— Michael Blanchard, Cicero, Ill.
A Overall, traffic has decreased on the CN Freeport Sub east of the former EJ&E connection at Munger, Ill. CN has for the past several years run only one pair of dedicated manifest trains to Waterloo, Iowa, from Chicago: M33791 westbound and M338 eastbound. M338 now goes to Kirk Yard in Gary, Ind., on the EJ&E, while M33791 continues to Hawthorne Yard in Cicero, Ill., then picks up cars headed west. Occasionally, unit ethanol trains U70491 and U70691 also pass through Hawthorne Yard to interchange with the Eastern Class Is in Chicago. At one point, CN interchanged traffic with Canadian Pacific at Hawthorne, but now does it at Spaulding, a few miles east of Elgin, Ill. The only daily trains left operating east of Munger are M34041, M33791, and the Broadview Local. M34041 comes off the EJ&E at Munger, sets out cars at Hawthorne, and interchanges with Norfolk Southern at Chicago. M33791 goes to Waterloo, Iowa. And the local serves area industries as far as Carol Stream, Ill. As far as I know, CN has no plans to abandon this route.
— Walter Davis, former conductor on the EJ&E
