South Shore Double Track

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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More work in Michigan City this week. This view is looking east from just west of Wabash St. Note the new streetlights on both sides of the ROW. The arm on the right hand side is for the replacement traffic light. (The concrete base in the foreground is for a catenary support.)
20220917-11thSt-Wabash.jpg
Over at the diamond Amtrak has the new eastbound signal in place ... shown from both directions with an arrow over the new signal. The new signal is bagged and not in service.
20220917-10thSt-AmtrakWB.jpg
20220917-10thSt-AmtrakEB.jpg

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DaveO
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Interesting using a steel stabilizer/cross member attached to wood poles.
I don't recall seeing that done before.

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Saturnalia
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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DaveO wrote:
Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:46 am
Interesting using a steel stabilizer/cross member attached to wood poles.
I don't recall seeing that done before.
There are dozens and dozens of that type of portal structure on the South Shore, especially in the Wilson segment. There are a bunch of new ones around Powers, both west of US12 and the curve at EE Powers.
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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Very common at crossovers and (as you note) the Wilson segment. The west end of Wilson was the "Ideal" section of South Shore with iron posts and cross beams. Elsewhere it was hard to find a catenary support that wasn't wood before the constant tension wire was installed a few years back. Steel beam poles were needed to support the weight of the counterweights and normally just the counterweight.

Certainly a lot more wooden poles than steel along the length of the line ... with crossbeams on wooden poles. (The only place I recall seeing complete steel catenary supports was at Dune Park, one on the bridge near Miller, in East Chicago along the toll road and Hegewisch at the station.)

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Waverly Rd (1st road west of Dune Park) received a second track at the crossing last week. A week from now construction will be at the entrance to Dune Acres at Mineral Springs Rd. This road is the only open entrance to Dune Acres so traffic will be maintained across the tracks while new track is installed. Apparently a "shoo fly" for road traffic. As posted on the project web site:

"Beginning 9/26 for 5 days, changes to traffic patterns at Mineral Springs Rd start. During this time, new additional track will be installed to the North. In order to maintain public traffic, a run around route next to the current road will be installed. This run around route will utilize a temporary traffic light to facilitate alternating northbound and southbound traffic. Short delays may be encountered due to alternating vehicular traffic."

Lafayette St will close for 14 days starting next week and Sheridan Ave will close for 40 days (with the reopening of Willard St).
The project web site also reports a 19 day closure of Washington St will follow the reopening of Wabash St next week.

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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This week's progress on 11th St at the new station. Raise the roof and get ready for the new track.
20220925-11thSt-Platforms.jpg
The white tubes are for drainage along the tracks.
20220925-11thSt-Street.jpg
At the east end of the track 1 platform bases for light fixtures are in place.
20220925-11thSt-EastEnd.jpg

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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What is your favorite color? NICTD and the city are picking colors for the brick and the wall between the tracks and traffic on 11th St.
20220925-11thSt-PickAColor.jpg
Wabash St not quite ready for traffic. A better look at the traffic signal supports mentioned last week.
20220925-11thSt-Wabash.jpg
And off at Dune Park the first segment of the new Track 2 is in place. Note that it is in the final position. There will be a wide spacing between track 1 and track two to allow for the new gauntlet on track 1 and to pass around the bridge support to the west of the station (SR49). The catenary supports will be replaced with longer cross beams. The new bases can be seen to the left of the existing supports.
DP-20220925-Station.jpg


It looks like paving is a behind so consider the dates given last week for street openings (and related closings) delayed. Willard St, Wabash St and Oak St need to be paved and opened before Sheridan, Washington and Lafayette (respectively) can close. There was paving equipment lined up at Ohio St at the fire station. I saw no sign of preparations for the traffic light at Mineral Springs so that may be delayed as well.

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Saturnalia
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Just drove the project this evening, here are my observations, from east to west:

- Boulevard: Base course of paving is down for 11th Street from Lafayette to the Boulevard, and the wall is essentially complete for that stretch. Catenary arms are going up around the Boulevard, both east and west.
- 11th Street Station: the platform canopy steelwork went up rapidly. No new track for Main 1 yet, but the ballast is down so it should be soon
- Wabash Street: It looks like they're almost done, with the trench boxes removed and the ground flattened back out. I bet we see paving there very shortly.
- Ohio Street: They have poured the median for the crossing, so I bet this will be done fairly soon also. Medians will be installed at most if not all of the crossings in Michigan City, so that they can become quiet zones.
- 10th Street Interlocking: Amtrak has installed their new signal and insulated joints. The new diamonds are being assembled nearby. They should be going in soon. Meanwhile, grading for the new alignment is essentially complete
- Willard Ave: Both new tracks have been installed and the crossing should reopen soon I would bet. Grading is complete with ballast installed all the way to the new diamonds going east, and subgrade work complete going west all the way to Sheridan.
- Sheridan Ave: No real work there yet. They have to finish Willard before they can close Sheridan.
- Central Ave: No updates here yet. The new track is complete from Pines to EE Tamarack, but still not tied in so no ballast is down and it has not been tamped.
- EE Tamarack: No evidence of the new crossovers being constructed yet.
- WE Tamarack: The new Main 2 is installed, ballasted and tamped going west through to Beverly Shores.
- Beverly Shores: Work on the new Main 1 platform is essentially complete, and the new platform for Main 2 is well underway now.
- Kemil Road: The new Main 2 ends here. It is ballasted and surfaced to a point about halfway between Beverly and Kemil. Only basic grading to the west.
- WE Tremont: Catenary pole relocation is ongoing, and grading is done to the subgrade level from the end of the existing siding to Waverly Road. No changes to the existing Track 1 yet, nor evidence of the future crossover to the east.
- Waverly Road: The new Track 2 has been installed at the crossing, but nothing abuts to it. No real work west of here grading wise nor anything else.
- Mineral Springs Road: It looks like they have the crossing rubbers in for the shoo-fly, but nothing aside from that yet.

