Blue Line head-on collision

UPI story on the investigation:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/10/ ... 1380952633" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Everyone: Does the CTA use one station track at Forest Park/Desplaines Station to lay up
a set of equipment at any point during the day using just one track to run trains in and
out? Judging by the location of the yard and what a "runaway" train would have to go
through I am wondering if this unmanned trainset was laid up at the station for a later
turnaround and somehow got away heading E...

I am familiar with this station and I do remember how eastbound trains leaving FP would
go downhill and duck under the paralleling railroad - CP/Soo Line - to access the ROW
alongside the Eisenhower Expressway...

MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:Judging by the location of the yard and what a "runaway" train would have to go
through I am wondering if this unmanned trainset was laid up at the station for a later
turnaround and somehow got away heading E...

The reports have this train coming from the yard, not the platform. It had been parked for several days and no one had gone near it the day of it's not so excellent adventure. As it moved under it's own control it was stopped by train stops both before and after Forrest Park platform. But unfortunately it started up again.

MACTRAXX wrote:Everyone: Does the CTA use one station track at Forest Park/Desplaines Station to lay up
a set of equipment at any point during the day using just one track to run trains in and
out? Judging by the location of the yard and what a "runaway" train would have to go
through I am wondering if this unmanned trainset was laid up at the station for a later
turnaround and somehow got away heading E...

There are crossovers just east of the Forest Park terminal that would allow any train to arrive or depart from either track, but the normal procedure seems to be that most of the time, outbound trains arrive on the north track. From there, they'll either loop around to the south track to head back east, or get routed into the yard. Since the "ghost" train wound up running into an outbound train at Harlem, I'm guessing that it departed the terminal from the north track.

The full NTSB report should be quite a read...

MACTRAXX wrote: I am familiar with this station and I do remember how eastbound trains leaving FP would
go downhill and duck under the paralleling railroad - CP/Soo Line - to access the ROW
alongside the Eisenhower Expressway...

Correcting this only so someone reading this topic doesn't get confused ...

The paralleling railroad there is CSX (former B&OCT). Just northwest of Forest Park and after where the CGW used to split off, it becomes the former original Soo that is now owned by CN. CP is not involved with that line. I believe there is very little use of the former Soo south of Franklin Park with most CN trains either crossing on to the IHB at Franklin Park or heading east on the Metra MD-W to reach the BRC at Cragin.

lstone19 wrote:

MACTRAXX wrote: I am familiar with this station and I do remember how eastbound trains leaving FP would
go downhill and duck under the paralleling railroad - CP/Soo Line - to access the ROW
alongside the Eisenhower Expressway...

Correcting this only so someone reading this topic doesn't get confused ...

The paralleling railroad there is CSX (former B&OCT). Just northwest of Forest Park and after where the CGW used to split off, it becomes the former original Soo that is now owned by CN. CP is not involved with that line. I believe there is very little use of the former Soo south of Franklin Park with most CN trains either crossing on to the IHB at Franklin Park or heading east on the Metra MD-W to reach the BRC at Cragin.

LS: Thanks for that clarification - I remember that paralleling rail line was the former Chicago
Great Western line to the W that I thought had become a CP/Soo route and I had forgotten
that the B&OCT also used that same route...

I may go off topic but I will mention that I also remember when Chicagoland's expressway
railroad underpasses were marked with railroad logo signs in color back in the 70s era and
I do recall that the line in the vicinity of Forest Park/Desplaines Station had CGW signs on
its bridge across the Eisenhower Expressway...Are any still intact anyplace or has IDOT
removed them over time? (Could this be a separate new topic?)

MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote: I may go off topic but I will mention that I also remember when Chicagoland's expressway
railroad underpasses were marked with railroad logo signs in color back in the 70s era and
...Are any still intact anyplace or has IDOT
removed them over time? MACTRAXX

There are some left, you have to look for them, though. First, Metra has quite a few quasi-billboards up. More to your question, I can think of a few left.

