citycat
Member
This trip report is a follow up to my Chicago advice thread in the international section, and is about my 53 hours spent in Chicago, riding the Metra surburban trains and the CTA subway and buses during my visit while my flight attendant wife attended a course for her airline in the Willis Tower. Luckily, due to my wife's job, I get the perk of free airline travel so it was worthwhile for me to make the long trip from Europe for such a short visit. Hopefully, other people may find some of the information useful.
Day One
Leaving my home in the Netherlands, my wife and I took an NS Sprinter service to Biljmer Arena and then changed onto a double decker VIRM service to Schipol airport. At Schipol, we boarded United airlines flight 908 to Chicago O'Hare airport, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, tail number N27908 for the flight to Chicago, arriving approximately 12:55.
After passing through immigration and customs, we made our way to the CTA subway station for the Blue line to downtown Chicago. Following research and advice, we found that the best ticket to buy is the CTA day pass at a cost of $5.00. It gives unlimited travel on all subway lines and PACE buses in the Chicago and outer areas until 03:00 the next day. We bought the disposable paper ticket from the vending machine. Although the vending process is easy, the machine didn't like the first card that we put in so we had to try another which it accepted. So, my advice is to bring several credit or debit cards if coming from Europe and don't just rely on one card. Also, you must put in an American zip code of where you are going to stay to complete the purchase.
We boarded the Blue line subway and got off at Clarke/Lake station in downtown for the ten minute walk to the hotel next to the Chicago river and the TRUMP building. The subway into Chicago is very easy and it was interesting to see the subway cars and elevated section of track that I've seen in various films like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, or The Blues Brothers . The rest of the day was spent taking it easy, going out to have dinner, and then my wife studying in preparation for her course the next day.
Day Two
My wife headed off to her course in the Willis Tower while I decided to spend the day on the trains. I started by taking the river walk along the Chicago river to Union station about 30 minutes walk away. The walk was very pleasant and I had really struck lucky with the weather. It was not colder than Europe and it was a nice sunny day. The staff at the hotel told me it was usually much colder at this time of year but a warm front had blown in and it was much milder.
As stated, it was a very pleasant river walk with some nice bridges across the river and subway trains rattling overhead at one point. I turned a corner and there was the grand outer facade of Union station. Now, this is a very strange station. In its centre, it has a very grand hall and concourse, similar to Grand Central station in New York. The hall is very majestic and beautiful with the obligatory large American flag hanging down. However, the entrances to the platforms and the platforms themselves are like the Black Hole of Calcutta. Birmingham New Street station is like a floodlit arena compared to the platform areas of Union station. No offense to any Americans reading this. It's just a strange paradox to the Grand hall of the station upstairs.
After some searching, I found the vending machines of the Metra commuter railroad system serving the outer areas of Chicago beyond the CTA. Now, the best ticket to buy is once again the day pass giving unlimited rides all over the Metra network. It costs $13.50 and I think it is a bargain price for how many miles you could potentially clock up if you started early enough to cover as many of the commuter routes as possible. You could even cross into another state, Wisconsin, if you ventured out to Kenosha. However, I had started late, having decided to just ride the BNSF line out to Aurora, so having purchased the day pass which was just a paper ticket, I headed off to find the 11:33 departure to Aurora.
Passing through the double sliding doors, I was met with the red and white striped rear of the double decker stainless steel commuter cars of the Metra system, and the famous dark platforms of Union station that I had heard all about. The commuter trains are quite unique to look at, with ribbed sides and narrow green windows. I think they were manufactured by the Budd company but please correct me if I am wrong. There are plenty of youtube videos of the BNSF line for you to see these commuter trains.
As I walked to the front of the train, I could hear this massive diesel engine noise (music to my ears) echoing around the underground platforms and could see this white cloud of diesel fumes. The sound was great as I drew level with the locomotive. Now, I am not an expert on American locomotives but I believe this loco was an F40PH, number 182 Village of Elmwood Park. As I walked ahead of it and turned, the engineer switched on the headlight and it illuminated brightly into the dark. I spent several minutes just wallowing in the sound of this diesel engine. It was great. I then boarded the second commuter car from the front, the first being out of service. Again, you need to watch online videos to show the layout of the carriage. Simply Railway on youtube has done one. Downstairs is a pair of seats on each side, upstairs is a single seats on each side with some sideways facing tip down seats. In the middle is a walkway where you store luggage and where you hand down your ticket for inspection when the conductor walks through the lower section of the carriage.
