BNSF's Metra Racetrack: A Railroad Superhighway

[Music] [Music] so chicagoland is no stranger to the term superhighway whether it be in reference to the interstate highway system or its predecessor on rails with dozens of lines radiating out of the city on the lake chicago is arguably the most important railway hub in the world while chicago holds this title mainly due to the huge volumes of freight traffic being moved into out of and through the city it also remains a passenger rail hub including amtrak's inner city services and the commuter network known as metra heading west out of the dense urban core bnsf's chicago subdivision has no fewer than three main tracks all the way to the distant suburb of aurora with 97 metric trains on the timetable plus dozens of repositioning moves and plenty of bnsf rate traffic this stretch of railroad has long been known as the racetrack for its ability to run train after train often side by side in this edition of the thorn apple river rail series we'll document this incredible railroad as it has never been done before including scenes from all 26 stations along with many more points in between we'll cover the timetable track diagrams in history all while enjoying over 250 freight and passenger trains representing all kinds of different operations on this stretch of railroad this is bnsf's metro racetrack a railroad super highway presented by the thorn apple river rail series [Music] back in august of 2019 when i began shooting for this documentary the word pandemic was largely restricted to doomsday films but as we all know by summer 2020 the world was a strange new place i kept filming anyway bringing a whole new and unexpected dimension to this documentary i will not spend more time on it than is necessary but it shows how different our world is currently and what we all hope to return to someday those watching in the distant future no matter what has happened since should remember how simultaneously resilient and fragile life can be [Music] chicagoland is the third most populous metropolitan area in the united states situated along the southwestern shore of lake michigan it is a mecca of road rail and air transport at the center of the continent known for its downtown core it features skyscrapers which soar to the heavens filled with shops apartments hotels and perhaps most importantly to this story offices to bring in an average of 280 000 commuters from the suburbs each weekday to fill all of those office cubes metro shuttles in trains by the dozen each morning then reverses course in the afternoon the busiest commuter railroad in the country outside of new york city metra operates 11 distinct lines which terminate at four downtown stations millennium lasalle operating out of the south end of historic union station metro's busiest line is the bnsf tour aurora with 63 000 daily commuters to serve this many people metra operated a total of 97 weekday trains on its 2019 timetable plus many more equipment repositioning moves this necessitates three mainline tracks through the suburbs which are also used by many bnsf freight trains outside of the commuter rush hours but we begin this program well outside of the commuting district in the cornfields west of big rock illinois this is the bnsf aurorsa division one of two mainlines which join in aurora to become the racetrack [Music] [Music] hauling into the setting sun this westbound manifest is surfing the cornfields 50 miles west of downtown chicago a mile to the east within the village of big rock we caught this eastbound intermodal racing for cicero yard 43 miles ahead while the aurora sub serves today as part of bnsf's northern transcon the mendota sub to the south was historically more important as the main line of the chicago burlington and quincy thus the entire line is double track despite hosting fewer trains these days than the aurora sub at salmanak the local grain elevator looms large as a manifest makes way for points east [Music] [Applause] wow [Music] [Applause] so just a stone's throw to the east the town of sandwich has in recent years seen a growing number of new housing subdivisions one of the latest formerly rural towns to be enveloped by the ever expanding excerpts sandwich is currently the proposed western terminus of expanded metra service beyond aurora [Music] foreign [Music] the old elevator here tells of the town's lingering rural past meanwhile on the high iron another cold train heads east from wyoming's powder river basin destined for a dte energy power plant in eastern michigan [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] the next village to the east is plano marked along the line by this timeless depot built in 1913. while commuter service has not yet been extended this far west these rails have played host to the california zephyr since its inception in 1949 and the southwest chiefs since the burlington northern and santa fe merger in 1996. [Music] so [Music] while plano does not receive service from the amtrak long distance trains the four daily regional trains between quincy and chicago do stop here amidst the coronavirus pandemic however one of these round trips was cut and the remaining train shortened to just three cars in fact in this may 2020 scene no passengers boarded or lighted during this stop where the crew simply waiting for the advertised departure time before setting off for their next stop at mendota so [Music] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] while uncertainty abounds due to the pandemic and illinois's ever-present fiscal woes plans are in the works to someday add more regional trains to this route along with new service to moline via a proposed new connection with the iowa interstate railroad at [Music] ynn between all of the new housing subdivisions this area still retains a fairly rural flavor along the railroad at bristol the chief splits the signals guarding the crossover [Music] [Applause] [Music] as the clear signal on track one predicted a westbound manifest arrived a short time later with four motors and 143 cars this train is destined for the hump yard at galesburg with interchange traffic from other railroads in chicago [Music] [Music] [Music] while the mendota sub continues to host amtrak inner city passenger rail service the aurora sub has not been so lucky until the formation of amtrak the bn to minneapolis hosted the legendary empire builder however amtrak would elect to shift the route over to former milwaukee road rails between chicago and minneapolis in order to serve milwaukee today the line's flagship trains are instead the hot shot intermodals like this one to and from the west coast which are usually given the run of the railroad the city of aurora has long been a railroad town and in fact was a key party to the formation of the earliest predecessor of the bnsf as we will discuss shortly however the railroad's success eventually led the city to order the burlington to raise the right-of-way through the city center resulting in this massive 2 000 foot long concrete slab bridge completed in the early 1920s [Music] the first railroad constructed west of chicago was the galena and chicago union which was laid down between chicago and elgin via west chicago between 1848 and 1850 afraid that the new railroad was bypassing their towns the citizens of aurora and batavia obtained a charter to build a branchline railroad from west chicago to aurora via batavia this was constructed and in operation as the aurora branch railroad by september 1850 with trackage rights into chicago via the g and cu in effect the railroad was quickly extended to mendota by 1853 and then reached the mississippi river at burlington and quincy in just a few short years now known as the chicago burlington and quincy railroad it began to run into trouble with its trackage rights into chicago as the galino line was becoming congested due to rapid expansion on both railroads after failing to purchase one of the galena's main tracks the burlington went on to construct its own main line from aurora to chicago the line which is now known as the race track and was completed by 1864. expansion to the northwest came in 1872 when construction began on a line which would ultimately reach minneapolis and become today's aurora sub the galena and chicago union would