Chicago North / Northwest Suburban Junctions

Deval Crossing

Deval is by far the most interesting location in the
north suburbs. Take the Kennedy Expressway (I-90) to the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) near O'Hare airport. Take the Tri-State north to U.S. Rte. 14 (Dempster Street). Head west about a mile on Rte. 14 to Graceland Street and turn left. At Thacker Street, turn right, cross the tracks and turn right on First Street. The junction is just a few blocks. A much easier way to get here is to take a Metra/UP Northwest Line commuter train from the Ogilvie Transportation Center (Madison and Canal Streets) in downtown Chicago to the DesPlaines station. Then follow the tracks west; the junction is less than a half mile.

Three lines intersect here, forming a triangle of diamonds. Union Pacific's ex-C&NW Northwest Line crosses Canadian National's ex-WC, ex-Soo main line from Wisconsin. UP runs northwest-southeast while CN is roughly north-south. Both are crossed by Union Pacific's ex-C&NW "New Line" travelling northeast-southwest here. The New Line is an all-freight line that was built to bypass Chicago and allow trains on UP's former C&NW freight line from Wisconsin access to Proviso Yard. Canadian Pacific (formerly Milwaukee Road and Soo Line) trains also use the line on trackage rights, accessing it northeast of here at Techny and taking it to Bensonville Yard. South of the junction the New Line wraps around the west side of O'Hare, where it splits--one route leading to Bensonville and the other continuing further south to Proviso.

The Northwest Line is almost entirely commuter trains. It is quite busy during rush hours, with hourly service during midday. The line continues northwest, with most commuter trains terminating at Crystal Lake. A few continue on to Harvard near the Wisconsin line, but beyond there it is a minor freight route running to the Wisconsin cities of Janesville and Madison. The CN/WC line sees around 20 or 25 road freights daily, and also features commuter service that was initiated just a few years ago. Known as the "North Central" line, the commuters run north to Antioch, just below the Wisconsin border. However, service on this route is limited, and there is no station near Deval. The New Line is also busy with both UP and CP freights, mostly the latter. There is a connection between the New and Northwest lines about a mile west of the junction, and most of what freight traffic exists on the Northwest Line uses it, thus avoiding the junction. Deval Tower continues in operation, and is manned by UP employees.

Franklin Park Junction

Franklin Park is the northernmost point on terminal road Indiana Harbor Belt's main line from Blue Island. The main curves west and feeds into Metra's Milwaukee West Line to access Canadian Pacific's ex-Soo, ex-Milwaukee Bensonville Yard. CP has trackage rights on Metra, whose ownership extends to Elgin where its commuter trains terminate. West of there, the tracks run to Kansas City and belong to I & M Rail Link, who purchased the line from CP several years ago.

Just east of the IHB connection, the Metra tracks are crossed by the north-south main line of Canadian National (formerly Wisconsin Central, and before that, Soo Line)--the same line that passes through Deval. The CN/WC line then parallels the IHB south of here. There is also a connection between IHB and CN/WC just south of the diamonds. Traffic is fairly heavy; CN/WC sees close to 25 trains a day with IHB contributing almost as much. In addition to its own trains, the IHB features trains of Class 1 roads. The CN/WC line also features Metra's recently inaugurated North Central commuter trains which cross over here to the Milwaukee West Line via a connector in the northeast quadrant. The Metra/Milwaukee line is very busy during rush hours, with CP freights predominant through the rest of the day. The junction had a tower in the southwest quadrant, but it was closed in 1996. Fortunately, it was preserved and moved further west toward the downtown area of Franklin Park.

Getting here is not difficult. Take the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) west to 25th Avenue (Lyman Avenue) in the suburb of Bellwood. Head north on 25th about five miles to Franklin Park and turn right on Franklin Street. The junction is just a few blocks. It's even easier to take a Milwaukee West Line train from Union Station to the Franklin Park station and walk east several blocks.

Rondout Junction

A well-known and historically important location, Rondout can be reached easily from downtown Chicago. Take the Kennnedy Expressway (I-90) to the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and head north on the Tri-State to Illinois Rte. 176 (Rockland Road). Head east on Rte. 176 about a half mile and cross the CP main line. Before crossing the next railroad, turn right onto a dirt road that goes through an underpass. Park in the area, but stay well away from the tower and tracks. There are trespass signs and the railroads here do not take kindly to civilians. At one time, the Metra/Milwaukee North Line had a station at Rondout that provided easy access to the area. However, the station was closed, and the nearest available stations are not within walking distance.

