Visit to Rochelle
April 23, 2016
Photos by Dave Ingles

With Saturday, April 23 promising sunny weather, Jeff Madden and I, going to Rockford to attend the monthly meeting of the Northwestern Illinois chapter of NRHS, met in mid-morning to head for Rochelle to spend a few hours before returning north to Rockford. We arrived at Rochelle about noon and first made a snack pick-up stop at McDonald's east of town on Dement Road; Mickey-Ds is between a Subway outlet and the local Culver's, so this was sort of standard procedure. As we left McD's, an eastbound was heading under Dement Road and up Creston Hill. We couldn't catch him, didn't see the power, and aren't counting him in our fabulous totals for a 4-hour visit: 19 trains seen and 18 photographed, of which an astounding 14 were on UP and only 4 trains, plus a Herzog self-contained train of container wells just emptied of ties for a track word project to the west on the C&I line (Aurora Sub) of BNSF. This is a contrast to my recent visits when BNSF trains are close to even, or surprass, UP trains, but a friend at the NWI meeting who'd been out toward Savanna in the morning, said BNSF was busy early in the day. Moreover, of all the UP trains, not one was a coal train, indicative of current traffic levels. In addition, while we did shoot a couple of trains at the Railroad Park, whose parking lot was packed as you'd expect on a sunny Spring weekend, we mostly worked elsewhere in town on both roads; indeed, we barely left the Rochelle city limits, vs. on many visits going to neighboring villages such as Steward, Flagg, Flagg Center, or Creston.

Giving up on the man headed up to Creston, we turned toward Rochelle and there came another eastbound, so we turned around on Creston Road/1st Ave. and went east to Mulford Road, the first UP grade crossing east of the I-39 overpass, by a landfill. Jeff parked, headed for the crossing, and started waving at me, but I couldn't get out of the SUV and far enough fast enough to do anything but shoot a digital up the road and going-away views of a loaded tri-level ("vehicle") train led by 6890/5038, with a rear-end DPU of 5878, on Track 2 (south) at 12:22 p.m. (Like always, engine numbers are home-road units unless noted. Also, for the first time since Feb. 29th, I was also shooting slides in the N90, and would up exposing about 30 frames.)

Before we made our U-turn, we had some concern once the westbound tril-level train appeared that he would block us from the eastbound we'd spotted, but no worries -- the westbound cleared in time for shots . . . and it was a surprise, a short train with one unit, 5126, 5 stack wells up front, and 25 trilevels trailing. He cleared us at Mulford Road at 12:30.

We were in touch by cellphone with Mike Schafer, working at home in Lee, Ill., trackside by BNSF's C&I main (the intent was to meet him for supper before NRHS), so in effect we had a "staffed tower" a dozen miles east on BNSF. While we were at Mulford Road he called to O.S. a westbound train, but while we made it back into town, he was on the south track and caught us at 9th St., by the Railroad Park. A coming-on view there is so tight that I just stayed by the car and just grabbed a broadside going-away slide, no digitals, of the power: 6916/5070 on a 65-car train at 12:45. Checking the UP we saw a headlight out toward Creston and so shot him at the Rochelle depot: a 108-car manifest led by 4271/7838/4638/673, the last unit dead-in-tow, at 12:56.

Perhaps hard to discern in the UP 4271 West photos above is that Rochelle has been busy converting most if not all grade crossings in the city to "Quiet Zone" status, so although we heard plenty of horns on this day, as the work isn't done, in the future becoming aware of a train on "the other railroad" if you're camped by one in town may be a bit more difficult. We knew of this change and observing its status was one main objective of our visit this day, The UP depot sits between N. Washington St. on the west and N. Main St. on the east, and in the photos above of UP 4271 West and below of UP 5670 East you might be able to spot evidence of the work. Main St. was done, and the crossing open; Washington St. was not and the crossing was closed. Both BNSF crossings of these streets were open, and the work mostly finished. So far, no work at 9th St. by the Railroad Park, nor out southeast on BNSF and Rochelle Railroad at Steam Plant Road, which will be tough to modify as Caron Road is right next to the tracks on the east side. Also the reconfigured 1st Ave. UP crossing west of the diamonds is already "done" on the east side, with a roomy (for trucks from Global 3) 90-degree turn, a stop sign, and paddles, but the west side is a steep, narrow, 2-lane approach, which will have to be greatly modified to get "paddles" or a narrow median. The two pedestrian-only crossings, on the 7th St.. alignment beneath the Hwy. 251 overpass, have been closed and both the UP and BNSF tracks fenced for a few hundred feet to prevent walkers from easily crossing the now-unprotected tracks there. Also, no work yet on "the Lincoln Highway" (Hwy. 38) crossing of BNSF just west of the diamonds around a curve. I'm guessing that will be converted. On the city's east side, 1st Ave. at BNSF is done, but we didn't take note of Caron Road (UP). I believe the Rochelle Railroad's 3 public crossings will not be done -- not many horns across those! The main impediment for my brand of photography in Rochelle is that a "panic stop" right next to the crossings is largely being taken away by street curbs being installed, tho not a big deal. As UP 4271 West cleared, an eastbound was heard to the west, being a 56-car merchandise train heavy with "ice cold" refrigerated boxcars behind units 5670/8523/5852, by us at the depot at 1:02. Trains like this often will set out or pick up cars at the Rochelle Railroad at Caron Road, but this one went right thru town on Track 1.

