Congratulations! I've watched dozens of "BNSF Metra" videos and you have captured the true meaning of its "Racetrack" reputation. The superb angles, non-stop action and a real feeling for being there makes this an amazing catch!
Great catch of the BNSF Evening Parade. I unfortunately get to only see them by the wayside at Cicero while at work trying to keep the freight trains out of their way!
I don't do either, my title is "Trainmaster." I oversee the yardmasters and switching crews working in the yard. My duties extend to looking after the mainline interchange trains that you see on the racetrack between rush hours, ie Crude, Grain, Coal, Ethanol and Manifest trains destined to/from the Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC). The ultimate goal on the Chicago Sub Division between Eola Yard and Cicero yard is to move the freight trains as efficiently as possible through Chicago, onto the foreign railroads while keeping them clear of Metra's rush hour periods.
MrMocha413 Wow I didn't know! You've got a big position indeed! And yes that sounds like a good ultimate goal in terms of the BNSF racetrack and Metra. ;)
Great video man! I actually know that when the train heads into Chicago, it uses the cab car to drive, and when going from Chicago, they use the engine to drive.
They push in and pull out like that, so that passengers never have to pass the loud, noisy locomotives. They are often stinky, fumey plus the occasional loud hissing and steam. "P-U"-(yes they really smell that bad). Even worse smelling now; as they are using a different low emission diesel fuel mixture that is NOT 100% diesel. 😮 🤔 🙄 😩 🚉 🚆
+sixstringer1962 I believe there are 94 Metra trains total that are in service on the racetrack for an entire day. There's more if you include the deadhead moves that don't carry passengers. During rush hour a Metra train or two will pass about every 5-15 minutes, but its still pretty darn busy lol
I got more horn shows actually. There were a few Metra trains that were bad video takes because of damn commuters mobbing the platforms. There were about 2 other trains blowing their horn because of other trains stopped/passing and for safety of anyone trying to dash across behind a train. Those clips were mess ups, but still 8 minutes of footage is long enough. If every video I take was good and I put them into the video, this video probably would have been over 11 minutes long.
Thanks! Freight trains come anytime besides during both morning and evening Metra rush hours. Theres so much Metra action that BNSF holds their freight trains till rush hour is over.
+Railroadfan5383 Oh ok cool. Does Amtrak run during the rush hour periods as well or in between like BNSF and does Metra still run during the day outside of their designated rush hour times?
+CPWindsorsub Metra runs pretty much all day, 1 train each direction hourly, except in the middle of the night, and during morning and evening rush hours cuz theres a lot more trains during then. On weekends, Metra runs 1 train each direction every two hours, except middle of the night. Amtrak SW Chief and California Zephyr in both directions every day run between 2pm and 5pm, and if the two that are arriving Chicago are late, it could be anytime in the evening usually. Amtrak Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr run the same time every day, but Idk the times off hand exactly, google them for their schedule. Freight trains run anytime, anyday except during Metra rush hours, as an agreement was made to hold off freight train traffic during the rush hour periods. You can find more precise times and all on Metra's and Amtrak's website for their schedules. I basically summed it up for you though.
+CPWindsorsub On the UP West line, no because there arent as many Metras during rush hour, and the way the tracks are, freights can still run and not make any Metra trains late. Chances are you wont catch many freights at all, but they can still run and still not disrupt the rush hour schedule.
I thought all equipment in the system was owned by Metra regardless of the right-of-way it operated on. Strange to see the BNSF logos on some of the cars.
I'm not 100% sure on the logos and facts. But this is what I do know. Those bilevel cars with more rectangular shaped windows and different looking trucks don't go on any others lines besides the BNSF line, and were CB&Q/BN cars. Simply because of their history, I think that's why they have the BNSF logo on them. Also BNSF itself takes care of all the operations and repairs for the BNSF lines, same with UP. It was part of how the system came to be back with CNW and BN I think. That's another reason too that I think factors in.
***** Metra leases their locomotives and some of their railcars to BNSF. The cars with the BNSF Logos on them are owned by BNSF. BNSF has an agreement with Metra to maintain ALL the equipment leased by Metra as well as their own cars.
