Bill
On top of that it was all done by and for the railroad.
At the same time as the elevation work not only from Cicero East to Union Ave
where they had just finished up the work to revise the curve and trackage into
CUS
And they were also working on the Aurora Elevation. Fill came in on the
mainlines from North of Sugar Grove with a wye at Sugar Grove to the gravel
pits
where WCC is now. From the Burlington Farm in Montgomery where today there are
lakes and from between Yorkville and Oswego at Yagen Pit.
Steve in SC
________________________________
From: William Barber <clipperw@gmail.com>
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sun, March 6, 2011 10:32:54 AM
Subject: [CBQ] Re: Fourth Main
Glen,
While I now realize that my earlier comments were obviously
incorrect, yours and those of Leo Phillips quoting from Overton's
Burlington Route of 1965 raises another question. The installation of
the fourth main in the late '20s completed in 1930, had to be a
relatively expensive modification, particularly with the line
adjustments that you describe. My guess is that a construction job of
that magnitude in 1920s dollars might have been $5 to $10 million
dollars. To tear it out a mere 4 years later suggests a significant
corporate blunder. The removal cost and associated modifications
would have been fairly expensive in a time period of very tight
corporate dollars. I wonder if anyone can shed more light, at this
late date, on the decision process that initiated the construction
and the later decision process that determined that it was economical
to remove the track. Certainly, the installation did not pay for
itself in those few years of service.
I assume that there was a business case developed to justify the
original construction expenditure. What possible savings drove the
decision to remove the track? I suppose that maintenance costs were
one, but new track structure with the lighter loads of the Depression
should have required very little maintenance. Tax reduction might
have been another savings. It certainly appears that a mistake was
being corrected, but why was the RR in such a hurry to get it done.
It seems to me that there is more to this story that would be of
interest. Of course, this isn't the only corporate mistake made by
the Hill Lines. There was a hump yard built at Minot, ND, I believe,
that was never used for it's intended purpose. More recently, there
was the reconstruction of Galesburg Yard in the '80s that also was
never fully utilized as intended.
BTW, thanks for the excellent description of the work done to create
the fourth main.
Bill Barber
Gravois Mills, MO
On Mar 6, 2011, at 2:44 AM, CBQ@yahoogroups.com wrote:
> Re: Fourth Main
> Posted by: "GLEN HAUG" glenehaug@msn.com zephyr98072
> Sun Mar 6, 2011 12:14 am (PST)
>
>
>
>
> Rupert:
>
> There have been several messages about the 4th main, and the reply
> from Leo Phillipp is correct. The 4th main is actually fairly well
> documented in Chicago and Aurora Division timetables and signal
> drawings and photographs. Construction was completed in 1930 with
> the 4th track constructed on the north side from MP 21.31 (just
> west of the signal bridge at Forest Avenue, Downers Grove) to Curve
> 22 at Belmont. Curve 22 was shifted and the new track was
> constructed on the south side thru Lisle to a point of change in
> curvature in the west end of Curve 27. The west end of this curve
> was also shifted and the new track was constructed on the north
> side thru Naperville to MP 33.44 within the plant at Eola. The
> signal bridges between Downers Grove and Eola (with a couple of
> exceptions) were 3 track bridges, and they had a 14' extension
> added to them (again with a couple of exceptions) on the side that
> the new track was added. Some were relocated, so signal drawings
> were prepared for the new footing locations. The older footings
> were solid footings but the ones added in 1930 were pre-cast 2 stem
> footings. If you look carefully at the signal bridges that have not
> been replaced (or Q photographs), you can easily spot these details.
>
> When the 4th track was completed, the 4 mains were signaled as
> follows: Main 1 Westward, Main 2 Eastward and Westward, Main 3
> Eastward and Westward, and Main 4 Eastward. In 1934 the 4th track
> was removed except portions left for sidings (i.e., Naperville),
> and the entire removal was on the north side. This created what
> essentially became a maintenance road under the north side of the
> signal bridges. Photographs of the signal bridges after 1934 show
> Eastward and Westward targets for new Mains 1 and 2, and Eastward
> targets only for new Main 3. Main 3 remained an Eastward track
> until CTC.
>
> Glen Haug
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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