July 2012 Buff

THE MEMPHIS BUFF

VOLUME 39, ISSUE 7

NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

July 2012

Central Station -Traces of a Former Life Illinois Tehachapi Loop??

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Memphis Chapter Officers President – Walter Lang

Vice President – Bruce Smedley Director – Bill Strong Secretary/Treasurer – Thomas Doherty Program Co-chairman – Carl Lancaster Program Co-chairman – Don Weis Yahoo Group Co-ordinater – Terry Redeker Newsletter Editor – Tom Parker

walterhlang@yahoo.com

williambstrong@bellsouth.net TRDoherty@aol.com DBWeis@aol.com tkredeker@hotmail.com tscottparker@gmail.co

The June chapter meeting was held at the Germantown Library on June 14. Next months’ meeting will also be at the Germantown Library on Thursday, July 12.

We reminded everyone about the planned train trip on the Tenn Central on October 6. To reiterate, the chapter will pay for a members ticket and make reservations for any friends, spouse, etc at the group rate of $62. Those tickets must be paid in full when you make your reservation. We need 16 people for the group rate and are well on our way to meet that number. Please contact Tom Doherty either @754-1674 or by email to his address listed above if you would like to join us or have any further questions. Next meeting will also be an opportunity to make your reservation with payment to Tom in person.

The program for the evening was a slide show presented by David Johnson about Short lines in Tennessee.

The Focus was on the South Central Tennessee Railroad. David showed slides taken on several trips to the same locations over the years providing a stark reminder on how gas prices have changed over the last years.

Click on the banner below for more information on the TCRM

The newly opened Museum in Central Station is in need of volunteers to staff the facility during opening hours. Please help out if you can to keep this wonderful facility going.

A faded arrow points toward a non-existent Baggage Room – Tom Parker Photo

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Central Station - Traces of a Former Life

By Tom Parker

A faded arrow points toward a nonexistent Baggage Room When Central Station was renovated in the 1990's and converted to apartments and commercial office space, the remaining portion of the ticket office - baggage room area was converted into the parking garage.

Having spent a number of years working in the ticket office, baggage room and later in the combined ticket office- baggage room, it was interesting to me to search the area for remnants of the original ticket lobby.

Originally all the walls in the ticket lobby were covered with "subway" tile.

The outline of the curved ticket office counter is plainly visible on both the floor and ceiling

The tiles that were once mopped every night are now just part of a grimy garage floor.

A single finished column remains in a hallway adjacent to the garage

Some of the intricate plaster work and and a few pieces of trim still remain.

Doors from upstairs offices rest against a bricked up freight elevator shaft

Square finished columns were used in the public area while round concrete columns were used in the areas not seen by the public.

The one time loading dock now serves as the entrance to the garage

Tehachapi Loop in Illinois?

By Tom Parker

Tehachapi Loop, California The acquisition of the Illinois Central and Wisconsin Central by the CN resulted in the CN having five separate lines entering Chicago. Most traffic interchanged between the five lines necessitated that the CN trains run over the tracks of other carriers such as the BRC, BOCT, CSXT or EJE. This resulted in an average transit time of well over 24 hours through Chicago. Also, as can seen on the map, the majority traveled though the heart of downtown Chicago, creating traffic congestion, noise and pollution.

The CN acquired the EJE with the primary objective of rerouting traffic around Chicago and the junction in Matteson, IL, some 30 miles south of the Loop, became the crucial link between the EJE and former Illinois Central. It was obvious that the connection at Matteson needed a massive upgrade. The former Illinois Central tracks running north and south pass over the tracks of the EJE which run east and west. The track connection between the two lines was in the southeastern quadrant and allowed transfer of traffic to and from the south on the CN to and from the east on the EJE. Traffic moving in any other direction necessitated that the power be disconnected from the head end of the train and

The five CN lines into Chicago are shown in red. The EJE lines are shown in peach. coupled to the other end. This also required swapping the EOT device to the other end of the train. Traffic was restricted to a speed of ten miles per hour and it took over an hour to complete a transfer from one line to the other.

The solution was the construction of what looks like part of a gigantic interstate highway interchange. About a quarter of a mile across and about three quarters of a mile in length, the loop allows traffic to move between the two lines in any direction at a speed of about 25 miles per hour.

In gaining approval for its acquisition of the EJE from the Surface Transportation Board, The CN entered into “mitigation agreements� with the various communities that would be affected by the increased traffic on the EJE. In the agreement with Park Forest, Il, a village adjacent to Matteson, the CN donated land to build a

A viewing platform will be built on the top of this pile of earth. Photo by Barry Kopinski - ENews Park Forest ( http://www.enewspf.com/) The former connection between the EJE and CN(IC) can be seen at the lower left of the track intersection

There are plans to include a scanner radio on the platform so that visitors can listen to the dispatcher and train crew conversations. From the platform it should be possible to watch trains looping over (or under) itself as they move from the south to the west or vice versa.

Other plans include an EJE caboose (already installed), interpretive signs and displays along the boardwalk.

The park connects to the Old Plank Road Trail, which is built on the old roadbed of the Penn Central Railroad (ex New York Central, Michigan Central ), which extends 22 miles between Chicago Heights to the east and Joliet to the west.

So, if you happen to be up Chicago way, you may want to check it out. If your driving, it's just a few miles of I57 (Route 30, Lincoln Highway Exit). By train, get off at Homewood and take METRA to Matteson. From downtown Chicago, again it's METRA Electric to Matteson.

A couple of links: Park Forest CN Rail-Fan Park

The new interchange resembles part of an interstate interchange $280,000 railfan park. The heart of the project is a 35 foot high viewing platform. A 500 foot wheel chair accessible ramp will lead to the platform. From the platform, raiilfans will be able to view some 32 scheduled trains which will pass through the interchange every day.

Old Plank Road Trail

CABOOSE

Crews from Cranemasters set the caboose in place at the Park Forest Rail Fan Park in Matteson, Illinois, Tuesday, April 24, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media Meeting Schedule July 12, 2012 August 2, 2012 September 13, 2012 October 9, 2012 November 13, 2012 December 6, 2012 The September and October meetings will be held at the Germantown Public Library 7-9 pm.

1925 Exeter Road Germantown, TN 38138

Contact the Editor Tom Parker 3012 Wood Thrush Drive Memphis, TN 38134 tscottparker@gmail.com