The train departed on time at 11:33 and emerged into bright sunshine where there were various yards for storage of Amtrak and Metra trains awaiting their next turn of service or being maintained. It was interesting seeing the BNSF route, first the dense suburbs of Chicago and then the outer suburbs where the houses gradually got larger. It was also interesting that the train was longer than a lot of the platforms so the loco and first few coaches would block the road crossing and drivers would have to wait while the train completed its stop, the bells of the crossing dinging and the lights flashing. The bell on the locomotive would also be ringing and then a sound on the horn would signal its departure. So, quite impressive noises each time an American train arrives and departs a station. I was also amazed how open access the track is. Many gardens belonging to houses were level with the track and with no fencing. You certainly couldn't leave small children or pets unattended in these gardens for fear of them wandering onto the track.
12:50 saw our arrival into the terminus of Aurora. During the 15 minute turn around, I wandered into the station building. It was very clean and tidy and had a little exhibition of rail road workers from back in the day when the line was being built. We left again at 13:05 and I took the same train back as far as Naperville. Now, the main trains that I wanted to see were the westbound Amtrak operated South West Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles, and the westbound California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville (for San Francisco). I also wanted to see the eastbound services of both these trains if they weren't heavily delayed from the west. Naperville was the first scheduled stop for the westbound services, and the last stop for the eastbound. I worked out that if I stayed from 13:15 to 15:47, I would potentially see all four trains.
Now, as it worked out, I had to stay longer at Naperville until 16:28, just over three hours. The eastbound South West Chief arrived dead on time from Los Angeles at 14:00, but the eastbound Zephyr was delayed several hours. And surprisingly, the Chief and Zephyr were also delayed by one hour leaving Chicago just up the line. However, as I had travelled several thousand miles from the Netherlands to see these trains, I just had to suck up the delay. As it happens, Naperville was a very pleasant station to while away the time. The station building was very nice and warm with a little exhibition case stating that the town was twinned with Nitra in Slovakia, and the Station Master/Ticket Clerk/Despatcher was happy to keep me informed when something interesting was coming through.
As already stated, the eastbound South West Chief was the first through at 14:00. You could see the locomotive headlight shining in the distance but it was still about four minutes before it actually arrived. I am no expert, but I believe the twin locomotives pulling this train are GE Genesis locomotives. The locos in charge of this particular service were 176 and 144 hauling several Dreamliner cars and a baggage car. , It's very impressive when an American train pulls in, what with all the bells and horn sounding.
I still had 90 minutes or so to wait for the westbound services so I had a quick walk around town. Later, the Station Master gave me the heads up about two westbound freights that would be coming through. The first had two BNSF locos at the head of the consist hauling 100 plus mixed wagons. The second freight had three BNSF locos at the front, 100 plus wagons with mostly double stacked containers, and then two more BNSF locos pushing from the rear. Very impressive.
At Naperville , the westbound California Zephyr arrived first. GE Genesis locos 158 and 5 at the head of the consist, the locomotive bell announcing its arrival. After it left, the westbound South West Chief arrived five minutes behind it, GE Genesis locos 194 and 69 hauling the consist. To someone like me who lives in the Netherlands and hardly encounters any diesels on the NS, or has to remember the dwindling diesel locomotives back in the UK, the sound of these GE Genesis locos was music to my ears as they waited time.
After the Chief departed, it was time to head back towards Chicago. First of all, I wanted a drink. I got the next Metra train down the line to a town called Brookfield, propelled by one of the newer EMD locomotives I believe. Brookfield, apart from being a cute looking town and having a cute looking station, also had an Irish Pub next to the tracks, The Irish Times, which had been recommended by a fellow poster on Rail UK Forums. When the very pleasant barmaid found out that I had travelled all the way from the Netherlands to drink in this pub, she gave me the beer on the house which was very nice of her. I stayed 30 minutes to have my very welcome beer before strolling one minute back to the station to catch the next train back to Union station. By this time the sun was going down and this made for some very nice sunset photos over the tracks.
Arriving back at Union, I enjoyed another riverside walk back to the hotel, this time with all the skyscrapers lit up beautifully against the dark sky making for a very nice Chicago skyline. It was a very enjoyable day on the Metra system and I just wish I had had more time to explore the rest of the network. I will definitely do so on a future visit.
