Three Siemens Venture coaches and two Charger locomotives depart Chicago on Monday, April 12, for Effingham, Ill. The cars will test through through Thursday of this week, evaluating the new equipment’s ability to effectively shunt electric current between rails on Canadian National’s former Illinois Central trackage. Since 2006, the railroad has imposed a minimum axle count of 30 axles on the route, and joint efforts by CN, Amtrak, and the Federal Railroad Administration throughout the intervening years have yet to determine what track, wheel, or rolling stock issues might cause an interruption of shunt, which is necessary to activiate signals and highway warning devices. Three Viewliner II baggage cars supplied the extra axles for the trip to Effingham, but they won’t be a part of the tests taking place between Edgewood and Kinmundy, Ill., that will utilize various locomotive and passenger car combinations.
This problem of activating the crossing gates only occurs on this route as far as I know. Hopefully, the Siemens equipment resolves the issue. If not, then maybe the state of Illinois and CN need to develop a plan to upgrade the positive train control system on that route to activate the crossing gates. This is pathetic that in 2021 this is even an issue. Illinois continues to function at the level of a third world country.
Let’s see the picture of the Viewliner coupled to the Venture.