Chillicothe Subdivision
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The Chillicothe Subdivision or "Chillicothe Sub" (slang "Chilli Sub") is a
Construction and physical structure
The Chillicothe Subdivision was constructed in segments beginning in 1873 by railroads that fell under the influence of and later merged into the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway; with the first tracks laid between Streator, Illinois and Ancona, Illinois by the Chicago, Pekin and Southwestern Railroad. The line opened to traffic between Kansas City and Chicago in 1888.[4] This line is double tracked for its entire length and crosses the Mississippi River between Fort Madison, Iowa and Niota, Illinois on a double track swing bridge (Fort Madison Toll Bridge).
The Chillicothe Subdivision makes numerous connections with other BNSF mainlines including the Ottumwa, Mendota, Barstow, Brookfield and Peoria Subdivisions within the Galesburg terminal complex. The route runs parallel to the Hannibal Subdivision for a short distance within the city of Fort Madison but there is not an active connection between them as traffic from Galesburg to
In 2019, a direct connection was completed between the Chillicothe Subdivision and the Chicago Subdivision which will allow the former BN and AT&SF lines to exchange traffic between Corwith and Cicero Yards without hazardous and time consuming backup movements.[6] This project was completed as part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) Western Avenue corridor designed to align rail movements through the city along Western Avenue [7]
Freight operations
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Traffic on the line is dominated by intermodal traffic flowing to and from the three yards in Chicago in a mixture of high priority "Z-Trains" with freight from UPS, FedEx Ground and LTL trucking firms; "Q-Trains" guaranteed intermodal with primarily domestic shippers like JB Hunt and Schneider frequently seen; and lower priority "S-Trains" with ocean containers. The names reflect BNSF current train symbol methodology although in radio communications trains are usually referred to by their lead locomotive's number.
There are also frequent run through trains in partnership with eastern railroads. Intermodal trains can frequently be quite long with consists up to 16,000 feet being run on the Southern Transcon route since it is predominantly doubletracked across its entire length. In 2021 increasing numbers of unit trains carrying wind turbine parts have been seen as well.
The Union Pacific has trackage rights over BNSF lines from Chicago to Kansas City and uses the Chillicothe Subdivision to reach its Global 4 intermodal facility near Joliet, Illinois.
Passenger operations
This line was home to AT&SF passenger traffic in the pre
On December 15, 2021, Amtrak moved the Fort Madison passenger station from the historic division and crew change point, known as Shopton, within the Fort Madison yard to the prior AT&SF Fort Madison station on the Chillicothe Subdivision.[9]
References
- ^ BNSF Track Segments (pp 442-448)
- ISBN 9780890243732.
- ^ BNSF Willow Springs accessed March 28, 2021
- ^ BNSF Line Segment History
- ^ Trains Magazine April 2014, map
- ^ BNSF Horseshoe Project Complete
- ^ Create Program
- ^ "Galesburg to Streator" accessed March 28, 2021
- ^ Amtrak is back in Ft Madison assessed December 31, 2021