I hope someone can help me out. I would like to make a gift for my 3 year old nephew. When he hears a train his eyes open up wide. He is the only kid I know at 1 1/2 years old could say “semaphore” and knew what a semaphore is.
I would like to take a picture of something train related. I was think that a nice Panoramic Photo would be a great gift for him. I thought a picture of a rail yard would yield something he could look at and pick out different kinds of train cars and engines.
Where in the Chicagoland area could I take such a photo. I would like a nice view looking down towards the yard.
You could also get UP’s Proviso yard from the Mannhiem Road bridge. UP’s yard in West Chicago also has a bridge over the western edge of it, but I don’t remember the name of the road.
Thanks for the suggestion Bert. I went to check it out today. I was hoping for more of a rural setting, less houses and buildings in the background. Anybody have any other suggestions within 50 miles or so of Chicago? I would even be willing to travel further if it is a nice photo op.
I don’t think you can get much more rural than West Chicago’s yard (that’s Kress Road, by the way).
Tom, if you’re looking for something by which your nephew can identify freight cars and locomotives, you probably don’t want a shot of a yerd, anyway (you’d be getting more roof than side, and that’s not really helpful). Go out into the country and do a shot of a manifest freight train (and possibly other types, for variety) across an open field, so you get the sides of the cars. There are wide-open vistas along the UP between Elburn and DeKalb, where mile-long freight trains can be seen in their entirety. Drive west of Elburn on Route 38, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Good advice above. A good spot is Meredith, just west of where Route 38 crosses over the UP. Take the next right and you’ll have quite a panorama – if the corn isn’t too high. The multiple and huge grain elevators make for a great background, and during mid-day you’ll have great lighting as you are south of the main line.
About a half-mile west of Meredith (just east of Maple Park) is a block signal, and when it’s backed up going into the yards they hold eastbound trains there until the line clears. So when they get to you at Meredith they’re not going top speed. Westbounds usually are at full speed, but whistle for a crossing a half-mile to the east so you’ll know in advance they’re coming.
The agri fields in the foreground and the huge silos north of the tracks are about as rural as it gets.
To follow up on the suggestions by CSaveRR & Pop Z… another good road for catching the UP action between Geneva and Elburn is Keslinger Rd. Keslinger Rd. crosses over the tracks at the Peck Rd intersection. The bridge/intersection is large enough (weird angle) that you can pull over (going west) and get an excellent view of the new Peck Rd Interlocker (2 tracks to 3 tracks). Just west of Peck Rd., Keslinger drops down below track level and follows the tracks that are on a high fill for a while. This is a rural setting and the view is usually unrestricted.
Use Google maps. Type in, “Geneva, IL” and that will give you a good overview of the area.