Metra BNSF Ride into Chicago Union Station; Including ATSF, Conrail & UP Sightings!

Here's a view from the front vestibule window of an inbound weekend Metra BNSF Line train, from Western Avenue Yard to Chicago Union Station.

At BNSF's Western Avenue Yard, ex-Santa Fe GP50 #6708, BNSF C44-9W #5294 and ex-Santa Fe "warbonnet" C44-9W #718 are on the point of a run-through manifest waiting to get through Union Avenue and 21st Street interlockings to access Norfolk Southern trackage. NS SD60M #6762 and ex-Conrail SD50 #5406, one of just 8 "Conrail Quality"-painted SD50s left in NS's dwindling SD50 fleet, lead a train that has just come off of home rails, into the BNSF yard. In Union Pacific's adjacent Global One intermodal yard, (formerly C&NW's Wood Street Yard) GP15T #Y717 shoves baretables.

We pass the Halsted Street station, and go through Union Avenue Interlocking, with the St Charles Air Line heading upgrade to the left, and the south approaches for the Canal Street Wye branching off to the right (south) at Jefferson Street. BNSF trains take the north leg of the wye into Union Station. We pass under Canal Street, then the BNSF-UP-CN/IC leg of the SCAL, and then the abandoned B&O bridge. Amtrak P42DC #28 switches some cars next to us, and Amtrak's Canal Street maintenance facility and coach yards are to the right. Metra/BNSF's coach yard and shops (the "Zephyr Pit") are to the left. We pass through CP Roosevelt and CP Taylor, then go "underground" at Polk Street. We are under the old Chicago Main Post Office, where until the early 2000's, Amtrak boxcars were loaded with US Mail. Chicago Union Station is now officially entered. A private car, "Cripple Creek", is on the rear of the day's train #49, the Lake Shore Limited. We arrive on Track 12 in the South Concourse.

08.06.11

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