ultimately become a key component of the chicago and northwestern and today's union pacific and is a busy freight and commuter railroad in its own right as for the original aurora branch it is now severed at west chicago and acts as an industrial lead north of aurora for the bnsf [Music] before we dive head first into the commuter territory it is worth pointing out that bnsf still operates all of the metro trains on this line the burlington like most of the other railroads in the region once ran commuter service under their own auspices but by the 1970s the services represented a significant cash strain on the bn and other commuter railroads throughout the united states in chicagoland these challenges were met by the formation of the regional transportation authority which was created to organize plan and fund mass transit in the chicago area today the rta is responsible for the chicago transit authorities subway and bus systems the pace suburban bus network and commuter rail services under the metra brand while metro directly owns and operates several of the region's commuter railroads the bnsf and union pacific lines continue to operate under what is known as a purchase of service agreement with the freight carriers in short metro owns all of the rolling stock and much of the station infrastructure while bnsf supplies the railroad along with train operating and maintenance crews thus when you ride on this line you are greeted and have your fare checked by a bnsf employee but you're riding on metra owned equipment and most of the branding and financials are handled by metra and the rta so with all of this exposition in mind let's begin our tour of one of the most fascinating railroads in the world in the pre-coveted timetable 61 of 97 weekday metro trains either began or terminated here at the aurora transportation center which is the end of line as far as metra is concerned with a clear signal out of the stub platform a mid-morning run into the city gets underway [Music] an hour later a rain shower was moving through the area as an outbound finished its run on the second track [Music] [Music] um after all of the passengers had a chance to step off the crew takes the train set over to the servicing yard for a crew change after making two round trips this morning this crew is ready to mark off for the day a short time later a new crew leads the train back into the station as we'll see in a minute the yard here is quite expansive and when combined with the station facilities makes for a hot bit of activity in the morning and evening rush hours even though the yard is typically barren throughout the midday [Music] as the first passengers began to board the crew performs a pre-departure air brake test so they'll be ready to set off at the advertised time the train set staging facility here in aurora is officially known as hill yard after james j hill a late 19th century railroad baron who controlled the burlington great northern and northern pacific while he effectively owned all three railroads by 1900 the conglomerate was broken up by the u.s supreme court in 1904 on anti-trust grounds the three railroads would then operate independently until 1970 when the supreme court would effectively reverse their earlier decision by allowing the still closely aligned railroads to finally merge into one as the burlington northern it's 5am here above hillyard where the roar of emd 645 prime movers signals that there are plenty of trains about to get underway one of the first out is this express train which will make all stops to downers grove and then run straight through to union station minutes later another eastbound departs this time it is an all stopper scheduled to make every station stop all the way into the city he is departing behind the express so that their slower train doesn't impede the hot shot there are also a number of trains that do not serve aurora thus these depart directly out of the coach yard with this one knocking down an advance approach signal off the bridge to get underway this particular move will serve fairview avenue to congress park covering the middle belt of suburbs on the way into the city the yard departure signal here often shows an advance approach since the second signal thereafter is the control point at west eola where they enter the triple track main line off to the right thus it is common for trains to only be lined that far until they get underway at which time the dispatcher gets them additional signals like we see here [Music] the procession of trains continues like this for a few hours each morning until the coach yard is completely emptied out with only two dozen train sets available and up to 97 revenue trains on the schedule most consists will see multiple trips each weekday [Music] [Music] the control point at westiola which marks metra's entry onto the racetrack mainline is also the west end of bnsf's eola yard which handles general merchandise traffic headed for various parts of chicagoland both local to bnsf and two other railroads [Applause] after a freight train curfew for the morning rush bnsf begins to sprinkle in freight traffic later in the morning with freights in play at the west end of the yard the dispatcher has lined up this eastbound down main number one and is crossing them all the way over to track three here at eastiola in order to serve the upcoming station platform at route 59. [Music] with the revenue train in the clear the dispatcher commands the signal system to line up routes for a non-revenue repositioning move on track one and for this manifest to head over to track two [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the middle track between aurora and chicago often ends up hosting the highest and lowest priority trains this is due to the commuter platforms being positioned along the outside of mains one and three thus requiring station stops on those tracks thus the middle track is often the best place to run express passenger and freight trains to mitigate potential conflicts on the outer mains [Applause] the bridge ahead carries canadian nationals elgin joliet and eastern a fairly busy line these days which is thankfully grade separated route 59 is the newest station on the line constructed in 1989 to serve the suburban explosion between aurora and naperville and is now the busiest metro station outside of downtown by mid-morning however the crowds are gone and there's almost nobody on the platform to watch amtrak 380 from quincy skate on by [Music] sadly in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic the station would be nearly dead even for the 7 22 a.m express to downtown where passengers once boarded by the hundred now only two to three dozen board the train for the trip to union station [Music] [Music] so [Music] hello [Music] the pandemic changed the face of metra with ridership never recovering to more than 10 percent of pre-pandemic levels for the rest of 2020. the weekday timetable was slashed to just 41 trains per day from 97 but trains remained lengthy to allow for those who remained to spread out as much as possible in accordance with social distancing recommendations metro would also be among the first commuter railroads in the country to require face masks for all passengers and crew uh [Music] caution so river road in naperville is the first grade crossing on the racetrack and like everywhere else on this line the crossing is within a quiet zone so horns are only sounded when necessary and also like everywhere else the chance of seeing a few meets is pretty high even with the significantly downsized pandemic timetable [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] naperville is one of the original villages along the racetrack and is now the largest city between aurora and chicago it's not surprising then that the station is typically a busy place in comparison to our views of route 59 in 2020 these august 2019 shots display the incredible density on this line in normal times this density especially between downers grove and aurora dictates that many trains run express the rest of the way as the first stations are capable of filling up entire trains within just a few stops with no more stops on their schedule this train departs off a diverging clear over to the center track and will be downtown in just 34 