A Teen Explores Chicago's Railroads - The Sequel 1975-78

[@davidbogovich243]

I grew up on Chicago's Southside (100th st. & Torrence ave.) then Calumet City. My dear old dad was a locomotive engineer for the Belt Railway of Chicago (1950 to 1984). Went to work with him many times, as did my brothers. We had no fireworks for the 4th of July but the Belt "provided" fuzees that we lined our driveway with.

[@jasonscherman4891]

Amazing dialogue and photos. Thanks for sharing!

[@copper7136]

I watched the first video a week ago and now the sequel? I am truly blessed!

[@stevenjbrown1697]

Whoo hoo! Its even longer am I’m making you look at a bunch of crappy photos taken when I was 12!

[@copper7136]

@@stevenjbrown1697 It's much more than I did at that age! Thank you so much for doing this

[@wrrail]

You should make more of these videos, its really cool to hear about a persona story in the 1900s

[@stevenjbrown1697]

Ok

[@Ciao_ciao333]

Agreed

[@cabcar82]

Yeah these are a blast to watch!

[@HunterLohseRRVideos]

1900s?!?!?! I think Steven is a little too young for that ;P

[@Elukka]

I'm right in the age range where these videos are from far before my time, but the expression "1900s" as opposed to "70s" or "80s" makes me go "wait, am I old?".

[@tom474e]

When I was much younger I rode a few freight trains from Franklin Park into Chicago. Memories...

[@ChadsRailfanExperience]

Oh man, all that classic stuff.

[@hemihead68]

Just great great narration and pictures and maps wow !!

[@30yrsengr41]

Wow absolutely awesome story of how A Chicago kid used every opportunity to view railroads in that era , I am of the same age and a country boy and what a difference in the amount of railroad exposure you had,

[@BOBXFILES2374a]

Don't think I ever rode the Skokie Swift when I lived in Chicago, but what a great train name! Thanks!

[@stevenjohnson7086]

Ha! “They’re called EIGHTHUNDREDS” I can hear the tension in your breath… hahahaha! This was great. I was stationed at Great Mistakes Naval Painful Center 1989, 90 then went to the Gulf War and Somalia, then back to Grave Mistakes in ‘93 I saw some memories brought to life here, so thanks. I didn’t do as much rail fanning as I could have, but I walked out to Rondout tower from the base and the J used to grind by the Navy base just about every afternoon. Rode the South Shore but not the IC electric. Got a few decent slides of the BN E unit fleet.

[@michaelhirvela1862]

The photo of the IL unit at the MILW engine house brought back a memory that the MILW would sometimes 'borrow' the locomotives on transfer runs and use them a little before sending them back to the owner. One story I heard was a loco set from a transfer run into Bensenville was half way to Savanna, IL, when the owning RR called wondering where their power was and when it was being returned.

[@cooltrainsinmontreal4883]

cool video of railroads long gone

[@steveamurray59]

Wonderful adventures, reminds me of when I was a young teenager. Thanks.

[@danmaxwell414]

Great slide show! loved it 👍

[@stevesummers2462]

Those yards have certainly changed over time, especially the Milwaukee Road Yard now CP Yard, and the BNSF Cicero Yard. I'm from Evanston, and being a little older I can still remember when the NortShore ran both down what's now the Skokie Swift and the Evanston lines and I'm sorry that you never got to the Wilson Terminal where the CTA, North Shore , and the Milwaukee Road ALL had a junction.

[@BOBXFILES2374a]

Delaware & Hudson boxcar in Chicago? An interesting addition to any HO model railroad set in the Windy City!

[@sludge4125]

I greatly enjoyed this. Thanks for posting.

[@railhead67_83]

Thanks again for sharing! I really enjoy your videos and your commentary is awesome! 👍

[@codyseybold7977]

These photos from 1970s are INSANE!! Also, those caboose portraits are absolutely wild! At that time, it's incredible that your dad snagged those at an operating yard

[@jeremyzorek]

Fantastic video! As a younger viewer, it is an absolute treat to see all the varied equipment back in the day

[@deesalkelly3069]

another great video and images - makes me homesick - from Victoria Australia - thank you

[@mikeschabel9749]

Thanks Steve for video featuring tower A20 in Techney Illinois. I spent a good amount of time roaming that area from 1973-1977. Great pictures brought back Great memories from my adolescence!