The double track north-south route through here is the former Milwaukee Road main line to Milwaukee and the Twin Cities. It is owned by Metra south of here and used by their Milwaukee North Line trains. Canadian Pacific owns the line north of here and uses trackage rights on Metra to access the Chicago area. Crossing the Metra/CP here is terminal road Elgin, Joliet & Eastern's single track main line from Joliet (the same line that runs through Eola and West Chicago). It terminates at Waukegan, about eight miles northwest of here. A small interchange yard occupies the southwest quadrant of the junction. Just north of the diamonds, an ex-Milwaukee branch line leads off to the northwest. All Metra trains use the branch and terminate at Fox Lake, near the Wisconsin border. An occasional Wisconsin & Southern (formerly Wisconsin & Calumet) freight also uses the branch on trackage rights. All CP freights and Milwaukee-bound Amtrak trains continue on the main line north of here.

Nearly all of the action--up to 75 trains on weekdays--is on Metra/CP and the Fox Lake Branch. The EJ&E sees only light traffic, with some of it running at night. An east-west elevation just north of the J once carried interurbans on the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee's branch line to Mundelein. The tracks were taken up over 40 years ago and the elevation is now a bike path (it will also provide you with a nice bird's eye view of the interlocking). Rondout Tower, one of the largest towers still in operation in the Chicago area, sits in the southeast quadrant and is staffed by Metra operators.

Frequencies

CN/WC: 161.295
UP: 160.890, 161.040
Metra/CP: 160.770, 161.520
IHB: 160.980, 161.070
EJE: 160.350

Other North / Northwest Junctions

TECHNY. Located in the suburb of Northbrook on Techny Road just west of Illinois Rte. 43, the ex-Milwaukee Metra main line that runs through Rondout passes underneath Union Pacific's ex-C&NW New Line, an all-freight route that connects UP's freight line from Milwaukee with Proviso Yard in the west suburbs. The New Line also passes through Deval to the southwest. In the northwest quadrant of the crossing is a connector that enables Canadian Pacific freights on the Metra main to access the New Line. They then use trackage rights on UP to reach CP's Bensonville Yard west of Franklin Park. Nearly all CP freights use the connector--traffic south on Metra consists mostly of Milwaukee North commuters and Amtrak trains. Since the crossing is not at grade, Rondout is a better place for the Metra line and Deval for the New Line.

The four junctions below all feature the lightly trafficked EJ&E (or "the J") main line being crossed by another route. The other routes can be better observed elsewhere, and the J can be seen better at Rondout and West Chicago. However, these spots have some historical value and the J's loyal band of followers can often be seen at these places when they pick up a J train on the scanner. With the exception of Leithton, I have not been to these junctions, and the information provided comes from maps, first-hand reports and my knowledge of the railroads involved.

LEITHTON. Crossing of the J and Canadian National's ex-Wisconsin Central main line, Leithton (pronounced "Layton" by some and "Leethton" by others) is just north of Illinois Rte. 60 and a half mile west of U.S. Rte. 45. There is a connector in the northwest quadrant allowing CN trains to access the J here. CN has trackage rights on the J, and some of their trains bypass Chicago and reach CN's ex-GTW line at Griffith, Indiana using the J's tracks. The CN line is by far the busiest, with about 20 to 25 freights daily, and also features commuter trains of Metra's North Central service to Antioch, Illinois, just below the Wisconsin border. Franklin Park and Deval are busier places that also feature this route. The J runs a few locals through here, and an occasional road train can be found--often at night.

BARRINGTON. Located in the upscale northwest suburb of Barrington, the J is here crossed by Union Pacific's northwest route. Most of the traffic here consists of Metra/UP Northwest Line commuter trains. A few local freights can be seen on both routes, along with an occasional CN train on the J using trackage rights. The easiest way to get here is to take a Metra train to the Barrington station. The tower is still in operation and manned by Metra operators.

SPAULDING. Located just east of Elgin, Illinois, the junction is on Spaulding Road just west of Naperville Road and south of U.S. Rte. 20. Here, the J crosses Metra's Milwaukee North Line to Elgin. Beyond Elgin, the line is owned by I & M Rail Link, who acquired the line when Canadian Pacific decided they did not need a route to Kansas City. Most of the traffic is Metra commuter trains, but some local freights can be seen, as well as a few IMRL road trains headed for CP's Bensonville Yard to the east. There are wye tracks in the southwest and southeast quadrants, and local freights that serve an industrial area to the west sometimes use the former to access the J. UP locals occasionally use the latter, but overall traffic is light here except for the commuter trains.

MUNGER. The junction is east of the suburb of South Elgin along Powis Road, which is about two miles west of Illinois Rte. 59. The J here crosses Canadian National's line to Iowa. It formerly belonged to Illinois Central and in the late 1980's and early 1990's was the Chicago Central and Pacific. Traffic on the CN route consists of road trains from Council Bluffs, Iowa, as well as a few locals. Traffic on both lines is light, however. The CN line is better accessed at LaVergne, Hawthorne and 16th Street in Chicago.

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