Illinois Terminal Extension & CROSSOVER

The existing northern end of the IT trackage was just short of County Road.

To extend the track north of County Road, the rails are extended and ties are replaced spaced at wider distances to hold gauge. Once the rail is in place and gauge spiked, additional ties will be added.

Additional ties have been added as track construction marches north.

Before track construction could begin on the crossover track between the IT and IC mains, excavation was required between the two tracks to create a right of way.

In this view looking towards the recently extended IT main, grading has been performed in the path of the new crossover. The centerline of the new track can be seen in the stake with the blue flag.

Track has now been extended over the newly constructed grade as the crossover track nears being connected to the IC main. The ties and rail have been placed and spiked together, or "skeletonized" in rail construction terminology.

Once the track has been skeletonized, the next step is placing ballast, which are the rocks in the track. Volunteers are using a cart with chutes to place this ballast that has been nicknamed "the rock box."

The rock box is being propelled by the museum's tie crane.

Shifting to the IC main, volunteers have constructed the switch that will allow trains to move from the mainline track to the crossover track. In this photo, the switch is in the process of being ballasted.

Switching directions, the switch can be seen mostly constructed but before the crossover tracks are connected.

Moving towards the grade crossing where the IC mainline crosses over County Road, the existing condition can be seen with tracks extended north.

The tracks in this area will be replaced, which is accomplished by prefabricating a crossing panel. This will minimize the time needed for volunteers to close the crossing and limit impacts to the community.

The crossover tracks have now been connected, officially connecting the IC and IT mains in this location. Museum volunteers have started placing ballast and tamping and lining these tracks.

Placing ballast and surfacing and lining continues, which is the process of compacting rock underneath the ties and aligning the tracks for a smooth ride.

The extended track has been fully constructed thanks to our hard working volunteers. Students from the nearby University of Illinois are using this track for a research project.

The new switch off the IC main that will allow trains to traverse to the IT main is in service and complete.

In this view, a train is operating over the newly constructed crossover track. The project is now complete!

The museum trackage consists of track from both the Illinois Terminal (IT) and Illinois Central (IC) Railroads. You can learn more about the history of our railroad here. Currently, the Illinois Terminal line ends just north of County Road, approximately one mile north of Nelson Crossing. Over the course of about a year and half, museum volunteers extended the IT across County Road and further north and connected it to the Illinois Central mainline used by our excursion trains. This connecting track allows museum trains to access the Illinois Terminal track from both Nelson Crossing at the south end and north of County Road at the north end.