Reels from transit and rail construction

Cable and reels this work empties

The Red Line Extension

The CTA Red Line Extension runs about 5.6 miles from 95th Street to 130th Street on the Far South Side, with four new stations, new traction power substations and a railyard near 120th Street. The Federal Transit Administration puts its cost at $5.75 billion. A project of that size stages reels at contractor yards along the alignment for years, phase by phase.

Commuter rail, freight yards and the intermodal terminals at Joliet and Elwood generate steadier, smaller flows of signal and communications reels.

Access near the tracks

Anything near an active railway runs under that railway's safety rules. A pickup has to stay out of the right-of-way unless the railway or the contractor provides protection, so reels should be staged in the contractor yard, not along the track. Tell us who controls the gate and whether the driver needs any site orientation.

Signal and communications reels

Signal cable comes on mid-size wooden reels, usually one-way and often in good shape because signal crews handle them carefully. These resell well to other contractors and rewinders. Traction power feeders come on much larger reels that are frequently owned by the cable maker; we list those for return.

Staging a yard for one visit

• Clear an aisle from the gate to the reels for a flatbed.
• Group reels by size, largest nearest the aisle.
• Pull any rope or cable ends nailed to drums.
• Note any reels the railway or agency owns.

Long projects, many stages

A transit build lasts years. Contractors change, yards move along the alignment, and reels from one stage get left for the next contractor to find. A pickup at the end of each stage keeps ownership clear: the contractor who received the cable is the one who knows which reels were rented, which belong to a maker and which are theirs to sell. That knowledge disappears when crews turn over, so clear the yard before handing it on.

Keep delivery tickets with the stage records; reel numbers on them settle most ownership questions later.

Where we see this work

• Chicago neighbourhoods

  Red Line Extension contractors and CTA maintenance crews working south of 95th Street.

• The west suburbs

  Signal and yard work around Bedford Park's classification yard and the BNSF line.

• Northwest Indiana

  South Shore Line double-tracking and freight-yard improvements.

How the pickup runs

1. Count and photo

   Count the reels by flange size and send one photo of the stack and one of a reel tag.

2. Sort by tag and condition

   We read the tags and photos and tell you which reels we buy, which are returnable and which look like recycling.

3. Route each reel

   Every reel gets one exit: buyback, maker take-back, recycling or resupply.

4. Schedule by corridor

   We put you on the next corridor day in your area, or send a truck of its own for a big lot.

5. Load and settle

   The driver checks each reel, loads, and leaves one ticket showing what was bought, recycled and left.

Questions

Can you collect from the right-of-way?

Only where the railway or contractor allows it and provides protection. The usual answer is to move reels to the yard first.

Do you work on the Far South Side?

Yes, including Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman and the Calumet corridor.

Are traction power reels returnable?

Often. Check the flanges for a maker's plate or stencil and the delivery paperwork for deposit terms.

Do you work around freight yards?

Contractor yards near Bedford Park, Joliet and Elwood, yes. Inside a railway's own yard only where the railway allows it.

Reel words on this page

Flange

The round side discs that hold the cable in. Flange diameter, edge to edge, is the size a reel is known by.

Drum (barrel)

The cylinder between the flanges that the cable winds around.

Traverse

The inside width between the flanges: how wide a layer of cable can be.

Arbor hole

The centre hole a spindle, shaft or payoff bar passes through.

Drive hole

A smaller hole off-centre in the flange that a drive pin uses to turn the reel.

Lagging / staves

The boards nailed around the drum, and the protective boards sometimes nailed across the flanges over finished cable.

Nailed vs bolted

Nailed reels are held together with nails and built for one trip; bolted reels have through-bolts and steel plates for many.

Returnable reel

A reel its maker expects back, usually stencilled or tagged to say so.

One-way reel

A reel nobody is collecting. Once empty, it belongs to whoever holds it.

Reel tag

The label or plate carrying the maker, the reel number and sometimes the return terms.

Payoff

The stand or trailer a reel turns on while cable is pulled off it.