Norfolk Southern Office Car Special Train
around Chicago
Aug. 24, 2010

Photos by J. David Ingles

The train staged overnight at Canadian Pacific's Bensenville Yard office to load at nearby Franklin Park, convenient for out-of-towners flying in to nearby O'Hare. The train moved from the yard office to Franklin Park, opposite the Metra Milwaukee District West station, to load between 8:20 and 9:00 a.m. Rick Moser and I shot it (below) at the first Franklin Park grade crossing, then left at 8:30 to get a head start to drive down thru the suburbs for the next shot. The train's route, involving six carriers, was: CP, Bensenville to B-12 Interlocking, Franklin Park; Indiana Harbor Belt, Franklin Park to Dolton, Ill.; Union Pacific (ex-C&EI/C&WI) Villa Grove Sub, Dolton to 81st St. Chicago; Belt Railway of Chicago to the west end of Clearing Yard, connection with IHB, then IHB 1 mile to Argo; Canadian National (ex-IC, earlier GM&O) Joliet Sub, Argo into Chicago and onto CN (IC) Freeport Sub near 21st St. Chicago to 16th St. CN (ex-IC) Chicago Sub 16th St. to Kensington (115th St.), then a reverse move to NS Chicago Terminal Division west of Pullman Jct.; NS Chicago Terminal Division to 81st St.; BRC 80th St., west and north via the line bypassing Clearing Yard (to the east) to Cragin; CP (ex-MILW) Elgin Sub, Cragin to Franklin Park; unload; deadhead into Bensenville Yard. Scheduled departure Franklin Park, 9:00 a.m.; scheduled arrival back at Franklin Park, 3:05 p.m. Train consist, all NS: F9A 4271, F9B 4276, F9B 4275, 7 Pennsylvania, office; 19 Kentucky, diner; 21 West Virginia, office; 23 Buena Vista, theater observation.

We were in La Grange, via city thoroughfares, by 9:00, when he was leaving Franklin Park. One each UP vehicle train and CN mixed freight went north, and the OCS came by Shields Avenue at 9:28. The viaducts in the background are Ogden Avenue and the BNSF/Metra "Raceway" Chicago-Aurora main.

We drove via Tri-State Tollway, 159th St., Dixie Hwy., 147th St., and Indiana Avenue to Riverdale and had less than 5 minutes to set up here between Dolton Tower (behind us) and the Illinois Central mainline overpass (visible in the distance). It's 10:14 a.m.

Closed grade crossings on two streets in Dolton north of the tower thwarted our plan for a second shot, showing Dolton Tower, and we wound up at the 130th St. grade crossing, where my coming-on digital photo misfired. Here's the going-aways; we are actually in the city of Chicago here, at 10:33.

Using I-94 (Ford Expressway), I-294 (Tri-State Tollway), I-55 (Stevenson Expressway), and Illinois 171, we got to Summit/Argo in time to prowl some, and saw the train going under Harlem Avenue, heading for Argo junction. We had scouted out the Summit station, used by Amtrak Lincoln Service and Metra Heritage trains (to Joliet), and returned there, learning by radio that the OCS would hold at Argo until Amtrak Lincoln train #302, running about 15 minutes late, cleared the junction. The train had 6 cars with a P42 on each end (29 in front, 33 at rear), a "Michigan consist." This is the rear end, while stopped, and moving away, where a father welcomed his little daughter off the train with a big hug. The time is High Noon. About 10 fans were here, the largest contingent we saw in one place.

The OCS came by at 12:15 p.m. We then went to the Brookfield area via 1st Avenue for a lunch break while the OCS went into the city, to the near south side, then out the IC to Kensington, etc. Between traffic, lack of trackside access, and bad neighborhoods, we deemed that segment easy to pass up.

Dining on our Subway sandwiches trackside in Brookfield on the BNSF main, we saw one westbound Metra, then as the Chicago-Portland intermodal came, we got skunked by an inbound Metra. I did get a going-away slide of the freight's power: 5451 in "H2," 1082 in "H1" (a "Northern"), and 8275 in still-decent-looking Warbonnet. This is the trailers passing Metra 1266, stopped at Brookfield station with F40M 205 pushing. We then drove leisurely through the likes of Melrose Park, Bellwood, and Westchester to Franklin Park, the prowled east on CP and settled for Elmwood Park Metra station for our finale.

After the passage of one Metra and one CN freight (Clearing Yard origin, to gain CN's ex-WC route at B-12), the OCS showed up at 2:40. The train was scheduled liberally and to not conflict with scheduled trains. After showing up at Dolton 30 minutes ahead of schedule, It had left Argo 25 minutes behind schedule owing to waiting for Amtrak, but easily made that up and was again early up here by about 30 minutes.

We were the only photographers at Elmwood Park, a first for the day!

The OCS train unloaded at 2:55, 10 minutes ahead of schedule; most passengers got on a waiting chartered bus, probably for O'Hare. One fan who saw the train load estimated more than 50 people were on board, including staff. We moseyed over to Franklin Park and photographed the empty move after unloading, passing the Metra station at 3:15. It was our first OCS shot that got "clouded." We deemed our chase successful, with 7 encounters. We missed our chosen Dolton shot but added the La Grange shot, not in our original plans. This was the first time I'd seen these units in person, hence the trip. -- JDI

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