All seemed quiet, nothing in sight on UP or lined up east on BNSF or past Lee westward, so we went out to check the Rochelle Railroad's "terminal" on Wiscold Drive east of Caron Road and the BNSF/RRR. That street intersection now is a 90-degree, 3-way stop (not eastbound on Steam Plant crossing the tracks), with Wiscold realigned into an S-curve, eliminating one intersection on Caron. To our surprise, we found not 3 but 4 Rochelle Railroad units tied up. (All are in red lettered for contract firm Burlington Junction, of course.) The little military-style Alco is gone; the two usual units, SW1500 1516 and MLW (Alco) 8711, were parked by the trailer/office, but two other EMDs were parked just to their south, behind a fence and gate: SW1500 1517 and SW1200 (or SW9?) 1510. The light angle was impossible, so we made no shots. Not known is if the 2 units were being swapped for the "new 2," or just what. Driving back north on Caron, with no auto traffic, we stopped for a thru-the-windshield shots, at 1:15 p.m. of UP SD40-2 1907 (my house number) with small wings on the nose. We have no idea what brought him there to be parked, but of note was that along both BNSF and UP there were parked no Wiscold reefers (tho south by their plants were plenty of cars!) but rather long strings of short frac-sand covered hoppers, obviously stored with the traffic downturn.

Our 6th train to photograph was a westbound UP stacker, by us at the depot at 1:33 behind 8962/7915/5553, which we barely had time to bail from the car from after pulling off N. Main to shoot.

Mike Schafer called to report "the usual trilevel train" by his house, so we set up at the Lincoln Hwy. crossing west of the diamonds for our first good BNSF shot of the day, units 9079/5931 at 1:52. You'll note that the new home signal standards for the interlocking are all up, but still no progress in converting from the old searchlights (BNSF) or tri-lights (UP), which for fans is a good thing. It's a UP project, so who knows when it will be finished.

Along about 2 pm, we knew from scanner talk there was an eastbound UP 6862 coming, and also a 5830 West, so we set up across from the UP depot. Jeff walked toward the Washington St. crossing, but I stayed in the car to monitor the scanner, and are we glad I did! Amidst chatter from  the d.s. to both trains, regarding Dement (the crossovers just east of town by the Dement Rd. overpass), I heard the words "passenger special," so I jumped out and yelled at Jeff to get back to the car. By this time the eastbound was around the curve at the Railroad Park and approaching us . . . very slowly. We waited a few seconds until he got close enough to shoot, then jumped in the car and broke speed limits getting east of the center of town, figuring (rightly, it turned out) that since 6862 East was on TRack 2, he'd block us from seeing whatever the passenger special was. Here's our shot at Washington St. of 6862 East, at 2:13 p.m.; he had only the one unit, was all stacks (probably out of Global 3) with a total of 258 axles. You can see the street median for the quiet crossing under construction.

