I just got word that METRA's famed 16TH ST Interlocking tower at the triple crossing of the Alton (CNIC), Saint Charles Air Line and the Rock Island, is slated in close in early April. Built in 1901, the tower and its original Taylor Model 2 pistol grip type interlocking machine have been in continuous service since 1901 or 124 years! Unlike some other towers where the closure comes out of left field, this one has been telegraphed for some time. 16TH ST (and presumably its interlocking hardware) has been falling into increasing disrepair and I am honestly shocked it did not manage to catch fire or fall down on its own.
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| 16TH ST in 2017, it looks worse now. |
Cost cutting on the part of Canadian National, starting in 2019, have reduced the 12 diamond plant to just 4, as what had been a Y split of two double track main lines crossing another double track main line, was reduced to two single track lines crossing a double track line. It was clear for some time that once all the work was finished to rebuild the complex crossing to some sort of new standard, the tower would be closed.
Given the wooden tower's condition, its also pretty clear that the tower is beyond saving, even in situ, but I'd expect parts of the interlocking machine and model board to make their way into preservation similar to what we saw with CALUMET about a decade ago. Anyone looking to grab some photos during the final days in service can snag a view from the corner of 16th St and Clark.
In other bad news, the late model Chicago Northwestern CY tower has also been closed by Union Pacific as a downstream outcome of UP looking to transfer METRA commuter operations to METRA itself. The operator at CY had control of the local interlocking and much of the METRA UP-Northwest line, where Metra was the primary source of traffic. This was likely a way to better allocate the costs of dispatching the line. Run from a video display interface for years, control might end up in the METRA operation's center with staffing of the still open LAKE ST tower, also taken over by METRA.
Unlike 16TH ST, CY is of far more sturdy construction and will likely serve as an maintenance base for decades to come like its sibling KEDZIE tower on the UP-WEST line. With these two closures the Chicago area will be reduced to four traditional interlocking towers on main line railroads, LAKE ST (CNW), TOWER A-2 (Western Ave), TOWER B-17 and JB. Three of these towers are on the METRA UP/CNW-West Line between the CNW Terminal and West Chicago with the fourth being on the Milwaukee West Line.
Assuming Metra and Union Pacific manage to agree to terms – they are still wrangling about the transition – the agency will take over the train and engine employees on commuter trains, and will take over maintenance and staffing of coach yards and similar facilities exclusively devoted to commuter service.
ReplyDeleteMetra is *not* taking over control of Lake St. Tower or any of the interlocking plants or CTC in suburban territory at this time.
Incidentally, the closing of Chicago's 16th St. Tower has been rescheduled for the second week of April.
Those interested in a glance at 16th St. Tower when it was new will be interested in an article from Railroad Gazette dated July 12, 1901, which can be found on my website www.jonroma.net. The direct link to this article is https://tinyurl.com/yzsd3y6h.
Thanks for the info.
DeleteWith the growing acrimony between METRA and UP I figured that transferring the jobs at Lake St would be in the cards, sort of like Western Ave.
Oddly, METRA was paying for the operator at Rondout, but CP still chose to remote the tower. I know a CP dspr and he was puzzled by the move.
I missed a glitch wherein it was said that the Alton (CNIC) was involved in the 16th St. plant. The predecessor road is in fact the Illinois Central's Freeport Subdivision, which was originally called the Chicago, Madison & Northern.
DeleteThe St. Charles Air Line, which you also mentioned, was one of Chicago's earliest rail lines, and was chartered in 1852. Its role was to connect the railroads entering Chicago from the east with those being built to the west. The Air Line was owned in equal 25% shares by Michigan Central, Illinois Central, Galena & Chicago Union, and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.
The MC stopped using the IC's lakefront tracks in the late Fifties, consolidating its operations with those of the former Lake Shore & Michigan Southern. Illinois Central later purchased MC's 25% share. IC and its successor CN have a 50% stake in the St. Charles Air Line. G&CU became Chicago & North Western, subsequently becoming Union Pacific. Likewise, CB&Q became BNSF.
You mentioned the CN slimming down to a single track. To be sure, the Air Line sees less traffic now than prior to CN's acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern, which is Chicago's outer belt line and connects all the CN predecessors (GTW, IC Chicago Sub, GM&O, IC Freeport Sub, and Wisconsin Central). The principal impetus for the "trimming" of the Air Line trackage through 16th St. is the need to replace the street underpasses beneath the tracks. These date to the late 1800s and were in serious need of replacement. The single-tracking facilitates doing bridge work on one half of the right-of-way while maintaining train service on the other half.
Before the NYC/Rock Island and IC/StCAL tracks were elevated around 1900, 16th and Clark was the site of a doozy of a junction that also included the Chicago & Western Indiana and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. The crossing had well over a hundred crossing diamonds! Needless to say, it was one of Chicago's prime bottlenecks in pre-interlocking days.
As an aside, the CNIC name persists as a paper corporation, but the railroad now simply identifies as CN.
I forgot about the whole EJE purchase being a cause of less traffic on the Air Line. Still presents a risk of bottleneck for Amtrak trains having to wait an extra 20 min for some late arrival to clear. OTOH the arriving train can make a reverse move at 21st St to avoid delaying a departing one.
DeleteI use CNIC because its the easiest way to refer to the former IC routes without having to say Former IC.