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On 12/20/2018 at 6:58 PM, John7 said:

Fb post from today

FB_IMG_1545353118014.jpg

Damn that looks like UP-N or NW. Since when does Metra use a yellow Union Pacific freight engine to transport cars between the western yard and downtown? I've been seeing this, saw one yesterday going over hubbards cave on the way to south shops. Thought I saw one before that.

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1 hour ago, BusHunter said:

Damn that looks like UP-N or NW. Since when does Metra use a yellow Union Pacific freight engine to transport cars between the western yard and downtown? I've been seeing this, saw one yesterday going over hubbards cave on the way to south shops. Thought I saw one before that.

UP has always uses UPY locos to transfer cars between Western and downtown. I saw GP7s being used in the 1990s, they now use GP38s as well as one switcher. There are usually at least two at the downtown terminal. Remember UP operates Metra trains on UP lines with UP crews, The F59PHI are in use on MD, they do not have the cab signalling for use on UP lines.

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5 hours ago, busfan2847 said:

UP has always uses UPY locos to transfer cars between Western and downtown. I saw GP7s being used in the 1990s, they now use GP38s as well as one switcher. There are usually at least two at the downtown terminal. Remember UP operates Metra trains on UP lines with UP crews, The F59PHI are in use on MD, they do not have the cab signalling for use on UP lines.

It would make sense. The MD-N is supposed to be pilot testing bidirectional service starting in January so they will need engines. It's just 2 trains but it could and will be most likely expanded. 

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14 hours ago, BusHunter said:

The MD-N is supposed to be pilot testing bidirectional service starting in January so they will need engines.

Probably not. The trains are already bidirectional to Deerfield.

The rationale was that Metra wasn't going to overhaul some engines.

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On 12/25/2018 at 12:14 PM, BusHunter said:

Damn that looks like UP-N or NW. Since when does Metra use a yellow Union Pacific freight engine to transport cars between the western yard and downtown? I've been seeing this, saw one yesterday going over hubbards cave on the way to south shops. Thought I saw one before that.

No, that's on the north throat out of Union Station.  The bridge is all of the UP lines going over it.  I believe it was once owned by the Pennsy & called the Panhandle Division, which went to the Pennsy coach yard.

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9 minutes ago, strictures said:

No, that's on the north throat out of Union Station.  The bridge is all of the UP lines going over it.  I believe it was once owned by the Pennsy & called the Panhandle Division, which went to the Pennsy coach yard.

In the picture yeah,  my sighting was over hubbard's cave. But I see I might have goofed in what was quoted. Back long ago I thought all that fed the old train station by the merchandise mart that no longer exists. There is a building with a clock tower on the chicago river i believe between clark and LaSalle. Dont know if that might have been an original building or not but clock towers and train stations went together back in the day. 

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On 12/25/2018 at 12:14 PM, BusHunter said:

Damn that looks like UP-N or NW. Since when does Metra use a yellow Union Pacific freight engine to transport cars between the western yard and downtown? I've been seeing this, saw one yesterday going over hubbards cave on the way to south shops. Thought I saw one before that.

Actually UP has a yard around Pulaski.   The Western Yard is MD.

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4 hours ago, artthouwill said:

Actually UP has a yard around Pulaski.   The Western Yard is MD.

The UP California Ave coach yard lies between Western (2400W) and Sacramento (3000W). Locomotives are serviced at the Pulaski yard (4000W)

The UP California Ave coach yard is closer to Western Ave than the MD Western Ave yard which is along Grand Ave!

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/27/2018 at 1:28 PM, BusHunter said:

In the picture yeah,  my sighting was over hubbard's cave. But I see I might have goofed in what was quoted. Back long ago I thought all that fed the old train station by the merchandise mart that no longer exists. There is a building with a clock tower on the chicago river i believe between clark and LaSalle. Dont know if that might have been an original building or not but clock towers and train stations went together back in the day. 

The red brick building on the river is the Reid, Murdoch Building.  Originally it was a grocery warehouse.  It was also used as a makeshift morgue after the Eastland sank.  For decades it was owned by the city & called the Central Office Building, but was known to most people as Traffic Court.  Now Brittanica has its name on the clocktower, which is just a front for the water tank.

The original C&NW station was where the Merchandise Mart is now.

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17 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

Metra released a facebook post last Friday that @MTRSP1900-CTA3200 posted here

You know there was a Rock Island livery that they had made up for a retiring employee. Would be kind of cool if they did a cnw one but Union Pacific wouldnt probably let it run on there line but the same could be said with milwaukee road and cn. 

Kind of interesting they mention it's a heritage engine. Metra has heritage engines?

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On 12/27/2018 at 11:19 AM, strictures said:

No, that's on the north throat out of Union Station.  The bridge is all of the UP lines going over it.  I believe it was once owned by the Pennsy & called the Panhandle Division, which went to the Pennsy coach yard.

At some point north of Union Station (Canal St?) track ownership became PRR and MILW joint. PC still switched a few industries such as the grain elevator at Ogden after their line south of the split at Western was abandoned.  NS still has trackage rights though Metra is now the sole? owner.

Years ago, CNW ran transfers from   PRR 55th St freight yard up thru Union Station and over to Western Ave over these tracks and then got on their own line to 40th St Yard. 

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Wow, they actually got it out there !!!. The 405 junk wouldn't air up on the inaugural trip at Grayslake. It has

been said that 405 is probably the worst MP36 they could have wrapped in terms of performance.

Then this pair (73-405) crapped out at Bensenville on Friday afternoon and had to be dragged back downtown.

Also, the F59PHIs have not been doing too well on their passenger trips. They have crapped out twice already, the first on

the curve across Canal Street on its initial trip.

 

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29 minutes ago, trainman8119 said:

Wow, they actually got it out there !!!. The 405 junk wouldn't air up on the inaugural trip at Grayslake. It has

been said that 405 is probably the worst MP36 they could have wrapped in terms of performance.

Then this pair (73-405) crapped out at Bensenville on Friday afternoon and had to be dragged back downtown.

Also, the F59PHIs have not been doing too well on their passenger trips. They have crapped out twice already, the first on

the curve across Canal Street on its initial trip.

 

Metra's trying to work the bugs out with the F59PHI

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20 hours ago, trainman8119 said:

Wow, they actually got it out there !!!. The 405 junk wouldn't air up on the inaugural trip at Grayslake. It has

been said that 405 is probably the worst MP36 they could have wrapped in terms of performance.

Then this pair (73-405) crapped out at Bensenville on Friday afternoon and had to be dragged back downtown.

Also, the F59PHIs have not been doing too well on their passenger trips. They have crapped out twice already, the first on

the curve across Canal Street on its initial trip.

 

When you say crapped out, do you mean electrical problems HEP or issue with cab controls on inbound run. Also I noticed a lot of MP36’s rusting on the rears lately

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