If you want freights, you’d be welcome, and probably satisfied, at Elmhurst. My gut feeling is that Homewood wouldn’t have quite as many freights.
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.
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
Paul, I’m thinking that with the CN system now including the EJ&E, the ex-IC line to and through Homewood isn’t going to be what it used to be for freights (this hot-spot rating predates the EJ&E merger).
Carl - that’s your ‘home turf’, and I freely admit that I have no knowledge of the area other than what’s in that Guide, so I must defer to your insights and recommendations on this matter, which are surely as sound and solid as always. - Paul.
Again, my gut feeling is that Elmhurst has Brookfield beat for freights. I’d suggest moving a short distance west, to the LaGrange Road station, if you want to railfan BNSF. You then have the option of walking a few blocks east to where the Indiana Harbor Belt goes under BNSF, and you’ll get quite a bit of variety there.
You can’t top this BNSF line for Metra action, though–the rush-hour “Dinky Parade” has to be seen to be believed!
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.
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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