I will post a part two to the trip report detailing my ride on the CTA subway and buses.
Day One
Leaving my home in the Netherlands, my wife and I took an NS Sprinter service to Biljmer Arena and then changed onto a double decker VIRM service to Schipol airport. At Schipol, we boarded United airlines flight 908 to Chicago O'Hare airport, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, tail number N27908 for the flight to Chicago, arriving approximately 12:55.
After passing through immigration and customs, we made our way to the CTA subway station for the Blue line to downtown Chicago. Following research and advice, we found that the best ticket to buy is the CTA day pass at a cost of $5.00. It gives unlimited travel on all subway lines and PACE buses in the Chicago and outer areas until 03:00 the next day. We bought the disposable paper ticket from the vending machine. Although the vending process is easy, the machine didn't like the first card that we put in so we had to try another which it accepted. So, my advice is to bring several credit or debit cards if coming from Europe and don't just rely on one card. Also, you must put in an American zip code of where you are going to stay to complete the purchase.
We boarded the Blue line subway and got off at Clarke/Lake station in downtown for the ten minute walk to the hotel next to the Chicago river and the TRUMP building. The subway into Chicago is very easy and it was interesting to see the subway cars and elevated section of track that I've seen in various films like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, or The Blues Brothers . The rest of the day was spent taking it easy, going out to have dinner, and then my wife studying in preparation for her course the next day.
Day Two
My wife headed off to her course in the Willis Tower while I decided to spend the day on the trains. I started by taking the river walk along the Chicago river to Union station about 30 minutes walk away. The walk was very pleasant and I had really struck lucky with the weather. It was not colder than Europe and it was a nice sunny day. The staff at the hotel told me it was usually much colder at this time of year but a warm front had blown in and it was much milder.
As stated, it was a very pleasant river walk with some nice bridges across the river and subway trains rattling overhead at one point. I turned a corner and there was the grand outer facade of Union station. Now, this is a very strange station. In its centre, it has a very grand hall and concourse, similar to Grand Central station in New York. The hall is very majestic and beautiful with the obligatory large American flag hanging down. However, the entrances to the platforms and the platforms themselves are like the Black Hole of Calcutta. Birmingham New Street station is like a floodlit arena compared to the platform areas of Union station. No offense to any Americans reading this. It's just a strange paradox to the Grand hall of the station upstairs.
After some searching, I found the vending machines of the Metra commuter railroad system serving the outer areas of Chicago beyond the CTA. Now, the best ticket to buy is once again the day pass giving unlimited rides all over the Metra network. It costs $13.50 and I think it is a bargain price for how many miles you could potentially clock up if you started early enough to cover as many of the commuter routes as possible. You could even cross into another state, Wisconsin, if you ventured out to Kenosha. However, I had started late, having decided to just ride the BNSF line out to Aurora, so having purchased the day pass which was just a paper ticket, I headed off to find the 11:33 departure to Aurora.
Passing through the double sliding doors, I was met with the red and white striped rear of the double decker stainless steel commuter cars of the Metra system, and the famous dark platforms of Union station that I had heard all about. The commuter trains are quite unique to look at, with ribbed sides and narrow green windows. I think they were manufactured by the Budd company but please correct me if I am wrong. There are plenty of youtube videos of the BNSF line for you to see these commuter trains.
As I walked to the front of the train, I could hear this massive diesel engine noise (music to my ears) echoing around the underground platforms and could see this white cloud of diesel fumes. The sound was great as I drew level with the locomotive. Now, I am not an expert on American locomotives but I believe this loco was an F40PH, number 182 Village of Elmwood Park. As I walked ahead of it and turned, the engineer switched on the headlight and it illuminated brightly into the dark. I spent several minutes just wallowing in the sound of this diesel engine. It was great. I then boarded the second commuter car from the front, the first being out of service. Again, you need to watch online videos to show the layout of the carriage. Simply Railway on youtube has done one. Downstairs is a pair of seats on each side, upstairs is a single seats on each side with some sideways facing tip down seats. In the middle is a walkway where you store luggage and where you hand down your ticket for inspection when the conductor walks through the lower section of the carriage.
