Hoosier State Rail Series: Hick Tower And Bascule Bridges, East Chicago, IN. 11-3-09.

10:46AM-
This train of intermodal containers was the first to travel across the bascule bridge.
NS C40-9W #8964
NS C40-9W #9647

11:15AM-
The Amtrak Pere Marquette 371 rolls by sounding it's horn at the crew working on the bridge. I just realized the lead unit had an E-Bell!
NPCU #90224
P42DC #130

11:36AM-
I'm now a little East of CP HICK at CP502 where the NS crosses the IHB Kankakee Line at grade. Standing at the on ramp to Cline Ave, I view a BNSF empty coal drag returning to home rails with the rolling mills of ArcelorMittal looming behind.
BNSF ES44AC #5864
BNSF SD70MAC #9675 (Ex. BN)

11:51AM-
The engineer of this manifest gave quite a few honks to the workers standing around the bridge, waiting for him to pass so they can resume their work.
NS C40-9W #9309
UP SD70M #5158

11:53AM-
Amtrak Blue Water 365 should be in Chicago by now as it crosses the Indiana Harbor Canal.
P42DC #126
P42DC #27

12:09PM-
The only train that had blue power leading also was the only train that didn't sound it's horn. Would have been nice to get it sounding it's RS3L. Nice to see a blue SD60M leading an intermodal though...
NS SD60M #6759 (Ex. CR)
NS C40-9W #9807

12:27PM-
Wolverine Regional 351 is also pretty late since it was scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 11:59AM
P42DC #35
P42DC #33

1:05PM-
After grabbing a sack of six at White Castle, (and not missing any trains), I returned to find the track gang performing some maintenance on the bridge. The CN/EJ&E bridge on the Lake Front Subdivision was also lowered completely. To my dismay, it was for a inspector in his hi-railer.

1:18PM-
This "Rotten Pumpkin" that has traversed through scenic Cajon Pass countless times is now lost in the heavy industrial grunge of East Chicago, pulling manifests for NS.
BNSF C44-9W #4572
NS C40-9W #8820

1:20PM-
NS OLS Unit #9252 is spotted again on the point of an Eastbound intermodal.
NS C40-9W #9252
NS SD70M-2 #2728

1:22PM-
INLX #150 was spotted shoving cars of hot steel slabs waiting to be turned into sheet metal at the rolling mills. These remote units usually stay within the confines of the mill and are harder to view now that the CP502 pedestrian bridge is "off limits."

1:54PM-
A BNSF trackage rights coal train and Amtrak Wolverine 352 meet side-by-side perfectly at the Eastern gateway of the bascule bridge.
P42DC #128
P42DC #34

BNSF SD70MAC #9884
BNSF SD70MAC #9980

(c) 9th Street Productions

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• NS
• EJ&E
• CN
• IHB
• B&O
• PRR
• CR
• Hick
• CP503
• CP502
• Arcelor
• Mittal
• Steel
• Mill
• East
• Chicago
• Indiana
• Harbor
• Lake
• Michigan
• Whiting
• Hammond
• Gary
• Pine
• Train
• Railroad
• Intermodal
• Container
• Manifest
• Unit
• Transfer
• Local
• Throughbred
• Railfan
• Foamer

[Railfan108]

is that bridge that is down the only one that goes down, cuz that is the only one that ever is down

[BoxcarFrank]

You must not have watched the entire video. The bridge all the way to the right of the NS still operates. It's on the CN/EJ&E Lake Front Subdivision and sometimes a day will go by when no trains cross it. I have it lowering in the video.

[Texaslobo]

Very nice Frank. Always ejoy your videos.

BTW, Who uses the bridge to the right of the tower?

[BoxcarFrank]

The bridge to the direct right is abandoned CSXT/B&OCT. The one next to that is on the CN/EJ&E Lake Front Subdivision, really lightly used. Thats why I was pissed when a hi-railer came across instead of a train :P

[DL2045]

those powerlines sure are high!

[Jeffwecker81]

those bascule bridges are cool!

5 stars!!

[SittingMooseShaman]

...see those bridges folks? Those bridges are the DeeCee Socialist-Dem elitists& their uber-rich GOP pals/Chi Com industrialists' middle fingers in our(average-Joe Americans') faces for all the use these lift-bridges DON'T perform anymore! These plants were our good-payin' jobs...

[BlackCavalier52]

@Texaslobo - EJ&E have one in Gary at US Steel (this would be the end of Kirk Yard). I think with the CN buy-out it will probably be demolished, as they did with the one in Joliet, but thats just speculation.  Directly south of here is also the IHB's roundhouse in Hammond / Gibson yard. hope that helps - Great vid Frank1

[JLJ061]

I have just received word that Hick now no longer functions as an interlocking tower, now solely as a bridgetender. CP 501 and 502 are now under the control of the Chicago West Dispatcher.

[ble643]

hey thats werid i have photos of the CR SD60M #6759 about two weeks after this outside conway east

[NebulaTrain99]

Very good!

This is perhaps the most industrialized area I have ever seen!

[ModalTrains4884]

where is the exact location? i would like to scope it out sometime.

when i drive into chicago i always see railroad bridges up. How many more of these bridges are still used besides the one to the right?

[metraF40PH163]

I like the bridges! nice video as always and I like all the info.

[AngloSlavGrl]

Really clear video! Wonderful!

[strobx1]

At 02:10, Where was that taken? Is it public property/public road? How did you get in there with out the steel mill gumshoes contacting you. I was in Gary/ Burns Harbor & could not find access.

[kanjo007]

From what I can tell from recent footage I've seen elsewhere, it appears that the bells such as the one on P42 #126 are being replaced for the E-bells. I'll ask about that, though, come next Saturday when I take the Eagle.