Great afternoon and evening railfanning BNSF Triple Track west of Chicago. 7/11/22

We visit some nice upscale towns observing the Metra, Amtrak, and BNSF action. It isn’t just the trains. The communities are just as much the state of this presentation. Naturally I loved seeing the F40’s. ( I mentioned the only F40’s in the New York area are 2 NJT versions, but how could I forget about the 6 Metro North F40PH-3C’s?????)

[@mic1240]

Nice video, ride the BNSF often. You are right are some great suburbs along the line, which is the busiest of the many commuter Metra lines. Since your visit, the South Shore trains into Indiana have open new double track to speed up the trip, with work underway for expansion of a new commuter line south to growing towns in NW Indiana.

[@robertcantore330]

The suburbs of Chicago are very beautiful towns would like to visit Chicago One day!!!

[@AA_8184_1]

Love the Midwest content. Also great that you added “Horn Guy” yo your channel title. Very appropriate!

[@OgaugeTrainsplusslotCars]

Awesome capture of Railroad operations 👍♐️♐️♐️♐️♐️♐️♐️♐️♐️♐️

[@thecooltrainguy5920]

Nice! I went Chicago last month. I also went to Western Springs as well!

[@richardgearhart8090]

Great video. A couple of years ago my wife and I took the trains from coast to coast. Norfolk VA to DC. Caught Train 29 Capital Limited overnight from DC to Chicago. Then took Train 3 Southwest Chief, 2 nights to LA. What a great trip.

[@timothynoel786]

Riverside was the first planned suburb! It was laid out by Fredrick Law Olmstead, who designed New York City's Central Park!

[@peterlangdon7011]

One of the best train videos I have seen on KZbin. Enjoyed the tours of the towns as much as the trains.

[@davidbrown4823]

Thank You for you great effort. loved every minute.

[@paulcarpenito3290]

Don't forget the Metro North F40's on Port Jervis Line.

[@jackchen7003]

Ahh and now you finally did Metra! Great video!

[@jayo_z]

10:52 with the "flyer" to Downers Grove. Back in May I went on a business trip to Chicago and always wanted to ride in the old gallery cars, so I figured one day after work I'd take the next train to anywhere and go to the first stop and come back. The next stop was Downer's Grove -- but I didn't realize how far it was until I was on the train for 20 minutes and covering a lot of distance! Now I know that was an express train.

[@Harveycartoonlvr11]

I'm so very GLAD you came to visit...I love your Videos as there is always something NEW AND EXCITING! One thing to remember for the next time you visit...you call these Metra Commuter Trains, "Flyers"...you were present my friend (between 3:00pm and 7:00pm out of CUS) at what we Railfans here call, "THE DINKY PARADE!" The Trains (my goodness, I have a friend who is one of the Dispatchers at the BNSF Control Center in Ft. Worth, Texas that controls the Race Track between Chicago and Aurora) they're still called, "Dinkies" by a number of employees who worked at the old BNSF Schuamburg, IL (in the NW Suburbs of Chicago) Dispatching Center and now are in Ft. Worth, TX still refer to them by that name! It seems it is an old, Burlington Route monicker I believe started in the early CB&Q Commuter years! Please come back and discover more, although I know you have been here a number of times in years past! :)

[@3985uprr]

No I am aware of the dinkies name. I just called them Flyers as they fly by at speed. It’s a term we use for some of the express trains that come from the Hamptons and Montauk on the Long Island Railroad

[@Harveycartoonlvr11]

@@3985uprr I figured that you did, you've been in this Railfun experience for a long time! :)

[@22vx]

Lovely 👌 thanx for sharing 👍

[@ryanforst5689]

Actually the Western Springs Station and crossing tower are all new circa 2000s. Made to look like the original station and replaced a more modern smaller station structure. Glad you got to come visit my home line!