minutes [Music] [Music] as the summer 2019 timetable shows the rush hour trains are blocked into a number of station stop patterns there are nine trains making stops at just aurora route 59 and naperville before running express while five trains only served the next three stops at lyle belmont and downers grove a smattering of trains then covered the middle suburbs between downers grove and berwin with a couple of trains starting their service at brookfield to only cover the innermost stations the evening also sees similar groupings but definitely has more variety in it as well especially with trains turning back at various points not just at union station not every train to service station sees the same patronage however as this non-express at naperville illustrates only a couple of dozen board this one which stops 15 more times before union station with express trains due just five minutes before and again 11 minutes after why would anybody aim for the slower trip unless they're headed for an intermediate stop [Music] case in point just 10 minutes later the station platform is packed with commuters again for train 1238 direct to chicago [Music] [Music] [Music] while most commuters in the morning are bound for downtown some are reverse commuters headed west each morning since metra has many train sets to bring back west for more eastbound runs anyway a number of extra westbound trips are also offered each morning with the demise of aurora's original passenger station on the mainline amtrak moved its racetrack services to naperville all amtrak trains on the racetrack stop here including the morning run to quincy [Music] by 8 30 or so the rush has called enough for bnsf to resume moving their freight trains the two intermodal trains which have been patiently waiting on track two all morning now get their lights both bound for cicero yard [Music] [Music] [Music] four miles up the track is lyle another the busier suburban stops with plenty of express trains to downtown stainless steel has always looked great on passenger trains especially at sunrise and sunset with glowing light glinting off the car body [Music] as the eighth eastbound train of the day departs at 6 37 a.m the first westbound arrives having already run into town off a 409 am aurora departure leading them west is engine 195 which by 2019 was one of the few remaining f40 phm-2s not yet rebuilt to dash 3's specifications and still wearing the older blue and red paint scheme as soon as the westbound is gone the next eastbound arrives to clean off a platform which has become crowded once again these passengers will get their pick of seating since this train arrives empty as one of the lyell belmont downers grove express runs okay do [Music] [Music] [Music] with few west bounds to contend with the dispatcher has this eastbound repositioning move running on track one operating without passengers directly from hill yard they'll begin their station stops at fairview avenue hitting the middle suburbs before going express at brookfield to downtown [Music] belmont is next a stop which was rebuilt in 2012 when a major great crossing here was eliminated with an underpass train 1373 seen here runs a unique express schedule at the end of the evening rush hour stopping only at downers grove belmont and route 59. [Music] so as one of only a couple stations located on a curve belmont is a great place to catch trains rolling through despite the station's lack of architectural inspiration [Music] [Music] i have personally always been a sucker for straight on views like this one where we find the illinois zephyr rocketing east on track three doing all of the allotted 70 mile per hour track speed between belmont and downtown downers grove is where the original burlington commuter yard was located which served the suburban services until 1952 when everything was moved out to aurora where it remains today facilities included a coach yard and locomotive servicing facilities though nowhere close to the scale we see at hill yard today emphasizing the importance of this station are the 60 weekday trains stopping here with 16 of those making no stops on the way to or from union station terrain 1279 seen here is one of nine westbound express to the grove runs arriving to stuff the platform with hundreds of commuters in a single blast [Music] [Music] what [Music] after their train finally clears the crossing circuit the herd of humanity makes their way across the tracks back to their cars or to finish the walk home commuters along this line are typically wise and heed the great crossing protection as they're well aware of the chance that something is coming on the other tracks threading down the middle track between the suburban trains amtrak's westbound illinois zephyr is buying a flash well on their way to quincy [Music] along with the fleet of trains which run express to the outer suburbs a number of trains handle exclusively the intermediate stops from lagrange to downers grove fairview avenue train 1271 here is one of those now running express to their final stop at aurora allowing for commuting westwards from the middle suburbs out to the excerpts [Music] advancing the calendar one year to the middle of the covid19 pandemic and the shift in activity at downers grove is staggering metro's coveted timetable shift left downers grove with only 37 trains but that represents nearly all of the 41 trains remaining on the timetable rolling in now is one of the express trains direct to hear from union station arriving at about the same time as the train we previously saw flood the platform but this time only about two dozen people a light as downtown chicago offices remained largely closed [Music] [Music] so so amtrak also made service cuts as previously mentioned first to their state-supported regional trains instead of running two daily round trips to quincy the schedule was reduced to just one and even then the remaining train was only running with two coaches and a cafe car metro traffic was even sparse enough to run it on track one fairview avenue located less than a mile from the downers grove main street station serves the east side of town while the station sees nearly as many trains as the main street stop many of the trains here are different this is because fairview avenue serves as the westernmost station of the middle suburbs with many trains designed to cater to these destinations from here to congress park on the 2019 schedule seven trains originated here destined for chicago and five trains terminated to head back east for another load of passengers this is where the crossovers here come in handy train 1249 which made most stops from union station to westmont is turning back his train 1278 which will make a quick stop in hinsdale then run express back to union station to become another westbound [Music] these turn back repositioning trains don't become revenue moves from the station here but they still stop to allow the engineer to change ends meanwhile traffic continues on the other tracks and with the crossing close by this express trains engineer uses a little horn in case motorists think the crossing is only activated for the standing train [Applause] a few minutes later in the summer skies had opened up with a brief but torrential shower thankfully we had an umbrella so filming could continue by the time the rain had let up train 1255 was arriving to terminate and turn back for chicago alas the installation of positive train control has meant the trains must stop further back from signals than they might have in the past for this train it means stopping short on the platform due to the red signals ahead for the crossovers for us this turns out to be not so bad as three trains meet in picture-perfect fashion [Music] [Music] westmont is next mid-afternoons typically herald the arrival of amtrak trains 3 4 5 and six known as the southwest chiefs and california zephyrs this westbound chief on the center track has a healthy summer consist with a baggage car and nine super liners consisting of a transition crew dorm two sleepers a diner a sightseer lounge and then four coaches to fill out the train [Music] so a metro express train and will not stop [Music] [Music] [Music] by about four o'clock on weekdays freight trains are usually out of the way for the oncoming metro