[@brianglade848]

My dad spent 1975-77 roaming that area as well. He was the guy who always picked up cigarette butts and smoked them. One day, he came home wearing a different pair of pants, he said he found them and exchanged them. Around dinner time he said he was getting really itchy, mom said change those nasty pants. He took off those pants and was covered in crabs. Way to go dad

[@oregonwesternrailroadprodu5239]

i was born 25 years to experience the true Milwaukee road but im glad people like you are preserving the history of these great fallen flags

[@uhlijohn]

The ballast used on the CNW came from Wisconsin. It is a form of very hard sandstone, if I remember correctly, called "pink lady". If you have ever been to Devils Lake State Park in Wisconsin you know what I am talking about. The quarry that supplied the ballast was owned by Martin Marietta and it was located in (I believe) Rock Springs, WI not that far from Devil's Lake in Baraboo, WI. The CNW trackage to Rock Springs skirts the shore of Devil's Lake. While camping at Devil's Lake on one occasion I saw a ballast train making its way south. The designation for those ballast trains was "Rock Springs Extra" I believe. They may have had other freight mixed in but their main purpose was to transport ballast for use on the CNW system.

[@rrelectric5159]

Very nice. Always good to hear about past railfan adventures and reminisce about my own. Thanks for sharing.

[@MarkInLA]

Turning 74, I was way before your time and loved trains same as you..Only I did little to show that other than getting into model railroading..I wish I'd done the kind of exploring and documenting that you and your friends did, and at such very young ages to boot !! I salute you for your amazing prowess to find, film, illustrate, and document so much glorious railroading...All wonderfully narrated as well... Thank you. M

[@ScottJohnson4449]

Great video. I had the same green snorkel coat at 00:33!! Mine was from Montgomery Wards lol. Had it until the mid 80s.I have one year on you, so all these photos are so parallel to my railfanning in Northern VA and DC. Pot Yard, Alexandria Union Station, Ivy City were my haunts, and good old MP 17 on the Southern was just down the street from us in West Springfield, VA. I wudda called it a Lil Joe, too. hahah. Keep up the great work!

[@TRAINRUNNA1]

Awesome slide show. Thanks sooo much for the history and sharing your stories‼️

[@milwman1958]

Nice stuff I too was a young fan in the late 70's and with out some that knew cameras i wanted about with a 110 POS camera till 1978 or so.

[@chriskrazmuski745]

Great writing and narration, and priceless photos! Thanks;-)

[@WaltANelsonPHD]

Thank you!

[@KellysTrains]

As a teen that explores many of those areas now, especially Techny, Bensenville, and the Racetrack, I am very excited. It is just a completely different time!

[@stevenjbrown1697]

Happy these are reaching a younger audience! For a long time, KZbin analytics was telling me that 100% of my viewers were male and 65+!

[@wrrail]

@@stevenjbrown1697 Young, Im not 65+ Lmao

[@floridianrailauto9032]

@@stevenjbrown1697 I'm a male, but I'm also only 17

[@Wheelman2112]

@@stevenjbrown1697 Mid-20s here, though admittedly a bit obsessed with the 1970s. These videos are great, thanks for the stories!

[@anthonyc1883]

@@stevenjbrown1697 Male, but "only" 62 so clearly the analytics are waaayy off!

[@Ismaeelellahiracing]

I am 15 and love these videos the hump story reminds me of when I was 12 on December 24th my dad took me to oak island yard and we got a whole tour of the yard plus the yard tower were the hump works

[@Steven_Williams]

Great presentation!! I miss those times.

