Blue Island Gateman’s Tower is Demolished in Chicagoland
THE LAST MANNED GRADE CROSSING TOWER IN CHICAGO is history. Indiana Harbor Belt GP40-2 4019 pulls an auto rack train past the empty and soon to be demolished grade crossing tower on Broadway Street at Blue Island Junction in south suburban Chicago on Sunday, June 30th, 2013, as Iowa Interstate’s CBBI rumbles over- head on the ex-Rock Island main line in the background. CSX has taken over control duties at the junction from Canadian National (for-
Chemin de fer de la Gaspésie
FULL ROUTE TO BE RESTORED: In May 2013 La Société du chemin der fer de la Gaspésie received a $10 million grant from the Province of Québec to complete track and bridge repairs on SFG’s former Canadian Na- tional route between New Richmond and the end of track in Gaspé. The route had been taken out of service in late 2011 after an in- spection revealed that several bridges were structurally deficient. At that time, VIA Rail Canada’s triweekly Montréal-Gaspé Train (formerly the Chaleur) was the only traffic to use the line, and buses were substituted. The line’s restoration may mean the return of VIA service this summer, but also SFG will run its own tourist train, L’Amiral (The Admi- ral), for cruise ship passengers. At press time three round trips between Gaspé and New Richmond were planned to run, on July 27, August 15, and September 22. In addition to viewing Gaspésie’s scenic splendor from the train, on various dates guests will be able to
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RAILFAN.COM
merly Grand Trunk Western), and this has resulted in the closure of not only Blue Island Tower but the retirement as well of this piece of living history —the manual grade crossing tower that protected Broad- way Avenue, which runs through the heart of the junction. The inter- locker and the grade crossing systems will be fully automated, and so another piece of railroad heritage joins the history books. The crossing tower was closed in late June and demolished the following week.
see Percé Rock and take a boat cruise to the Île de Bonaventure, attend the Festival Western rodeo, visit the Bioparc de la Gaspésie wild an- imal refuge, or experience a whitewater ad- venture on the Riviére Bonaventure. An ex-CP Rail RS18u will pull a head-end power car and several upgraded single-level commuter coaches which were purchased from Montréal’s Agence métropolitaine de transport. The coaches are having their high density seating replaced with four-up seating at tables, and locally-sourced food and bever- ages will be available on board. Visit
www.trainamiral.com for more information; at press time, the website was available only in French.
General Electric
ERIE LOSES OUT TO FORT WORTH: In April, General Electric Transportation an- nounced a plan to move more than a thousand hourly and 100 supervisory jobs from the compa- ny's unionized locomotive assembly plant in Erie,
Penn., to its new, non-union facility in Fort Worth, Texas. In the ensuing time, the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers Union Local 506 and the company were not able to ne- gotiate an agreement that would keep the jobs in Pennsylvania, and so GE says that the layoffs in Erie and the transfer of locomotive assembly work to Texas will begin in October. The compa- ny said it offered to keep nearly 400 jobs in Erie in exchange for a two-year wage freeze and work rules changes. The company also proposed hiring new employees at a lower wage scale.
Georges Creek
ALCO FA2 WILL BE RESTORED: Georges Creek Railway in Maryland has begun the planned three-year restoration of Western Maryland Railway Alco FA-2 303. The locomo- tive is being restored to operation 41 years after being rebuilt by General Electric as a HEP/control cab for the Long Island Rail Road. “We have a three year plan for restora- tion" said Georges Creek managing member
PAUL BURGESS
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