BNSF GP50 switching Cermak/Loomis street

A day after the Chicago Marathon, I caught this GP50 plying the rails off of Cermak Avenue. Here they're getting ready to spot a car to the H. Kramer & Co. Metals factory. (There is no Kramer Cement, as another user called them.) The car is filled with Iron Oxide, used to smelt the brass the company uses to create brass bars, much like gold bars.

Before hitting the spur it must first navigate the narrow "concrete canyon".

According to the engineer, H. Kramer gets switched about once a month. Other customers on the line get switched daily.

This job used to be performed by two gorgeous SW1200's painted in CB&Q and Southern Pacific colors with "Central Illinois" written on the sides. Unfortunately, the railroad went out of business about a month and a half ago.

Filmed using my iPhone4, hence the jerkiness.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Pilsen
• Central Illinois Railroad
• CIRY
• BNSF
• switching
• industrial
• concrete canyon
• Chicago South Side

[ChicagoGringo]

The iPhone 4 does have a zoom feature, but only before you hit "record". Once the camera is running, the zoom stays fixed.

[ChicagoGringo]

I don't know if any other company will be taking over this operation, but I would be surprised if they did. Some of the customers (Domino Sugar, the scrap metal yard) apparently get switched nearly every day, while others (the brick company and the industry above) get switched out less frequently. The operation in the video apparently only happens once every 4 weeks or so.

I've caught the BNSF operating both GP50's and a GP28 on this line; apparently the daily operations start around 10:30am.

[BubnovPA]

@ChicagoGringo I use iphone too! you should get owle bubo for it!

[edsel30858]

That was neat to see it go thru a tight track way, I've really never seen a hopper car with anti roller over couplers, this was nice.

[Conrad1996]

I love these kind of rail lines.

[FlyBikes089]

Great video!

[xxxseXierIkAF4Grlxxx]

sick! :)

[Hightrain12]

@mutanay77 Leslie S-3K

[Downriverboys1]

Now that is old!

[CSX2665]

nice...love that nice gp50..your iphone has good graphics,..can it zoom?..my droid has good graphics but cant zoom unfortuanetly..

[SuperDuckman24]

That is a tight turn look how very little space it has!