[@jonathanmueller6969]

from Sheboygan, wi. I'm very familiar with the Union Pacific/Canadian National rails that run to Manitowoc. I always wanted to check out the Milwaukee train yard and maybe someday I will venture down to Chicago and follow the railways. thank you for this video.

[@rimodeler7963]

Hi Steven - Excellent presentation with great photos ..... very well done! Thank you for sharing. Mike

[@dbeaus]

Grew up on 100th st 2 blocks from the old C&EI tracks in the 50's. Didn't know anything about trains except I could not stay away from those tracks. As a kid, when my friends weren't around, I would go to the tracks, grab a hunk of grass, and watch the trains for hours. The signal was right there at 100th and sometimes the train would catch a red and stop pretty much right in front of me. My friends had no interest and I never tried to explain. It was a busy line in those days with many coal trains coming from Wisconsin and going SE to the Steel Mills in Gary and East Chicago. There were also passenger trains going thru, but I have no idea who they were. Quite a few freights also. Never thought about taking pictures, couldn't afford a camera anyway. Didn't bother me to sit for hours, I thought it was fun. I have been back a few times and not much has changed, the signal is still there but I am sure it is not the old one. A moment of credit to the Railroad detective who chased me off many times. Never caught me but I knew it was him, he drove a maroon 54 Buick and I remember that car to this day. As I got older I realize he wasn't really trying.

[@PatrickESpecht]

What a view; well before my time. I remember when the old C&NW "North Shore Route" ran behind my house growing up. It terminated at Dempster Street, near Skokie Boulevard and Grosse Point Rd, near the Crafty Beaver Lumber Yard.

[@renegadetenor]

I a little North (willow rd) and imagined the headlights on the Swift were North Shore Line trains. Spent childhood collecting artifacts btwn. Dempster and Valley.

[@PatrickESpecht]

@@renegadetenor Just rewatching this, but I guess I lived along the Skokie subdivision. I used to be an oarsman for NTHS rowing and spent years racing under the former Weber Sub and CTA tracks shown at 5:49

[@uhlijohn]

Great video, Steve! As a student engineer back around 1975 I worked the night Weber transfer. I had two different engineers on that job on different evenings. One was Art Doolin and the other was Walter Sims. On my first trip the conductor, whose name escapes me now, had just gotten back to work after being fired for a Rule "G" violation. Rule "G" is the prohibition of alcohol while on duty. But in the olden days, as related by all the old timers I worked with in my early career, alcohol and railroading were like a horse and carriage! They both went together like hand in glove!

[@IckAck03]

Wonderful presentation. Love the history, the priceless eyewitness accounts, and the humor! Thanks a ton

[@markhayes6407]

Really enjoyed your narration and slides. I hope there will be more.

[@TheSantaFeGuy]

After school I used to ride down to the tracks and do my homework waiting for NS trains to come by on the double track main. It wasn't until I could drive I started exploring the more interesting railroads in my region

[@emjeebutterz4405]

Really enjoying these videos, as a teen who is too young to have been around during that time. Although I'm from metro Detroit, I frequently visit Chicago, so anything Chicago railroading-related is interesting to me, and it must have been even more so back then! Being more of a passenger person, it's cool how you showed all the different commuter operations transitioning into the RTA and later Metra. Also, Amtrak's Michigan trains are interesting to me personally - how they once used Turboliner equipment, then F40PHs with Horizons and Amfleets, and even cabcars at one point. All in all a great presentation - hopefully I'll get a chance to do some railfanning soon to document the trains of our era.

[@railwayjade]

What lovely memories - thank you for sharing!

[@paulcrowshaw4232]

Awesome vid! We are only some months apart in age. It's funny how your determination to see trains drove you to be innovative in personal transportation, I mean hoofing it and pedaling it! I say that the best way to understand a rail line is to walk it. You were lucky in that you had a lot of lines around you. I remember bicycle pacing along side the Providence and Worcester to Valley Falls RI I'd meet the train in VF and the crews thought I was crazy-maybe the were right but I'll never forget those M420s!

[@MartinSBrown-tp9ji]

It was fun looking at this presentation of the good old days of Chicago land railroads. I remember them well. I have many of the models in HO gauge.

