RAILROAD OPERATING INFORMATION

METRA/CANADIAN PACIFIC

Elgin Subdivision

FORMERLY Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (The Milwaukee Road)
(Dubuque & Illinois Division/First Subdivision)
CONSTRUCTED 1873 by Chicago & Pacific Railroad
DOUBLE TRACK constructed 1885 (Chicago-Mont Clare)/1893 (Mont Clare-Bensenville)
DOUBLE TRACK constructed 1899 (Bensenville-Elgin)
ABS installed before 1899 (Chicago-Galewood)/1910 (Galewood-Elgin)
BIDIRECTIONAL ABS installed 1977 (Chicago-Tower B-12)
BIDIRECTIONAL ABS installed 1955 (Tower B-12-Tower B-17)
CTC installed 1956 (Tower B-17-Tower B-35)
CTC installed 1995 (Tower B-35-Randall Road)
LAST INTERCITY PASSENGER TRAIN: Union Pacific "City" trains/1971
COMMUTER SERVICE: Metra Milwaukee West Line

As of 1899, 4 tracks existed west to Galewood, later extended to Tower B-12. Reduced to 3 tracks during 1980's.

CLICK FOR RAILFAN TIPS AND PHOTOS

Radio Frequency - 160.770 (AAR Channel 44) (Chicago-Tower A-5)
Radio Frequency - 161.520 (AAR Channel 94) (Tower A-5-Elgin)

Stations/Milepost Locations

(Metra stops are capitalized)

Direction is westward from Chicago to Elgin

0.0 CHICAGO UNION STATION
0.5 Lake Street (interlocking/remote-Amtrak North Train Director)
1.2 Morgan Street (interlocking/remote-Tower A-2)
2.9 Tower A-2 (tower/UP crossing)
2.9 WESTERN AVENUE
3.2 Tower A-3 (remote-Tower A-2/east end coach yard)
4.1 Tower A-4 (remote-Tower A-5 Dispatcher/west end coach yard)
5.4 Tower A-5 (junction-Metra/remote-Tower A-5 Dispatcher)
5.7 Tower B-6 (remote-Tower B-12 Dispatcher)
5.9 Hermosa
6.5 GRAND/CICERO
6.7 Cicero West (remote-Tower B-12 Dispatcher/junction-BRC)
7.0 Cragin
7.7 HANSON PARK
8.4 Galewood East (remote-Tower B-12 Dispatcher/west end Galewood Yard)
8.6 GALEWOOD
9.1 MARS
9.5 MONT CLARE
10.2 ELMWOOD PARK
11.4 RIVER GROVE
12.7 Tower B-12 (CN crossing/remote-Tower B-12 Dispatcher/east end Bensenville Yard)
13.2 FRANKLIN PARK
14.0 MANNHEIM
15.5 Bensenville Yard
17.0 Tower B-17 (tower/junction-CP/west end Bensenville Yard)
17.2 BENSENVILLE
18.4 Wood Dale East
19.1 WOOD DALE
20.1 Itasca East
21.0 ITASCA
22.5 Itasca Park
23.0 MEDINAH
23.9 ROSELLE
25.0 Roselle West
25.5 Schaumburg Park
26.5 SCHAUMBURG
28.4 HANOVER PARK
29.3 Bartlett East
30.1 BARTLETT
32.7 Spaulding (CN crossing)
35.2 Tower B-35
36.0 NATIONAL STREET
36.1 National Street West
36.4 Elgin East
36.6 ELGIN
39.7 Almora
39.8 BIG TIMBER ROAD
40.3 Randall Road

3 tracks from Chicago to Tower B-12. CTC in use, controlled from Metra's Consolidated Control Facility, by Tower A-5 and Tower B-12 Dispatchers. During nights and weekends controlled by Metra Southwest Dispatcher. Manual interlocking at Tower A-2.

2 tracks from Tower B-12 to Randall Road. CTC in use, controlled from Tower B-17.

TRACK DIAGRAM

(Click for diagram of Chicago Union Station.)

Classic Track Diagrams

Portion of line between Chicago and Franklin Park, prior to installation of bidirectional signals in 1977, and conversion to a more typical three track commuter line in 2006.