Canadian National's ex-Wisconsin Central main line crosses the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern here. Leithton (pronounced "Layton" by some and "Leethton" by others) can be reached by taking I-94, the Tri-State Tollway, to Illinois Rte. 60 (Kennedy Road). Exit and head west about three and a half miles to Butterfield Road. Turn right and go north to a rail crossing. Turn left on the street just before the track (Leithton Road); the junction is at the end of the road--about three blocks. You will be in the southeast quadrant of the junction.
EJ&E is single track here, but the CN/WC line was double tracked in 2005 to enable more frequent operation of Metra's North Central commuter trains. The trains run between Union Station in downtown Chicago and Antioch, Illinois, near the Wisconsin border. The CN/WC route is the same one that passes through Franklin Park and Deval. It was originally the Soo Line main before being acquired by Wisconsin Central.
A connector in the northwest quadrant allows CN trains from the north to access the J here. CN coal trains serving generating plants in Wisconsin use the connection, as do trains headed to CN's Hawthorne Yard and to their ex-GTW main line at Griffith, Indiana. Another connector in the southwest quadrant enables interchange between the J and CN. The J's only GP38-2 can occasionally be seen here switching the area. Union Pacific has trackage rights on the J, and a few UP coal trains serving generating stations in northern Illinois and Wisconsin pass through here. They access the J at Waukegan, and run to a connection with the UP main at West Chicago. The CN line is by far the busiest, featuring 20 or more freights daily as well as the Metra commuters. The J runs a few locals through here--often at night. Heavier traffic can be found at places like Pine, Griffith and Chicago Heights.
TECHNY. Located in the suburb of Northbrook on Techny Road just west of Illinois Rte. 43, the Metra Milwaukee North Line that runs through Rondout passes underneath Union Pacific's ex-Chicago & North Western New Line, an all-freight route that connects UP's freight line from Milwaukee with Proviso Yard in the west suburbs (for more on it, see the Bensonville and Deval pages). 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 just south O'Hare Airport. Many CP freights use the connector--traffic south of here on Metra consists mostly of Milwaukee North commuters and Amtrak trains. Since the crossing is not at grade, Bryn Mawr and Deval are better locations for the New Line.
VALLEY JUNCTION. Located a couple of miles northwest of Techny, the UP's New Line diverges to the southwest as a continuation of the freight line from Wisconsin (the latter continues south but sees only local freight movements). The freight line runs parallel to--and a mile or so west of--the UP/Metra North Line (see Lake Bluff below). Traffic is modest here, with no commuter trains to increase the action. Then again, some purists might find that an asset.
LAKE BLUFF. The fashionable north shore suburb of Lake Bluff lies about eight miles south of Waukegan. Just north of the local commuter station, a connecting track diverges from the UP/Metra North Line and heads southwest for about a mile or so to join UP's ex-C&NW freight line from Wisconsin. UP freights use this connection, and south of here North Line traffic consists entirely of commuter trains. The interlocking is readily accessed via the station platform (see photo). Commuter trains are frequent, UP freights are not nearly as common.
The area around the Lake Bluff station is a fascinating one for those interested in rail archeology. Three routes of the long-abandoned Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee interurban line came together here and the old rights-of-way are now paved biking trails. The CNS&M's Shoreline route continued straight south and its ROW is just east of the station. The high speed Skokie Valley line and the Mundelein branch headed west together, with the former veering south about a mile later to parallel the CNW (now UP) freight line. The Mundelein branch continued west paralleling Illinois Rte. 176 on the south and its embankment now provides the elevated viewing area at Rondout. Some of the catenary supports of the Mundelein branch are still in place and carry high tension wires. This area is well worth exploring.
KO JUNCTION. The connection that begins at Lake Bluff joins Union Pacific's ex-CNW freight line here. Located just a couple of miles west of the ultra-affluent suburb of Lake Forest, it can be reached by walking north from Deerpath Road on a biking trail that was once the CNS&M's Skokie Valley route. It's about a 3/4 mile trek and the trail parallels the freight line the entire distance. Traffic is moderate here, but it perhaps provides the best legal access in the area to the freight line.
UPTON. Crossing of the EJ&E and the UP ex-CNW freight line, Upton is about a half mile north of where Illinois Rte. 176 crosses of the UP route. The junction is remote and can only be reached by trespassing on the UP service road alongside the track. This of course is not recommended, but with very modest traffic, there's little reason to visit here anyway. The UP freight line is better accessed at KO, and the J at Rondout.
PRAIRIE CROSSING (GRAYSLAKE). Located alongside Illinois Rte. 137 just south of the suburb of Grayslake, Candian National's ex-Wisconsin Central main crosses Metra's Fox Lake branch that leads off the Canadian Pacific main at Rondout. The branch features the Metra Milwaukee North Line commuter trains that terminate at Fox Lake, about eight miles to the northwest. Freight traffic on the branch is limited to a couple of Wisconsin Southern freights and a CP local. The same CN freights and North Central commuter trains seen at Leithton can be seen here. The crossing is unusual in that the angle between the crossing tracks is very acute, perhaps less than 30 degrees. A connector in the east quadrant sees little use. Although the crossing is widely known as "Prairie," and commuter stations just south of the crossing on both lines are named "Prairie Crossing," the equipment boxes at the interlocking read "Grayslake." The junction can be reached from the Milwaukee North station by walking about a half mile along Rte. 137.
The three junctions below all feature the lightly trafficked EJ&E main line being crossed by another route. The other routes can be better observed elsewhere, and the J features heavier traffic at Pine, Chicago Heights and Griffith. 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. I have not been to the last two locations, and the information provided comes from maps, first-hand reports and my knowledge of the railroads involved.
BARRINGTON. Located on the west side of the upscale suburb of Barrington, the J is here
crossed by Union Pacific's ex-CNW route to Janesville, Wisconsin. The traffic here consists mainly of Metra/UP
Northwest Line commuter trains. Most of the commuters terminate at Crystal Lake, Illinois, but a few continue on to
Harvard, near the Wisconsin border. This is the same route that travels through Deval, and is one of the
busiest commuter lines in the Chicago area. Local freights can be seen on both routes, but they are few and far
between. An occasional UP coal train using trackage rights on the J can be seen here as well. There is a
connector in the southeast quadrant but it apparently sees little activity. The easiest way to get here is
to take a Metra train to the Barrington station and walk west about a half mile. Barrington tower
was closed in 2004 and demolished in 2006.
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 West Line to Elgin. Beyond Elgin, the line is owned by Iowa, Chicago & Eastern, who acquired the line from I & M Rail Link (the latter had purchased it from Canadian Pacific in the early 1990's). Most of the traffic is Metra commuter trains, but some local freights can be seen, as well as a few IC&E 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.