[@stevenjbrown1697]

.....and a picture of you!

[@sludge4125]

@@stevenjbrown1697 Is that Dad?

[@matthewbuckner944]

Yeah I have seen the little joe south shore in north east pa not far away from GE now wabtech.

[@TrainsofChicagoland]

I visited most of these places listed in both videos and they are different compared to back then! Please make more of these videos I can’t express how much I love them

[@tommythomason6187]

You were wise to capture these scenes. What, at the time, is contemporary, or seen as run-of-the mill, later become treasured time pieces. I wish I had recorded some of the railroad action I witnessed back then: The Southern Crescent, powered by four green E8s, speeding across the Peachtree Creek trestle in Atlanta, the trio of hi-nosed Southern Railway, "Tuxedo," Geeps, working the branchline and transfer runs on trains that ran behind my boyhood home, short hood forward, etc... Good job! You were astute.

[@centexrails]

That Laredo reference really took me by surprise! Texas guy here.

[@vornamenachname727]

Thank you SO MUCH for this video. Love it.

[@gregyinger699]

I enjoyed the first video of your youthful adventures. Thanks for making a sequel!

[@awakend287]

Outstanding !!!

[@fabone8887]

Steven, great job with the presentation. I just missed you by two years. I was born in 1958 in Chicago. Grew up around Fullerton and Kimball Ave. My friends and I were always near the railroad tracks. Logan Square was also close by. They had a great elevated station with tons of CTA action. In 1969 my parents moved to Mt. Prospect and I was crazy about the CNW's northwest commuter line, the Soo Line's freight line, the Milwaukee Roads freight line and every bit of railroading that my Schwinn Varsity 10 speed would let me get too. Yes, I was just shy of driving. I had my bike but, I didn't have a camera. Wow, do I have regrets about that. We moved to Ohio in 1974 and I hate to say rail fanning was never the same. A shame it's all just memories now. (I did spend a lot of time at Deval Crossing.)

[@FrankKennyCPRXModelRailroad]

Love your videos. I lived in Chicago at the same time, just a couple years older than you. It’s great to see these trains. I’ll have to dig up my old photos too!

[@Tcostello105]

These videos are awesome! You have the voice to that makes the video even more captivating.

[@stevenjbrown1697]

I HATE listening to my voice lol!

[@basshorseman998]

I grew up in the Niles, Des Plaines and Park Ridge area , and the high school even had a train course. Illinois has such a rich history in railroading, that you cannot ignore it. Sadly, I left there in 1975 for the east coast have not been able to return home...yet anyway. Thanks Steve

[@ViewpointUnique]

Great presentation! Good photos, good narration. Nicely paced.

[@davidluyster5528]

Thanks for sharing!

[@turbod1]

Thank you so much for sharing. Wonderful pictures and stories

[@stevenjbrown1697]

Thanks!!

[@joelmorvan8298]

I'm french railfan of US railroad. Wonderful video for me. The seventies was a difficult era for american railroads ? But different systems with colored paint scheme was good. Chicago was a hub for railraods of america, and junction point to east coast and west coast lines. In France this era was still very interesting for various trains : steam, diesel and electric locomotives. And also turbine rail cars over 125 mph. Friendly.

[@BryanClementi]

I always enjoy watching your videos. The narration is awesome and the attention to detail. I'm sending them to my Uncle who lives in Glen Ellyn and is a big railfan.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Love how every time you mentioned the 800s, you had "Little Joes" pop up on screen. 😀😀😀😀

[@rottenroads1982]

9:50, MILWAUKEE ROAD EMD FP45. I love freight cowl units. I may have never seen one in person, but I do like how they look.

[@realjohnboxall]

These are some of the best railroad videos I've seen for some time. Your narration brings the still images to life. Thank you for your efforts.

[@Elukka]

Those F7s were looking damn rough. There are diesels around me that are much older than those were when the photo was taken, but they don't look anywhere near as old and tired.

