Chicago & Northwestern Mainline West

Producer: Greg Scholl

Locations: Chicago, Rochelle, Marshalltown. Omaha, Fremont

Timeframe: 1993

Length: 2 hours 30 minutes

Sources: Greg Scholl, Les Jarrett, Len Lennergard

This is a 2 disc set. Produced with Railway Productions. Two shows in this package. Approximately 90 and 60 minutes.

A 2 DVD-R set. Main Chapter Menu by locations. On screen graphics. Maps! Narrated by Eric Greene. Previews.

Full screen image in 4×3. Excellent quality. Live environmental audio sound. Very LOUD levels. Too much for a comfortable listen on a soundbar.

There are a variety of roadnames. Either as run through, detoured or in a yard. Interesting locomotive assortment. No graffiti!

Union Pacific, Burlington Northern, Santa Fe, Chicago Central, Conrail, and more.

At 2 1/2 hours, just some highlights.

Part One… Chicago area to Marshalltown 1 hour 28 minutes

Geneva subdivision. Chicago to Clinton. Iowa. Distance is 139 miles by rail.

Chicago Area

Begins at Metra Union Station in Chicago. F40PH by Electromotive. Double Deckers are the old CNW cars. Push-pull operation. Metra with ugliest paint scheme, this side of Metro North. Woof!

Metra F40 #134 Cabride from NorthWestern Station outbound. Hauling 6 of the bilevel commuter engine. 3200 horsepower engine.

Proviso Yard

Proviso Yard. 14 miles out. Over 50 switch jobs everyday. 

Global 2 Intermodal Facility.  The Global 1 is downtown. See containers and trailers picked by specialized equipment.

GP7 units are present in the yard for switching.

Elmhurst and beyond

The line into Proviso has alot of freight traffic, besides the Commuter Scoots.

May 1988 at Belvidere. Zito yellow F7. Special Excursion Train.  401 leads 402 on this pair with the move into Rockford.

Geneva sub

Rochelle

California Zephyr was rerouted over CNW due to 93 floods. E8A leads because of proper cab dignals.

Rochelle. Eastbound SD40  6821 with double-stacks. A Santa Fe and UP trail in the lash-up. Train on right is a Burlington Northern detour with a CNW leading. Filmed from the well-known Railfan Park.

The Burlington Northern detour, now behind 7083 gets cleared. This BN move departs after a 2 hour wait.

Nelson to Clinton

Sterling

Clinton to Fairfax

Note the high water level Clinton, Iowa.

Fairfax to Marshalltown

At Marshalltown Station. A Coal Train passes through. The GP7 is switching the Yard.

Disc 2 59 minutes

Too many setups near the Crossing Gates! Constant bells are a hallmark of lackluster videography. Get away from the street crossing. The already too loud soundtrack over emphasizes this annoyance.

Marshalltown to Boone

8042 empty coal train stops gor a crew change and meets a gp7 4183 at the Boone yard. Next is the Iowa sub to Council Bluffs.

Kate Shelley Bridge

Kate Shelley Bridge over Des Moines River. Union Pacific and Conrail units.

Caroll to Omaha

Some trains at Arcadia Hill. Highest elevation on NNW.

Flashback to 1989 in Omaha. 8019 takes a turntable spin. July 8, the UP 844 needs the turntable.

Omaha to Council Bluffs

Council Bluffs yard again 1993.

Missouri Valley to Fremont

Train meet in Missouri Valley.

Winds up at Fremont Yard.

The ex: Chicago Great Western caboose on a Work Train. Viewed from a Metra F40PH on mainline in Chicago.

Chicago & Northwestern Mainline West

Chicago and NorthWestern is not a common roadname for shows. This covers 3 divsions across 3 States. Non-stop action. Mainline freight and passenger trains galore!

The Videography is spot on. Maps are referenced often. Narration is well done.

The lone concern is the overly load volume on the soundtrack. Audio levels are too high. Soundbar begins on blast and unusable.

CNW fans should find this release as a must have! Model Railroaders can use this as a resource. Most Railfans may enjoy the action and extensive coverage.

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars