Amtrak on South Shore?

[justalurker66]

Delay notice from NICTD: "WB Train 18 is running 15-20 minutes late due to detouring Amtrak train."

Sounds like an Amtrak ran on the South Shore. Any confirmation?

[nictd1000]

Amtrak 352 ran from Kensington to Ogden Dunes via the CSS. NS had a work outage somewhere

[justalurker66]

Interesting. I'd expect the outage to include Ogden Dunes (CP 487 is under reconstruction). NS must have been working on the new CP 490 or someplace west. (At this hour it looks like there is a work zone near CP 497.)

[Jochs]

I read online it was for bridge removal around Burns Harbor.

[nictd1000]

There was NS personnel working at 487 however I'm not sure they were doing anything that would tie up both mains. I also heard about the "bridge removal" but I can't think of anything other than a signal bridge that could be the reason. Perhaps the signal bridges at CP 501 were removed, not sure.

[justalurker66]

I read online it was for bridge removal around Burns Harbor.

Burns Harbor is east of Ogden Dunes ... the reported detour was Kensington to Ogden Dunes so the train would have still passed Burns Harbor on NS rails.

There was NS personnel working at 487 however I'm not sure they were doing anything that would tie up both mains. I also heard about the "bridge removal" but I can't think of anything other than a signal bridge that could be the reason. Perhaps the signal bridges at CP 501 were removed, not sure.

I have not been that far west in a while but it seemed the NS crews (and Interrail doing the signal and switch heater work) were working between trains and still getting a lot done. A signal bridge shouldn't require a long complete shutdown. The bridges were put up at 502 and east to 506 without reroutes.

A signal bridge removal would be welcome and important news. NS (Interrail) has put up a lot of signals from Ohio to Illinois along the Chicago Line but other than in Elkhart where a siding became a nice third track and Hammond-Whiting where CP 506 and 507 were redone with a third track extension the new signals are still waiting activation.

[Saturnalia]

IIRC there was a bridge to come down around 501 in Gary...an old railroad overpass that hadn't been used in years. I can picture it, but can't name it or give an exact location without looking at a map...

[CSX_CO]

IIRC there was a bridge to come down around 501 in Gary...an old railroad overpass that hadn't been used in years. I can picture it, but can't name it or give an exact location without looking at a map...

Gary and Western had an over pass across the NYC, B&O, and I 90. I 90 bridge came out 10 or 15 years ago.

Proponents always touted the G&W as a good by pass route to avoid trains tying up crossings in Hammond, Whiting, and E Chicago. Apparently the NIMBies failed to notice the bridge missing over I90...

[Buster Manning]

Yep, around MP 495 it is...err, was....

Friend of mine gotta few phone photos of 352 under the wires...maybe he will share them

[justalurker66]

Yep, around MP 495 it is...err, was....

I have notes that say the bridge near MP 495 came down September 7th, 2015.

Friend of mine gotta few phone photos of 352 under the wires...maybe he will share them

I hope he will share.

[Doktor No]

The old bridge that I am thinking they may have finally removed was out in the Dunes area about two miles east or so of where we got onto the NYC. Usually had a twelve point buck patrolling that area. The bridge had been jacked up over time and steel blocks placed under the bridge pier support areas to get it higher over the rail. I always assumed it was the IHB line out to Burns Harbor and after awhile they got trackage rights to run on the NYC line with their bottle trains and steel movements.
I am also thinking the CSSB crossover to the NYC line is up at Burns Harbor yard area east of The Ditch. Its been years since I was on a freight out that way...its sorta cloudy...sorta cloudy...and nope it just faded out. darn memory anyway.

[Typhoon]

Former IHB Dune Park branch.

http://binged.it/1MUBjtm

[nictd1000]

I can rule out the CSS mainline bridge at Burns Harbor, the outage was CP 487 and to the West. We have no bridge work going on at the moment.

[justalurker66]

Former IHB Dune Park branch.
http://binged.it/1MUBjtm

That was the bridge removed in September. And as Ryan noted, it is on the wrong side of the closure.

[Buster Manning]

I have notes that say the bridge near MP 495 came down September 7th, 2015.

Where did you get your notes?? I'm here to tell you they are not correct: that bridge was still there as of early Dec (when I made my last run out of the BTL crewbase)....I'll find out tomorrow if this bridge was the cause for the detour as I will see the engineer who was on 352 that day.

[justin_gram]

So after AMTK moves onto the CSS at CP 487, where/how do they get to Union?

[Typhoon]

Former IHB Dune Park branch.
http://binged.it/1MUBjtm

That was the bridge removed in September. And as Ryan noted, it is on the wrong side of the closure.

No it is not. The closure was between Ogden Dunes and Curtis. You know, right where the Dune Park branch bridge was before today.

[nictd1000]

352 detoured over the Airline, down the IC to Kensington, CSS to the "Midwest Switch" connection at CP 487.

[justalurker66]

I have notes that say the bridge near MP 495 came down September 7th, 2015.

Where did you get your notes?? I'm here to tell you they are not correct: that bridge was still there as of early Dec (when I made my last run out of the BTL crewbase)....I'll find out tomorrow if this bridge was the cause for the detour as I will see the engineer who was on 352 that day.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=29869&p=340533&hil ... ge#p340533

Perhaps the removal was delayed.

[tadman]

Doesn't appear anybody has video yet. Not a big deal but I always look for something like that.