Well kcin556, there's your answer. It sounds like MrMocha413 is correct, because that's where I was getting at but didn't know exactly how it all worked. Plus he works at a yard on the racetrack (Cicero yard), so I would say its safe to say that's accurate info. :)
The engineers are technically working for BNSF, but the locomotives are owned by Metra. Also, a BNSF switcher is used in the downtown Chicago yard. I'd like to challenge what you said about the CB&Q cars not going on any other lines. I once saw a few CB&Q cars on a Southwest Service train at Union Station as I was boarding my BNSF train.
Great location for photography. Wouldn't it be better without so much zoom? I think it would be more like standing on the platform for viewers of the video.
Yes it is a good location. I don't think it would be better, its just how I filmed it. People have different ways of taking photos and videos, so I cant say there is another thing in how I flim that would be better.
Great video! Do you know the average speed for a train, both express and local. How fast does it accelerate from a station stop. I'm playing Trainz 2012 and can't get the train to stop and start fast. Going to edit the locomotive settings.
BNSF traded the MP36s for the F40PHM-2s (that were in use on the Milwaukee lines and the NCS) because the MP36s were too problematic for them to maintain at the shops, and some other minor reasons. They simply disliked them. And it easier for them to maintain all the same equipment, rather than both MP36s and F40s. And its not because they were too heavy for bridges on the BNSF, its various bridges on the UP North line that MP36s are too heavy for, thats why the UP lines use only F40PHs. On all 3 UP lines, locomotives and bilevels get swapped around often, its how they cycle everything to be used evenly in a way. Since MP36s cant be used on the North line, they can't use them on the NW and West lines. I suggest that if you are going to answer a question, make sure you know the correct answer.
***** sweet and it will be December so the possibility of snow lol. No im not tired of trains lol im tired of see 8-9 UP coal drags a day the plus though are the horn shows down here. I have to drive like 20-30 miles out of my way just to see CN or BNSF.
i mentioned this on another Metra video somewhere but i had a weird dream not so long ago. where i was watching a huge tsunami hit chicago via some sort of live feed. however the live feed resembled more of a Hollywood movie then watching realistic live streaming of a natural disaster on national news. it was weird. anyways i remember at one point the waves lifted Metra trains off its track and tossed them like toys. some of the train cars even snapped in half like the Titanic! and this wasnt from it being slammed against other debris but rather from the massive waves and currents themselves!! i know its just a dream but its still hard to imagine water can snap or crush those massive steel train cars like they are cheap toys....
![[4K] Metra Evening Rush Hour At Palatine, IL 9/29/17](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cQ4f1uIyYg0/mqdefault.jpg)
![[4K] Metra Evening Rush Hour At Palatine, IL 9/29/17](/img/tr.png)
Sometimes a lot of F40PHM-2s were rebuilt to -3s since 205 got scraped in 2018 and 183 got rebuilt,
Congratulations! I've watched dozens of "BNSF Metra" videos and you have captured the true meaning of its "Racetrack"
reputation. The superb angles, non-stop action and a real feeling for being there makes this an amazing catch!
Thanks Jeff! It was mostly in the same spot, but I think it turned out well honestly.
Sometimes freights do sneak in during rush hour if there is room for them in between all the metras and if there are some breaks in between.
Some sweet action there, Fred! I loved that doubleheader!
Thanks!
I wonder how fast they were going?
Awesome Metra action!
Thanks man!
*****
No prob!
Crazy how just one f40 can push/pull 11 cars!
Awesome video! Loved the fast trains running through the middle.
Train Simulator brought me here. Just got finished playing the Chicago-Aurora race track
Nice coverage Fred! I miss visiting this spot, we will have to venture here sometime and catch the action!
Thanks David! And definitely, I'd love to meet up again soon! :)
Great catch of the BNSF Evening Parade. I unfortunately get to only see them by the wayside at Cicero while at work trying to keep the freight trains out of their way!
Thank you! And what is your job at Cicero yard? Do you do switching or repairs or?
