Need location help please!

Hi all.....

Myself and a friend will be taking the Lake Shore Limited out from Boston, arriving in Chicago on May 16th....We are meeting some folks coming in on the California Zephyr, then getting right back on the Lake Shore back to Boston that night(the group is also changing trains there to the LSL). My question is what station near Chicago on the BNSF line can we go to and watch the action for the time we will have? Are there any stations on that line at a junction? Depending on the schedule, we may actually stay there till after the CZ goes by, then meet up with them in Chicago. I am looking for a station that is close, but far enough out to get BNSF action too. Also, somewhere safe is important too. Also, what is Metra's stand on photography/video?

P.S......this will be on a Sunday....i know that will make a difference in train volume.

Don't bother with a station. Visit the approaches to CUS. Roosevelt road overpass on the south end, and Canal Street railroad crossing on the north. Also worth noting Roosevelt continues east to the lake, crossing the approach to LaSalle and Millinium stations, for Rock Island and South Shore/Metra Electric trains. LaSalle will be dead quiet on a Sunday, and the electric line will be kind of quiet too. At least on the CUS south approach tracks you'll have the Amtrak servicing facilities to look at, maybe some PV's in the coach yard. You'll be able to watch the LD fleet come in all afternoon, too. Nice thing is, you can lock your bags up at CUS and walk down to Roosevelt. Maybe a ten minute walk at most.

Are those in safe areas and will police bother one for hanging around taking pictures???

How about some freight activity nearby? Any good safe spots?

Tadman wrote:Don't bother with a station. Visit the approaches to CUS. Roosevelt road overpass on the south end, and Canal Street railroad crossing on the north. Also worth noting Roosevelt continues east to the lake, crossing the approach to LaSalle and Millinium stations, for Rock Island and South Shore/Metra Electric trains. LaSalle will be dead quiet on a Sunday, and the electric line will be kind of quiet too. At least on the CUS south approach tracks you'll have the Amtrak servicing facilities to look at, maybe some PV's in the coach yard. You'll be able to watch the LD fleet come in all afternoon, too. Nice thing is, you can lock your bags up at CUS and walk down to Roosevelt. Maybe a ten minute walk at most.

Roosevelt Road is quite yuppiefied. On Sunday, Booths for the "New Maxwell St. Market" will be set up along Canal St. It could be crowded. I've been around there on Sundays and it was safe. Many people take photos from the Roosevelt St. bridge and I've never seen anyone get hassled.

Crowded is not a problem....i'm used to that

What other lines can be seen from there, or is it just the BNSF line?
I'm not up on what other lines run out of CUS...

F40CFan wrote:Roosevelt Road is quite yuppiefied. On Sunday, Booths for the "New Maxwell St. Market" will be set up along Canal St. It could be crowded. I've been around there on Sundays and it was safe. Many people take photos from the Roosevelt St. bridge and I've never seen anyone get hassled.

ST214 wrote:Crowded is not a problem....i'm used to that

What other lines can be seen from there, or is it just the BNSF line?
I'm not up on what other lines run out of CUS

The Southwest service (SWS) and Heritage Corridor (HC) lines also share the south concourse of CUS, but BNSF trains provide the vast majority of the action. When looking north from the Roosevelt Road bridge. SWS & HC trains are normally routed in & out of CUS about 2 or 3 tracks to the right of the BNSF mains. Also, if you happen to see a Metra run with just three cars, that's HC, which runs during rush hours only...

ST214 wrote: P.S......this will be on a Sunday....i know that will make a difference in train volume

Crowded is not a problem....i'm used to that

What other lines can be seen from there, or is it just the BNSF line?
I'm not up on what other lines run out of CUS...

Since I see that you will be in Chicago on A Sunday it will just be the Amtrak, and The Metra BNSF trains that you will see from Roosevelt Road Bridge, as the Southwest Service, and the Heritage Corridor Trains does not runs on Sunday, and the BNSF only runs every 2 Hours on Sundays.

