Hey everyone. I headed out to Downers Grove, IL. on June 24th. It was Rush Hour. We saw A LOT of Metra, BN, EMDX, and Amtrak. The Amtrak had an NPCU 90219 trailing. I wish I could say it was pushing hard on the rear. [:(] Unfortunately, they aren’t powered anymore. They still have good horns though. [:)] We saw two BN Executive SD70MAC’s on an eastbound coal train. We also saw an EMDX GP38-2, and two BN SD40-2’s on an eastbound manifest. No westbound freight surprisingly. All the westbound freight probably came after I left, lol. Here are some pictures that I got into Railpictures.net from the day’s trip.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=112304 Metra MP36 405 on a westbound express to Naperville. Here he is flying past Main Street Station. Notice another Metra back at Fairview Avenue Station, the next stop after Main Street.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=112299 Metra 193 and Metra 191 on a double headed express to Naperville. Here they fly past Main Street Station. Notice the Carnival Rides. They were part of this year’s Heritage.
Nick, some nice photos. I always admire your EJE photos that I’ve seen on railpictures.net, I hope to someday catch the EJE myself on a trip to Chicago. Can I ask, what are the best spots and times of day to catch daylight EJE stuff? I’ve heard Joliet yard is a good place to visit, is it?
Hi Noah, The Joliet Yard is a very nice spot. You never know what will be in there. I saw an Ontario Northland in there once. When EJ&E leased the Ohio Centrals, I saw all 3 of them in there. I also saw an FNM GP38-2 in there. I was told that the Ontario Northland was in there for passenger service. It had a beautiful yellow and blue paint scheme! The best time of day to see EJ&E is morning and evening. I think Sunday would be busier than Saturday. I live about 5 minutes from the tracks. Whenever I’m sleeping, I hear lots of horns during the night. The yard is restricted. If you don’t pass the tresspassing signs, you should be fine. Thank you very much for your kind words on my photos. I’ll keep them coming. Take care. [:)] Nick
My brother travels to northern Illinois about once a week, usually Thursdays. He says he usually sees the “J” EJ&E working the small yard at Rondout, IL. around 8am. Rondout is just south of Gurnee (Great America). Rondout is neat railfan spot. CP tracks cross the EJ&E at a diamond. The tower is still manned and occasionaly the tower operator hoops up orders to southbound trains. There is a bike bridge over the tracks just north of the diamond which has a great view of everything. Plus METRA trains cross-over to head out to Mundelien, IL. Alot of trains go through Rondout.
Nick and Keith, Thanks to both of you for the info. I’d heard that alot of there runs were made at night (like the “NIght flyer” for instance), but I knew there have to be some daylight trains too. I’d heard of Rondout as a good place to go for Chicago train traffic, I would like to get there sometime. It also sounds like Joliet is a good place to check out too. I better start writing this stuff down…