Hoosier State Rail Series: Hick Tower And Bascule Bridges, East Chicago, IN. 11-3-09.

Title:
Hoosier State Rail Series: Hick Tower And Bascule Bridges, East Chicago, IN. 11-3-09.

Description:
10:46AM- This train of intermodal containers was the first to travel across the bascule bridge. NS C40-9W #8964 NS C40-9W #9647 11:15AM- The Amtrak Pere Marquette 371 rolls by sounding it's horn at the crew working on the bridge. I just realized the lead unit had an E-Bell! NPCU #90224 P42DC #130 11:36AM- I'm now a little East of CP HICK at CP502 where the NS crosses the IHB Kankakee Line at grade. Standing at the on ramp to Cline Ave, I view a BNSF empty coal drag returning to home rails with the rolling mills of ArcelorMittal looming behind. BNSF ES44AC #5864 BNSF SD70MAC #9675 (Ex. BN) 11:51AM- The engineer of this manifest gave quite a few honks to the workers standing around the bridge, waiting for him to pass so they can resume their work. NS C40-9W #9309 UP SD70M #5158 11:53AM- Amtrak Blue Water 365 should be in Chicago by now as it crosses the Indiana Harbor Canal. P42DC #126 P42DC #27 12:09PM- The only train that had blue power leading also was the only train that didn't sound it's horn. Would have been nice to get it sounding it's RS3L. Nice to see a blue SD60M leading an intermodal though... NS SD60M #6759 (Ex. CR) NS C40-9W #9807 12:27PM- Wolverine Regional 351 is also pretty late since it was scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 11:59AM P42DC #35 P42DC #33 1:05PM- After grabbing a sack of six at White Castle, (and not missing any trains), I returned to find the track gang performing some maintenance on the bridge. The CN/EJ&E bridge on the Lake Front Subdivision was also lowered completely. To my dismay, it was for a inspector in his hi-railer. 1:18PM- This "Rotten Pumpkin" that has traversed through scenic Cajon Pass countless times is now lost in the heavy industrial grunge of East Chicago, pulling manifests for NS. BNSF C44-9W #4572 NS C40-9W #8820 1:20PM- NS OLS Unit #9252 is spotted again on the point of an Eastbound intermodal. NS C40-9W #9252 NS SD70M-2 #2728 1:22PM- INLX #150 was spotted shoving cars of hot steel slabs waiting to be turned into sheet metal at the rolling mills. These remote units usually stay within the confines of the mill and are harder to view now that the CP502 pedestrian bridge is "off limits." 1:54PM- A BNSF trackage rights coal train and Amtrak Wolverine 352 meet side-by-side perfectly at the Eastern gateway of the bascule bridge. P42DC #128 P42DC #34 BNSF SD70MAC #9884 BNSF SD70MAC #9980 (c) 9th Street Productions

Author:
BoxcarFrank

Tags:
NS, EJ&E, CN, IHB, B&O, PRR, CR, Hick, CP503, CP502, Arcelor, Mittal, Steel, Mill, East, Chicago, Indiana, Harbor, Lake, Michigan, Whiting, Hammond, Gary, Pine, Train, Railroad, Intermodal, Container, Manifest, Unit, Transfer, Local, Throughbred, Railfan, Foamer,