Illinois Railroads (IL)

Return to DB page: Illinois Railroads (IL)
Return to Wiki page: Illinois (US)

• Official IDOT/Illinois Railroad map

• See Peoria County IL area Railroads Wiki Page
• See Missouri Railroads Database page Missouri RR Wiki Page
• See St Louis Railroads Database page
• See Wisconsin Railroads Database page |Iowa RR Wiki Page
• See Iowa Railroads Database page
• See Indiana Railroads Database page
• See Kentucky Railroads Database page

• See VHF Railroad Frequencies (wiki page)
• See St Clair County Railroad wiki page

• Railroad associated wiki pages in Illinois
• Main Railroads wiki page for the US
• Railroad Recovery Services and Related Businesses (US)

• Southern Illinois Railroads Website

• RadioReference Railroad Railfan Monitoring Forum

Chicago Area

9/30/14 - (from a CARMA contributor) - The source of the frequently reported interference on AAR Channel 73 (161.205 MHz) has been located. It is the Norfolk Southern Railroad transmitting from a 180 foot tower with 280 watts ERP located at Columbus Avenue and Maplewood Avenue in Chicago. It is used by the NS Police, the channel is NXDN and it is encrypted. I can hear the channel as far west as Oswego and north in Buffalo Grove and beyond.

• RailChicago website (WaybackMachine)

In the center of the US, connecting the different companies, is Chicago (see RailChicago): the largest US rail gateway. The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad WikiPedia and the Belt Railway of Chicago. WikiPedia Without them, traffic would come to a halt. Both switching railroads sort this mess out every day and keep traffic moving.

Railroad Companies

Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (NEIRC)

• The 495-mile Metra system serves 230 stations in the counties of Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, McHenry and Kane.

Metra Commuter Rail

Metra Police / Public Safety

• History
• Travelers Information Stations on 1630 AM located in: University Park (Will), Naperville (Du Page), Mokena (Will), Northfield (Cook), Roselle (Du Page)
• 457.375 Repeater 151.4 PL Mobile Extenders (former use)

Northeast IL Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (METRA)

• 150.89 (repeats 153.515) (NFM, NXDN) - at Chicago Union Station WQXZ480

AMTRAK

• Routes and frequencies On Line On Track Amtrak page
• Train personnel usually use the frequencies for the track owner they are running on, in a particular area
• Chicago Union Station: add 160.170 and 161.265 repeaters, 161.565 portables and 173.325 mobiles WPCT556 . Also, 157.6575 mobiles KCN544 .
• Licensed for multiple other frequencies at the Lumber Street yard in Chicago KNFX766
• Bases on 218.425, 218.725, 218.775 (NFM Digital / NXDN Data) WQLD446

Chicago Union Station

• 461.7375, 464.4625 4w ERP repeaters (NFM, DMR) WQRC885

BNSF

• Corwith Yard (3526 W 43rd St, Chicago) - 461.250, 464.275 repeaters (NFM, NXDN) WPLG303
• BNSF Agents have two talkgroups on STARCOM21 with statewide access on both talkgroups. One is used for day to day operations and the other is a Tac channel used for special details, etc.

• All Agents at BNSF have VHF/UHF radios (either APX7000s or a UHF portable). Those radios have all 13 Zones and 7 Citywide frequencies. Most often you will hear BNSF on Zone 6 or Zone 10. The UHF radios have many other municipalities who are on UHF. In addition, the UHF radios have Metro 1-6, the U-TAC channels and a few CTA frequencies.

• The VHF portables have ISPERN, IREACH, ESMARN, local municipalities, the VHF Interop channels, the three fireground channels and of course the 97 AAR channels.

• BNSF also has a VHF repeater on 161.205 but it is not used much anymore since the NS Police are also on that frequency with their powerhouse transmitter on NXDN.

CSX

• CSX Police is using STARCOM21 talkgroups 35105-35108 (2/2022)
• 457.425 portables (40 kmra Bedford Park), 454.0 repeater (2101 W 59th St, Chicago - 5w) (NFM) WRDW886

Union Pacific Railroad

Global 1 Intermodal Facility (1425 S. Western Avenue, Chicago)

• 463.3 repeater (D703): H&M International Transportation: Terminal Operations? WRCF791

Proviso Yard, Global II Intermodal Facility (Northlake, IL)

• 160.815 repeater (28w ERP), repeats 160.41 (NFM, NXDN) WRMP987

Metro East St Louis

• Madison and St Clair Counties have many railroads that cross in from St Louis MO (and coming from Chicago)
• St Clair County Railroad Wiki Page

There is another major rail center located in East St. Louis, with switching operations by Terminal Railroad Association (Class III with 2 Mississippi bridges) WikiPedia Trainweb.org Info Map

TRRA owns and operates Madison Yard, the largest classification/switching yard in the St. Louis region. Consists of 80 inbound, outbound, and holding tracks with a capacity of 2,200 cars. The company is planning to expand Madison Yard to hold another 1,500 railcars, for a yard total of 4,000. Owned by BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway (Illinois Central until 1999), CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union Pacific Railroad. All own one-seventh of the railroad except UP, which owns three-sevenths.

The railroad operates 30 locomotives to move cars around the yard, deliver cars to local industries, and ready trains for departure.

Miscellaneous

Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad

• 161.3475 (repeats 160.5075) at Pingree Grove, Davis Junction and Harper IL WPMF611
• 161.3475 (repeats 160.5075) at Savanna IL WPMF610
• 161.3475 (repeats 160.5075) at Genoa IL WQXQ542

Metro East St Louis

Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA)

• Switching and terminal railroad in the metro St. Louis area, serving local customers and connecting BNSF, CN (ex-IC), CSX, NS and UP, as well as KCS. See Illinois Railroads

The Prairie Line ^{Facebook Railfan Wiki}

• 640 Pierce Blvd, Ste 100, O'Fallon IL; FCC FRN 0033316589 (no other licenses found)
• Provides Rail Switching Services, Logistics and route planning/optimization, Strategy that encompasses the entire transportation approach in the supply chain, Track Maintenance, Container/Car Repair

Industrial Site/Real Estate Development, Owns and operates its own fleet of locomotives with a broad range of power for any facility type.

• 50-25W mobiles on 451.8, 456.8, 464.55, 469.55, 456.8125 (NFM Nationwide) for Track Maintenance WRWB972 Issued 1/23

Metro East Industries (E St Louis) ^{See St Clair County IL Businesses See St Clair County IL Railroads}

• 151.6625 153.245 WPKW387 RM 446 DPL MetroEast Industries FMN
• 151.7875 WPKW387 BM 114 DPL MetroEast Industries FMN
• 153.365 WPKW387 M 516 DPL MetroEast Industries FMN

Frequency	Input	License	Type	Tone	Alpha Tag	Description	Mode	Tag
151.66250	153.24500	WPKW387	RM	446 DPL	MetroEast Ind A	Railroad Services	FMN	Business
151.78750	153.27500	WPKW387	RM	114 DPL	MetroEast Ind B	Railroad Services	FMN	Business
153.36500		WPKW387	M	516 DPL	MetroEast Ind D	Railroad Services	FMN	Business
153.41750	158.19750	WPKW387	RM	446 DPL	MetroEast Ind C	Railroad Services	FMN	Business

Related Businesses

• See more on the Nationwide Railroad Related wiki page

Return to DB page: Illinois Railroads (IL)
Return to Wiki page: Illinois (US)