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ICG SD-20 #2035, Chicago, IL, Oct. 13, 1987, photo by Chuck Zeiler

ICG SD-20 #2035, Chicago, IL, Oct. 13, 1987, photo by Chuck Zeiler

Illinois Central Gulf (ICG) SD-20 #2035, Union Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, October 13, 1987, photo by Chuck Zeiler. The SD-20 was a modification to stock EMD SD-24s by ICGs Paducah Shops, more info on this as soon as I come up with it.

I started chasing the ICG train about a mile previous to this shot. See here:

http://illinoiscentral.net/rosters/icg2035.html

I will surmise that this train got a new crew in ICGs Markam Yard, it appears to be an empty unit coal train. I think I'm safe in guessing that the train is empty, it's hard to imagine a full coal train departing Chicago, but, well, never say never. I have seen these trains farther south at Paducah, Kentucky, so it might have served a power plant in between. Below is a link to a photo of a locomotive swap on a unit coal train at Paducah. The locos on the left will replace the locos on the right, and it's a load of coal, obviously.

http://illinoiscentral.net/rosters/icg7709.html


What little I know is that for this train to arrive at this location, it had to travel up parallel to Lake Michigan for about 20 miles, climb up an embankment to gain elevation to cross over the former ICs Electric Division and turn from a northbound train to a westbound train. The route, often referred to as the St. Charles Air Line (it came close the St. Charles, Illinois) headed due west from the normal north-south ICG, was elevated over Chicago streets for several blocks, crossing at grade the leads to the LaSalle Street Station, and crossing over the leads to the Dearborn and Union Stations, as well as the Chicago River. It then came back down to earth, seen here approaching the Union Avenue Interlocking, heading west to the Iowa Division.

The following is speculation. The Conrail train probably proceeded up the former PRR tracks into Union Station, then turned west to head to the former CB&Q (later, BN, now, BNSF) yard in Cicero, IL. As I recall the layout of the tracks at this point, there was only one piece of track connecting the northbound PRR tracks to the westbound CB&Q tracks, so you can bet the Conrail crew is on their best behavior. A derailment or other failure could be a problem here.

I would suppose the Conrail train will have to cross over at some point. The track he is one would eventually lead to the CB&Qs car washer, where all the CB&Q passenger trains were washed. The two unoccupied main tracks in between these two trains, in earlier times, entertained almost every CB&Q passenger train that left Chicago.

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