rush however on this day westbound light power and a stack train behind it plus the late running amtrak california zephyr will clog up the railroad for a bit foreign um so [Applause] looking back towards downers grove the light power is coming to a stop on track two waiting for the zephyr to cross over to track three however with this eastbound commuter run on track three ahead of it the zephyr is also looking at four signals so neither one is going anywhere fast [Music] traditionally the center main has been used for express moves and inner city trains not making stops within the commuter district with the burlington's inner city trains adopting the zephyr monikers in the early 1900s the center track they so often would run on became known as the zephyr track but with these two late running freights hoarding up the express lane the zephyr is forced to follow the slow constantly stopping commuter train ahead of it blame for this one is not just on the dispatcher desk however since amtrak is running well out of its normal time slot and thus has to fit in at this busier hour when it's harder to weave around freights and metra [Music] summiting the gentle climb up from chicago this domestic intermodal train must have been late getting out of cicero yard and has been following the southwest chief and the aforementioned flight power he has also been running on poor signals so isn't exactly hauling the mail either [Applause] [Music] thankfully there is still enough gap between commuter trains at this hour to not cause a complete scheduling breakdown but the dispatcher will definitely be glad to be rid of this stack train so [Music] [Music] hmm [Music] [Music] by the time of this meet all three mains were back to showing clear signals which is a good sign to behold with amtrak number four the southwest chief soon coming into view while he's also late he lucks out to find a straightaway shot to chicago down the zephyr track [Music] [Music] beyond westmont a gentle curve brings the railroad onto a long straightway lasting all the way to cicero yard in nine and a half miles 14 stations dot the right of way on weekdays it is not at all uncommon to see three or more trains along this stretch at any given time [Music] running in the mid-afternoon train 1233 was one of only two trains on the 2019 schedule to stop at every single station on the line metro commuters your attention please the next outbound metro train from chicago is now arriving in your station for your safety please stand behind the yellow line [Applause] [Music] the next [Music] following the zepharata town this stack train fresh out of cicero yard has six engines surely to assist with its eventual climb over the rockies and cascades to their final destination at seattle or portland so [Music] right behind the stacks was a manifest with much less horsepower to work with but still making good speed up the slight westward ascent here [Music] on another rainy or cloudy day we caught one of the last unrebuilt f40 phm-2s still running at the time famed for their unique cab styling these are affectionately known as winnebagos after the classic rv manufacturer most of the winnies we've been seeing now sport the new metro paint scheme after being rebuilt 2-3 specifications and will not stop just six minutes later the day's eastbound southwest chief made their brief appearance to knock down that signal on track three running a little under two hours late [Music] oh next up was the day's westbound chief running on time out of union station behind the power on this one is a spare coach which will likely be spotted in los angeles to protect against equipment failures out west [Music] as ominous skies built to the west another eastbound arrived thank goodness stainless steel looks great in just about any lighting [Music] in contrast with the westward sky it's all blue out to the east except for the stood exhaust from this old and tired locomotive straining to get the train moving again [Music] west hinsdale is one of five stops routinely skipped by all but the most locally centric metro trains situated close to both clarendon hills and hinsdale the stop continues to exist in order to afford walking distance commuting to close by residences as well as provide more parking room for those who live a bit further away on this day bnsf signal crews were working on a project to replace the crossovers here with movable point turnouts in order to increase the speed at which trains can change from one track to another [Music] minutes later this empty grain train with a pair of csx es40 dc's for power rolled through running over some shelled rail through the crossing the rough rail surface puts a lot of shaking into the ground and thus the camera too [Music] so [Music] a bit later and a light rain shower was hanging over the area as this express train to downers grove hustled through [Music] six minutes later and the light shower had become a downpour of course this does not bother the trains one bit three minutes after that the california zephyr surfed on through clanking over that rough rail [Music] so hinsdale is a classy old suburb with a beautiful station and remains one of the most important stops through the inner suburbs we started shooting this documentary on a sunday afternoon here and this was our first trade a westbound manifest it's always a good idea to be alert and off the tracks around here as demonstrated by this train which is an extra for the 2019 chicago air and water show it wasn't on the regular timetable so it caught us by total surprise minutes later the train i thought the last one was going to be showed up to make their stop metro runs 20 sunday trains on the bnsf line a far cry from 97 on the weekday schedule then in effect but still a lot for a commuter-centric service [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] running down track one to avoid that manifest was this edition of the zephyr [Music] oh highlands like west hinsdale is one of the typically bypass stops with no weekend service and only 19 trains on weekdays this wasn't always the case however as the 1938 timetable shows 41 of the 67 weekday trains making a stop here computers your attention please the next metro train approaching your station will be a metro express train and will not stop [Music] [Music] [Music] throughout this segment of the line a number of these pedestrian-only crossings exist where full road crossings have been eliminated given the busy nature of this corridor they have their own automated crossing protection too so [Music] western springs is home to another fabulous antique station complete with an old grade crossing watchtower today of course crossings are activated by track circuit relays requiring no input from an operator that's probably a good thing as trains like the zephyr comes steaming through at 70 miles per hour [Applause] like hinsdale to the west and la grange to the east this station is typically served by all sunday trains however on this day an air and water show extra is running express back to the outer suburbs a short time later one of the regular eastbounds comes rolling in [Music] [Music] it's odd to see a local service train with two locomotives let alone with only eight buy levels that second engine does come in handy for acceleration though as the trailing unit rolls coal to pick up speed [Music] with only 20 trains running on sundays the freight side of the railroad has a lot more room to operate case in point these two domestic hotshot intermodals meet here one clicking off the last miles towards arrival at cicero the other fresh out of the yard and destined for the other end of the country [Music] so [Music] [Music] like downers grove in hinsdale lagrange has two stations serving the community stone avenue is the lesser of the two with 39 trains on the weekday timetable compared to 50 at lagrange proper [Music] [Music] [Music] following metro was illinois zephyr train 383 the regional amtrak trains do stop at lagrange so they're just getting up to speed after completing their stop a few blocks to the east a while later another of those extra express trains from the air and water show blitzes through the end of a summer afternoon is signaled by long shadows as the sun slowly sets off to the northwest as i've said time and time