You got to love those P&LE 40's and the Mack truck. I had the opportunity to ride the cab of a Pullman back from downtown Chicago to South Bend way back in 1977 thanks to a very friendly motorman. Rocketing thru the Indiana countryside at track speed in the dark was a thrill. Oh to have had a digital recorder then!
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Even though these two units look a little pathetic, I still miss the old orange colors. I know this area well having traveled through here to work since 1968. Further up Brainard Ave. shown here is the Hegewisch station stop which is just out of sight. Beyond that point maybe 2-miles the South Shore goes elevated on a high line and crosses Torrence Ave. bordering Chicago. This is a busy area with major vehicle traffic, the Norfolk Southern RR at grade level and Chicago’s busy Ford plant. There is a major project underway to reconstruct the intersection which includes six new bridges. A requirement of the project was that the South Shore had to be shifted slightly to the south. The included video shows in time lapse a new 400-ft. lg. RR truss bridge for the South Shore being moved into place on 8-25-12. This bridge weighs 4.3 million pounds and is believed to be the largest bridge ever moved into place after being assembled off-site. Note the crews removing and then reassembling NS signals as the bridge is swung into place. Vehicle traffic which is now a grade level will eventually go under the NS tracks via a new underpass. The existing elevated South Shore line is behind the new bridge. Under the bridge can be seen parts of the Ford plant which are serviced by the Norfolk Southern.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx0-MXI-U5Q
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