BENSENVILLE, Ill. — Canadian Pacific No. 2816 and the ‘Final Spike Steam Tour’ have reached Chicago.
Well, technically, Bensenville, Ill., the home of CPKC’s yard west of the city and adjacent to O’Hare Airport. That’s where the locomotive is laying over after its two-day trip from St. Paul, Minn., prior to Wednesday’s display in Franklin Park, Ill. Metra employee and photographer Mark Llanuza made arrangements to capture these images within Bensenville Yard of the locomotive and the CPKC executive train as it swung off the Union Pacific line used by CPKC as a cutoff from Tower A-20 on Metra’s Milwaukee District-North line to B-17 on the Milwaukee District-West. The still active Tower B-17 building is visible in the background of the photo at top, behind the train’s dome car. The UP line is above the retaining wall in both shots.
The display in Franklin Park will be at the small park at 9748 Franklin Avenue that includes the preserved Tower B-12. Display time is 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Technically speaking, the Techney cutoff’s history is convoluted regarding construction and ownership between the Milw. Rd. and CNW. And who in a million years could have anticipated its importance post CPKC merger?