After working 2 industries in Batavia for a few hours on a gorgeous, warm, and sunny fall afternoon, R-CHI452 heads back south to Eola Yard on the BNSF West Chicago Spur. This line is the oldest part of the former Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad, being constructed in 1850 as the Aurora Branch Railroad. It is also the oldest line on BNSF’s system in 2021. The line has had service ever since, but is now considered as a branch line which only has one train that uses it, BNSF R-CHI452 or aka “The West Chicago Local” that runs Monday-Wednesday-Friday to service the industries along the line between Aurora and West Chicago. Today’s R-CHI452 is seen here rounding the ginormous curve splitting through Downtown Batavia with a classic consist, 2740, a rebuilt EMD GP39E leading GP60 167 trailing. 2740 was built in 1963 as Great Northern GP30 3007. It still wears its classic Burlington Northern paint in 2021 on the BNSF as BNSF 2740. 167 was the former ATSF 4008, built in 1988, and still wearing its proud Santa Fe colors.
