64) The same steam special coming south into Crete, IL several days later on a very dark and rainy morning.

65) A southbound Soo Line trackage rights train coming off the IHB and Harbor lead at 142nd Street and onto the Chicago Sub at 144th Street on April 27th 1990. The Soo began operating on the Chicago Sub in 1989 between 142nd Street and Woodland Jct (MP82.3). At Woodland they turnout onto the old Evansville Division of the C&EI and later, L&N, Seaboard System and now CSX.

The track to the left leads to what used to be the north end of One and Two Yards at Yard Center and is now the north end of Yard Center Intermodal. The track on the very far left leads to the north end of Yard Center Diesel and the RIP track.

66) Yard Center Diesel in April 1990. This is a view of the south end of the facility. The track closest to the camera is track 11, to its right is 10, the 9 and the crossover to the sand track where locomotives are turned in at the south end of the diesel shop facility. Track 8 is the run-through track that goes through the roundhouse itself (where the large open door is). It can accommodate four, four axle engines and three, six axle engines, four if you allow part of them to stick out the doors. The UP power is on the east fuel track and the west fuel track is clear. Out of view is the switch to the wye that comes off track 11. This is where power is turned.

On the north end of the house were two additional service tracks, 7 and 6. Both of them were stub-ended tracks that went onto the house. A single unit could be service on each one. There was a drop table on both tracks that allowed for such chores as changing out wheels and traction motors or replacing broken springs.

Other repairs like power assembly change outs could be performed at Yard Center Diesel. Minor wreck damage, daily, monthly and 92-day inspections were also performed here. Brake shoe change out and piston travel adjustment was handled as well.

The storage tanks visible in to the left are for lube oil storage. The fuel storage tanks are to the left and behind where I was standing when I shot this picture. The object that resembles an overhead crane above the fuel tracks is actually for sanding locomotives. The yellow structure above the crane is a sand tower. Two old C&EI sand cars were used to store sand.

Out of view but to the left of the sand tower is the oil track. Locomotives are frequently held here in between assignments.

The small building on the right is a storage facility. The RIP track is further to the right attached to the diesel shop. It has two run through tracks.

80th Street - Looking south, the Switchtender's shanty is the small building in the middle of the photo. The Switchtender is walking across the tracks. The track extending behind the shanty and breaking to the left is the connection to the C&WI Mainline and also the Dolton Branch which separates from the main line here. The signal bridge governs the movements on the Mainline and this plant is called 81st Street. Looking straight ahead towards the tree line just above all the puzzle switches in front of the engine is the Freight Mains. Behind the connection to the Highline (where the Burro Crane is somewhat visible is the yard. This photo was shot from a MoPac GP7 in 1981. - J.D. Santucci Photo

Dolton Jct - This is looking basically west across the C&WI Dolton Branch main tracks. They are the two closest to the bottom of the photo. The next track above them is the connection the the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal. Behind the tower and out of view is the connection to the Indiana Harbor Belt. The track to the right of the tower is the Indiana Harbor Belt main line. This tower is an old Pennsylvania Railroad tower and at the date of this phot in the early 1990's was still staffed by a Conrail Operator. Today the IHB provides the Operators from the tower taking over control of it from Conrail in 1995. - J.D. Santucci Photo

Dolton Jct - Another angle of the tower. If you look closely past the propane tanks you cna se the IHB connction track in this photo. The pole coming out of the ground and ending right at the very far right window is actually a signpost with a yard limits sign posted to it. - J.D. Santucci Photo

GATX 7370 - This is former MoPac SD40-2 3189 and the trailing unit in this photo is the former 3184. Both of these units along with several others in this series built in early 1975, were returned to the lessor in 1990. They were rebuilt at Burlington Northern's Havelock Shops in Lincoln, NE for GATX Capital. Dynamic brakes and walkway ramps and chains to allow passing between the units were added to them in the rebuiling process. This group was then leased to the power short Delaware & Hudson. I wound up operating just about all of these units again, this time as GATX units in my days at the IHB when they came through on intermodal trains from D&H's parent CP Rail. A few of them still had their MoPac toilet servicing date decals applied inside the restroom. This 1994 photo was taken while on the point of CP Rail train 261 operating over the IHB. - J.D. Santucci Photo

Tuscola Tower - In this photo, looking roughly west we see the MoPac Chicago Subdivision main closest to us. The Baltimore & Ohio line to Decatur, IL is to the left of the MoPac. The Chicago Sub veers to the left crossing the B&O and then crossing the Illinois Central as it regains a more southerly route south of here. A connection between the MoPac and IC was also located here, south of the crossing. The highway bridge in the background is US Rt. 45. The tower (known as TY on the IC) closed in 1993 with the IC's single tracking of their Chicago-New Orleans route. Today a semi-automatic interlocking protects this crossing which was simplified when the tower closed. The B&O line now connects with the Chicago Sub timetable north or compass east of the tower and then breaks back away from the Chicago Sub south or west of the IC crossing. - J.D. Santucci Photo

B23-7 4622 at Salem. This view includes the depot at Salem in front of the 4622 which is the yard engine being used to switch out the inbound B&O train. The 4622 is facing south. - J.D. Santucci Photo

WC 4008 which began life as the 663, was renumbered to 2530 and when rebuilt into a GP35 was renumbered the 2612. This photo against the sun was captured in December 1987 in Shawano, WI on Wisconsin Central train T011, Fond du Lac to Gladstone, MI (in the Upper Peninsula). This engine was a long, long way from what used to be home. My Conductor and I about froze to death in this engine as the heaters did not work very well this day. We changed crews here at Shawano (pronounced SHAW-no) and the crew out of Gladstone took over the train taking it on to the Upper Peninsula. - J.D. Santucci Photo

WC 4011 is captured at Shops Yard in North Fond du Lac, WI in 1987 coupled the 4007 which is the former MoPac 625, then 2523 and finally the 2611. The 4011 began life as C&EI 255 in 1964 and was renumbered to the C&EI 663 after the MoPac takeover. It was later reassigned to the Texas & Pacific becoming the T&P 663. In the general renumbering plan this engine became the MoPac 2560 and when rebuilt into a GP35m was renumbered the 2612. IN the rebuilding process it lost its dynamic brakes along with the turbocharger. Ê - J.D. Santucci Photo

In this view of the Chicago & Western Indiana near 81st Street in Chicago, we are looking back from the Fireman's side of the 2281 on the City Run. This engine was one of fifty-two former Rock Island engines the MoPac acquired from the Rock Island bankrupcty estate. As this train heads north around the curve between Oakdale and 81st Street it is passing over the Belt Railway of Chicago double track main line (where the intermodal loading ends and the freight begins in our train). To the far right, just right of the tie pile is the 80th Street Yard and then the two Freight Tracks, where you see all the boxcars just above the street light. This photograph was captured on an overcast day in the spring of 1981. - J.D. Santucci Photo

ZONE LAYOUT

ZONE MAP

YARD CENTER NORTH

YARD CENTER SOUTH

THORNTON-CHICAGO HEIGHTS

26th STREET YARD

MOMENCE AREA

WATSEKA

DOLTON JUNCTION

WOODLAND JUNCTION

St. ANNE