[@michaelhirvela1862]

Nice job. Especially the photos of Weber and the Skokie Sub and the CTA connection.

[@davidremy4470]

Great job. Not only are the photos great but your personal narration is what makes it perfect. I love how you weave all your personal experiences into the slide show, that really makes it special. It looks like it took a lot of work doing this , much appreciated. Hope to see more of your work, thanks again!!

[@raymondpaller6475]

I am surprised I never ran into you; I was slightly younger than you are, but I made a couple treks to LaSalle Street Station to see for myself what the 20th Century Limited had for its Chicago station; as soon as walking in, seeing that neon sign overhead saying "TICKETS" with the still lit red Rock Island and its arrow pointing to the right and the unlit -- seemingly in green but from the dust and dirt, who knows? --- New York Central with arrow pointing left; when I first saw the station as a teenager I could not believe, considering everything I read stating the Century was the "cool" train for wealthy cool people and the Broadway was the method for (boring) proper Philadelphians to travel West, how fast the downward spiral must have been for the station to fall into such sketchy disrepair, especially the no-trainshed-exposed -to-the-sky trackage (caked on filth/dirt seemingly supersaturated moist (even outright puddles!) of water or oil or God knows what; but I thought it pretty cool all the same!!

[@nickkeeling9554]

Best thing I've seen in a while, amazing presentation

[@plhebel1]

Great story , great photos, I was a big fan of rail traffic when I was a kid also. Never saw as many different models of power units as yourself, only what ran passed us on the double set of tracks thru La Salle-Peru along the Illinois River. We did have barge traffic tho, All those line boats from the Mississippi delta area, I have stories myself about those days as well.

[@repowers2]

I lived in Chicago from 2007 to 2014. Watching your video, I had a blast following along on Google Maps and recognizing the places. I did very little railfanning while I was there, as the city's deep, deep well of historic architecture was irresistible, but your photos make me regret it!

[@johnweber6612]

Great video/ Grew up about 5 miles se of you at the same time. Wish we could have met and done some trainwatching/ Thanks for making.

[@renegadetenor]

As usual, thanks for refreshing my memory on how good you and I and some others had it. I remember all of this, some of it just barely, and from a distance, but you would do more in a year, than I did in maybe 5! Oh, and if you ever ran into a fan on the north side of things, with an unusually large German Shepherd, that was me!

[@abathens]

Really enjoyed the prequal. I love these looks back at the 70s when I was a youngster.

[@stephensaasen8589]

You're right about documenting. I was 8 years old when the Milwaukee Road left the West. We lived along their Chehalis Sub. After their final bankruptcy in 1977 and announcement that they would leave the Northwest, dad suggested we set up a camera and tripod at the window. All mom would have to do was snap a shot as a train would come by. At my young age, not understanding the meaning of the impending embargo, told my dad there was no need for photos because the Milwaukee was a survivor and would still be around. So with that said, we only have a few shots of derailments that occurred a few times near our home over the years, including some shots of U33C #5702 on the ground. Boy, I could still just slap myself!!!

[@johnlarson9356]

Outstanding

[@mattanderson6336]

1:50-‘I can’t spell and math is a challenge but I can tell the difference between a E-8 and an E-9.’ Sounds like me when I got bit by the hockey bug in the late ‘60’s.

[@remylopez4821]

Wow I’m not the only one I’m 2 years older than Steve and math & science were not my strong points but I knew the difference between a SD-40T2 and a SD-45T2. I grew up in Southern California and was a big SP fan.

[@tazxxx101]

Awesome video that again worked as a way-back machine. Always found those CTA yards on Oakton fascinating. So cool you got to actually go inside! I remember those articulated Skokie Swift very well. My dad took me on rides when they were introduced. Keep these coming!!!

[@johnalder6028]

I love the sight of snow on the tracks.

[@uk-martin4905]

That was truly fascinating; I enjoyed every minute of it. The easy-going, informative narration was a pleasure to listen to. My only regret is that this was 45 years ago and sadly we will not experience those times again. It is very fortunate that you kept your slide collection intact.

