Belt Railway of Chicago
The Belt Railway Company of Chicago (abbreviation: BRC, translated: Belt Railway -Gesellschaft Chicago ) is the largest shunting railway company of the United States . It operates a distance of 45 km, as well as track systems of a total of 885 km mainly as a bypass in and around Chicago . The marshalling yard Clearing Yard has km in length 9 and occupies an area of 318 ha. It is equipped with rail brakes on both sides and in both directions , its directional harps have 36 tracks to the west and 56 tracks to the east. The company has 520 employees and moves around 8,400 freight wagons every day. In addition, the BRC provides connections to around 100 industrial companies.
history
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The Belt Railway Company of Chicago has been an integral part of the railways in the Chicago area since 1882 . The idea of founding it came from John B. Brown in the late 1870s . Brown founded the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad as the parent company of the later BRC. Within four years, the “Belt Line” was created through the construction of various railway lines, which connected all the major railways in the city. The industrial plants in South Chicago and Calumet were also connected. Then the company was leased by five railroad companies ( Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railway ; Chicago and Atlantic Railway ; Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad ; Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway and Chicago and Grand Trunk Railway ).
As Chicago grew, so did the BRC. Elevated lines and other systems were created to cope with the increasing traffic flows. But soon these were no longer enough and the Belt Railway began to consider building larger marshalling yards outside the city limits. As a result of this decision, the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway ; Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad ; Illinois Central Railroad ; Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad ; Pennsylvania Railroad and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway to the company. In 1924 the Pere Marquette Railway was added.
Due to bankruptcies and mergers, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway , Canadian National Railway , Canadian Pacific Railway , CSX Transportation , Norfolk Southern Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad now own the Belt Railway Company of Chicago.
Individual evidence
- ^ BRC Clearing Yard , October 1, 2014
