CP / IC&E and Metra in Elgin, Illinois on New Years Eve 2011

After spending the New Year's Eve morning at Franklin Park, I moved further down the Metra Milwaukee District- West Line to its terminal in Elgin (on weekends, no trains go to Big Timber Road). My goal was to catch Canadian Pacific's train 272, the Nahant (Iowa) - Chicago (Bensenville Yard) manifest, and its westbound cousin, train 273. These freights were formerly run by the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern, and with a lot of IC&E / DM&E power running these trains most days, you'd never know the line is back in CP ownership. Also seen here is the building that used to be the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin interurban's Elgin Substation, the Metra MD-W Line, and Metra F40C #611! Train descriptions follow:

Train 1:
Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern SD40-2 #6364, the "City of Sleepy Eye", and CEFX SD40M-2 #3121 (a rebuilt SD45- note the original Flexicoil trucks) lead Canadian Pacific's eastbound train 272 toward Bensenville. The signals in the distance control the single-track segment over the Fox River Bridge. Looks like the train almost nailed a couple people crossing the tracks! I guess they just couldn't wait....

Train 2:
A 7-car Metra MD-W Line train, led by cabcar #8514 and with MP36PH-3S #426 on the rear, passes another train tied up in the Elgin Yard, and makes its first inbound stop at National Street. This station used to serve the Elgin National Watch Co. across the river from here- the site is now a casino.

Train 3:
Out of the fog, the CP 273 train heads west over the Fox River and passes National Street. IC&E SD40-2 #6101, the "City of Charles City", NREX (ex-UP) SD40-2 #4403, IC& SD40-2 #6457, the "City of Alpha", and CITX SD40-2 #3081

Afterwards, a look around downtown Elgin- an old stone sign proclaims this building to be the Elgin Substation of the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago (later the famous Chicago, Aurora & Elgin interurban, known as the "Sunset Lines" because it went west out of Chicago to the Fox River cities, and the "Great Third Rail", because it was practically unique among interurbans to use third rail electric pickup (except in the centers of Elgin, Batavia, St Charles and Aurora, where it ran in the street).

Later, Pace suburban buses on routes 548 and 801 are seen waiting at the Elgin Transportation Center. The latter route runs to Geneva via St Charles, and could be called the successor to the Aurora, Elgin & Fox River Electric Railway, an interurban line that connected the branches of the CA&E along the Fox River. A quick swing around to see the Elgin Tower in downtown, then the terminal Metra station and coach yard.

Train 4:
One of Metra's famous, former Milwaukee Road F40Cs, #611, the "Village of Ontarioville", arrives with its outbound train at Elgin. The crew exits the cab as a New Year's Eve crowd gathers and boards the train, which will head back into Chicago in about 10 minutes. As a sidenote, the suburb of Ontarioville for which 611 is named is now called Hanover Park, with the original old village center still sometimes being called by its original name. It also has a station on this Metra line, a few stops east of Elgin.

~Thanks for watching!~

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

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• Chicagoland
• NYE
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• 2011
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• railfan

[METX611]

Nice DME unit and Metra F40C!

[unionpacifictrain]

Nice catch! And what idiots, same thign happened to me when i caught the 272 train here...

[dwkcamman611]

Excellent catches!!! Well done!