Amtrak Hiawatha and "Polar Express" at Chicago Union Station

I got to Union Station with some time to spare before I needed to get on the Lake Shore Limited to head back home, so I took my camera over to see the next listed departure. As luck would have it, Amtrak's Polar Express excursion train pulled in fresh from the "North Pole" a few tracks over as I waited to see Hiawatha #341 blast off for Milwaukee. IDTX 4621, a months-old SC-44, and Amtrak 90368, still fresh in its much-lamented coat of Phase V, had the honors.

[@WindyCityExpeditionist]

I caught it too. A cop escorted me to see it.

[@EPWI92]

Not gonna lie, the charger sounds pretty sweet.

[@amtrak706]

Yeah maybe it does, lol. I still haven’t warmed up to them.

[@up1943productions]

It was the Train Station.

[@chandlerbranchrailfanprodu5928]

ALL ABOARD!!! ALL ABOARD!!! Tickets please tickets? Well ya coming?
Do the song.

[@AmtrakEnthusiast]

Sweet! I saw this in Chicago waiting to get on the Capital Limited this past December (even though I live in NYC, the super liners are so much better). As my luck had it, an Amtrak employee yelled at me saying "the gate was closed" and threatened to call the cops, spreading the Christmas spirit...

[@amtrak706]

Wow, lol. I asked the person at the gate if I could go record video, and he said sure. I even had a brief chat with the engineer before he climbed up there. I guess the employees vary wildly just like everywhere else on Amtrak.

[@michaelglass4701]

Looooove your video.