Hello all
Any good spots around Lisle/Naperville area? I saw West Chicago is a good spot which is about a half our away and then Rochelle is about an hour but was curious if anything else was around.
Thanks
The thing that West Chicago and Rochelle have going for them is that they’re two fairly busy routes crossing one another.
But if you just want to see a lot of trains, you’d be fine going up to the station platform at either Naperville or Lisle. The three-track main line through there is probably the busiest west of Chicago.
Another spot is the west end of Eola Yard. McClure Road used to cross the BNSF tracks here, but no longer does. Approach from the south, and you might be able to find a lot of railfans in the parking lot there. You’ll see the same trains you see at Lisle and Naperville, plus a few more wayfreights and yard moves. Jim, A.K.A. Eolafan, might be able to help you get here with street names; I haven’t been in a while.
I live in West Chicago, just across the street from the Union Pacific main line, about a mile from the CN (EJ&E) junction, which is a great location for train watching. For variety, I like the Naperville Metra/Amtrak depot. I spent just over an hour there last Sunday, and saw the following 9 trains:
2:31 Amtrak train 5 - west bound California Zephyr
2:32 Amtrak train 6 - east bound California Zephyr
2:41 Metra train 1316 - inbound
2:46 BNSF - west bound stack train
2:50 BNSF - east bound freight
2:57 BNSF - west bound, 2 locos running light
3:32 NS - west bound freight
3:38 Amtrak train 3 - west bound Southwest Chief
3:47 Metra train 1311 - outbound