I will be flying into Chicago via Midway Airport in a little less than a week and will have a couple hours in the afternoon to spend there before I drive out to my destination in Indiana. I figured I'd do some railfanning during my spare time. What are the best places to railfan in Chicago? Here's a loose outline of what I want to see:
I'd prefer if the spot(s) you suggest are relatively close to Midway (south or west of Downtown). I also aim to see mostly freight trains, but would like to see the occasional Metra or Amtrak. Basically, i just want to see as many trains as possible, regardless of railroad company, though variety would be appreciated.
Note: I have only been to Chicago once before it my life, a long time ago. I don't know which spots are in "safe" neighborhoods and which aren't. If the places are difficult to access or pose significant danger to me (aggressive law enforcement, bad neighborhood, etc.) then please warn me when you suggest them.
Matthew Cheng
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I live about ten minutes from Chicago Municipal Airport so I'm familiar with the area. The BNSF three-track main is not too far north of MDW so that might be a good starting point. Blue Island Junction is about 20 minutes south and can have pretty good traffic. Elmhurst on UP is further north and has long been a favorite of local fans.
Matthew, welcome to Chicagoland!From your past posts, I assume that you are coming in from somewhere out west, so BNSF and UP may be old hat to you. Metra trains would be something special, so Paul's idea of going to see the BNSF might be helpful.But what I'd suggest (depending on the time you have) is riding the CTA Orange Line into the city. The airport's station is near a Belt Railway (?) freight line, and you're parallel to other railroads much of the way into the City. If you stay on the train, it'd be only one fare to bring you into the City, around the Loop, and back out to the airport.
Blue Island (Broadway) is a place to potentially see a lot of trains, and it's reasonably safe to park just east of the tracks.The big question for me is, where in Indiana do you have to drive? There is a lot of potential right in northwestern Indiana for seeing NS, CN, and/or CSX trains, electrified commuter service on NICTD, and as much Amtrak as you might find anywhere in Chicagoland these days.
Depending on where you have to wind up and how long you'll be here, we might have a few more ideas.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Currently, I'm thinking of going to Blue Island. You said to park just east of the tracks, but I've been doing my research online and some people have said to park on the west side. On Google maps there appears to be a gravel turnout just east of the tracks, but another railfan blog claimed that CSX police would kick people out from there since it is "private property," even though that doesn't seem to be the case. Can you please clarify that for me? Thanks.
Matthew
Blue Island is one of my default locations so I'm quite familiar with it. Your best bet is to park east of the tracks on the south side of the street (Broadwy). The gravel road is close to the CSX tracks and may straddle the edge of the ROW. I have seen CSX special agents ask that the cars be moved so I advise people not to park there if they pull up when I'm already on scene. There is some space on a side street just west of the IAIS connector but your car is not always visible.
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