates from the main line here. The signal
bridge governs the movements on the Mainline and
this plant is called 81st Street. Looking straight
ahead towards the tree line just above all the
puzzle switches in front of the engine is the
Freight Mains. Behind the connection to the Highline
(where the Burro Crane is somewhat visible is
the yard. This photo was shot from a MoPac GP7
in 1981. - J.D. Santucci Photo
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B Yard - This is the north end of 8
Yard at Yard Center and it was commonly referred
to as B Yard. The Ford Run is about to cut away
in this 1981 photo. I was working the City Run
this day and we would then couple on to this
train and set over a cut of auto parts for the
C&O to pick up. Then we will grab a block
of auto parts for the N&W off the inbound
train, add them to our train and take them to
40th Street in Chicago where we will set them
out there at a former Wabash Yard for an N&W
crew to come and pick up. This scene is looking
north. The track immediately to the right of
Conductor Walter Hall is 15 which extended from
the far north end of the 8 Yard lead to the
south end of Yard Center. The Sibley Blvd (IL
Rt. 83) bridge is in the background. - J.D.
Santucci Photo
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Dolton Jct - This is looking basically
west across the C&WI Dolton Branch main tracks.
They are the two closest to the bottom of the
photo. The next track above them is the connection
the the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal.
Behind the tower and out of view is the connection
to the Indiana Harbor Belt. The track to the right
of the tower is the Indiana Harbor Belt main line.
This tower is an old Pennsylvania Railroad tower
and at the date of this phot in the early 1990's
was still staffed by a Conrail Operator. Today
the IHB provides the Operators from the tower
taking over control of it from Conrail in 1995.
- J.D. Santucci Photo
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Dolton Jct - Another angle of the tower.
If you look closely past the propane tanks you
cna se the IHB connction track in this photo.
The pole coming out of the ground and ending right
at the very far right window is actually a signpost
with a yard limits sign posted to it. - J.D.
Santucci Photo
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GATX 7370 - This is former MoPac SD40-2
3189 and the trailing unit in this photo is the
former 3184. Both of these units along with several
others in this series built in early 1975, were
returned to the lessor in 1990. They were rebuilt
at Burlington Northern's Havelock Shops in Lincoln,
NE for GATX Capital. Dynamic brakes and walkway
ramps and chains to allow passing between the
units were added to them in the rebuiling process.
This group was then leased to the power short
Delaware & Hudson. I wound up operating just
about all of these units again, this time as GATX
units in my days at the IHB when they came through
on intermodal trains from D&H's parent CP
Rail. A few of them still had their MoPac toilet
servicing date decals applied inside the restroom.
This 1994 photo was taken while on the point of
CP Rail train 261 operating over the IHB. - J.D.
Santucci Photo
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Tuscola Tower - In this photo, looking
roughly west we see the MoPac Chicago Subdivision
main closest to us. The Baltimore & Ohio line
to Decatur, IL is to the left of the MoPac. The
Chicago Sub veers to the left crossing the B&O
and then crossing the Illinois Central as it regains
a more southerly route south of here. A connection
between the MoPac and IC was also located here,
south of the crossing. The highway bridge in the
background is US Rt. 45. The tower (known as TY
on the IC) closed in 1993 with the IC's single
tracking of their Chicago-New Orleans route. Today
a semi-automatic interlocking protects this crossing
which was simplified when the tower closed. The
B&O line now connects with the Chicago Sub
timetable north or compass east of the tower and
then breaks back away from the Chicago Sub south
or west of the IC crossing. - J.D. Santucci
Photo
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B23-7 4622 at Salem. This view includes
the depot at Salem in front of the 4622 which
is the yard engine being used to switch out the
inbound B&O train. The 4622 is facing south. -
J.D. Santucci Photo
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WC 4008 which began life as the 663, was
renumbered to 2530 and when rebuilt into a GP35
was renumbered the 2612. This photo against the
sun was captured in December 1987 in Shawano,
WI on Wisconsin Central train T011, Fond du Lac
to Gladstone, MI (in the Upper Peninsula). This
engine was a long, long way from what used to
be home. My Conductor and I about froze to death
in this engine as the heaters did not work very
well this day. We changed crews here at Shawano
(pronounced SHAW-no) and the crew out of Gladstone
took over the train taking it on to the Upper
Peninsula. - J.D. Santucci Photo
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WC 4011 is captured at Shops Yard in North
Fond du Lac, WI in 1987 coupled the 4007 which
is the former MoPac 625, then 2523 and finally
the 2611. The 4011 began life as C&EI 255 in 1964
and was renumbered to the C&EI 663 after the MoPac
takeover. It was later reassigned to the Texas
& Pacific becoming the T&P 663. In the general
renumbering plan this engine became the MoPac
2560 and when rebuilt into a GP35m was renumbered
the 2612. IN the rebuilding process it lost its
dynamic brakes along with the turbocharger. Ê
- J.D. Santucci Photo
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In this view of the Chicago & Western Indiana
near 81st Street in Chicago, we are looking back
from the Fireman's side of the 2281 on the City
Run. This engine was one of fifty-two former Rock
Island engines the MoPac acquired from the Rock
Island bankrupcty estate. As this train heads
north around the curve between Oakdale and 81st
Street it is passing over the Belt Railway of
Chicago double track main line (where the intermodal
loading ends and the freight begins in our train).
To the far right, just right of the tie pile is
the 80th Street Yard and then the two Freight
Tracks, where you see all the boxcars just above
the street light. This photograph was captured
on an overcast day in the spring of 1981. - J.D.
Santucci Photo
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Diagrams
of the
Chicago Subdivision
J.D. Santucci Collection |
ZONE LAYOUT
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ZONE MAP
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YARD CENTER NORTH
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YARD CENTER SOUTH
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THORNTON-CHICAGO HEIGHTS
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26th STREET YARD
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MOMENCE AREA
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WATSEKA
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DOLTON JUNCTION
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WOODLAND JUNCTION
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St. ANNE
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Tuch
Santucci's Chicago Subdivision of the Missouri
Pacific
Background: Chicago
Sub
Photo Pages: Part
1 l 2
l 3
l 4
(this
page)
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