Metra Evening Rush at North Canal St, Chicago, plus Amtrak, 02.03.12

Lots of action during a typical evening rush period on the north side of Chicago Union Station, also featuring the trains of Metra's Union Pacific lines overhead. F40C #611, a UP MP15 switching in the Ogilvie station approach tracks overhead, deadhead moves of Metra's Heritage Corridor trains from the coach yards, and Amtrak's Hiawatha Service and Empire Builder also make appearances. Enjoy!

[@karatransitfur]

It’s crazy looking back at this a decade later and seeing just how much this area has changed.

[@999-98]

Yea I came here 2 or 3 years ago and all this empty space now covered by a tunnel like thing!

[@earthtransit2]

@@999-98 since 2014 they covered the tunnel before that year it was nothing

[@ericschwartz3559]

This was shot around the time that Metra had finished rehabbing F40s 100-149. The program started in late 2007, with the first locomotive returning to service in the summer of 2009 and was finished by 2012.

[@Nachtwolf1]

There are two through tracks between the north and south sides of the station, alongside the river. They are used mostly for equipment moves to and from the north and south sides of the station, and for moving the Empire Builder and Hiawatha trains to the coach yard. Freights don't use the through tracks, except for MOW moves such as ballast or rail trains. Through freights may have gone that way a few times... like, a few times EVER. It would be extremely rare, indeed.

[@BoratWanksta]

I hate that the control tower south of the Canal St. crossing has been torn down, and that a stupid wall was built due to a high rise that'll soon be built over the tracks. :( Nice to see vids that remind me of how railfanning used to be, in that area.

[@Nachtwolf1]

611 is an F40C-- a type built exclusively for the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corp. (later and now called Metra), and has a 3200 HP, V16 645E3B engine. Other than its lack of a steam generator for passenger car heating, it's similar to the SDP40Fs built around the same time for Amtrak. Two F40Cs are left, out of 15 built. The 14 FP45s, on the other hand, were built in 1967 for the Santa Fe and Milwaukee Road, and developed 400 more horsepower with a V20 645E3 engine.

[@Nachtwolf1]

Yup, right downtown, along the river just north of Union Station. The crossings are very busy. There are several dozen regularly-scheduled Metra trains on three different lines through there, plus empty equipment moves to and from the coach yards to the west. AND Amtrak's Hiawatha Service and Empire Builder. The south side of the station is much busier, but it does not have all the grade crossings!

[@hawktb9]

WOW!!! That's an extreme curve!!!

[@RayDO73]

Great job! The flow of the action is terrific, transitioning from one to the next is very smooth. I will have to take a look at this area next time I am in Chicago. I enjoy Metra's mars lights, reminds me of growing up near the Southern Pacific, I miss that railroad...

[@TheChicagoL]

This video was excellent!! I used to pass by this section of right-of-way every now and again when I lived in Chicago. But I had no idea how much squealing those trains produced on that curve. I thought the "L" was noisy on those sharp curves in the Loop. But after listening to the squeal for the duration of this video, I got a bit of a headache......literally

[@williamholm8379]

Delightful video good job

[@michaelglass4701]

Looooove your video 👍🛤️🚇, I'm a Model Railroder and I have both HO &N Scale of Metra trains

[@SWnAZ]

3 cab cars on one train? dang metra must have been strapped for coaches that day. ( I always find it a bit funny to see the red and white poking from the sides.

[@Bbgunn325]

I can't even imagine what it would be like if Penn Station or Grand Central were above ground...

[@RefrigeratedWaffles2]

Nice catch on that F40C

[@PRHILL9696]

Freights go all the way through Union Station? Are there tracks that go through it instead of ending at the terminals?

[@jordanwilkison895]

i need to be there is it worth the trip from indiana and great video busy busy!!!! and is there any hotels next to tracks

[@michaelglass4701]

Jordan Wilkison , it is a perfect place, but there are no hotel's near the tracks

[@dwkcamman611]

LOVE IT! You even caught my store in the background, wicked!

[@MetraEverythingProductions]

What store was it

[@dwkcamman611]

@@MetraEverythingProductions The Jewel-Osco, I used to work there.

[@xanadujohn79]

Another kick ass place is at the longest platform at the Ogilve Station during morning rush. You wouldn't even have to pause.

[@adelgado75]

I noticed at 11:50 or so that one train waits while the other one passes. is this because of the slight angle that could cause both trains to scrape against the other?

[@WindyCityRails]

I think it's because they need space in the station.

[@kimkessler8237]

and awesome video's

[@MrBnsftrain]

2:01 nice catch of a coach that still has the blue stripe! the smooth side car behind it doesn't! 3:54 why is a UP end cab switcher with the Metra train? Nice catch of such event! 10:08 100 has the shortest Metra train I've ever seen! 14:38 WOW! I had no idea Metra still used an F40C!

[@charlieschreiber3]

MrBnsftrain 611 and 614 are the only two not retired

[@trainsofthemidwest]

He also saw a 40phm-2 at canal street!?

[@ROTE]

Since the Union pacific railroad owns the tracks to OTC, they run UP Switchers on the line about every day.

[@shanewalters4171]

Why don't the trains sound their horns when they leave and arrive at the station crossing? Quiet zone?

[@Nachtwolf1]

@amtrak49 It's a quiet zone.

[@AlfTrains]

Great!

[@kimkessler8237]

NachWolf1 are you a train conductor?

[@Nachtwolf1]

@quimbyt Freights? Every once in a blue moon, maybe. Just maybe. You could probably count the number of times that has been done in the past... say, 20 years, on both hands.

[@AlexKhvedor]

Cool!

[@Joshsrailvideos]

Why do some of the inbound trains have the engine in front?