On the Dan Ryan, where the 3-way bridge meets the Rock, the northbound lanes have a Rock sign covered by a tattered CRL sign. http://goo.gl/maps/MKzxp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The southbound lanes have a BRC "Y" logo. http://goo.gl/maps/KxFYZ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A bit north in Englewood where the Rock main crosses by the Skyway ramp, there are faded Rock signs.
http://goo.gl/maps/EIxyA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On the Bishop Ford, there is a rather sloppy "NS" on the bridge to the harbor near 130th.
http://goo.gl/maps/hO2pv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also on the ford, the CNIC main has "ICRR" letters. http://goo.gl/maps/9370P" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Metra/IC Blue Island branch has both "ICRR" sign and Metra billboard over the northbound I-57 lanes.
http://goo.gl/maps/Se4E3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On Joe Orr Road in Chicago Heights, there is still a C&EI sign despite that road disappearing into MoPac and then UP in 1976 http://goo.gl/maps/LeP3z" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Westbound I-290 (at the location in question from the original post) has a nice CSX sign, looks mid-80's. http://goo.gl/maps/P7UGQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Westboudn I-290 also has a BRC logo on their bridge, further in the city. http://goo.gl/maps/kzpJO" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Metra UP-NW still has a CNW sign over the Kennedy near Avondale and THE JUNCTION... http://goo.gl/maps/kTJU0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

CN (ex WC/Soo) has one over westbound Kennedy at the airport. Worth noting this is a new shiny sign from the CN takeover of WC, and they took the WC sign down pretty fast. This process, oddly enough, did not happen to the IC bridges, most of which retain their ICRR lettering. I believe most surface streets in Schiller Park have a nice CN sign, too. http://goo.gl/maps/1i27O" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tadman wrote:

MACTRAXX wrote: I may go off topic but I will mention that I also remember when Chicagoland's expressway
railroad underpasses were marked with railroad logo signs in color back in the 70s era and
...Are any still intact anyplace or has IDOT
removed them over time? MACTRAXX

There are some left, you have to look for them, though. First, Metra has quite a few quasi-billboards up. More to your question, I can think of a few left.

On the Dan Ryan, where the 3-way bridge meets the Rock, the northbound lanes have a Rock sign covered by a tattered CRL sign. http://goo.gl/maps/MKzxp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The southbound lanes have a BRC "Y" logo. http://goo.gl/maps/KxFYZ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A bit north in Englewood where the Rock main crosses by the Skyway ramp, there are faded Rock signs.
http://goo.gl/maps/EIxyA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On the Bishop Ford, there is a rather sloppy "NS" on the bridge to the harbor near 130th.
http://goo.gl/maps/hO2pv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also on the ford, the CNIC main has "ICRR" letters. http://goo.gl/maps/9370P" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Metra/IC Blue Island branch has both "ICRR" sign and Metra billboard over the northbound I-57 lanes.
http://goo.gl/maps/Se4E3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On Joe Orr Road in Chicago Heights, there is still a C&EI sign despite that road disappearing into MoPac and then UP in 1976 http://goo.gl/maps/LeP3z" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Westbound I-290 (at the location in question from the original post) has a nice CSX sign, looks mid-80's. http://goo.gl/maps/P7UGQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Westboudn I-290 also has a BRC logo on their bridge, further in the city. http://goo.gl/maps/kzpJO" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Metra UP-NW still has a CNW sign over the Kennedy near Avondale and THE JUNCTION... http://goo.gl/maps/kTJU0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

CN (ex WC/Soo) has one over westbound Kennedy at the airport. Worth noting this is a new shiny sign from the CN takeover of WC, and they took the WC sign down pretty fast. This process, oddly enough, did not happen to the IC bridges, most of which retain their ICRR lettering. I believe most surface streets in Schiller Park have a nice CN sign, too. http://goo.gl/maps/1i27O" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tad: THANK YOU for this information!

I realize that this topic and forum is NOT the place for this information and
will another section like "Midwest Railfan" be the more appropriate place
for this subject? This is an historical subject that I would like to see more
of because I think this can become a very interesting subject...elsewhere...

MACTRAXX

Tadman wrote: On the Dan Ryan, where the 3-way bridge meets the Rock, the northbound lanes have a Rock sign covered by a tattered CRL sign. http://goo.gl/maps/MKzxp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What's the story on those bridges? Obviously the center one is out of service, the northbound one's track kind of peters out, but the southbound seems in good enough condition. I've never heard nor seen reference to any train using those nowadays but when I pass by on the METRA the tracks/ballast look to be in too good of a shape to be abandoned...what's the deal?

If I remember right, the southerly bridge is a joint CRL(Rock) and BRC bridge that essentially connects the Rock mainline at Gresham as well as Clearing Yard with the far southeast side. There's a lot of former Rock property and CRL operations on the far southeast side, and it's the line that closes BRC's belt across the south side of town. I believe it is the same main that runs parallel and just north of 95th.

Water in the control cables in one of the defective cars that rolled out of the yard, errant control signals, and a case study in the bad things that can happen when equipment isn't properly secured.

Per the findings of the final NTSB report...