again stainless steel coaches always look great but especially so when glinting sunlight which also accentuates this station's fine architecture [Music] [Music] the mention of lagrange to any rail fan will conjure up the longtime headquarters and assembly shops of a legendary locomotive builder emd and in fact that is this lagrange yes thousands of emd locomotives including the ones hauling these metro trains were built just down the road unfortunately changing economics led to the discontinuance of locomotive manufacturing here in 1992 and the legendary main assembly hall was torn down a decade later and much of the land redeveloped successor progress rail still has some activity on the site but most emd action in town these days are the f40 locomotives which continue to serve the city that created them [Music] the sun rises early over chicagoland in summer with plenty of light available for filming by the 6am start of the commuter rush at lagrange on departure they knocked down an advanced approach signal left in the wake of the previous train while high green shows for an incoming express on the zephyr track reds on track one also indicate that dispatch has lined a westbound up as well [Music] that express would arrive a few minutes later being shoved to chicago by two of the remaining unrebuilt winnebagos next metro train approaching your station next up would be that westbound and express repositioning move this consist will turn back eastward at downers grove to make another revenue run into town meanwhile signals for mains two and three have already recycled up to their clear indications [Music] by 6 30 the rush is going ahead full steam with commuters crowding onto the platform and express trains from the outer suburbs scooting by on the center track metric commuters your attention please the 634 departure is a popular one by the looks of it they should be downtown by 702 running express beyond burwen [Music] it is normal for trains to board off the crossing here as the platform is not long enough to accommodate today's legacy trains unfortunately there wasn't a conductor available to assist with loading this stroller but another commuter helps the woman out in the meantime another express knocks down their clear signal with this train quickly following suit so so [Music] new signals are already coming up for more eastbounds as the second revenue westbound of the day heads for downers grove and beyond serving those who reverse commute and repositioning another consist for a second eastbound run [Music] [Music] between lagrange and congress park the racetrack flies over the indiana harbor belt railroad connection-wise between the two railroads straddle the congress park station which is the second least served station on the line with only 15 trains stopping on the pre-covered weekday timetable [Music] so the next eastbound train 1224 serves almost all of the stations on its inbound run but congress park is not on the list however we'll see this train again in about an hour as it'll turn back to become train 1254 at brookfield [Applause] this is the first station where the downtown chicago skyline is visible with the willis tower poking up above the trees meanwhile dolphins adorned the city's water tower as a nod to the world's first fully indoor dolphin exhibit which opened in 1960 at the brookfield zoo foreign [Applause] where moments ago there was a deserted platform dozens of commuters are now arriving for the 718 eastbound train 1226 is one of those fairview avenue to congress park local trains which will run express the rest of the way to union station not a bad deal as these folks will be downtown in just about 20 minutes [Music] so [Music] a short while later up the tracks at brookfield one of the local residents shows what not to do in multi-track territory at grade crossings he'll wait for the eastbound on track two but doesn't consider amtrak number 381 racing west on track one when he begins crossing before the gates go up [Music] as a lyle belmont donors grove express rolls over to the zephyr track a westbound repositioning move arrives to turn back here at brookfield this is the consist we saw at congress park as train 1224 returning back west empty for another run [Music] there were two brookfield originated trains on the pre covid weekday timetable both created from empty westbound repositioning moves from union station these trains created greater capacity for the inner suburbs while allowing trains from the outer suburbs to run express and save time snaking through the crossovers from main one to main three the conductor rides the head end to protect the shove as they pull into the station [Music] the consist ends up sitting here for a few minutes waiting for their scheduled departure time allowing us to take a closer look at this f40 ph-3 like the gp40s they are derivatives of the f40s feature turbocharged 16-cylinder emd 645 prime movers capable of 3000 horsepower one notable feature of these units are their constant engine roar even while the throttle isn't idle this can be traced to the three-phase ac electric alternator tied into the prime mover which supplies the train with power for lighting and air conditioning the alternator requires the crankshaft to spin at exactly 893 rpm to create the required 60 hertz current so even when not supplying tractive power the engine remains in a high energy state as such you can still hear the prime mover screaming as we look the other way to catch an aurora naperville express tear through town [Music] another express soon arrives this one having made all station stops from aurora to congress park and is now headed over to track 2 in order to go around the train dwelling here while running express to union station [Music] [Music] [Music] finally at exactly 8 19 it's time for train 1254 to depart making all stops the rest of the way to union station by around nine o'clock bnsf can begin running freight again the first one is almost always in eastbound so they aren't running against the current of the few remaining rush hour trains [Music] wow [Applause] so [Music] [Music] [Music] with the freight having just gone by on track two the next express moves over to track one which is now clear of any westbound traffic [Music] [Music] [Music] we've moved up to the next stop at hollywood just in time to catch the last remaining express train into chicago train 1370 with passengers only from aurora route 59 and naperville takes it easy on track two as they approach an active maintenance of wayzone [Music] [Music] [Music] the red and yellow boards here indicate that a work zone begins in two miles eastward trains on the affected tracks will begin calling the work zone's foreman over the radio for permission through their limits here however they must also be prepared to stop in two miles at the red boards in the event that clearance is not obtained [Music] the station shelters here are themed to match the nearby brookfield zoo and are certainly among the most unique station shelters anywhere [Music] [Applause] [Music] with the express trains done with the first westbound freight cut loose is a mile of empty oil cans heading for the bakken shale formation in the dakotas for another load [Music] [Music] with the work zone tying up main three for the time being the dispatcher was forced to run the next eastbound commuter train on track one to aid passengers metra uses their electronic signs and verbal messaging system to announce this change ahead of time so that customers aren't caught out on the wrong platform so the village of riverside traces its origins to 1868 and is arguably one of the first planned communities built in the united states laid out by legendary architect frederick law olmsted the village features gently curving avenues laid out to blend in with the dis plains river while the village maintains their gorgeous 1901 station it is perhaps upstaged by the historic brick water tower next door which dominates any scene in which it appears following right behind the manifest but on track one this intermodal consists almost entirely of ups trailers and containers certain to be one of the hottest trains on the northern transcon and is being routed accordingly the freight parade continues just eight minutes later with a solid autorack train down