I taken pictures from here a lot, and I never been bother, neither by police, and the RI main is farther down east next to the new Target on the East side of the Bridge, but that also runs every 2 hours on Sundays. Also Roosevelt Rd. is also a very busy street, but it is not that heave on Sundays, if you have to cross, just be carful, because, there are some dum dums that will speed on Roosevelt Road.

Also if you have some time, you can also walk down Canal St. from 12th/Roosevelt Rd. to 18th St. Bridge, while you are walking down Canal St. you will cross the BNSF Line, in which the Metra BNSF, Amtrak's Cal Zephyr, Southwest Chief, and Quincy trains pass under going or coming from the west, but that bridge was rebuilt, and has a chain-length fences on the sides, At 18th St you will see trains come across the 21st St. Bridge from the south, but on a Sunday it will only be Amtrak East Coast, St Louis, Michigan and Texas Eagle trains, and some Amtrak yard moves, as the trains come and go through the washer, and if lucky some UP transfers trains between Global 1 and the Canal St. Intermodal Yards, and some BNSF, or NS freight trains, as the Metra Southwest Service, and Heritage Corridor trains does runs past 18th St., but these two lines does not run on Sundays. I never been bothered at 18th St also, but a little caution may be needed there.

I was going to suggest heading down to 18th street, but if you do, go down via Clark St instead of Canal St. If you go down Canal you have to pass by "the Mission", where there are lots of weirdos always hanging out.

Also, the north approach tracks have a view of Amtrak Hiawatha and Builders, as well as Metra Milwaukee-district trains and Metra UP-division trains. The UP tracks are elevated a block to the west but are clearly visible. Finally, the L has two draw bridges (Lake and Wells) over the river; I believe both go up on Sundays and both have clear line of site from the parking lot by the Canal street crossing.

Thanks for all the help...i see i have some options.

So if some of the trains that can be seen from the crossing North of Union are trains from OTC, is there a good chance of catching one of the two F40C's from there? I tried to catch one in 2003(when they were more plentiful) but missed it by an hour.

ST214 wrote:Thanks for all the help...i see i have some options.

So if some of the trains that can be seen from the crossing North of Union are trains from OTC, is there a good chance of catching one of the two F40C's from there? I tried to catch one in 2003(when they were more plentiful) but missed it by an hour.

The F40C's run on the Milwaukee lines (north and west) out of Union Station's north concourse, it's a 3-track main that curves west at grade level once out of the depot, crossing Canal and Clinton Streets. Unfortunately, your chances of seeing one of these two remaining active units has just been cut in half, because 611 suffered a major breakdown yesterday (5/4), and will likely still be out of action when you visit. See the 611/614 thread for details...

Ok.......

Sad to hear about the 611

doepack wrote:

ST214 wrote:Thanks for all the help...i see i have some options.

So if some of the trains that can be seen from the crossing North of Union are trains from OTC, is there a good chance of catching one of the two F40C's from there? I tried to catch one in 2003(when they were more plentiful) but missed it by an hour.

The F40C's run on the Milwaukee lines (north and west) out of Union Station's north concourse, it's a 3-track main that curves west at grade level once out of the depot, crossing Canal and Clinton Streets. Unfortunately, your chances of seeing one of these two remaining active units has just been cut in half, because 611 suffered a major breakdown yesterday (5/4), and will likely still be out of action when you visit. See the 611/614 thread for details...

Hi all....again thanks for the help!

Short on time and not knowing where 614 was, i boarded a train to Elgin at CUS and got off at Western Ave. Train #2605 was running right behind us....and SURPRISE..614! I grabbed shots of the train arriving there and decided to ride out to Fox Lake for more shots. I grabbed shots at Fox Lake and reboarded the train as it turned for 2612........

So i completed my goal, and got some great shots of 614.

And if anyone's reading this right now, 614 is pushing me and 2612 back to CUS right now.