My wife has a conference in Chicago and I get to tag along. Is there a one day, out and back rail trip (probably commuter) that I can take that would be fun and interesting?
Mike
Depending on how much time you have, consider a round trip on the South Shore Line to Michigan City (Carroll Ave.) out of Randolph Street Station.
Hey, man--this is Chicago!
You get to make choices! What do you want to see?Paul's suggestion of riding the South Shore is a good one, and will give you some experiences that you won't get anywhere else (the same train that shoves you back into the seat with acceleration will eventually join the cars in the middle of 10th and 11th Streets in Michigan City). If you're into bridges, this line also crosses the newest in the Chicago area, a massive blue truss structure in the Hegewisch neighborhood of Chicago.Most of the Metra lines make it relatively easy to cover the entire line out and back in one day--you could take the UP to Waukegan, Harvard, or Elburn, Milwaukee Road lines to Elgin or Fox Lake, BNSF to Aurora, Rock Island to Joliet, Southwest Service to Orland Park, or Metra Electric to University Park, south of Matteson.You don't say whether your trip is during the week or on a weekend. If it's a weekend day, get a Weekend pass for ten bucks, and that will cover all of your travel (sadly, it doesn't include the South Shore).If all you want to do is ride the trains, these are good trips. The UP West to Elburn is short enough and frequent enough that you could get out there and back, then still have time for another trip somewhere else.But if you are coming to see railroad action in addition to just riding the trains, I'd make a few suggestions:--UP West to Elmhurst or West Chicago: plenty of freights on UP, and at West Chicago a walk will take you to one of the last manned towers anywhere, where CN crooses UP.--BNSF to LaGrange: again, plenty of freights on BNSF, and a short walk will take you to the Indiana Harbor Belt, where you never know what neat stuff will turn up.--Rock Island to Joliet, where the end of the line is just short of BNSF's old Santa Fe main line, still very busy.--I haven't looked up schedules on this one, but perhaps you could take Amtrak to Joliet (I think they allow that), and come home on the Rock Island line. You'd be on two different tracks, and using two different Chicago stations, but that just might be your objective.Whatever you choose, you're just going to be scratching the surface here. Too bad her conference doesn't last a week!
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)
You could also go up to Antioch and back (leave from the north concourse of Union Station) on, mainly, the former Soo.
I thought Carl would mention this, but he apparently forgot a trip he took about four years ago.
Johnny
Johnny, I actually had the trip to Antioch listed in my previous post, but took it out, because I was thinking that it couldn't be done on their in-and-out schedule.But it can be done, and we did it!The exciting place to me on that line is Leithton, just because of how the CN changed it from a back-country crossing of the Soo Line and EJ&E to a mainline spot that takes CN around Chicago instead of into it.
CShaveRR Johnny, I actually had the trip to Antioch listed in my previous post, but took it out, because I was thinking that it couldn't be done on their in-and-out schedule.But it can be done, and we did it!The exciting place to me on that line is Leithton, just because of how the CN changed it from a back-country crossing of the Soo Line and EJ&E to a mainline spot that takes CN around Chicago instead of into it.
Even if you do not have an expert guide on any such trip in the Chicago area, they are all worth taking.
There are two round trips that I took in 1971 that cannot be taken now--RI Chicago to Joliet and ATSF back to Chicago, and GM&O out and ATSF (on another ATSF train) back. GM&O out and RI back might be possible. Of course, this would be Metra now.
Yes, they already had the added trackage at Leithton on that trip.I presume that yes, you could take the earliest afternoon trip over the old GM&O out to Joliet, and perhaps catch a post-rush train back into the city. I'm thinking, though, that that might cut into Mike's post-conference time.
Wow! Thanks, everyone for the detailed info. Thinking the South Shore trip may be best for my schedule. Trains readers are the best.
As a Hoosier (NW Indiana), I agree with the South Shore suggestion. The ride will give you an amazing diverse view of the city of Chicago, the gritty Southeast side, Industrial complex of NW Indiana, and cornfields of Indiana.
See if you can take it all the way to South Bend and back, or Michigan City for a shorter ride.
Ed
It would not be a rail trip out and back but it's easily doable in a car. When I think of Chicago there is only one place for me and that is Pine Junction, IN. It's only about 30 miles/41 minutes from Chicago. If you're going for photography I wouldn't recommend it but if it's just to see trains and lots of them there is no better place as far as I'm concerned. The last time I was there I got 91 trains from morning to dusk and would have gotten over a 100 with no problem if the clouds didn't shorten my shooting time. Wherever you go have fun and be safe!
You could take Amtrak to Milwaukee at 8:25AM and be back to Chicago by about lunch time. There are a couple of other later options that would get you back by 4:30PM
it is a shame that the current crew at Kalmbach is so unknowledgable of the past in regard to their own magazines. Metra came out with a $5.00 weekend pass good all weekend for as many rides as you want. Trains diid an extensive article and list of trains you could ride to fit in as many as possible over the weekend. I suspect it was early 80s but there was a list of what trains to catch at the different stations to maximize the rides. Might be a good place to start a plan of attack.
ndbprr it is a shame that the current crew at Kalmbach is so unknowledgable of the past in regard to their own magazines. Metra came out with a $5.00 weekend pass good all weekend for as many rides as you want. Trains diid an extensive article and list of trains you could ride to fit in as many as possible over the weekend. I suspect it was early 80s but there was a list of what trains to catch at the different stations to maximize the rides. Might be a good place to start a plan of attack.
Early '80s?? That's like ancient history, man....
'Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to write about it again and again and again........' (sorry Mr. Santanyana)
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