track too so [Music] the city of berwin is served by three station stops spread out over just under a mile east of the city center two back-to-back control points serve the west end of cicero yard but more on that in a bit for now we make our way to the first stop at harlem avenue looking east our first train here is a pandemic shortened illinois zephyr about 15 minutes later an empty unit coal train appeared this is another one from detroit edison in michigan headed back to wyoming for more combustible rocks [Music] meanwhile another pop-up afternoon shower rolled in thankfully the station's spacious covered platform area kept us dry as the california zephyr would soon come flying down track number two looking eastward we can see their next three signals all displaying clear indications the signals here are spaced super close together in order to allow the shorter metric trains to get fairly close to each other while serving all of these stations splitting up the crossovers into two control points also gives the dispatcher more options as trains clear up quicker off the shorter track circuits [Music] as per the usual in 2020 only a couple of passengers alighted from this mid-evening run [Music] uh [Music] [Music] so [Music] moving to the downtown stop our first train is 9515 one of the express trains to downers grove and beyond on the pandemic timetable the pandemic weekday timetable featured just 41 trains versus the 97 on the original schedule and an all new numbering scheme the changes stripped out most of the express moves simplifying the timetable to just three basic options most trains were now serving all or nearly all the stops and numbered in the 1300 series meanwhile express service to the outer suburbs were combined into one block between downers grove and aurora running in the 9500 series finally two trains each rush hour served exclusively the middle belt between congress park and fairview avenue running as 9 400 series trains therefore the next train after the 9515 was the 9403 headed for their first stop at congress park [Music] [Music] next up was an eastbound manifest on track three running freight through here at five in the afternoon on a weekday would have previously been unconscionable but with little need to have express trains past slower locals in the slim down timetable the third track could be used for such trains [Music] [Music] while the pandemic schedule was slimmer it still had more trains than metra had consists for therefore there were still a handful of repositioning movements such as this eastbound heading back to union station for another load of westbound afternoon passengers [Music] [Music] thanks to that eastbound freight holding on main three at cicero this train had to cross over at berwin to track two [Music] it is certainly a frequent occurrence to be stopped by railroad traffic around here but at least most are bi in a flash [Music] [Music] down the street at laverne is the western throat of cicero yard flying overhead is canadian national's freeport subdivision while the southwest chief heads for los angeles on the racetrack below just 10 minutes later the eastbound chief also highballs it through town [Music] as the next metro run heads east a westbound bnsf transfer heads for eola yard [Music] [Music] so [Music] once everything was coupled up and in order this intermodal train got their lineup from the dispatcher in fort worth to depart for the pacific northwest while they'll soon be one of those hot shots flying down the line their journey starts out at slow speed as they meander out of the yard [Music] one of the greatest infrastructure challenges for today's railroads are the older yard facilities which were not built to handle today's long trains nor get them in or out of the yard in a hurry slow speed crossovers weren't much of a concern when a long train was perhaps five thousand feet but today's land barges take forever to negotiate them it will take nine minutes for this train to pass [Music] despite the station announcement forecasting express this metro run is one of the few which actually stops here [Music] with the entire train clear of the slow speed turnouts the intermodals engineer throttles up while metra tries to keep pace for the short jog to berlin [Music] while the slow speed turnouts also impact trains heading into the yard the crew must also comply with restricted speed rules within the yard itself so there isn't nearly as much time lost per se restricted speed roughly summarized is don't hit anything in more detailed terms this means they must operate slow enough to stop in just one half the distance they can see while looking out for switches lined against them or anything else that might be in the way from other trains to maintenance workers it makes for a slow arrival after crossing two thirds of the continent as one of the hottest trains on the railroad [Music] while restricted speed requires particularly close monitoring of the track ahead by the train crew they must also be vigilant when operating in signal territory for instance as this short cicero tuiola transfer was departing the crossing ahead started to deactivate leading the engineer to swiftly apply the brakes [Music] c after building back enough air pressure to release the brakes they tried it again from here we can make out that they have at least six clear signals ahead of them down track two as has been alluded to throughout this program cicero yard is the anchor of bnsf's intermodal service along the racetrack and the east end of the northern transcon located seven miles from downtown chicago cicero was built to handle all of the freight reaching the east end of the burlington system for much of its history the yard featured a hump to help sort out all of the traffic destined for spotting at local industries as well as for interchange to other railroads ultimately as intermodal traffic came to prominence more and more of the yard would be taken over by this burgeoning traffic source but it wasn't until after the bnsf merger that the traditional loose car load traffic was moved out entirely shifted to eola yard in aurora as well as to galesburg the hump was then leveled and much of the yard paved to make way for more wheeled cranes and drayage trailers cicero marks the beginning of the end for freight trains on the racetrack and northern transcon while intermodal trains peel off into the yard other trains begin to head to other railroads for interchange interchange still works much like the days of yesteryear in chicago with each railroad delivering to the other therefore this grain train from csx was brought onto the racetrack at western avenue to hold at cicero b for the crew change this point is known as the hole in the fence named for the gate which allows crews to access the elevated right-of-way there now with a fresh bnsf crew on point they cross all the way over to track one to continue their journey westward in between road trains yard jobs will often roll onto the main line for headroom in this case they're moving a cut of empty intermodal well cars over to the ramp tracks for loading both of these locomotives were originally built as gp38s for the santa fe more recently bnsf sent them to progress rail to be rebuilt into the gp23 ecos we see today as part of the upgrades their older emd 645 prime movers were replaced with new emd 710 power plants producing the same horsepower with fewer larger cylinders along with computer and cooling upgrades these locomotives are now epa tier 3 compliant indicating that they pollute much less than the older designs after the yard job was back in the clear a routine metro run arrived for their station stop so [Music] [Music] after the 13-14 was over onto track two this westbound repositioning move got their light to run on track three not sure why this was the case but chances are there were some maintenance forces out on the other tracks [Music] a bit later while another yard move was taking headroom on track one today's westbound edition of the california zephyr came by on track two oh [Music] 30 minutes later the eastbound southwest chief was also running by on the center track just two minutes after the chief another passenger run highballed the station this time in the form of the first metra express run heading for downers