My annual trips to Chicago each December have become my primary opportunity, despite the short days and cold temperatures, to shoot head end video on METRA commuter trains. Of course METRA, with its slow diesel services and frequent station stops, would not normally make for the most exciting head end videos and METRA has already posted head end videos from all of its lines on YouTube making my efforts unnecessary. However what METRA and few others have done is get their ass up early in the morning to film express runs into Chicago from the outer suburbs. For the last 5 years I have gotten express run video from one of METRA's many routes and in 2019 I turned my attention to the Milwaukee West line that offers an express service between Schaumburg, IL and Union Station with only 2 intermediate stops at Franklin Park and Western Ave. In addition to the express run I am also going to throw up some other videos from that day.
As I was staying out near O'Hare the first part of my run was to take a North Central Service train to River Grove on the Milwaukee West Line. NCS trains, running on a former Soo Line route, turn onto the MILW West line at Tower B-12. This connection was beefed up in the mid-1990's to support the new service. My train takes the Diverging Clear on southbound NSC main track #1 and turns onto MILW West Line main track #2. Note the swirling Mars (tm) brand headlight.
Here we see my NCS trainset departing River Grove towards Chicago Union Station under a clear indication on the Milepost 14 intermediate signal. Power is being provided by MP36PH-3C #406.
As I waited for my express train at Schaumburg, METRA #73, a recently acquired ex-Surfliner F59PHI, leads 4 car local en-route to Union Station on the Milwaukee West Line. Note the Milepost 31 automatic signal upgrading from Advance Approach to Clear. A short turn local had just departed Roselle and the signal at Roselle West interlocking had upgraded to Approach.
Finally we get to the head end view from the express Milwaukee West Line train as it makes a non-stop run from Schaumburg to Franklin Park. Note the CN Bensenville Rail Yard with the active (albeit re-signaled) Tower B-17 at the west end.
Departing Franklin Park the train once again runs express all the way to the CNW crossing at Western Ave. The run includes a diverging movement at the new Tower B-6 interlocking, that was carved out of the old Tower A-5 (Pacific Jct) a few years ago. Note former Milwaukee Road F40C's #611 and #614 in the Western Ave Yard deadline ahead of some old Pullman and Budd gallery coaches.
We conclude with a race between my train and what I think is a Milwaukee North line train between Western Ave and Union Station. Unlike my previous video where a North Central Service train I was riding lost out in a race over the same stretch, this time my train was victorious and arrived first. Note the departing Amtrak Hiawatha train near Green St.
Well thanks for watching and stay tuned for the still photos from this trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment