Everyone: In my collection I have a N&W Decatur Division ETT #5 effective Sunday April 15,1973...I got this specific ETT because more then likely
it was the one in effect during my first Chicago visit in the Summer of 1973 visiting relatives that once lived less then two blocks from 79th/Kedzie
which was where Landers Station was - and the W end of Landers Yard is...I recall train watching there and "accidentally" discovering the N&W
"Orland Park Cannon Ball" (trains #112 and 113) there one afternoon...I was in my teens then on my first-ever long vacation far from home on LI...
This timetable contains on page 5 a timetable titled "Between Chicago and St.Louis" showing "First Class" the two commuter trains along with
trains #117 (south) and #118 (north) operating between Landers Yard and Brooklyn,IL (near E St.Louis) operating daily except Sundays by way
of both the Forrest and Brooklyn Districts...
#117 leaves Landers Yard at 8:45pm and has times listed for Brisbane at 9:10pm;Manhattan at 9:15pm;Times for all 11 stations listed between
Custer Park at 9:31pm and Gibson City at 10:29pm; Bement at 11:09pm;Brush at 11:35pm and East Decatur (The N&W Yard-I assume) at 11:55pm
and then had times listed for the 12 stations from Mosser at 12:10am to Mitchell at 2:20am;WR Tower at 2:55am and a Brooklyn arrival at 3:45am...
#118 leaves Brooklyn at 9:15pm; WR Tower at 9:30pm; The 12 stations between Mitchell at 9:37pm and Mosser at 11:22pm; East Decatur at 11:45pm
Brush at 11:59pm and Bement at 12:35pm; 15 stations from Gibson City at 1:20am to Brisbane at 3:04am; Chicago Ridge at 3:29am and a Landers
Yard arrival at 3:45am...
The questions that I have are:
What were trains #117 and #118? Do they date back to the Wabash era?
Were these scheduled freight,mixed (doubtful noting the date-after Amtrak began) or some type of mail or other important commodity trains?
If these were mail trains were the times listed for pick-ups by the passing train(s)?
This timetable does distinct the commuter trains scheduled station stops with a "s" and were the times listed just to note what time the trains
were scheduled to pass each point?
I note that both trains are scheduled almost together into East Decatur - Was this for crew changes?
Did crews working trains #117 and #118 work through or did they "turn" at East Decatur from each end point to work the other respective train
back to Landers and Brooklyn respectively?
I was looking for - and found no mention of - the Friday night/Monday morning run of the OPCB's equipment to Decatur for servicing and to
allow Decatur-based crew members to return home for weekends...I recall being told that some employees actually lived at the Orland Park
depot during the week...When the RTA equipment was placed in use and the second Orland Park train added (late 70s) were these Decatur DH
runs discontinued at that point?
I will thank all of you in advance and look forward to finding out more about these two runs...
MACTRAXX
it was the one in effect during my first Chicago visit in the Summer of 1973 visiting relatives that once lived less then two blocks from 79th/Kedzie
which was where Landers Station was - and the W end of Landers Yard is...I recall train watching there and "accidentally" discovering the N&W
"Orland Park Cannon Ball" (trains #112 and 113) there one afternoon...I was in my teens then on my first-ever long vacation far from home on LI...
This timetable contains on page 5 a timetable titled "Between Chicago and St.Louis" showing "First Class" the two commuter trains along with
trains #117 (south) and #118 (north) operating between Landers Yard and Brooklyn,IL (near E St.Louis) operating daily except Sundays by way
of both the Forrest and Brooklyn Districts...
#117 leaves Landers Yard at 8:45pm and has times listed for Brisbane at 9:10pm;Manhattan at 9:15pm;Times for all 11 stations listed between
Custer Park at 9:31pm and Gibson City at 10:29pm; Bement at 11:09pm;Brush at 11:35pm and East Decatur (The N&W Yard-I assume) at 11:55pm
and then had times listed for the 12 stations from Mosser at 12:10am to Mitchell at 2:20am;WR Tower at 2:55am and a Brooklyn arrival at 3:45am...
#118 leaves Brooklyn at 9:15pm; WR Tower at 9:30pm; The 12 stations between Mitchell at 9:37pm and Mosser at 11:22pm; East Decatur at 11:45pm
Brush at 11:59pm and Bement at 12:35pm; 15 stations from Gibson City at 1:20am to Brisbane at 3:04am; Chicago Ridge at 3:29am and a Landers
Yard arrival at 3:45am...
The questions that I have are:
What were trains #117 and #118? Do they date back to the Wabash era?
Were these scheduled freight,mixed (doubtful noting the date-after Amtrak began) or some type of mail or other important commodity trains?
If these were mail trains were the times listed for pick-ups by the passing train(s)?
This timetable does distinct the commuter trains scheduled station stops with a "s" and were the times listed just to note what time the trains
were scheduled to pass each point?
I note that both trains are scheduled almost together into East Decatur - Was this for crew changes?
Did crews working trains #117 and #118 work through or did they "turn" at East Decatur from each end point to work the other respective train
back to Landers and Brooklyn respectively?
I was looking for - and found no mention of - the Friday night/Monday morning run of the OPCB's equipment to Decatur for servicing and to
allow Decatur-based crew members to return home for weekends...I recall being told that some employees actually lived at the Orland Park
depot during the week...When the RTA equipment was placed in use and the second Orland Park train added (late 70s) were these Decatur DH
runs discontinued at that point?
I will thank all of you in advance and look forward to finding out more about these two runs...
MACTRAXX
EXPRESS TRAIN TO NEW YORK PENN STATION-NO JAMAICA ON THIS TRAIN-PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING TRAIN DOORS
