I mainly post BNSF but now that I live in Champaign, I see a lot of CSX and NS so here is what I have for you, a couple of "Dark Ponies" as my wife calls them. This is at Staley Rd. in Champaign, off from Rt. 150. Yes they are switching! This is for Anderson Grain, a large facility! This gives you an idea of the size of Anderson. The crew had just arrived. This is on the old PL&E main. The line used to go up to Bloomington IL but now terminates in Farmer City. Jim
It would be interesting to see an aerial photo of that facility. BTW- What was the PL&E? P= Peoria? And? Boxcab E50
Search for you Google > http://www.oligopolywatch.com/2003/11/01.html Ask> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_and_Lake_Erie_Railroad
The piece of railroad now operated by NS is the old P&E for Peoria and Eastern RR.; a subsidary of the Big Four ie, CCC&StL; NYC and finally Penn Central. I had worked for the P&E one summer in 1971 as a brakeman out of Urbana, IL. and switched this large, unit train elevator at the Andersons Co.. The facility had 4-6 tracks which could/does hold 125 car grain trains. There is no "loop" track just separate sidings as this was done before loading a whole unit train at one time was popular or economical. As information, the mty Wabash/NW grain train pictures I took years ago and which were posted graciously by Traingeekboy, was heading for this facility to be loaded. The interesting "interchange yard" from the NW to the P&E was nothing more than a reversed crossover track to allow direct movement from one line to the other with one crew getting on the train and the other crew getting off while the train slowly proceeded through the crossover without stopping. The operation was what is termed a "headlight meet" with the other railroad and depended on the handoff crew on duty and being prepared to take over the inbound train so several road crossings in town weren't blocked too long. Hey, Geeky you forgot to show the Wabash "streamlined" caboose on the end of the grain train for the Wabash fans. Thanks, Geeky for posting the pictures. I have more of my years on the rails but I need to learn how to post them. Later, Barry
i miss working that job, that was the best local out there. where else could you go right through campus town in the middle of summer and have the girls "wave" at you. got to see alot more than i bargained for in champaign. we stopped one day in the not so best part of town the remove a pile of bicycles from the track and there was a line of quarters a 1/4 mile long, needless to say i made $5 in quarters that day!
Yeah sorry I meant P&E. When I lived in Champaign back in 1998-2000 I would cross these tracks everyday. There was still a lot of Conrail here back then. Traffic has picked up here though, more than I remember. Yeah Mitch, campus is good this time of year! Jim