[@rapperguy98]

Those trains aren't inbound trains. They are trains for the heritage corridor route. I guess Metra stores those train sets in the yard with the trains for the milwaukee district routes.

[@MetraTitanicWTC]

I have notice that too

[@melishamitchell1485]

These inbound train are Herritage Corridor trains. They arrive from Joliet early in the morning, then head out through Union Station and Canal St to rest in the yard at Western Ave, then come back in the eve, like we see in this video

[@ROTE]

@@rapperguy98 they come from Western avenue and they head to union station to operate on the BNSF or HC lines.

[@sleeper028]

I like the chicago as railway hub because it's a big yard along tall building and establishment many switch from one another to another.

[@Bbgunn325]

Good grief, that's downtown? How busy are those crossings?

[@WorldWideOfTrainsAndTrucks]

Rush hour gets train packed

[@MrPro897]

Why are there so few doors in the cars? One door for a car. It doesn't make sense. All commuter trains have many doors.

[@HOTRAILProductions]

rush hour!

[@Robbi496]

No more tower here and most of the area shown is underground now!

[@fluffnose3386]

Does anyone know why the windows are green?

[@oct197.]

They are tinted

[@fluffnose3386]

oct197 yes, but why are they green? As opposed to clear

[@oct197.]

@@fluffnose3386 I believe the clear windows are the newer rehabbed cars

[@Top10Mr]

Why are some Metra trains blue black and orange while most of them are blue and red??

[@mrbronson5333]

The engines are F40PH’s red and blue and MP36PH orange and blue. The F40’s have been around since the 80’s and are aging out. The MP36’s have been around since 2003. There are more F40’s than MP36’s. F40PH 100-184 215 216 F40PHM-2 185-214. MP36PH 401-427. Nowadays Metra also has some F59PH’s 97-99 and all of Amtrak’s original Surfliner engines. All of Metras F40PHM-2’s have been rebuilt and repainted and some F40PH’s. Metra is also going to purchase 500 new rail cars with two doors on each side. They are exactly like Metrolink, Coaster, MBTA, Caltrain. The cars will be delivered in 2025.

[@nicholasbolton7778]

Great video, subbed! How safe is it here? (Crime Rate) I might come here sometime.

[@WorldWideOfTrainsAndTrucks]

There’s normally not much crime down here at Canal St but I was here once and these 2 homeless people walking past me and my dad with are cameras set up and they were smoking but it isn’t that bad the 3 times I have been down here (No crime the 3 times i have been here.

[@ROTE]

the area is pretty safe, there are a few homeless people there but besides that it's a decent area

[@adharris08]

why is number 100 going the wrong way?

[@trainmodeler9607]

Because he departs from the other side of Union Station

[@cmag19]

12:43 90221 before becoming a veterans unit.

[@GekkonidaeKing]

THE FUCK? HOW CLOSED IS THAT BEND? 0:05

[@AlfTrains]

Nice vídeo

[@sercanergul2362]

Metra Train 🚂

[@amtrak49]

how come they dont blow their horns?

[@WorldWideOfTrainsAndTrucks]

Cause it is a quiet zone

[@lailasalas]

I can not identify if trains on upper level are those of South Shore Route

[@briansivley2001]

They weren't from The South Shore Line those go from The Millennium Randolph Street Station and that's to the east of these tracks that go into Union Station. The Tracks on the upper level go into The Northwestern Station AKA Ogilvie Transportation Center. That station is used by The Union Pacific North Line which goes up to Kenosha Wisconsin and most of the trains end in Waukegan. It's also served by Union Pacific Northwest Line which goes up to Harvard and McHenry on Rush Hour during Weekdays. And lastly The Union Pacific West Line goes west to Elburn. The one you are thinking of is below grade station where The Metra Electric which goes down to University Park and 93rd Street and South Chicago and Blue Island and The South Shore Line also serves The Millennium Randolph Street Station.

[@lailasalas]

THANKS

[@jmream2618]

lailasalas is north canal street a quiet zone

[@jmream2618]

p42dc #99 needs a good wash

[@Trainlover1995]

***** #99 is a P42, not a P40. All of the P40s are in the 800 series, while the P42s are numbered from 1-207.

[@Trainlover1995]

The first model of Genesis locomotive.

[@MPIEMDRailfan4]

+Joe Dohn P40s are exactly the same as P42s, just with 200 less horsepower.

[@Robbi496]

I should say most of the area east and south of Canal is underground

[@Ferrocarril_Chicago]

The glory days when it was possible to get the L trains in the shot too.

[@ROTE]

Indeed, now there is that giant tunnel there.

[@sethamtrak]

@quimbyt Maybe sometimes an occasional Metra Work train if you get lucky

[@jmream2618]

0:25 that MP36PH doesn’t have a E Bell

[@DDLCRAILFAN92]

It doesn’t, it has a mechanical bell

[@224soledad]

Mooooooopp

[@GekkonidaeKing]

3:13 LOOK AT THE BRIDGE TO SEE AMTRAK EASTER EGG!

[@GekkonidaeKing]

Metra Wat Evar

[@iliketrains839]

That's the Metra/Union Pacific tracks not Amtrak, moron

[@GekkonidaeKing]

@@iliketrains839 no u, also, kinda a lil late huh?

[@DDLCRAILFAN92]

Um, what are you talking about?

[@allanegleston13]

@ 10:48 is why i object to these " silent " zones. i thought that federal law supersceded local law. please someone pm me . thanks. like . nice video

[@WorldWideOfTrainsAndTrucks]

There quiet zones because there’s apartments next to Canal St or around it and engineers that come into OTC or out same with Canal set can only blow then if someone’s walking or a reason needed