[@TheDodgeRamGuy]

Great video love those Metra engines beautiful stations

[@scottyerkes1867]

Excellent tour of quaint towns along this BNSF "racetrack". Love the mix of METRA, AMTRAK and BNSF freights. Beautiful stations! Thank you RR.😀💚💚

[@ariesarethebest271]

This is very nice. Looks like you're having the time of your life this summer. Love it.

[@loocpoc]

I used to rail fan along here when I lived in the Great Lakes (or Great Mistakes if you're a sailor). I could never get myself to go to Downers Grove because of the incident that happened in 1991. We had to watch it in school as part of operation lifesaver. When I was out there a couple of months ago, I noticed the CNW heritage unit running out of the CNW Station or Ogilvie Transportation Center. I saw the Milwaukee Rd heritage unit running out of Union Station

[@Robbi496]

Actually, The East End Of Hinsdale is the Metra Station, including a ticket office

[@Blaze06]

I live along this line and believe, it’s always packed with metras!

[@Zephyrdaze1819]

Note just how close the Western Springs Depot is to the tracks! The original depot, no doubt, was just as hard up on the tracks. BUT the CB&Q at one time was only 2 tracks, so the depot likely had more breathing room to the rails at one time.

[@brianhenderson9124]

I think the "Winnebagos" are unique in this regard, that they're the only locomotives of this particular design to run on any commuter railroad in the US. And I particularly like how some of the gallery cars have "BNSF Railroad" in the CB&Q typeface first used on the Pioneer Zephyr in the middle of the cars. Now, some other Metra lines good for railfanning most likely include Rock Island, Metra Electric and, well, the UP lines (which is not to say the Milwaukee District lines wouldn't be good). But how many people would recommend the Heritage Corridor or North Central Service for railfanning? Not if you're into Metra trains, I don't think. Lastly, and to be perfectly honest, they need to bring back the Desert Wind. As a guy living in Salt Lake City now, It'd be nice if Utahans could have another long-distance train besides the California Zephyr.

[@paulmoreno6279]

Metra is an amazing railroad. Surprised it's predominately diesel still

[@matthewholzinger1042]

I hope you have a day to go to the Illinois Railway Museum. It's a couple counties away but a great place.

[@mohawkvalleyrailfaner6446]

Nice trip to Chicago I’m going to Chicago to

[@joemyers290]

I always take BNSF to Aurora or Naperville.

[@kirkzevola5004]

Awesome job documenting Amtrak, Metra, & BNSF action on the BNSF Chicago (Racetrack) Sub Time.

[@DKS225]

When i looked at Riverside Station i was under the impression it was built in 1951 not 1901. That like the town looks absolutely beautiful.

[@grahamsawyer831]

... could almost have been 2001! incredibly clean and modern architecture for 1901

[@RailFanRob]

Excellent footage.. Nice station there.

[@bryant3825]

Hi RR Love the channel and I am happy your in Illinois I always think of it as the "Railroad State" but thats awesome! Also Union Pacific is in Chicago, they even operate Regional (Commuter) Rail from a Terminal close to Union Station. Also can't wait to see your awesome coverage and commentary on Chicago stations, Railroads and more. Stay Safe RR have an awesome Summer! Rock On! Bonus: Try the CTA too! Espically the Skokie Swift.

[@DJinNJ08830]

Excellent catches and wonderful tour of thes quant towns and wonderful stations and structures

[@DKS225]

I think from memory LaGrange Illinois was an EMD Loco builder.

[@railfanningisthebest]

You might come across me again, I’m on Metra as well!

[@kirkzevola5004]

All you need is Amtrak Empire Builder trains #7/27 & #8/28 on the famous former GN railroad in honor of James J Hill.

[@PascackValleyandMainline]

At one of the shots when you corrected a train you put it on slow mode lol. But nice catches!

[@georgemurphy2579]

METRA F-40s...movie stars...they made an appearance in 1990s "Home Alone."

