Depart Ogilvie Transportation Center on Metra Train #25 @ 8:40 am. 500 West Madison Street (41.882199,-87.640538).
Participants to make their own way to the Train Station. The station is walkable from the Intercontinental in about 20 to 30 minutes, or taxi in about 15 minutes for approximately 15$.
Arrive at Elmhurst @ 9:14 am (41.899865,-87.941161).
The Elmhurst, Illinois Police Department will be providing a half-day class on Grade Crossing Collision Investigation techniques and rail safety education programs.
Operation Lifesaver has developed a Grade Crossing Collision Investigation (GCCI) course for law enforcement officers in cooperation with the law enforcement community. These courses help officers perform their jobs safely whenever they are required to be around railroad property. This training was developed for the North American law enforcement community with the cooperation of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs Association and Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
The goal of the program is to provide unique training and information to law enforcement officers about the challenges associated with railroad operations and grade crossing collision investigations. Special emphasis is given toward officer safety issues for those who encounter trains or enter railroad train yards in the performance of their assigned duties.
Outline of topics:
• Familiarization with various types of railroad equipment.
• Basic information about hazardous materials shipped by rail.
• Information necessary to investigate a grade crossing collision.
• Knowledge about regulatory signs and traffic control devices at railroad crossings.
• State and Federal motor vehicle codes and case law pertaining to grade crossing collisions.
• Trespasser related incidents on railroad property.
• Basic tactical concerns for officers operating near trains, rail cars and rail facilities.
Elmhurst Highlights (41.899572,-87.939975):
Up to 120 Trains per Day: about 70 Metra and another 40 to 50 Union Pacific Freight Trains. Continuous activity on a triple track main line.
Another Train Warning System and Pedestrian Crossing Warnings:
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Lunch to be determined
Union Pacific Proviso Yard Tour @ 1:00 pm
Proviso Yard is located in Northlake Illinois (41.897262,-87.897155).
Potential Highlights:
• Global 2
• Locomotive Servicing Facility
• CREATE B-2 Project
B-2 Project: Scope of Work: Constructed a 3.5-mile third main track on the UP Geneva Subdivision, including construction of a new railroad bridge over Addison Creek, allowing for increased speed on the current connection between the Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) and UP.
Constructed a new flyover connection from the IHB to the UP, which crosses over the UP main line tracks and connects with the new third main track and Proviso Yard.
Control points were reconfigured at three locations, along with associated signaling for the new main track. The connection track between the UP and IHB was upgraded from 10 mph to 20 mph.
Metra Berkeley and Bellwood passenger stations on the UP-W line were improved and pedestrian underpasses were constructed at both stations.
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| Proviso Yard Aerial Photo. |
The Union Pacific in Illinois
Chicago is home to the world�s largest rail center, making Illinois a key state for Union Pacific. Main line tracks from St. Louis cross the southern portion of the state to reach Chicago, and the east-west transcontinental main line across Illinois terminates at Proviso Yard in the Chicago suburb of Northlake. Northlake is also home to Global II, the largest of Union Pacific�s four major intermodal terminals in the state, handling nearly 300,000 container lifts annually.
Global I is located near downtown Chicago, while Global III is in nearby Rochelle. In 2010, Union Pacific completed Global IV, a nearly $370 million state-of-the-art intermodal terminal in Joliet. The facility created more than 8,500 jobs and increased the railroad�s international and domestic container capacity, while improving rail efficiencies throughout the Chicago region.
The railroad�s history in Illinois traces back to the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, chartered in 1836, and the Chicago & North Western, which began in 1848. The two merged in 1864 and covered much of the state. Union Pacific acquired the C&NW in 1995.
The Chicago & Eastern Illinois, founded in 1877, operated another Chicago-St. Louis link via Villa Grove. The C&EI was acquired by Missouri Pacific in 1967, and Union Pacific merged with Missouri Pacific in 1982.
The final leg of Union Pacific�s Illinois network started as the Alton and Sangamon Railroad in 1847. Through a series of acquisitions and reorganizations, it became a part of Southern Pacific, which Union Pacific acquired in 1996.
UP Metra Berkeley Station @ 3:16 pm (41.896036,-87.915281):
Return back to downtown Chicago Ogilvie Transportation Center via Metra train #52 at 3:16 pm arriving at 3:47.