geoabb - can't help you on Chicago - all I can say is that I've been there and I wasn't 'fanning at the time.
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Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Carl's right! Weekday early evenings in downtown Elmhurst is a blast-and-a-half. Express "scoots" for Wheaton, West Chicago and beyond, local scoots discharging lots of homebound commuters, and there's even a few passenger trains taking people back into the city. Now mix all of that Metra varnish with a variety of double-stacks, coal buckets, grain haulers, auto racks and manifest freights moving into and out of nearby Proviso Yard and you'll see quite a show.
Of course the Q's "Aurora Raceway" ain't no slouch of an operation either.
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)
I'm not from the Chicago area but on my last visit I went to Blue Island & I think you can reach there from Metra & I saw like 25 trains in less then 2 hours. That was 2 years ago
Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub
See also the link below at the bottom of this page - in the 3rd column under "Railroad Reference", 4th line down - to the article/ webpage here on "Chicago's 'Hot Spots' ", at -
http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=514
Elmhurst is the 2nd one listed, and Homewood is the 6th - I'm not sure what criteria was used for ranking/ listing them, though.
- Paul North.
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