Chicago Trainspotting. Metropolitan Water Reclaimation District Caboose CSDX 2382.
A one-of-a-kind today folks. CSDX2382, official caboose of the MWRD "poop train"!
Often I drive south across the Central Avenue bridge that connects to I-55. On the north side, far to the East, on the tracks serving the Water Reclamation District one can almost always see a bright blue caboose. Unfortunately I had no idea how to get closer. A bit of Google-mapping revealed nearby Ed Meyer road and this weekend finally found it. You can see on Google maps the same caboose in a very similar location.
The road it is actually closest to and the tracks rests on are fenced-in Water Reclamation District property. However, by parking on Ed Meyer Road and tromping through some mud and 6 foot high reeds I was able to reach the fence and take pictures straight through it.
Unfortunately I was unable to find any specific information on the origin of this caboose. The Reporting Mark CSDX simply refers to the "Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago" . For more on the District and it's railroad check out Dennis DeBruler's excellent post on the subject at his Industrial History blog. There I learned that CSDX is it's own shortline with 35 miles of track, 4 locomotives and over a hundred cars. The main operation is the "poop-train" that takes gondolas of "bio-solids" from the plant to the drying lagoons 10 miles away where they are dried out and become a quite useful and valuable material for fertilizer, plant restoration and landscaping.
Weather was nasty and rainy and I only got a couple shots of the caboose so here's a few bonus pictures of 20' container stacks that I took -from the comfort of my van- about a half mile West.
I'll try and get back to this area soon to get more pictures of the rolling stock and locomotives. Hopefully on a sunny winter day where reeds, mud and weather won't be such an issue.
Often I drive south across the Central Avenue bridge that connects to I-55. On the north side, far to the East, on the tracks serving the Water Reclamation District one can almost always see a bright blue caboose. Unfortunately I had no idea how to get closer. A bit of Google-mapping revealed nearby Ed Meyer road and this weekend finally found it. You can see on Google maps the same caboose in a very similar location.
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| Off to the right you can see a bit of a vintage tank car that will get it's own post in the future. |
Unfortunately I was unable to find any specific information on the origin of this caboose. The Reporting Mark CSDX simply refers to the "Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago" . For more on the District and it's railroad check out Dennis DeBruler's excellent post on the subject at his Industrial History blog. There I learned that CSDX is it's own shortline with 35 miles of track, 4 locomotives and over a hundred cars. The main operation is the "poop-train" that takes gondolas of "bio-solids" from the plant to the drying lagoons 10 miles away where they are dried out and become a quite useful and valuable material for fertilizer, plant restoration and landscaping.
Weather was nasty and rainy and I only got a couple shots of the caboose so here's a few bonus pictures of 20' container stacks that I took -from the comfort of my van- about a half mile West.
I'll try and get back to this area soon to get more pictures of the rolling stock and locomotives. Hopefully on a sunny winter day where reeds, mud and weather won't be such an issue.
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