Trainspotters' Luck

Ordinarily, when three or four trains go through Rochelle, Illinois at about the same time, that's cause for enjoyment by the trainspotters at the Railroad Park. But when a lot of those trainspotters are present at the park with prior knowledge of an Amtrak detour (trackwork on BNSF somewhere in Iowa) and an eastbound Burlington freight gets the plant just before a close-to-time Amtrak Six accepts the distant signal, with a lengthy Dead Freight coming down the hill from Creston ... well, listen to the crowd reaction.

It's 3.24 pm on Saturday, December 3. The dead freight, pulled by UP 6667 and 5562, occupies the track closest to the park, just before Six, piloted by a Union Pacific diesel and featuring two of the anniversary scheme diesels, hits the diamonds on the far track.

A few trainspotters who were set up in a place the authorities don't like, on the opposite side of the tracks where the north interchange used to be, did get an unobstructed view of Six.

It was not a good day for the Union Pacific dispatchers, as Six held east of Malta for freight train interference, and went through DeKalb at about 5.20 pm.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Amtrak
• detour
• passenger train
• Rochelle
• questionable dispatching.

[penguingeneral2]

That stinks man! I saw one guy get zoned out of SP 4449 once. Real shame.