I don't do either, my title is "Trainmaster." I oversee the yardmasters and switching crews working in the yard. My duties extend to looking after the mainline interchange trains that you see on the racetrack between rush hours, ie Crude, Grain, Coal, Ethanol and Manifest trains destined to/from the Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC). The ultimate goal on the Chicago Sub Division between Eola Yard and Cicero yard is to move the freight trains as efficiently as possible through Chicago, onto the foreign railroads while keeping them clear of Metra's rush hour periods.
MrMocha413 Wow I didn't know! You've got a big position indeed! And yes that sounds like a good ultimate goal in terms of the BNSF racetrack and Metra. ;)
Challenging at best! I think he did.
Great video man! I actually know that when the train heads into Chicago, it uses the cab car to drive, and when going from Chicago, they use the engine to drive.
Thanks, and yes that's what they do. Also its not driving, you cant steer trains, you run trains.
I know, lol. I messed up on that part. XD
They push in and pull out like that, so that passengers never have to pass the loud, noisy locomotives. They are often stinky, fumey plus the occasional loud hissing and steam. "P-U"-(yes they really smell that bad). Even worse smelling now; as they are using a different low emission diesel fuel mixture that is NOT 100% diesel.
😮 🤔 🙄 😩 🚉 🚆
UNBELIEVABLE! You see a Metra train once like every 5 seconds. No wonder how many trains run in like 1 day.
+sixstringer1962 I believe there are 94 Metra trains total that are in service on the racetrack for an entire day. There's more if you include the deadhead moves that don't carry passengers. During rush hour a Metra train or two will pass about every 5-15 minutes, but its still pretty darn busy lol
and THAT isnt including 9 daily Amtraks and the occasional Freight. More like 110+ Trains a day on weekdays!!
Super videos !
+irelandbloke Thanks!
You're very welcome :)
I wonder when's Rush Hour at Downers Grove
Can you tell what train p5 was that from the metra?
Timestamp?
It hurts me to see these old f40s worked so hard
Why? They're doing what they were made to do.
Nice show there, right? You just gotta be on your toes LOL. Long story short, I got an unwanted hornshow.
I got more horn shows actually. There were a few Metra trains that were bad video takes because of damn commuters mobbing the platforms. There were about 2 other trains blowing their horn because of other trains stopped/passing and for safety of anyone trying to dash across behind a train. Those clips were mess ups, but still 8 minutes of footage is long enough. If every video I take was good and I put them into the video, this video probably would have been over 11 minutes long.
Great video! Does BNSF run most of their trains at night or in the afternoon when the Metra's aren't running?
Thanks! Freight trains come anytime besides during both morning and evening Metra rush hours. Theres so much Metra action that BNSF holds their freight trains till rush hour is over.
+Railroadfan5383 Oh ok cool. Does Amtrak run during the rush hour periods as well or in between like BNSF and does Metra still run during the day outside of their designated rush hour times?
+CPWindsorsub Metra runs pretty much all day, 1 train each direction hourly, except in the middle of the night, and during morning and evening rush hours cuz theres a lot more trains during then. On weekends, Metra runs 1 train each direction every two hours, except middle of the night. Amtrak SW Chief and California Zephyr in both directions every day run between 2pm and 5pm, and if the two that are arriving Chicago are late, it could be anytime in the evening usually. Amtrak Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr run the same time every day, but Idk the times off hand exactly, google them for their schedule. Freight trains run anytime, anyday except during Metra rush hours, as an agreement was made to hold off freight train traffic during the rush hour periods. You can find more precise times and all on Metra's and Amtrak's website for their schedules. I basically summed it up for you though.
***** Oh ok awesome. Thanks a lot. Do you know if there's similar rules on the UP triple track line too?
+CPWindsorsub On the UP West line, no because there arent as many Metras during rush hour, and the way the tracks are, freights can still run and not make any Metra trains late. Chances are you wont catch many freights at all, but they can still run and still not disrupt the rush hour schedule.
I thought all equipment in the system was owned by Metra regardless of the right-of-way it operated on. Strange to see the BNSF logos on some of the cars.
I'm not 100% sure on the logos and facts. But this is what I do know. Those bilevel cars with more rectangular shaped windows and different looking trucks don't go on any others lines besides the BNSF line, and were CB&Q/BN cars. Simply because of their history, I think that's why they have the BNSF logo on them. Also BNSF itself takes care of all the operations and repairs for the BNSF lines, same with UP. It was part of how the system came to be back with CNW and BN I think. That's another reason too that I think factors in.
