Going for a marathon ride in Chicago Metra on a weekend pass soon every line what order should I ride them in to hit every line?

[trackrat888]

The Metra Weekend pass gives two days of unlimted rides so I am planning are starting on the South Shore then the IC Electric Lines then the Rock Island then the CNW North Shore to Kenosha ride the trolley fine a cheap motel and then continue the ride in the morning after church. Also have to eat cheap so I need some good soul food joints on the south side to wash down with cheap beer. Like fried chicken and fish. Will hit Pullman Museam as well. If I did the EL trains system that might take a extra day on Monday. Somebody has to have done this before- Riding whole systems has been done in NYC and Portland but nothing here  Chi-town

[ndbprr]

Years ago Trains published a way to do as many as possible listing all the trains. Might be a good starting point. It would have been late 70s or early 80s

[CShaveRR]

If I remember that thing corectly, it was impossible to do it even then.  Since the time of that article, Southwest Service has been added to the weekend mix and UP West has been extended to Elburn.  North Central service ws also instituted, but they don't run on weekends.

South Shore does not honor the Metra Weekend Pass.

Your best bet is to pick places you want to go and consult the timetables (www.metrarail.com).  

[trackrat888]

I tried this 3 years ago over the summer. I lost because I had my bike with me and there was bike bans on major Metra train routes do to summer concerts. I only managed to do 3 lines. Oh and was aleady burned out from the Amtrak ride into town to begin with. The overnight camping on Lake Michigan in Kenosha was worth it though.

[desertdog]

Try as I might, I was only able to do five in one day after having looked at all the various options. That was several years ago. With the extension to Elburn, for example, that may make even five difficult to do.

 

John Timm

[dakotafred]

trackrat888

I tried this 3 years ago over the summer. I lost because I had my bike with me and there was bike bans on major Metra train routes do to summer concerts. I only managed to do 3 lines. Oh and was aleady burned out from the Amtrak ride into town to begin with. The overnight camping on Lake Michigan in Kenosha was worth it though.

 

Quality over quantity! No need to be a completist, as you learned from your own experience 3 years ago. I devoted a day last fall to riding various Elevated lines, and learned you can't do it all, certainly factoring in things like fatigue and, at especially busy times, looking at people's butts instead of out the window.

[trackrat888]

What if I take the bus between stations? What if Chicagoes systen is biger then New Yorks? What will that do to my home states limbido????

[gardendance]

You're not allowed to take the bus between stations. One way rides don't count, you must ride out on each branch, then back at least to where the branch diverged from your next railroad line. Otherwise you'll miss seeing what's on the other side of the train.

Since you mostly use public library computers I'm still amazed at how difficult it is for you to compose decently spelled posts with real words and proper grammar Please ask the librarians about the difference between plurals and possesives, "Chicagoes " vs Chicago's, "New Yorks" vs New York's, "home states" vs home state's, and the difference between "then" and than. And what's limbido? Did you mean libido?

[trackrat888]

Well there is the Pace Bus system http://www.pacebus.com/ however the ends of the lines may or may not have crosstown service.Also no word on transfers or cross honoring passes from CTA buses. Everybody that I have talked for the last couple of years to on the Metra Train would like some belt or crosstown Metra service on the J but study after study says otherwise.

[trackrat888]

Looks like there is a Pace 806 bus that bridges Crystal Lake with Fox Lake But I am probaly going to run in a problem that PACE buses only run weekdays in the outer burbs

[UChicagoMatt]

He can ride to Hegewisch. The pass is honored to the only "turnaround" stop in Illinois.

[Wizlish]

gardendance

Since you mostly use public library computers I'm still amazed at how difficult it is for you to compose decently spelled posts with real words and proper grammar Please ask the librarians about the difference between plurals and possesives, "Chicagoes " vs Chicago's, "New Yorks" vs New York's, "home states" vs home state's, and the difference between "then" and than. And what's limbido? Did you mean libido?

In my opinion, this should much more appropriately have been sent as a PM.  However, I'm glad, in a sense, you brought this up, as I can now add the advice that he inquire about the proper use of punctuation between sentences and the proper spelling of the word 'possessives'.