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0:34 Budd Cabcar 8244

2:17 Is that METX 8473 on the left

The clouds are so pretty in this shot!

If Amtrak management wanted efficiency, they could use the old Pennsylvania RR tracks which started at Union Station, turn Southeast at 61st on the Chesapeake RR tracks and meet the Illinois Central mainline tracks at 74th street to proceed South.

Woah, you can see the steam breaking off pieces of grass and sending them flying as the engine passes!

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL Locomotive. I love it when people restore old machines. You can almost feel the brute strength of it, too !

Uh 15 minutes . you'll be going 80-100 mph real soon

Interesting

You didn't mention the steam train! :)

That branch line's grade crossings on the three outbound evening trains are some of the few places that the five repurposed Amtrak loco's get to sing with their melodic horns. It's immediately recognizable before they ever come into view.

Did you mean to upload this twice?

Man, that's a lot of lights! Any idea how many miles of light strings they used? Also, is that a new layout in the model railroad building? I don't remember seeing it before (though granted, my toddler looks at them a lot more closely than I do).

I worked for NREC from ‘92 through ‘94 in the diesel engine rebuild shop. Just heard about RRHMA about a year ago and been to the 2 events in ‘24. A lot of work has been done and still needs to be done there, but I really look forward to seeing the museum once it opens up.

For years that curve you went through across Soldier Field was a close clearance restriction due to a 90 footer clipping an Amtrak train. They recently brought it down to single main and I think constructed a Y to get into union station easier.

5:39 This is the 16th street tower for metra, use to be controlled by IC. Was an older man operating it for my first 20 years working the CN/IC. Most of us are not railfans, but this guy put a smile on your face. Loved his work and very professional. Would always give us a heads up before a popped in a signal so we could snooze.

There's been scattered talk for years about upgrading some of the overall rail links involved in this basic route to provide a more direct transit link between McCormick Place (on Metra Electric) to O'Hare via Union Station. One of the issues would be the motive power involved. There is no available overhead electrification to Union Station and on to O'Hare on most of the trackage involved. And can the Metra Electric rail line also handle diesel locomotives? The trackage would have to be able to dependably support the likely heavier locomotive weight. Anyway, like so many past proposed grand Chicago transit plans, this concept is likely remain....just that. We all know how Chicago no longer works like it once reputedly did.

1. I'd love to know what was going on with the guy in the red at the beginning: "The train has stopped and is whistling to tell me to move, but I'll just stand right here. Oh, there's someone behind me trying to film? I'll get out of the way for HIM." 2. What was the guy saying toward the end, after you were asking about 1003 making a running start? 3. Lol on that 3rd plane: "Wait for me, guys!"

That one bridge stuck in the "up" position has been like that for about 50 years! I used to ride Rock Island (then Metra) into the loop from 1983 till around 2010 and that bridge was up from before that time. I believe it was stated that it would be too costly to repair or remove the stuck bridge so it will probably be that way till it rusts out and collapses.

Cool video. I wish I knew as much about trains as some of yall.

Thank you for disavowing the bad jokes. :)

Wow nice, i like gp7s and gp9s

What reroute do the freight trains that used to use the St Charles Airline Route take?

I can understand why we will never get high speed rail in the U.S. due to its convoluted & outdated infrastructure. Even more surprised we still have passenger rail. 🚂

Would have liked dates of some of the changes, more clear map layouts of the routes being referred to, and a bit of the history of the IC station.

5:53 that intersection at Clark and 15th used to have a ramp up to the railyard level and is where they filmed the iconic Ferrari jump scene in Ferris Buellers Day Off

Hell yeah my home subdivision

Excellent.

Sometimes these 2 cars are not open

0:33 Woah, the steam was breaking off pieces of grass and throwing them into the air! I knew it was hot, but I didn't realize it was that forceful! I also note the usual "lights don't mesh with the camera frame rate properly" thing on the crossing lights on the second clip. And what was up with those rails you were standing between on the third clip? There were ties on some of it, but the rails weren't on them, and they were way too far apart.

Remember it well.

Amtrack doesn't own any track. Anywhere. Go figure. 🙄

Not too uncommon, train 653 and 655 schedule wasn’t that far apart

Which one honked the P5A?

Very informative. Nice video

A grandstand competition: who can hit the platform hotter. I'm glad Metra still believes in making PROPER commuter stops. Stand em up!

Sweet catch dude!

Wow. Amazing catch.

I almost thought that maybe the engineers had seen how close they were and decided to stay together. And then the one train pulled ahead, which ruined that thought. Still impressive, though!

Nice racing engines not at all a coincidence:3

The last time I took that line, we did the back-out to BNSF at Halsted Street; I remember the reversal was in the Halsted Street station.

1:35 You mention water coming out, and I think I see it halfway along the engine. Why do they do that? Isn't the water supposed to stay in the boiler?

Magnificent catches of the trains coming by and pass, I like it 5 stars. Hearing that amazing diesel sound and cars is absolutely crazy. Thumbs up. Keep up the perfect work, Jack, you earned a new subscriber, Greetings from Portugal to the USA.

Does the train itself knows that it is moving backward? If no, what difference will it make if the engine is placed ahead of the coaches to drag it forward in its backward mode?

The inefficiency makes my blood boil. No wonder why ridership is relatively low

That's the track for Amtrak 319/318 and idk if Amtrak 21/22 has it tho. But I've been on Amtrak 319/318!

Why do some trains just stop and block everything for so long?

My toddler always asks to watch trains while we eat lunch, so I was excited to see a new GR video! And she really enjoyed seeing the other toddler in the video. Do you have any way to lessen that awful shrieking noise some of the trains make?

Nice video! New subscriber...

As a Limey, when I visited 12 years ago I couldn't understand why the trains don't have a driver's cab at both ends.

Well done.