CN’s ex-EJ&E Leithton Subdivision

Since its takeover by Canadian National in early 2009, the former Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway that went around, not through Chicago, has undergone more changes than any rail line in this country. The acquisition of the EJ&E was quite contentions with many tony communities protesting the big increase in the number and length of the trains that would be running through their towns. Traffic on the former EJ&E Western Subdivision north of Joliet has quadrupled from what it was before the takeover. With the completion of the new connections with the former Illinois Central main line at Matteson, this line now hosts most of CN’s traffic from western Canada and Wisconsin for the Chicago gateway and beyond. Both BNSF and Union Pacific have overhead rights for certain trains on this busy section of track. CN, as they prefer to be called, runs trains over two miles in length and up to 22,000 tons in weight on this part of the former EJ&E including many with distributed power. This program shows twenty-four hours of action on the former EJ&E northwest of Joliet around Plainfield, Illinois in April of 2015. This DVD is one hour and 52 minutes in length and can be watched with or without narration.