grove of the afternoon [Music] another fairly common freight move at cicero are trains coming to and from the belt railway of chicago or brc most trains headed this way are manifests for a clearing yard where they are sorted for destinations on different railroads all over the country it's slow going around the tight connection leads and over a piece of unglorified yard trackage before they can enter the much speedier racetrack western avenue is the second major junction faced by the racetrack on approach to downtown chicago but thankfully there is yet another set of flyovers to carry the busy quadruple track bnsf over the csx blue island sub and the ns chicago junction line the station here ordinarily saw 26 trains stopping each weekday but this dropped to 21 during the pandemic as express trains suffered most of the cuts still even in normal times it isn't a busy stop with the chicago l subway system offering much more frequent service to downtown only a few blocks away [Music] this curve makes it hard to see approaching eastbound trains so we just barely managed to get the camera fired up for this run of the california zephyr metric commuters your attention please the next metro train approaching your station will be a metra express train and will not stop as express trains approach they're just getting up to speed after rolling through the canal street y they begin the race west with union pacific's global 1 intermodal yard to the north bnsf's western avenue yard to the south and the lakefront skyline out to the east so halstead is the last station before chicago and consists of two simple island platforms however the track configuration today just favors the use of track 3 for trains heading to or from union station so only the north island is in regular use however the south platform is still open to the public and offers the best views throughout much of the day when the sun is off to the south looking east the ramp up to the cn st charles airline bridge over the chicago river is off to the left while the infamously congested dan ryan expressway flies overhead just out of the canal street y this edition of the california zephyr climbs up the elevated right-of-way while also attempting to gain speed as their train clears the tight y curvature [Music] fifteen minutes later the eastbound chief rolls in off track two slowing to begin the final approach to union station [Music] with only 18 trains stopping at halstead in normal times and just seven during the pandemic the vast majority of moves through here are expressed so just like the amtrak services most metro trains roll through fighting to gain speed while climbing the hill following the express out of town is one of four weekday westbounds to call here during the pandemic alas there are no passengers on or off the train so the stop doesn't last long next out is the chief which heads over to the zephyr track in order to bypass that commuter train ahead of it [Music] the canal street y is where the burlington's alignment merges with the south approach to union station bnsf mains one and two turn north towards the station while tracks three and four turn south to join the amtrak chicago sub which crosses the chicago river before terminating into the ns chicago line and cn freeport subdivision several amtrak mains run north to south flanked by the bnsf and amtrak passenger equipment yards meanwhile the saint charles airline and the old b o chicago terminal line to dearborn station fly over the whole mass just west of canal street a maintenance driveway allows for this peek into the spaghetti bowl at ground level in the foreground remains three and four headed off to the south while mains one and two pass under the signal bridge and turn north further off to the left is the south end of bnsf's 14th street passenger equipment servicing facility where metro equipment lays over between the morning and afternoon rush hours while most trains off the racetrack make the left-hand turn to head directly for union station the inbound california zephyr typically makes the right-hand turn on track 3 and then reverses into the station [Applause] track speed on mains one and two around the y is just 25 for passenger trains but this express will soon hit 70 on their way to downers grove [Music] hey [Music] we are now stationed atop the 18th street bridge at the south corner of the y looking north towards downtown and union station coming around the corner from the bnsf is an amtrak repositioning move which used the y to turn the equipment around and is now headed for the wash rack so getting their signal at the same time is this bnsf to ns coltrane it's a slow trundle around the y and over the river for the 7 000 foot 18 000 ton train so [Music] the vertical lift bridge here is now owned by amtrak but was built by the pennsylvania railroad in 1914. the two towers each soar 185 feet high allowing the center span to lift up to 130 feet above the river beyond the river the 21st street junction marks the beginning of ns ownership as well as the crossing of canadian nationals freeport subdivision at one time the junction contained a whopping 26 diamonds and was heralded as the busiest in the world however the decline of railroad passenger service and the eventual consolidation of all inner city service into union station made most of the trackage obsolete eventually boiling down to just the four diamonds and three connector tracks present here today the bridge still lifts fairly regularly for river traffic such as this gravel barge headed to some construction site downtown this obligation to clear for river traffic can result in headaches for amtrak with nearly all trains to and from the east and south needing to use this bridge [Music] as soon as the bridge was back on the ground the consist of train 365 the blue water is coming off the y and in route to the wash rack [Music] roosevelt road has long been legendary among rail fans for views not only of union station but many of the other major terminals including dearborn lasalle and grand central each had sprawling coach and freight yard operations much of which would intersect the roosevelt road viaduct if the railroad served chicago you could probably see it here however only union station still has its sprawling coach yards including the bnsf 14th street yard and amtrak's chicago maintenance facilities at one point there are no fewer than 49 tracks between canal street and the chicago river with two bnsf mains and three amtrak mains threading between the two yards bnsf ownership of mains one and two ends at cp roosevelt an impressive interlocking where leads from both coach yards make their way through slip switches allowing for universal movement between tracks for trains heading into and out of the station from roosevelt road you'll see every amtrak move in chicago except for the hiawathas and empire builder now approaching from the south is train number 29 the capital limited from washington d.c they're fresh off the chicago line and 21st street bridge on main track number five for their final approach uh it's already 8 51 in the morning so the 14th street coach yard is nearly full of metra consists however a few train sets remain running passengers including this late rush inbound rolling around canal street and addressing themselves to union station on track two [Music] moments later a southwest service train set makes their way into the yard to lay over in anticipation of the evening rush [Music] the north pole of the coach yard contains 14 tracks while the south bowl adds another dozen while the facility has always hosted commuter trains in some capacity the yard was also the principal support yard for the burlington's long distance offerings in and out of union station it was after these trains that the yard became known as the zephyr pit among rail fans for the snake-like strings of stainless steel ready to ferry passengers and the mail off to some western location [Music] with the mornings run complete another train is added to the pit so as they pull in a carmen raises the blue flag and sets the derail in order to protect workers on the equipment the blue flag serves to notify everybody that the train is not to be moved while the d-rail makes the track inaccessible to other equipment meanwhile the shop goat