Railroad Crossings of Chicago's Metra

Metra is Chicago's rail transportation network serving the suburbs of the city. There are a dozen lines going in all different directions away from the city. However, only a few are owned by Metra themselves, and thus the crossings are maintained by Metra. These are the the 2 Milwaukee District lines (North and West) and the Rock Island District.
This video will focus on the Rock Island District, plus show several crossings on the Southwest Service, which Metra recently sold off to NS. Although it's owned by NS now, the crossings still retain pretty much all of the Metra style equipment aside from the DOT signs, so I still count them as Metra crossings.
One thing of note is Metra's heavy use of mechanical bells, primarily WCH with some Safetrans thrown in. Up until recently, it was somewhat hard to find E Bells in use on the Metra owned lines. However, starting in the spring of 2017, Metra started installing the high pitched Siemens E Bells on the Milwaukee District lines, ending the nearly complete M bell dominance on those lines. So far, none have appeared to show up on the Rock Island District, but time will tell when or if they start being replaced.
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[@dumdum7786]

I'm glad that there is still someone out there using mechanical bells.

[@timothyj.harrington8952]

Metra is known for that. On the lines that Metra specifically owns, they would upgrade their crossing signals with LED's but they would still retain their mechanical bells.

[@brodiessirenproductions]

DART in the Dallas area loves their mechanical bells as well. Most of their lines use all mechanical bells, some lines are the same but with an occasional WCH or GS E-Bell

[@canadiannationalrailfanner2453]

@@timothyj.harrington8952 there use siemens bells now I think

[@METX141railfan]

@@timothyj.harrington8952the MILW lines have replaced a lot of them and UP will slowly be banning m-bells. Only RI, SWS, BIB, SSL will have M bells soon. Not the MILW lines. They are already gone on UP lines with the last replacement being Benton street in woodstock with a gs type 3 e-bell

[@KingTriton1837]

The mechanical bells are so much more harmonious than the electric ones. I love this video!

[@ronnywhite2926]

Gyahah as nxnsshshuawu waa uahzxnzsshauauahwiw27wuwushsshshhssusususuauhauahqyw

[@Computist40]

@ Buffalo Braun: agreed.

[@northwesternohiorailfan5622]

nice shots of the trains and crossings

[@tonijohnson7917]

On the 4th one THATS THE TRAIN I SEE ALOT NEXT TO WHAT EVER IS THERE IM SUPRISED

[@METX141railfan]

That is a station in Chicago

[@BassSuperPower]

4:35 That truck is sure impatient....

[@amykeleher7945]

There is still more 8. 13:09 State Street (Route 52) Crossing in Manhattan (SWS) 9.14:50 99th Street Crossing in Beverly (RI) 10. 17:41 North Street Crossing in Manhattan (SWS) 11. 19:42 120th Street Crossing in Blue Island (RI) 12. 22:35 Joliet Hwy Crossing in New Lenox (SWS)

[@scoobycarr5558]

At the beginning you can hear former Rock Island ding dings at the crossing in New Lenox

[@amykeleher7945]

Better time guide 1. 0:01 Cedar Road Crossing in New Lenox (RI) 2. 3:26 Old Hickory Road Crossing in New Lenox (RI) 3. 4:28 Gougar Road Crossing in New Lenox (RI) 4. 5:26 103rd Street Crossing in Beverly (RI) 5. 7:26 Smith Road Crossing in Manhattan (SWS) 6. 8:30 Laraway Road crossing in Manhattan/New Lenox (SWS) 7. 10:47 119th Street Crossing in Blue Island/Morgan Park (RI)

[@dearhazel.3710]

I love the first one.

[@lawrence18uk]

Wonder what the Christmas version of this Crossing looks like

[@scoobycarr5558]

Metra going 70 mph on the Rock Island! Back in the days when the Rock Island was on its last hurrah, commuter trains unfortunately had a speed restriction of 30. That was in the days just before the Rock Island called it quits by March of 1980.

[@lordmichaelnolan3993]

The TRE train that goes from Dallas -> Ft. Worth & Ft. Worth -> Dallas goes a top speed of 82 MPH.

[@Ih8kone]

This was filmed on Bob Barker's Birthday.

[@METX141railfan]

I’m a little late but 0:01 cedar rd new Lenox (RI) 3:35 old hickory rd new Lenox (RI) 4:30 gougar rd new Lenox (RI) 5:30 103rd st Beverly (RI) 7:33 smith st Manhattan (SWS) 8:35 laraway rd new Lenox (SWS) 10:55 119th st Beverly (RI) 13:13 state st Manhattan (SWS) 14:54 99th st Beverly (RI) 15:55 94th st Beverly (RI) 17:47 north st Manhattan (SWS) 19:44 120th st and Vincennes st Beverly (RI) 22:39 Joliet hwy new Lenox (SWS)

[@METX141railfan]

To educate those wondering about some other stuff 13:13 and 18:15 are the same crossing 14:15 this train keeps honking for the north street crossing sequence (unfortunately the area is not a horn zone anymore) This video features 2 metra lines. RI and SWS. Going outbound. Both of the last crossings of those lines were featured at 4:30 and 13:13 10:53 this train honks 4 times and then stops honking. This is because that is the 120th and Vincennes sequence which can be heard from here and is still it’s singular horn zone 22:33 this honk is park of the Illinois highway sequence. The Joliet highway sequence was the other 4 honks in the clip If this video was made today. There would only be 12 honks all video because Manhattan and new Lenox became quiet zones

[@amykeleher7945]

The Laraway Road crossing is now in a quiet zone

[@PGHammer21A]

TommyBNSF - The "signal runners" - especially in clip #3 - are driven by the train in question running in a "push" configuration (the loco at the rear of the trainset). It's not unique to Metra, either (or to passenger trains). - I've seen this silliness in CSX turf as well.

