Hello,
I am rather new to photographing trains, but have been railfanning for many years. I live in Chicago and would like to photograph CTA and METRA trains for personal, noncommercial purposes. I know all the "ground rules" don't trespass on their property, don't try to access non public areas without permission, etc. I have heard many different things about the CTA and METRA photography "policies," and people getting questioned by METRA and Chicago Police. Does anyone have any advice on where I can photograph the CTA and Metra? Is it legal to take pictures from a CTA or Metra platform? On a train? How about photographing Union, La Salle, or Ogilvie stations during off-peak hours? Are these areas considered public? I would appreciate any advice or ideas that anyone can provide.
Thanks!
Hi - if you go to the CTA website (www.transitchicago.com) there's a press release they issued in 2007 about their photography policy. To paraphrase it, it says that it's ok for non-professional photographers to shoot pictures of CTA equipment, but reserves the right for an employee to ask a photographer to not take pictures. As you said, no flash photography in the subways, no unsafe practices, etc.
As for places to shoot trains on the CTA, it really depends on what series of cars you want, etc. Ashland/Lake (Green and Pink Lines) is a good spot in the mid-afternoon. The light in mid-September is good for shooting WB Brown Line trains at the Paulina station in the PM rush, etc. Hope this helps. Art
I've never encountered a CTA/Metra person who had an issue with me photographing, but it's been well documented that there are some who do. I'd suggest printing out a few copies of the aforementioned CTA policy (and a Metra one too if you can find it) and carrying them with you. Make sure that you stay in public areas, and in the event you encounter a rogue employee that is trying to infringe on your rights, you can provide them with a copy of the policy. Additionally, if you see any employees walking around as you are photographing, there is usually no harm in striking up a conversation with them, which will take any question of your intent out of the equation.
Some locations that may be of interest to you:
-Metra: the road overpasses a bit west of the river on Lake St. (north) and at Roosevelt (south) are the leads to Union station, are good spots for photographing Metra and Amtrak trains and are generally pretty safe...although of course you should always keep an eye out for yourself. You can also see the leads to Ogilvie station from Lake St.
-CTA: the Clark St. platform provides a good view of the tower 17 crossing; the Armitage platform provides a good vantage point for where the red line transitions from elevated to subway.
If you are looking for rarer equipment types, here are a few suggestions:
- There is a pair of 2000-series CTA cars in South Side Rapid Transit livery at the Skokie shops; you can see them from the street, on Oakton west of McCormick (need a car to get there)
-The 2200-series CTA cars are only run on the Pink and Blue lines
-In the Metra yard just north of Western Ave, there are a pair of F40C's still around. They're in the middle of the yard and about the only way to see them is to ride the one of the MILW lines north from the Western Ave stop...but you'll only get a glimpse of them for a few seconds.
You do not need a car to go by Skokie Shop - Take the 97/Skokie-Old Orchard bus from the Howard Terminal ~1/2 mile west of McCormick Blvd on the south side of the street.
The 97 connects with a number of other CTA and Pace buses, one of which may be more convenient than Howard - check the system map.
Following up to an earlier post, the CTA 2200s (Budd, 1969-70) run only on the Blue Line these days. They were taken off the Pink in the Spring of this year. On Sundays if they run 4-car trains on the Blue Line, it is possible to get some 2200s leading or trailing a consist. Otherwise, they're buried in the middle of an 8-car train. The Oriole bridge over the Kennedy Expressway (about 1/2 mile west of the Harlem station) is a good spot to shoot Blue Line trains, especially in the mid-to-late afternoon. Hope this helps. Art
artpeterson wrote: Following up to an earlier post, the CTA 2200s (Budd, 1969-70) run only on the Blue Line these days. They were taken off the Pink in the Spring of this year. On Sundays if they run 4-car trains on the Blue Line, it is possible to get some 2200s leading or trailing a consist. Otherwise, they're buried in the middle of an 8-car train. The Oriole bridge over the Kennedy Expressway (about 1/2 mile west of the Harlem station) is a good spot to shoot Blue Line trains, especially in the mid-to-late afternoon. Hope this helps. Art
Art, I'm guessing that the removal of the 2200s from the pink line coincided with the termination of blue line service on the Douglas branch?