Looks like the full-court press is now on to get the new alignment completed from Ohio Street to EE Powers, which will finally eliminate the rest of the streetrunning. I bet by November trains are out of the street for good.
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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Starting on 11th St:
20221002-11thSt-EastEnd.jpg
The east end of 11th St with a thin coat of asphalt on the street and catenary arms on the poles in the background.

20221002-11thSt-Platforms.jpg
The east end of the platforms. To the left is the space where track 1 and the gauntlet will go. To the right is track 2 and its gauntlet. Between it is the base for a sidewalk extending from the end of the four car track 1 platform down to the end of the eight car track 2 platform. Note that there are sidewalk light bases between the sidewalk and track 1. No provision for a low level platform.

20221002-11thSt-OhioSt.jpg
Ohio St almost ready. Pavement is still needed north of the tracks but is in place south of the tracks, between the tracks and between the rails.

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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At the diamond:
20221002-10thSt-AmtrakWB.jpg
Note the old Amtrak signal on the right and the new signal on the left. Photo taken from the middle of Chicago St looking down where the tracks will be.

20221002-10thSt-DoubleDiamond.jpg
The new double diamond has been assembled and is being prepared for installation. (The new signal is in the background.)

20221002-10thSt-BadDiamond.jpg
The diamond left at the 10th St railroad crossing remains there. Looks like Amtrak won't be installing that one. :shock:

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Finally a look at 10th St:
20221002-10thSt-WillardAve.jpg
Willard Ave open for business (and a smooth ride).

20221002-10thSt-SheridanAve.jpg
Sheridan Ave closed - although with one of the barricades to the south knocked over cars were sneaking through. They can't put a barricade across the tracks so I expect people will keep sneaking through until the pavement is removed.

20221002-10thSt-DumpsterPizza.jpg
Apparently the construction crew had some left over pizza pizza. Yum!

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Saturnalia
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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To add to lurker's images, I took a few as well today. Nice meeting you at Beverly, justalurker!

Franklin St looking east at the new station platforms:
image0.jpg
And looking west. No new track one from Cedar St to Amtrak yet.
image0 (1).jpg
And with a westbound freight movement this afternoon.
image0 (2).jpg
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Saturnalia
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Finally, Beverly Shores, with one platform structurally complete and the other well on the way:
image0 (3).jpg
As noted above, Willard is open and Sheridan is now closed. It looks like work at Wabash should be wrapping up with paving sooner rather than later also.

Sheridan is the last road that needs redone to accommodate the new trackage in Michigan City. Once they get any utility work done, the two new tracks should go in. Unknown if they will try to re-open it before the cutover to the new alignment, or if they'll reopen with the existing track still in service for some time.
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Dan Cluley
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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I like the new track 1 platform at Beverly Shores. That may open up some new shots. Is it going to extend west all the way to the street or will access be across the tracks?

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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Dan Cluley wrote:
Sun Oct 02, 2022 11:56 pm
I like the new track 1 platform at Beverly Shores. That may open up some new shots. Is it going to extend west all the way to the street or will access be across the tracks?
What you see is what it will be. You can see in the foreground the signal base for the pedestrian crossing lights and gates. There will be a sidewalk leading to a crosswalk over the tracks there.
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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Hopefully Sheridan will only be closed long enough to get the crossing in. It is scheduled for 40 days. At the current pace Franklin St won't be completed until after that.

One more shot from me. I took this picture just to document the installation of the catenary arms but I liked how it turned out.
20221002-11thSt-Sunset.jpg

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Dan Cluley wrote:
Sun Oct 02, 2022 11:56 pm
I like the new track 1 platform at Beverly Shores. That may open up some new shots. Is it going to extend west all the way to the street or will access be across the tracks?
I have already seen one photo of a train posted on another site that was taken from the new platform. Not my photo. When the platform is open I expect it will get plenty of use.

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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No new asphalt seen in Michigan City ... but some work was done at the 11th St station and cranes are on site to place the Amtrak diamond in place.
20221009-10thSt-Diamond1.jpg
20221009-10thSt-Diamond2.jpg
At the west end of 10th St Sheridan is closed with the road torn up. Vehicles cannot drive through the intersection. The new ROW south of 10th St is ready for ties and rail.
20221009-10thSt-ROW.jpg

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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Head west to Beverly Shores and one will find the second platform.
20221009-BeverlyShores.jpg
Jump over to Mineral Springs Road and the "shoofly" around the crossing is in place. One way traffic will be allowed on the path around the crossing as a new set of tracks is placed to the north. This is the only entrance to Dune Acres so access must be maintained.
20221009-DuneAcres1.jpg
20221009-DuneAcres2.jpg

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justalurker66
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Re: South Shore Double Track

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And finally back to Dune Park where the overhead catenary supports have been replaced with longer overhead segments. This will allow the siding to be moved to the north when it becomes Main 2. The old bases for the upright poles can be seen where the new low level platform and north track will be placed.
20221009-DunePark1.jpg
Rail has been laid through the old pedestrian crossing west toward Waverly Rd. Ties are in place all the way to Waverly Rd.
20221009-DunePark2.jpg
Off to the west of Dune Park at Waverly Rd the first switch for the new "East Bailey" control point is in place in the new main 2. Panels for additional switches are staged to the west of Waverly Rd.
20221009-DunePark3.jpg

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