works the six stall car end locomotive shop where significant repairs and detailed inspections are carried out they'll work throughout the midday to place freshly repaired cars onto train sets while pulling out any bad orders and moving those into the shop amid all of the weekday shuffling on the bnsf side amtrak is also busy resetting consists for their next runs because union station is a stub terminal and most trains are not equipped with locomotives on both ends amtrak consists are frequently turned on the canal street y in this case it's the consist of inbound train number 58 the city of new orleans heading out for a spin next up for the y was the consist from the capital limited while the bnsf yard goat was working off the coach yard lead so [Music] as metra 1305 departs for aurora the lakeshore limited was arriving from boston and new york city restricted clearances around the northeast dictate that the lakeshore and cardinal routes are still handled by single-level equipment versus the super liners used on all other amtrak long distance routes out of chicago while there is still plenty of action throughout the middle of the day the rush hours are when roosevelt road can really put on a show racing out of the station thanks to identical departure times train 9515 on track one is a bnsf line express to downers grove while train 823 on track four is a southwest service train heading for manhattan and intermediate points so due to the large volumes of bnsf-line trains and limited platform space another train set quickly gets their light to take the 95-15's place in turn another crew rolls their train out of the zephyr pit to wait for their own light into the station on track zero [Applause] [Music] [Music] so this dance of trains continues through the rush hour as train after train leaves and is quickly replaced even during pandemic times when this was filmed imagine what it's like here when there are twice as many trains to dispatch as the train set for amtrak's eastbound capital limited is moved into the station via track five another southwest service train gets underway off track four [Music] uh as soon as the outbound metro run was off the crossovers within the station the consist from the day's eastbound empire builder heads south for a spin on the y [Music] [Music] the polk street bridge is the last public location from which trains on the racetrack can be easily filmed north of polk street the entire union station complex has been buried under skyscraper development which also included the demolition of the once opulent concourse building once underneath our feet a dizzying array of switches and signals dodged support columns as the tracks fan out into 17 platform tracks only four of which continue through to the north concourse [Music] okay [Music] as soon as the train clears each signal the sentinels begin to upgrade for the next train with so many signals spaced so close together it is possible for departing trains to go from clear to stop within just a couple hundred yards e um [Music] at 8 30 in the morning the rush hour marches on inbound on main three is southwest service train 810 while the previous southwest service train set heads for a midday layover in the zephyr pit it appears as though 810 will be taking the platform which just opened up so they pause for a moment while signals and switches are lined up for their arrival so [Applause] [Music] coming in hot behind them is another bnsf express run which will discharge passengers before also heading for the zephyr pit so [Music] while metra dominates the early mornings amtrak is much more active in the later evenings a bevy of trains depart for such places as washington dc new york st louis detroit port huron and quincy holding on the 6 30 pm departure slot is train number 370 the pure marquette heading for grand rapids michigan next on the lineup just 10 minutes later is train number 30 the capital limited destined for washington d.c [Music] meanwhile a late rush bnsf service gets underway knocking down their own set of clear signals [Music] oh heading for st louis lincoln service train 307 is next up to depart doing so via main track number four for every train to depart the station one must arrive for amtrak's long distance trains that means a short repo move from the coach yards heading in engine first here is what will become the city of new orleans it sure is fun to watch those lengthy coaches weave through the back to back to back crossovers to get around the track work presently occupying main six and seven by 7 30 the rush is all but over still trains continue heading in and out of union station to ferry suburbanites in and out of the loop whether they be at the office late or perhaps enjoying one of the city's premier attractions [Music] [Music] as twilight took over the last train we caught was the city of new orleans backing out of the station to begin the trek to louisiana they're reversing down to 21st street where they'll change directions and enter the cn freeport sub which will take them on around to the lakefront illinois central main line they'll follow much of the way to their destination [Music] [Music] taken in the summer of 2019 this scene shows just how busy chicago union stations platforms can be especially at rush hour fast forward to december of 2021 and passenger counts are still down account of the pandemic but with the schedule largely restored union stations platforms are still awash in trains rolling in on time after stopping at every station on the line bnsf train 1224 coasts in to track 10 just before 8 am [Applause] [Music] next up is train 1226 fresh in from the middle suburbs [Music] with so many trains to birth and only so many platforms available most equipment does not linger long engineers quickly change ends ready to depart on schedule if making another revenue run or bound for the coach yard as gaps in revenue trains allow now arriving train 1228 is an aurora to downers grove outer suburbs express which bypassed the inner 19 stations [Music] once 1228 was clear the leads the dispatcher got the consists on track 16 headed for the zephyr pit [Music] so so running a comfortable six minutes early train 1230 takes platform 12. [Music] so as beloved and legendary as they are f-40s in a largely covered station are a poor combination inadequate ventilation and the screaming prime movers fill the air with plenty of noise and fumes despite the practice of placing power only on the outbound end of trains with train 1230 off the leads train 1219 gets their light to depart as a revenue repositioning move to brookfield making all station stops in route before turning back is trained 1248 a bit later [Music] [Music] so [Music] about 10 minutes later the consist from train 1230 gets their light to head for the coach yard [Music] okay [Music] so [Music] [Music] departing right after them from amtrak's side of the south concourse train 391 the saluki departs for carbondale largely marking the end of the morning rush hour here at chicago union station so that'll do it for this super highway edition of the thorn apple river rail series i hope you enjoyed this extremely detailed look into railroad operations on one of america's busiest corridors where we visited every station and left virtually no stone unturned as always leave a like and consider subscribing if you enjoyed this railroad documentary as future content is always in the works drop any questions down in the comments as well and i will be happy to personally respond this has been a special presentation of the thorn apple river rail series copyright 2021 all rights reserved so [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Thornapple River Rail Series

Views: 1,167,545

Keywords: NS, CSX, Amtrak, P371, Chicago Line, Chesterton, Michigan, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Indiana, Norfolk Southern, Railway, CP, Canadian Pacific, ES44DC, Superliner, BNSF, Santa Fe, P370, Wolverine, Blue Water, Lake, Shore, Conrail, PM, Pere, Marquette, SD40-2, SD70MAC, SD40, SD70Ace, GP40, GE, EMD, Kalamazoo, P42DC, passenger, Freight, station, higher, speed, corridor, ITCS, CP 482, Goshen, Elkhart, Dunlap, LaPorte, South Bend, CP 421, CP 412

Id: qjn9H-RHcGE

Length: 198min 43sec (11923 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 18 2021