Thursday, August 31, 2006

Union Pacific freight train waiting for clearance. Bellwood Illinois USA. May 2006.

I took this photograph of a northbound Union Pacific Railroad freight train, waiting on a hold order at suburban Bellwood Illinois. This train is on the Indianna Harbor Belt railroads mainline, and is more than likely waiting for clearance to proceed to the Union Pacific's former Chicago and North Western Railroad "Proviso Yard". This railroad junction is located on West St.Charles Road approximately 4 blocks west of 25th Avenue. Notice the stairway so that the train crews can safely climb down the embankment, and possibly buy some refreshments while they are stuck waiting for clearance from the dispatcher. Train crews spend a lot of time waiting.

1 comment:

Iain said...

Unimaginable in Japan, they would never leave the engine for a moment. On the Vivarais line in France though I was once on a train that just parked up while everyone went over the fields to a cafe for lunch.

On the railway over Stainmore in the dim past crews would often pull up in the most remote part of the moorlands and go fishing or rabbiting for half an hour. This inevitably eventually led to a 'runaway' that fortunately safely pulled up about ten miles away at the bottom of the hill. The crew got away with it - they claimed they had both been hit by an attack of the 'trots' at the same time but it was closed season after that for fishing, rabbits and toilet stops.