On Creston Road east of town and once over I-39, we considered going to the Mulford Road crossing, but then just in time to prevent us turning left, the 5830 West showed up, crossing Mulford (if the corn was high, i.e., August, we'd have no such views). I immediately guessed (again rightfully), though we could not tell, that he was also on Track 2, facing the 6862 East for one to change tracks at the Dement crossovers, and allowing the eastbound passenger special clear sailing on Track 1. So we kept it floored on Creston Road, which goes into a T intersection, where we turned left. It goes north about a half mile and then makes a 90-degree right turn, but as we approached that, I glanced to the left and saw the passenger train approaching at high speed. Ahead was a semi-clear stretch of right-of-way trees where I've shot before. So with no road traffic, Jeff slowed down and soon, finally stopped at the turn, and we both shot telephotos thru the windshield as the PX shot by, going up Creston Hill with no problem, of course. This meant digital for me, no slides. They are presented below, and miraculously they are sharp enough to read car names even on the camera! In examining images later on the D700's view screen, I got all 12 car names but one (listed below), plus one can see the window shades are down in many cars, with two grubby units as power (6517/5728), meaning it's a deadhead. Talk at the NRHS meeting added that a) no one was in the rear theater car, Fox River, and b) the train was bound for Global 4, UP's terminal next to BNSF's south of Joliet, Ill.

Going back to Rochelle, the tri-level train was underway, crossing over to Track 1, so we hastened to try to get his front end. Meantime, below is an across-the-field shot just west of Dement to show the two trains, including the eastbound's sole locomotive, and here, with help from my business-car and private-car expert friend John Arbuckle in Kansas, is a corrected version of the passenger-train consist: 6517/5768, Power 2066, Sleeper Willie James, Biz Feather River, Sleeper Columbia River, Biz St. Louis, Baggage Car 5779 with flag, Sleepers Portola, Lake Bluff, and Pacific Limited, Dome Lounge Harriman, Diner City of Denver, Theater Observation Fox River. John adds these notes: Willie James was a highly thought-of business-car attendant. Baggage car 5779 is an "exercise car," aka a "traveling gym" (my term, not John's).  Lake Bluff and Fox River are ex-C&NW, originally KCS and Canadian National, respectively.  Stopping by the Railroad Park later, we confirmed that no one in the park, or in town on the south side of the UP tracks, saw the passenger special close-up, as the stack train blocked everybody. One fan hanging out at the BNSF Lincoln Hwy. crossing, glanced south when he heard a horn and saw it going by at speed, but he was too far away to do anything about it.

We barely caught up with the front end of the westbound tri-level train, across the field south of the 1st Ave. crossing, units 5830/5337 with 78 cars and DPU 7151, spanning 2:30 p.m. Incidentally, at NRHS I was told that Burlington Jct. keeps another MLW S13, like 8711, at the canning plant just west of us at this location, but it rarely comes out far enough for photos, and is still in remnants of the CN black and red paint scheme. As you can see, west of here out past Global 3 and thru Flagg, the sun angle was basically almost down the track by this time.

Our 11th train was next, a 5-unit eastbound stacker at the Railroad Park at 3:04, units 7526/7729/3889/8257/4414,

We couldn't easily check for westbounds, so we tried to get to the 1st Ave. crossing (and then the BNSF), but a frac-sand train caught us unawares, and all I could do with the front end was jump out of the car with the first camera I grabbed, the N90, so i only got a slide of the lead units, 8815/ CSX 4805, at 3:09. I retrieved the D700 for a shot of the sand cars, then did digital only on the two-unit DPU, also both roads, CSX 3123/  UP 3413, a minute later. The track in foreground is the connection from the BNSF to the plant to the west where the "other MLW switcher" lives.

When we got over to the BNSF, the Herzog train, with old container wells having been emptied of new ties out to the west, sauntered through. The lead unit is the power car, 169, with the cab car at rear numbered 1690. He was by us at 3:13.

We then made an ill-timed potty/snack stop at Casey's, and Jeff, who stayed in the car, glimpsed yet another westbound UP stack train thru the trees, our only "miss" of our 4-hour stay, at 3:25.  Next was a last-second shot at the UP depot of an eastbound intermodal, the 14th train we photographed, at 3:35, with units 5442/4550/4110 up front and DPUs 5469/8895 at the rear, but I shot only slides. Next, back at the Lincoln Hwy. crossing, we then were treated to a BNSF meet, first with a westbound intermodal with 6812/7354/3978/4410 at 3:52, which we knew from Schafer was coming, then an eastbound with 6757/UP 4278,, which we alerted Schafer about, by us at 3:55.

Our 17th train to shoot, backlit at the UP depot, was an eastbound manifest led by 4975/5226 at 4:09.

And the final train of the day was a westbound intermodal at 4:17, led by 8875/7504/8072/7647,  with 256 axles. Our due time in Rockford was a 5 p.m. meeting at a pizza joint with Mike Schafer and other friends in NWI chapter, so having seen no other headlights or green signals, we hit the road for Rockford about 4:30 to conclude a very satisfying 4-hour visit in Rochelle.

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