Run-time: 1 hour and 44 mins approx.

The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad runs across the western suburbs of Chicago, embracing with it many Class 1 Railroads, Industrial Sites and Freight Yards. It provides a convenient orbital route for many of the daily freight trains that polish the rails around the ‘Windy City’.

Our camera crew travelled along the line in the Spring of 2022 to check out the action, beginning at CP’s (now CPKC) Bensenville Yard, with freight and Metra passenger trains providing the action.

We then head south past UP’s Bellwood complex to La Grange and the western edge of The Clearing Yard. UP, CP, CSX and BNSF power is all witnessed.

Continuing our journey south we head to the famous Dolton Junction where up to 100 freight trains can be seen in one day. CN, UP, NS, BNSF, CSX and Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) traction are all witnessed on a variety of manifest and unit trains, from Grain to Ethanol and to Autoracks.

By now we are in the busy and industrial East Chicago as we head for Calumet Tower Crossing, the site of Indiana’s last interlocking tower which has since been demolished. Highlight of our trip was an NS torpedo wagon train used in the shipment of molten metal between steel plants in the area. We also have IHB switcher and trip workings as well as BNSF, CN, CP, CSX, NS and UP traction pounding the crossings.

This fascinating programme documents just some of the daily workings seen in and around America’s premier railroad location.