One good afternoon spot is at Montrose & Lamon with a view of the UPNW, MDN & Amtrak, and CTA Blue Line trains. This is 2-blks w of the Blue Line Montrose stop, past the MDN station to Cicero Av, n 2-blks to Wilson, and w under the railroad viaducts.
The UPNW still has horizontally-arrayed color light signals near the Park Ridge and Edison Park stations that also can be reached by the CTA #68 bus from the Blue Line Jefferson Park or by the Pace #290 from the Blue Line Cumberland station to Park Ridge.
A public park just a few blocks w of the Fox River Grove UPNW station offers a good view of the bridge over a wide Fox River mid-morning to evening. From Lincoln Av at the northwest end of the platform, turn left (southwest) past the library and bear right Fozie along Beach Way Dr to Lions Park and continue to the river's edge. If you're there long enough, you might see a couple freights mid-morning and mid-afternoon respectively. Otherwise its bi-levels and F40's; and that can get old from one spot. The library has a drinking fountain and restrooms.
It's too late in the season to get many evening shots of the Fox River bridge from a park in Geneva on the UPW. What Metra lacks in variety is made up for by frequent UP traffic. Find the bike path south of the station that takes you across the river under the railroad tracks and go north. It's a whole lot shorter than walking into downtown to the highway bridge unless you want the angles of a telephoto zoom lens. There's a beautiful stone bridge across a lagoon for interesting foreground.
Brush has overgrown the west bank south of the Geneva bridge, so a once-favorite spot is gone for now. I wonder if the City would be interested in a railroad park and chop a few trees?
The Metra BNSF still has a number of large, classic CB&Q stations at Naperville, Downers Grove, and Hinsdale and a medium-size station squeezed in at La Grange Rd best photographed in the late afernoon and evening. The villages of Western Springs and Riverside have marvelous Medieval-tower water towers for a backdrop to the train action. It's a mile walk southwest from the Aurora Transit Center along Broadway to the North Av bridge over the East Channel of the Fox River and a southeast, afternoon, view of of the BNSF concrete arch bridge, Amtrak, and freights.
From Northbrook to Lake Forest on the MDN, you see everything Metra, Amtrak, and CP run. Deerfield has a wonderfully restored classic large frame Milwaukee Road depot and nice landscaping.
While the NCS doesn't run often you can get to or return from the CN at Prairie Crossing by way of the MDN and walking to the NCS station. This is better in the morning without tresspassing on the west side of the tracks. The Washington Av and Round Lake Beach stations are very open from the west for more panoramic shots, while the Rosemont station offers about the only accessible overhead viewing from the Balmoral Av bridge. This is a mile south and west of the CTA Blue Line River Rd/Rosemont station in an office park.
You can see the CTA Red Line and Rock Island from 35th, 47th, and 63rd. You can photograph the Green Line, Amtrak, and NS at 63rd as well; but it's best not to go alone or stray to far.
Western Av offers an interesting afternoon view s of Vermont St above the Rock Island e toward a man-made waterfall/aerator along the Cal-SAG. I've never tried to photograph the Rock or the bridges over the Cal-SAG from that park in the morning.
Ivanhoe offers a panoramic view of the Metra Electric in the afternoon. The South Chicago and Blue Island at-grade branches are unique for Chicago; and 111th has a somewhat spoiled view of the Pullman Co tower northeast of the tracks; but, again, safer accompanied.
55th-56th-57th offers platform shots of the Electric, South Shore, and limited Amtrak and CN activity in a decent neighborhood (nowhere is 100% safe).
Walgreens sells a folding canvas stool that is very small and portable. You may want to pick up an insulated water bottle and belt at an outdoor/sporting goods store.
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