Metra F40C

[crpulse]

Hey guys. I will be in Chicago next week and was hoping to catch the last 2 F40Cs while they are back in service.

Are they consistently on the same routes?

What routes do they use them on?

 

Thanks

[LWales]

The two remaining F40Cs are used on the two old Milwaukee Road routes--the Milwaukee District North up to Fox Lake and the Milwaukee District West out to Elgin (Big Timber). Your best bet would be to find someplace on the northside of Chicago Union Station and wait them out. A favorite spot is the overhead signal bridge at Racine Street. It has three Position Light Signals and the background is the city skyline with the John Hancock building. You are shooting from a public grade crossing.

Lance

[LWales]

Here's a link to the 614 shoving east at the Racine Street bridge from a couple of years ago.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wales23/3872543810/

Lance

[crpulse]

'm looking at google maps and i don't see a grade crossing there

[LWales]

Go back to the link for the photo and look at it again. I might be standing just a bit off the grade crossing, in the parking lot of the phone company, but this is right at the Racine AVE grade crossing. In the other postings I said Racine Street, which is wrong. There is also the geotagged map on the photo page showing about where I was standing. Hubbard Street runs e-w just north of the tracks, Kinzie Street runs e-w just south of the tracks. The May Ave grade crossing is visible in the photo just beyond the signal bridge.

Both the Milwaukee District West and North Lines are combined coming out of the north side of Chicago Union Station up to Tower A5, about five miles out of downtown. There are numerous grade crossings right as they come out of Union Station out to this spot.

Lance

[LWales]

Here is a link to a photo by Rob Schreiner of another angle at the Racine Ave grade crossing of a westbound Metra train, showing the crossing in the foreground.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=265484&nseq=66

 

Lance

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Part of the confusion may lay in the fact that the C&NW(UP) West Line and Milwaukee District lines are parallel from their terminals to Western Avenue.  The C&NW is grade separated for the entire distance while the Milwaukee District is at grade from Union Station to just west of Racine Avenue.