Belt Railway of Chicago
The Belt Railway Company of Chicago (reporting mark BRC), headquartered in Bedford Park, Illinois, is the largest switching terminal railroad in the United States. It is co-owned by the six Class I railroads of the United States — BNSF, Canadian National, CPKC (the BRC's north–south main line's northern terminus is, like the Indiana Harbor Belt, the Milwaukee District West Line in Chicago's Cragin neighborhood), CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific — each of which uses the switching and interchange facilities of the BRC. Owner lines and other railroads bring their trains to the Belt Railway to be separated, classified, and re-blocked into new trains for departure. The BRC also provides rail terminal services to approximately 100 local manufacturing industries. The company employs about 440 people, including its own police force.[1]
BRC trackage
The BRC has 28 miles (45 km) of mainline route with interchanges to each of its owner railroads, and over 300 miles (500 km) of switching tracks. The vast majority of the latter are located in the Clearing Yard.[1]
Clearing Yard
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Belt_Railway%2C_looking_toward_the_west_yard_of_clearing_yard%2C_taken_from_bridge_of_hump%2C_Chicago%2C_Illinois.jpg/220px-Belt_Railway%2C_looking_toward_the_west_yard_of_clearing_yard%2C_taken_from_bridge_of_hump%2C_Chicago%2C_Illinois.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Belt_Railway_Company_of_Chicago_Aerial_%2850561587876%29.jpg/220px-Belt_Railway_Company_of_Chicago_Aerial_%2850561587876%29.jpg)
The Clearing Yard, located on the boundary between Chicago and Bedford Park, Illinois, just south of Chicago Midway International Airport directly adjacent to CSX Intermodal's Bedford Park terminal, is one of the largest hump classification facilities in the United States. Some 5.5 miles in length and covering 786 acres (3.2 km2), the yard supports more than 250 miles (400 km) of track.[1] It has six main subdivisions; one arrival, classification, and departure yard in the eastbound and westbound directions.
At the heart of the yard is the wicket-shaped tower which straddles the hump and from which are controlled the switches and retarders of both east- and westbound classification yards to either side of it. Using computer controls, the hump tower efficiently dispatches more than 8,400 rail cars per day. Operating around the clock, employees are able to classify between 40 and 50 miles of consists daily.[1]
Locomotives
The BRC was noted for a fleet of Alco-built locomotives, even though Alco did not build locomotives in the United States after 1970. Specifically, the BRC owned six 2400HP ALCO Century 424s numbered 600-605. All six locomotives were removed from BRC's roster and sold. 600 and 601 have been scrapped. BRC currently operates rebuilt Electro-Motive Diesel locomotives, such as the SD38, SD40, GP38, SW1500 and MP15DC switchers. As is popular in large hump yards, slugs are used in Clearing Yard to shove the hump.
Awards and recognition
The Belt Railway Company of Chicago has been honored several times with E. H. Harriman Awards, in the switching and terminal railways category, for employee safety, including a gold award for 1999.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "The Belt Railway Company of Chicago". Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
- ^ "The Belt Railway Company of Chicago - Safety". Archived from the original on 9 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Belt Railway of Chicago (official site)
- RAILChicago
- Shortlines of Chicago Historical Society BRC history
- v
- t
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- A&R Terminal Railroad
- Ag Valley Railroad
- Alton & Southern Railway
- Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad
- Belt Railway of Chicago
- Bloomer Shippers Connecting Railroad
- BNSF
- Burlington Junction Railway
- Canadian National
- Central Illinois Railroad
- Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad
- Chicago–Chemung Railroad
- Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad
- Chicago Port Railroad
- Chicago Rail Link
- Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad
- Chicago Terminal Railroad
- City of Rochelle Railroad
- Coffeen & Western Railroad
- CPKC
- Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railway
- CSX
- Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
- Decatur Central Railroad
- Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad
- Decatur Junction Railway
- Eastern Illinois Railroad
- Effingham Railroad
- Evansville Western Railway
- Gateway Eastern Railway
- Grand Trunk Western Railroad
- Illinois Central Railroad
- Illinois & Midland Railroad
- Illinois Railway
- Illinois Western Railroad
- Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
- Indiana Rail Road
- Iowa Interstate Railroad
- Joppa & Eastern Railroad
- Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern Railroad
- Kansas City Southern Railway
- Keokuk Junction Railway
- Lincoln & Southern Railroad
- Manufacturers' Junction Railway
- Manufacturers Railway
- Norfolk Southern
- Peoria & Pekin Union Railway
- Peru Industrial Railroad
- Pioneer Industrial Railway
- Port Harbor Railroad
- Riverport Railroad
- Shawnee Terminal Railway
- Soo Line Railroad
- South Chicago & Indiana Harbor Railway
- Southern Illinois & Missouri Bridge Company
- Tazewell & Peoria Railroad
- Terminal Railroad Association of St Louis
- Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway
- Union Pacific
- Vandalia Railroad
- Vermilion Valley Railroad
- Wisconsin Central
- Wisconsin & Southern Railroad
- Bulkmatic Railroad
- C&C Railroad
- Calumet Transload & Railroad
- Captain Mine
- Chicago Heights Terminal Transfer Railroad
- Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad
- DOT Rail Service
- FNG Logistics Company
- Joliet Junction Railroad
- Kaskaskia Regional Port District Railroad
- Mokena Illinois Railroad
- North American Industrial Railway
- Peabody Energy
- Peoria, Peoria Heights & Western Railroad
- Respondek Railroad Corporation
- Fox River Trolley Museum
- Illinois Railway Museum
- Monticello Railway Museum
- Silver Creek & Stephenson Railroad
- See also: Former carriers in Illinois
- List of United States railroads by political division
41°46′4″N 87°45′10″W / 41.76778°N 87.75278°W / 41.76778; -87.75278