The train departed on time at 11:33 and emerged into bright sunshine where there were various yards for storage of Amtrak and Metra trains awaiting their next turn of service or being maintained. It was interesting seeing the BNSF route, first the dense suburbs of Chicago and then the outer suburbs where the houses gradually got larger. It was also interesting that the train was longer than a lot of the platforms so the loco and first few coaches would block the road crossing and drivers would have to wait while the train completed its stop, the bells of the crossing dinging and the lights flashing. The bell on the locomotive would also be ringing and then a sound on the horn would signal its departure. So, quite impressive noises each time an American train arrives and departs a station. I was also amazed how open access the track is. Many gardens belonging to houses were level with the track and with no fencing. You certainly couldn't leave small children or pets unattended in these gardens for fear of them wandering onto the track.
12:50 saw our arrival into the terminus of Aurora. During the 15 minute turn around, I wandered into the station building. It was very clean and tidy and had a little exhibition of rail road workers from back in the day when the line was being built. We left again at 13:05 and I took the same train back as far as Naperville. Now, the main trains that I wanted to see were the westbound Amtrak operated South West Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles, and the westbound California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville (for San Francisco). I also wanted to see the eastbound services of both these trains if they weren't heavily delayed from the west. Naperville was the first scheduled stop for the westbound services, and the last stop for the eastbound. I worked out that if I stayed from 13:15 to 15:47, I would potentially see all four trains.
Now, as it worked out, I had to stay longer at Naperville until 16:28, just over three hours. The eastbound South West Chief arrived dead on time from Los Angeles at 14:00, but the eastbound Zephyr was delayed several hours. And surprisingly, the Chief and Zephyr were also delayed by one hour leaving Chicago just up the line. However, as I had travelled several thousand miles from the Netherlands to see these trains, I just had to suck up the delay. As it happens, Naperville was a very pleasant station to while away the time. The station building was very nice and warm with a little exhibition case stating that the town was twinned with Nitra in Slovakia, and the Station Master/Ticket Clerk/Despatcher was happy to keep me informed when something interesting was coming through.
As already stated, the eastbound South West Chief was the first through at 14:00. You could see the locomotive headlight shining in the distance but it was still about four minutes before it actually arrived. I am no expert, but I believe the twin locomotives pulling this train are GE Genesis locomotives. The locos in charge of this particular service were 176 and 144 hauling several Dreamliner cars and a baggage car. , It's very impressive when an American train pulls in, what with all the bells and horn sounding.
I still had 90 minutes or so to wait for the westbound services so I had a quick walk around town. Later, the Station Master gave me the heads up about two westbound freights that would be coming through. The first had two BNSF locos at the head of the consist hauling 100 plus mixed wagons. The second freight had three BNSF locos at the front, 100 plus wagons with mostly double stacked containers, and then two more BNSF locos pushing from the rear. Very impressive.
At Naperville , the westbound California Zephyr arrived first. GE Genesis locos 158 and 5 at the head of the consist, the locomotive bell announcing its arrival. After it left, the westbound South West Chief arrived five minutes behind it, GE Genesis locos 194 and 69 hauling the consist. To someone like me who lives in the Netherlands and hardly encounters any diesels on the NS, or has to remember the dwindling diesel locomotives back in the UK, the sound of these GE Genesis locos was music to my ears as they waited time.
After the Chief departed, it was time to head back towards Chicago. First of all, I wanted a drink. I got the next Metra train down the line to a town called Brookfield, propelled by one of the newer EMD locomotives I believe. Brookfield, apart from being a cute looking town and having a cute looking station, also had an Irish Pub next to the tracks, The Irish Times, which had been recommended by a fellow poster on Rail UK Forums. When the very pleasant barmaid found out that I had travelled all the way from the Netherlands to drink in this pub, she gave me the beer on the house which was very nice of her. I stayed 30 minutes to have my very welcome beer before strolling one minute back to the station to catch the next train back to Union station. By this time the sun was going down and this made for some very nice sunset photos over the tracks.
Arriving back at Union, I enjoyed another riverside walk back to the hotel, this time with all the skyscrapers lit up beautifully against the dark sky making for a very nice Chicago skyline. It was a very enjoyable day on the Metra system and I just wish I had had more time to explore the rest of the network. I will definitely do so on a future visit.
I will post a part two to the trip report detailing my ride on the CTA subway and buses.
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(Chicago was the first place I ever visited in the US, so my introduction to it as well).
