UP 3535 rolls into C&NW's Wood St. Yard off the Rockwell Line that connects the yard to the mainline west of the CNW Chicago Station. This power which will be led West by CNW 6831 will be attached to the second section of train 245, The Falcon. As part of a C&NW management training program, I was required to ride the head end of this train to Clinton, IA. Falcon Service was developed in partnership between C&NW and UP to provide competitive intermodal service between Chicago and Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland & Seattle, primarily competing with ATSF and BN. This service grew from a single daily departure to as many as 4 or 5 departures some days from Wood St. This section would handle Denver & Pacific Northwest traffic while 1st 245 would head straight to Los Angeles. The two trains would depart within about 30 minutes of each other leaving Chicago between morning and afternoon commuter rushes. Top speed on C&NW was 70 mph, which we hit and held a good portion of the trip once out of the Chicago suburbs.
