Re: [CBQ] Is this the end of Aurora Branch Line?

["qutlx1@aol.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>]

Doug, 

Could be......

General Mills had made it known a few years back that the West Chicago plant would be closed. 

One of my neighbors works there and has been hanging on for retirement until the closing. His daughter married a guy working there, he was then promoted to a California plant. Shortly after moving into their new house he was notified the California plant was being closed.

My guess is the line will be operated like what's,left of the West Batavia branch. The BNSF gets a nice long,high revenue move on plastic pellet cars to Dart on the west side and the plastics plant just south of Batavia on the West Chicago line. The Batavia plant often has loads stored down on the old Lovedale,84 insulate siding. To my knowledge these are the only business left,on the lines.

Another likely outcome will be for Burlington Jct to get trackage rights from the Montgomery sheep yard where they keep two units on the two lines to service them as needed. Or could we see an addition to the Eola lumber/salt transload operation to include plastic pellets ?

The only thing General Mills has done by rail since about the mid 80s is inbound raw materials. 

I submitted a lengthy article some years back on the complete history of the West Chicago plant and Q/BN service to it. And of all things I've been promised a photo of myself switching at the plant by another member to add to the article.

Leo Phillipp

On Jul 31, 2015, at 8:50 PM, dhartman@mchsi.com [CBQ] <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

General Mills recently announced the pending closing of their West Chicago plant. So i'm wondering if this will result in a BNSF abandonment of the birthplace of the entire system - the Aurora Branch Line right of way.

Doug

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network.

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Posted by: qutlx1@aol.com

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