***** Metra leases their locomotives and some of their railcars to BNSF. The cars with the BNSF Logos on them are owned by BNSF. BNSF has an agreement with Metra to maintain ALL the equipment leased by Metra as well as their own cars.
Well kcin556, there's your answer. It sounds like MrMocha413 is correct, because that's where I was getting at but didn't know exactly how it all worked. Plus he works at a yard on the racetrack (Cicero yard), so I would say its safe to say that's accurate info. :)
The engineers are technically working for BNSF, but the locomotives are owned by Metra. Also, a BNSF switcher is used in the downtown Chicago yard. I'd like to challenge what you said about the CB&Q cars not going on any other lines. I once saw a few CB&Q cars on a Southwest Service train at Union Station as I was boarding my BNSF train.
The system for the BNSF is also the same on the three UP lines.
6:23 the 211
Great location for photography. Wouldn't it be better without so much zoom? I think it would be more like standing on the platform for viewers of the video.
Yes it is a good location. I don't think it would be better, its just how I filmed it. People have different ways of taking photos and videos, so I cant say there is another thing in how I flim that would be better.
Great video!
Do you know the average speed for a train, both express and local.
How fast does it accelerate from a station stop.
I'm playing Trainz 2012 and can't get the train to stop and start fast. Going to edit the locomotive settings.
Great
why arent there were mp36s
The MP36s were taken off the BNSF awhile ago. Now its only gonna be F40PHM-2, F40PH and a soon to be F40PHM-3
The short answer: operating difficulties. The long answer: the BNSF deemed the MP36PH-3Ss too heavy for bridges and for operating at higher speeds.
+MPIEMDRailfan True there!
BNSF traded the MP36s for the F40PHM-2s (that were in use on the Milwaukee lines and the NCS) because the MP36s were too problematic for them to maintain at the shops, and some other minor reasons. They simply disliked them. And it easier for them to maintain all the same equipment, rather than both MP36s and F40s.
And its not because they were too heavy for bridges on the BNSF, its various bridges on the UP North line that MP36s are too heavy for, thats why the UP lines use only F40PHs. On all 3 UP lines, locomotives and bilevels get swapped around often, its how they cycle everything to be used evenly in a way. Since MP36s cant be used on the North line, they can't use them on the NW and West lines. I suggest that if you are going to answer a question, make sure you know the correct answer.
Haha no problem anytime. Once I get back from southern Illinois were catching some trains. Tired of watching UP coal drags down here lol.
Wow that's all? It been less than 2 weeks and your already bored of trains! Lmao! And I can't wait till you come back, its gonna be so much fun! :D
***** sweet and it will be December so the possibility of snow lol. No im not tired of trains lol im tired of see 8-9 UP coal drags a day the plus though are the horn shows down here. I have to drive like 20-30 miles out of my way just to see CN or BNSF.
Somethings Missing
wow this is great
Thank you Mr. Train 513! :)
3:11
i mentioned this on another Metra video somewhere but i had a weird dream not so long ago. where i was watching a huge tsunami hit chicago via some sort of live feed. however the live feed resembled more of a Hollywood movie then watching realistic live streaming of a natural disaster on national news. it was weird. anyways i remember at one point the waves lifted Metra trains off its track and tossed them like toys. some of the train cars even snapped in half like the Titanic! and this wasnt from it being slammed against other debris but rather from the massive waves and currents themselves!! i know its just a dream but its still hard to imagine water can snap or crush those massive steel train cars like they are cheap toys....
6:36 love that p5
Yeah but do you know the locomotive it self,?
It’s hard to tell. Probably an F40PH
It was a F40PHM-2
2:22 no ditch lights flashing
Is this Lagrange Rd?
Yes
Sometimes those F40s smoke like Alcos.
Indeed they do
I railfan in blue island
I ride the express trains both ways.
Great video! Great train action!!! My son would love subscribers! #MetraSnakieAsaurus ...Merry Christmas and Peace 2 all!
5:45