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No. 1630 operates on select Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year, see irm.org or the IRM steam team Facebook page for up to date information on when 1630 will be fired up.CSXBOY wrote: 6. Will the Illinois Railway Museum operate Frisco 1630 like on a Wednesday or Thursday?
May I offer one additional resource for planning your trip? The Chicago Rail Junctions site is a really helpful source of information for where to go in the greater Chicago area.CSXBOY wrote:Hi everyone I got some questions on the Rochelle/Rockford IL area Please let me know by morning July 12thOf course I will catch BNSF and UP traffic. But I kinda want to get some Canadian Pacific, Amtrak, Canadian National. If its less than 40 trains a day. Can you please give me the correct times to go
1. How busy is Davis Junction All I know is the BNSF local heads north through there and there is a Canadian Pacific line the cross. What is the train count on that line and where is a good location to park
Not busy enough. When I lived out there, I'd usually see a westbound through Elgin in the middle of the afternoon. Elgin is about an hour east of Davis Jct (pretty much due east across SR 72). There are sidings on the east and west side of the diamond, into which through trains would set out and pick up blocks of cars, but the viewing angles are limited from the public thoroughfares (i.e. 72 and 251). I'm not sure which BNSF local runs through DJ, as I had the impression the North-South line was still operated by a shortline operator. In the past, they were parking their power between Flagg Center and DJ, usually next to a small clearing a couple miles north of Flagg Center. In years past the CPII would leave power in DJ, near the diamond, but I don't know if that is still the case as most of the blue/yellow power seems to have been sold off. You may be able to park near the diamond, but the bar that used to be there burned down a long time ago, and I'm not sure whether or not the area inside the diamond is all railroad property. I seem to recall there being an elevator along 72 on the north leg of the wye, but again I don't know if you would be able to park there or not. In any case, train count isn't high enough to warrant sitting in DJ unless you know a train is coming.
I'd recommend joining the ICE Rail group on Yahoo and/or the IlliniRail group. There used to be a member of the ICE Rail group who would post when trains passed his house some distance away from DJ(?), if that is still the case, it might give you enough lead time to get up to DJ if you're in the vicinity (i.e. Rochelle, Mendota, even the Rockford area isn't that far away).
2. Going through Chicago Is taking interstate 355 better than taking interstate 294 to Rochelle IL?
Both are toll roads. If you/your mom doesn't have one, get an iPass or the Indiana or Ohio equivalent. Not only will you pay less at each toll booth, with the open road tolling you'll lose less time during the trip stopping to pay your toll and avoid the risk of missing a toll booth (and the penalty fine that comes with missing a toll payment). That being said, I prefer 355, but that's because 294 was under construction the entire time I lived out there and 355 was a pretty direct route from the east (Michigan/Indiana) to the greater Elgin area where I lived. Keep in mind I-88 is also entirely a toll road, which you'll likely wind up taking west from 355 in the Downer's Grove area if you're heading straight out to Rochelle. Depending on the time of day you're making the trip, you may be able to take I94 straight west from the Detroit suburbs(?) to downtown Chicago (no toll, great views of the CTA trains), where you can pick up I-290 west to I-88. There's still a toll on 88, but it's a lot more scenic than the alternatives and if it's not closed for construction and if you can avoid rush hour, it's hard to find a faster route. Unfortunately, I don't recall whether or not that route is currently shut down for construction or not.
If you elect to take 355, you can take I-80 out to 355. You'll be on the Tri-State Tollway, which passes directly over the CN yard at Homewood. A pitstop to the railfan platform in Homewood might be worth considering. Despite the neighborhood near the tollway, downtown Homewood is surprisingly decent.
3. I am trying to avoid Norfolk Southern and CSX as much as possible. So I found a great spot on google maps called Mendota IL and looks like to be a gorgeous spot to view trains. Thank heavens the railroads are BNSF and Amtrak. What is the train count in Mendota IL
Not good. This is the line that the 765 would have taken to Galesburg a few weeks ago if the trips hadn't been canceled. I'd asked pretty much the same question and the response I got wasn't good. It should still be present a few threads down. On the plus side, there is a museum in Mendota, but aside from see it while passing through town, I don't know anything about it.
4. What is the train count on the Canadian National line that goes through Rockford and where is a good location to park?
Unless things have changed, there's a manifest each way daily, plus whatever extras have to be run. I seem to recall there was an ethanol train that ran frequently, but I'm not sure what else runs regularly, or when. Again, I'd check with the IlliniRail list for better details.
5. Is their anything for my younger brother (10) will enjoy anywhere in the area?
Unfortunately, this is a largely rural area. Outside of the trains, I'm not sure what else really exists west of SR47, east of I39, north of I80 and south of I90. I seem to recall a "Wild West Town"(???) near Union, but that comes from road signs near IRM, I have no idea what it is. The Rockford area isn't that far away from Rochelle/DJ. There should be plenty up there to interest him, although the trains might be kind of sparse. For what it's worth, if you do get up that way, US20 runs close to UP's Belvidere Line from near SR47 up to Rockford. You may be able to catch the road train (from West Chicago to Belvidere) or the local job switching the auto plant up there. There's plenty to see in the Rockford area, but this probably isn't the place to get recommendations for everything else...
6. Will the Illinois Railway Museum operate Frisco 1630 like on a Wednesday or Thursday?
That's a good question. You could contact them through their website (http://www.irm.org/) to find out.
I dont really want to get into the Dekalb but thanks for offering!![]()
It looks like there's street parking to the east of the crossing. Stay off railroad property and no one should mind your presence.CSXBOY wrote:I might also go to West Chicago IL as a pit stop on the way to Rochelle. am not sure as of this moment. Where do you park in West Chicago IL. Once again Would UP and CN mind a kid with a tripod and his family sitting off of Washington street. Also How many Metra trains go through there in a day?