A Weekend of Chicago Railfanning

We're celebrating our channel's 5th anniversary with our first visit to one of America's busiest rail hubs - Chicago, Illinois. When we spent a long Independence Day weekend in the Windy City, we naturally did some "touristy" things like spend an evening at Navy Pier, but (of course) we also had to squeeze in some time to check out a few of the area's best spots for railfanning. So we've got freight trains, commuter trains, historic trains, a boat ride, and even some celebratory fireworks!

At 0:30, we begin in the southern suburbs atop the 35-foot-high viewing platform at Park Forest Rail Fan Park in Matteson, which overlooks a unique cloverleaf-style railroad interchange. Canadian National kindly provides some action for us, as CN 2987 and CN 3817 lead a 55-car intermodal-autorack train from the north side of the cloverleaf to its east side. And after that train ends, we quickly reposition ourselves and zoom in to catch most of a far-off westbound mixed freight too.

At 11:17, we're about 10 miles to the north in Dolton (the childhood hometown of Pope Leo XIV), just east of Dolton Junction's diamond interchange. We're looking northeast toward the 5-track Park Avenue crossing when CSX 4533 (with a funny high-pitched horn) and CSX 4715 arrive at the helm of a 65-car intermodal train heading west.

At 15:44, we've gone west about 4 miles to Seeley Avenue in Dixmoor, where BNSF 5719 leads an autorack train clickety-clacking its way eastward. After 44 cars have become fully visible, the train stops upon reaching the western end of the nearby Indiana Harbor Belt Blue Island Yard.

At 19:11, we're roughly a mile further northwest at the amazing Blue Island Junction, looking north at a double diamond interchange and 5 truss railroad bridges that carry a total of 8 rail lines across the Cal-Sag Channel. A pair of CSX engines lead a 42-car intermodal northbound through the easternmost bridge.

At 20:52, we've done a literal 180 to look south across Broadway Street as a Metra commuter train rumbles across a Rock Island bridge that soars over all of the freight railroad tracks that pass through Blue Island Junction.

At 21:23, we've got more Metra, but this time with a BANG - or, more accurately, a LOT of bangs. In the midst of Blue Island's official Fourth of July fireworks, as seen at dusk from Canal Street looking northwest toward Waterfall Park at SEPA Station 3, a Metra train passes by during a particularly active portion of the fireworks display.

At 22:22, we've gone downtown and literally onto the Chicago River aboard Shoreline Sightseeing's Architecture River Tour, and even while on a boat, the train action doesn't stop! While in the middle of Wolf Point, a Chicago Transit Authority "L" train rumbles by on the Lake Street Bridge, prompting our tour guide to then share a fun fact about one of Chicago's skyscrapers that was built over the top of an active Amtrak/Metra rail line.

At 23:13, our Architecture River Tour continues as we're treated to a CTA "L" train meet on the Lake Street Bridge, which leads our tour guide to share some information about what is known as "The Loop" in the Second City - and to take a humorous shot at the state of public transit in America.

Finally, at 23:49, we wrap things up with 8 photos from our weekend in Chi-Town:

• A close-up of an informational sign about the railroad cloverleaf at Rail Fan Park, which was briefly seen in our first video clip at 1:43. It's got a cool overhead view.

• A great look at a caboose on display at Rail Fan Park, originally built in 1953 for the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway. It's currently identified as EJE 531.

• A beautiful panoramic view (at sunset) of the double diamond and 5 truss bridges at Blue Island Junction. The narrow bridge is no longer used, but the other 4 bridges carry 2 active tracks each; these busy crossings serve the Iowa Interstate Railroad, Indiana Harbor Belt, CSX and CN, among others.

• A trio of photos of the Pioneer Zephyr at the Museum of Science and Industry - two exterior shots and a look at the inside of the luxurious observation car. Also known as The Burlington Route and The Silver Streak, this aerodynamic Zephyr 9900 set a speed record in 1934 and has been on display at the museum since 1960.

• A pair of pics of the Empire State Express No. 999, also on display at the Museum of Science and Industry. Built for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in 1893, No. 999 is believed to have been the first steam engine in the world to reach 100 MPH. Displayed at the museum since 1962, the locomotive was significantly restored in 1993.

All photos and videos were captured July 4-7, 2024.

= = = = = = = = = =

SONG USED IN THIS VIDEO:

23:49 - "Twilight Train" by Dan Lebowitz

Please join us in supporting talented artists like Dan, who have provided their music for YouTube content creators to download and use for free via the YouTube Audio Library.

   / audiolibrary  

= = = = = = = = = =