Rochelle Questions
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GLC 392
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Rochelle Questions
i am going to be going to rochelle ILL. soon what should i know about it, when is the best time to catch trains there.
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GreatLakesRailfan
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best time to catch trains at Rochelle- anytime major work isn't being done on the diamonds and/or in the immediate vicinity of the diamonds... 
seriously, the one time I visited, it seemed busier in the morning...I was also told that when the weather warms up, the place is packed with people...you may want to go places besides the railfan park there...
...also, don't take the toll routes through Chicago...it gets expensive and aside from the fact that the alternate routes aren't any worse, the traffic going through town can be kind of brutal...
seriously, the one time I visited, it seemed busier in the morning...I was also told that when the weather warms up, the place is packed with people...you may want to go places besides the railfan park there...
...also, don't take the toll routes through Chicago...it gets expensive and aside from the fact that the alternate routes aren't any worse, the traffic going through town can be kind of brutal...
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trainjunkie47
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I was in Rochelle last June. I went on a Tuesday, which was a good thing, based on the crowd. Parking could be an issue on the weekend. I was there from 4 am until 10 am, then moved on to East Dubuque. The traffic was sporadic, with three trains in a twenty minute stretch, followed by fourty minutes of nothing.
As most of you all know, I am in Rochelle most of the time, heck, I was there for at least one weekend 9 out of 12 months last year alone! I love the place.
To answer your question, train traffic depends on what is going on in the area, last fall UP was replacing Main 2 from just west of Ashland, IL. to Clinton, IA. (about 65 miles of track). They where replacing all the wooden ties with new concret ties and new rail. This cut train traffic down to only a few trains every few hours...but that was then. Now, they are nearly done with the replacement project. Also, if there is a derailment, even minor, you can expect few trains if any for hours, but when the mess is cleaned up you will have a blast with train after train after train!!
I would suggest waiting until it gets warmer, in Rochelle it can be super cold this time of year.
Rochelle is a great place to watch trains with heavy BNSF Railway and Union Pacific action!
ENJOY!
To answer your question, train traffic depends on what is going on in the area, last fall UP was replacing Main 2 from just west of Ashland, IL. to Clinton, IA. (about 65 miles of track). They where replacing all the wooden ties with new concret ties and new rail. This cut train traffic down to only a few trains every few hours...but that was then. Now, they are nearly done with the replacement project. Also, if there is a derailment, even minor, you can expect few trains if any for hours, but when the mess is cleaned up you will have a blast with train after train after train!!
I would suggest waiting until it gets warmer, in Rochelle it can be super cold this time of year.
Rochelle is a great place to watch trains with heavy BNSF Railway and Union Pacific action!
ENJOY!