[@georgemurphy2579]

Also, these engines required hearing protection gear when employees were working around them. It was actually required in the safety rules book.

[@commodoresbank]

Fellow BNSF line feller here, its really nice to know that BNSF operates the Metra line between the Windy City and the City of Lights. Love the blend between Metra, BNSF, and Amtrak trains, all running together on the famous Chicago racetrack. Now being close to this line, can go anywhere between the cities anytime.

[@Mesabi193]

Wow! You are "on the road" - love your videos. How do you know so much about all these locations!?!

[@njtrailfan4106]

Very cool also at 18:30 did you mean for that to be in slow mode

[@johnstofko8996]

Or Could Be NYCLAC Train

[@3985uprr]

At 21:30 I sounded like right after I had my gallbladder surgery. The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet 🤣😀😀😀

[@davehammer1278]

welcome to the Chicagoland area. Don't forget to stop by the Illinois Railway Museum out in Union, IL! I do enjoy your videos. You also caught the CB&Q heritage as well. :)

[@3985uprr]

I’d like to go but I don’t want to go there when Thomas the Tank Engine is going on with the kids all over the place

[@davehammer1278]

@@3985uprr it is open during the week as well :)

[@paulcarpenito3290]

I love your travels. I wondered if you noticed that some of the bi-level cars still have BURLINGTON in their namebands.

[@3985uprr]

I did!!!!

[@trainlover123trainsrock]

@@3985uprr 21:19 What on earth was with the strange slow motion?

[@3985uprr]

@@trainlover123trainsrock Had in slow Mo I didn’t realize it

[@trainlover123trainsrock]

@@3985uprr Oh ok. By the way, can i get a shoutout in your next video?

[@mattanderson6336]

Has there been the same trouble in Chicago that they had in Los Angles with people breaking into the intermodal containers as the trains go in and out of Cicero and stealing packages.

[@3985uprr]

I’m sure they have

[@warrenwilson4818]

Love those RDC cars. How did they get into this upload? July 13, 2022 Missouri

[@3985uprr]

Part of intro of Pennsylvania trip

[@CTrail1711]

What about Metro-North F40s? We have 8.

[@3985uprr]

Don’t know why I overlook those

[@jkurtz601]

Why does LIRR trains need 2 locomotive s for 6 or more cars . They should have bought these type locomotive s.

[@tlove3840]

Mister retired railfan horn I noticed you don't get to hear the horns even at the cross tracks I know the metropolitan area would die for that no horns just the world the engines they can sleep good

[@tlove3840]

California

[@tlove3840]

Didn't see you for a few days and now you starting to hit the road is Kelly coming soon eventually overseas

[@steve-o981]

Great stuff RR. BTW...How does one get in to that little switching tower at about 20:00? Maybe a very springy pogo-stick? I assume it's not functional so maybe they just left it standing there on a pedestal for the nostalgia, or could it be a bird-house for would-be Pterodactyl's? Or maybe I'm blind and can't see stairs or a ladder. In any event, fun to see the stations and towns as well as the trains. Or...maybe you explained it and I missed that!

[@steve-o981]

Got it..."crossing shanty"...must have been nuking my coffee at that moment LOL.

[@Zephyrdaze1819]

The crossing tower in Western Springs is a replica (non-functional). Quite a nice touch installed by the city--all it takes is $$$$. Western Springs is uber wealthy.

[@Robbi496]

What happened to the audio? You sound like Darth Vader!!!

[@brucegalbraith6029]

no whistles?

[@MetraBNSF]

Entire line is a quiet zone except when there are multiple trains near a grade crossing or an emergency.

[@kevinhoward9593]

Video audio gets wonky at 21:25 mark.

[@3985uprr]

Oh sorry I had it in slow Mo there quite unintentionally but I just had dinner and a few drinks so I sound like I’m a little intoxicated

[@kevinhoward9593]

@@3985uprr Its ok. its only a few seconds. just pushed past it.