So, with the interlocking, do they just have to command like, "Track 3 inbound to track 14 shed" and everything gets lined for that train? Or am I greatly simplifying it? Doug
I don't know Doug. It'd sure be neat to spend a few hours at Lake Street Tower to see how they make it all work.
Yeah, because in pictures of earlier days, like the one you posted, with all the pistol-grip controls and having to closely pay attention to the wall track diagram, it almost seems like they had to set everything manually. Nowadays, you would think they would avail themselves of more automatic, computer-controlled movements but you never know. Maybe a more human-involved element is still desired. Doug
For those with access to Trains Magazine, the September 2023 issue has an article of Chicago's Union Avenue tower operations in 1980. The system was a 144 position manual board built by General Railway Signal in 1931. The article, written by the late Paul D. Schneider, describes first trick operations routing trains into and out of Union Station. Schneider was that operator, written all in the first person. Fascinating.
Several F40s and two GP15s "in the corner", 8-5-23 AM. The largest number of locos I have seen there so far: Doug
Just catching up on this thread ... I've lived on the C&NW 1/2 my life and been to Ogilve countless times. I see the C&NW heritage running along the tracks here about monthly. I first discovered those UP GP15s a few years ago when a local news crew covered them, and it's fun to see others as intrigued by them as I am. I'm curious if they will continue to switch the station, since UP successfully sued Metra to cease operation of Metra service. Metra service can still run, but Metra will need their own staff on the F40s, and may need to provide their own switchers at Ogilve. Sent from my SM-S901U1 using Tapatalk
Cool, now we have at least two guys who have actually been IN the shed! The last couple of days I have been using street view to explore some of the streets around there and the aerial views can be a bit deceiving as the streets seem narrower in street view. Like Clinton street. And those building in between Clinton and the elevated tracks - I thought they were at street level and I could almost swear I saw a truck pull into the one that kind of looks like a trailer but obviously, I couldn't have because THEY are on the elevated structure. I have never been in downtown Chicago. The closest I got was to drive through on I-90 on the way to Detroit for business, once, in 1993. BTW, the C&NW heritage F40 departed track 4 at 8:30 this morning with a nine-car train (scoot). Doug
While searching for old ads in MRs today. I ran into an ad selling 35mm slides and this picture was in the ad. Kind of a lousy image but... The slide was entitled "Chicago Rush Hour". I also remember seeing this ad all those years ago because I thought the steamer looked kind of "squat". Doug
Several tracks (not these) were equipped with baggage/mail cart elevators behind the bumpers so that the heavy carts could be swiftly removed from platforms and brought below for distribution and sorting using conveyors. As seen in the second photo, the C&NW had quite the modern and efficient system for working the mails.
That's a cool picture of the mail sorting space. Some of that space below the platforms is now used for shops and restaurants. There's 2 exits to the station: out the front and below the platforms. Sent from my SM-S901U1 using Tapatalk
This is a neat shot, containing a classic steam powered commuter train and an RDC. The road bought two RDC-1s and one RDC-2 and used them between 1950 and 1957 when they were sold to the C&O.
A bit of continuing thread drift with this post, but with a Fun Fact. As built by Alco for the Omaha Road (Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha) in 1930, the C&NW's three Class E-3 4-6-2s were the biggest Pacifics built, Nos. 600-602. Rather than go with larger power, the choice was made in view of the Omaha Road's prevailing turntable lengths.
