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6/26/2024
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Viewing Album:  A diamond is not forever
 
By:Jim Ford
Dates:3/4/2013 - 3/4/2013
Album Info:The diamonds at Blue Island, where the IHB/CSX cross the CN, are wearing out. A new set is being assembled and will be lifted into place, as a single panel, sometime in April. That will be something to see.
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Old diamond
Title:  Old diamond
Description:  This crossing has seen a lot of traffic and is looking a little bumpy.
Photo Date:  3/4/2013  Upload Date: 3/4/2013 6:17:04 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  226   Comments: 6
New diamond
Title:  New diamond
Description:  This set is still a long way from being finished.
Photo Date:  3/4/2013  Upload Date: 3/4/2013 6:17:39 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  205   Comments: 2
CSXT 510
Title:  CSXT 510
Description:  Slowly and noisily, Q146 is coming downhill past the work site.
Photo Date:  3/4/2013  Upload Date: 3/4/2013 6:18:18 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Action
Locomotives:  CSX 510(AC44CW) CSX 283(AC44CW)
Views:  161   Comments: 3
New diamond
Title:  New diamond
Description:  The new diamond is starting to look like it could work.
Photo Date:  3/4/2013  Upload Date: 3/9/2013 11:20:10 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  98   Comments: 1
New diamond, March 23
Title:  New diamond, March 23
Description:  This is coming along nicely
Photo Date:  3/4/2013  Upload Date: 3/24/2013 9:33:20 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  97   Comments: 2
April 22, 2013 was moving day
Title:  April 22, 2013 was moving day
Description:  By the time I got there, the old diamond had been removed and they were preparing the roadbed for the new one.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:14:41 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  130   Comments: 2
Rolling
Title:  Rolling
Description:  The roadbed has to be compacted
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:15:49 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  118   Comments: 1
IAIS 513
Title:  IAIS 513
Description:  Iowa Interstate's Rock Island heritage unit stopped by.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:17:01 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Roster,Track
Locomotives:  IAIS 513(ES44AC)
Views:  144   Comments: 0
Finishing touches
Title:  Finishing touches
Description:  The roadbed is smoothed as one of the cranes pulls into position
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:19:31 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  82   Comments: 1
Mantis
Title:  Mantis
Description:  Three of these guys will do the heavy lifting
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:20:01 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  63   Comments: 0
BNSF 6540
Title:  BNSF 6540
Description:  Q172 rolls past the new diamond
Photo Date:  3/4/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:20:27 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track,Action
Locomotives:  BNSF 6540(ES44C4) BNSF 6553(ES44C4)
Views:  358   Comments: 1
Crane camera
Title:  Crane camera
Description:  In addition to this guy there was a video crew walking around and two fixed cameras shooting 30-second time-lapse stills.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:20:49 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  78   Comments: 2
Mantises
Title:  Mantises
Description:  The big players take their positions.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:21:17 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  76   Comments: 2
Lunch wagon
Title:  Lunch wagon
Description:  I don't know how this guy got in his truck to drive with all the pizzas in the front seat.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:21:42 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  84   Comments: 0
Taking up slack
Title:  Taking up slack
Description:  With two backhoes handling the ends, the Mantises start their lift.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:22:14 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  73   Comments: 1
CSXT 5005
Title:  CSXT 5005
Description:  X171 came through and nobody noticed except one guy who took it upon himself to watch the train by.
Photo Date:  3/4/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:25:39 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives:  CSX 5005(AC60CW) CSX 5311(ES44DC)
Views:  119   Comments: 2
Wrestling
Title:  Wrestling
Description:  The new diamonds weren't all that cooperative and needed to be urged.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:23:06 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  80   Comments: 1
Lowering
Title:  Lowering
Description:  They've got it close to where they want it.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:23:30 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  80   Comments: 1
Minor adjustment
Title:  Minor adjustment
Description:  One of the in-place rails had been cut too long, so they bent it out of the way and then cut it to fit.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 10:44:33 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  71   Comments: 1
Letting it down
Title:  Letting it down
Description:  Slowly
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:23:57 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  95   Comments: 1
Looks pretty good
Title:  Looks pretty good
Description:  The two ends lined up nicely
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:24:40 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  103   Comments: 1
CSXT 3001
Title:  CSXT 3001
Description:  Q146 gets his picture taken
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:22:40 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track,Action
Locomotives:  CSX 3001(ES44AC-H) CSX 737(ES44AC-H)
Views:  196   Comments: 2
Well, maybe not so good.
Title:  Well, maybe not so good.
Description:  Getting sixteen pairs to match was obviously a difficult task. They ended up aligning this set and its mate on the other side of the diamond and then tugged and hauled the others into place.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:25:09 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  69   Comments: 0
First joint
Title:  First joint
Description:  The first joint bar is bolted in. Sooner or later, it still comes down to guys working with their hands.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:26:24 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  75   Comments: 1
First wheels
Title:  First wheels
Description:  Steel wheels roll into the diamond for the first time. It's been about eight hours to this point.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:27:33 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  61   Comments: 1
Finishing touches
Title:  Finishing touches
Description:  Lots of bolts to check. They're still an hour from letting a train through. I've got to get home, so I'll miss it.
Photo Date:  4/22/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:28:05 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  103   Comments: 2
April 24, 2013
Title:  April 24, 2013
Description:  Two days later, all the big machines have left and two guys are finishing up. They all deserve a hand.
Photo Date:  4/24/2013  Upload Date: 4/28/2013 9:28:32 PM
Location:  Blue Island, IL
Author:  Jim Ford
Categories:  Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  120   Comments: 4

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