[@pullmanjunction5854]

Nicely done Steven!

[@EmpireBeltRR]

Thank you very much Mr. Brown for sharing your memories and extensive photo collection! I've really enjoyed both installments.

[@rogerthat6451]

This is absolute gold! I was a young to middle teenager during this time and this brings back great memories. I remember going with a friend to watch a special steam excursion near Techny maybe in ‘74. I had forgotten about the CNW yard in southwest Evanston off of Oakton Street. I also remember playing Pony League baseball at West Park in Wilmette and I was pitching a game when a CNW freight train went by on the Skokie line. I had trouble keeping my focus on the game.😁 Thanks for posting this! Chicago was a such a great place for a young rail fan back then.

[@rivitedrailfan]

Great photos! As railfans, we all have a few regrets when it comes to missing photo opportunities. Also, the ‘Little Joe’ thing had me laughing!

[@russrh]

This is amazing. Your Milwaukee Road photography is some of my favourite. Love seeing MILW and RI, even BN

[@kelvintorrence5994]

That's 1 of my favorite s railroads of the past too.the rock .E.l. .

[@vngdeujngds]

Wonderful video. Love the narration and the history of these lines. Actually makes me quite sad, but hey, really enjoyed the pics and story.

[@Kmaster2007]

Great video! I love all these slideshow videos, a way to see things you couldn’t see yourself

[@eolafan100]

Congratulations, this is very possibly the best “amateur“ slide/video presentation that I have ever seen… Especially the very creative use of graphics and imagery. Thanks for sharing your teen years of railfanning with the rest of us.

[@mynorthshore]

I was a C&M division conductor and brakeman at the time. Enjoyed the video.

[@Shaken_AND_Stirred]

That converted E9B unit at 11:13 with the “DIY” cab is a funking looking thing. The “Crandall Cab” unit. Looking at the side of it, it’s clear that it’s an old E unit that has somehow been “changed”. I guess it was quite resourceful though.

[@HenrikSweden1]

yes this is really gold and KZbin at its best ! thanks !

[@stevenjbrown1697]

Wow, thanks!

[@sludge4125]

Hey, let’s talk politics.

[@blnematode1267]

Steven this is great stuff, many thanks. We are the same age. I too remember bicentennial trains. In particular I recall when the Freedom Train came to my town. The SP steam loco in red white and blue was unforgettable. Thanks for sharing your pictures.

[@Purpleandgold1202]

Just keep them coming. These videos remind me of my father who passed recently. Really big railfan, was born in Elgin in 1966, to his father who worked for the Milwaukee road. He really liked photography and transportation too. After he passed it was amazing how many time tables he'd saved, I still hold on to a couple of the things he collected. It means the world to hear your stories because I miss his stories so much. Keep them coming

[@MTHDCS]

That's amazing as in the 60's a bunch of us kids on Saturday would ride the Metra from Bartlett to Elgin so we could hang out downtown then catch the matinee at either Grove or Crocker theaters. Also go to Shicklers and buy trains.

[@Mark-Milw42]

Great work! You've kept the history of these railroads and the areas they served "Alive"!

[@karlpiepenburg127]

Fascinating! I did roughly the same thing from Palatine maybe ten years earlier but lost all my photos. Thanks for compiling all this along with your narration

[@THEDIZSAYS]

Your videos are great! I wish I would have takin more pictures because your pictures are just classic. I grew up between Chicago Heights and Matteson so it was MoPac, ICG, EJ&E, and Milwalkee Rd. I would always hunt for BN or Chicago North Western. I also loved when I would catch a L&N train. At 55 I still love watching the trains but I miss that classic power and all the different railroads.

[@RailyardProductions]

Awesome videos. I have a friend from Chicago and I'll share this with him. Maybe he was a member of the group.

[@saltman9584]

Great video sequel. I enjoyed listen and watching this video.

[@johntobin9464]

Awesome video.....I was chasing trains just like you in my HS days.......I wish I was a creative as you to get around. Still watch to this day.