[@DaveWollenberg]

Well, Tommy, I would've thought you'd have more of the locations identified.

[@METX141railfan]

5:26 103rd st Chicago IL 7:25 smith road Manhattan IL 8:30 laraway road new Lenox IL 10:47 119th street blue island IL 13:08 state st (US 52) Manhattan IL 14:50 99th st Chicago IL 15:52 94th st Chicago IL 17:41 north st Manhattan IL 19:41 120th st and Vincennes rd blue island IL 22:34 Joliet hwy new Lenox IL

[@wearethekbproductions]

Love how Metra is strictly Mechanical bells

[@railsofchicagoandbeyond8832]

Korii Bellinger not true, on the UPNW lien they do use e bells.

[@dontderockmeriz4546]

Sws still has all mechanical bells. And back in the 80’s most of them were US&S teardrop bells.

[@kyleb06]

The reason the UP and BNSF lines are all electronic bells is because Metra doesn't own them, BNSF and UP do. Plus, Metra themselves started using electronic bells on their own lines, although more recently they did install a few new mechanical bells.

[@wearethekbproductions]

Ahhhh ok i see. If you check my videos out where i record in San Antonio, tx its mostly e bell central

[@maas1208]

They also have mostly mechanical locomotive bells

[@freebrickproductions]

Nice video! I noticed that the third crossing had the gate lights near you broken! Metra's crossings also kinda remind me of the LIRR in terms of bells. The Safetran at 17:45 sounds a bit flat!

[@quineshaisblessed2044]

freebrickproduction Thanks

[@732qwerty4]

Actually, it sounds cool.

[@amykeleher7945]

And also the rusty gong of that WCH bell.

[@electroscribe]

Great videos. How about shooting some of CTA’s level crossings - on the Yellow Line in Skokie and the Brown Linen at Kimball? I lived in Morton Grove in the 50s as a child, and remember North Shore trains blasting through. (When my mom went shopping in Skokie, I was always bugging her to drive a route that crossed the tracks in several places. Dempster, than Niles Center, and finally Oakton)

[@user-kq3wr9he9q]

Wow that's awesome

[@amjkodaz]

Now I know why they call it the Windy City, trains go so fast they blow you away lol

[@JohnJones-xf9pd]

That's where me and my dad and my brother cross there

[@arthursunandjohnsun2002]

I love those macanical bells

[@Mrcharles.]

They need to fix the railroad crossings and pull the gates up whenever they stop at the station so that traffic can keep going rather than being backed up for several miles

[@chooch1995]

Fix? As in 'they're broken'???

[@Mrcharles.]

chooch1995. No as in they need to adjust them so that whenever a train stops at the station it shouldn't have to go down until it leaves the station.

[@chooch1995]

The only problem with that is time.....& safety, of course. You've got to do some creeping to activate the gates and that eats up time...which might seem ridiculous but every delay adds up. When hoggers get a door light, it's straight to 8! The other big problem is liability. Every single car crossing the tracks represents potential liability. Why raise the gates & invite unnecessary liability when we can keep them down for the duration of the station stop? Lawyers figure in everywhere on the railroad, especially here!

[@AMTK90200]

@@chooch1995 actually, you don't have to play chicken with motion sensing crossings to get them to activate. Along with activating when a train is approaching, they also activate when a DTMF code is entered over the radio.

[@METX141railfan]

I disagree. At cedar road, 103rd street, 119th street, 94th street I may agree but one those gates go down the train would be crossing the tracks. At laraway road and 120th/Vincennes street the train is stopped on the intersection that means they can’t go or they will crash into one of the coaches

[@UnitedRailfan]

Great vid! Btw, where is the crossing located at 15:53? What town and street

[@rockisland4506]

AmtrakMan378 Chicago on the RI District

[@kyleb06]

He knows Chicago. What town in Chicago and street

[@ronnywhite2926]

Metra

[@DowntownWithBrown]

I believe it's 94th Street.

[@supermariobro93]

It’s on West 94th Street, between South Longwood and Vanderpoel.

[@mateomoreno6125]

I enjoy the railroad trains I love trains

[@josem3530]

Nice Catch

[@Cherryblossom656]

What's the difference between a E bell and a mechanical bell?

[@NoahDoane]

Winter TheCat E bells are electronic and have no moving parts, and instead speakers. Mechanical bells have a rod that moves and hits another part to make sound, like a bell.

[@Cherryblossom656]

Trainfreak 37 Ok thanks

[@Long_John15]

The 4th train has only 2 Cars LOL 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@coled5090]

14:54 Gate slams on Tahoe hood!

[@leysdianaalarcon8684]

my brother said that

[@Ih8kone]

There are 11 lines, 6 of them feed into Union Station.

[@METX141railfan]

OTC adds 3 more that would be 9 and mil+Lasalle st are 11

[@chooch1995]

You've got it backwards, Tommy! UP's 3 lines & BNSF's are staffed & maintained by their own people. Metra operates the other remaining lines. { There's a total of 11 lines, by the way }

[@mplantig24]

chooch1995 you forgot about CP as well. IC&E used to own the line CP uses until CP purchased IC&E. Also, CN owns a Metra line as well

[@marieplantig9922]

Maybe

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

You may be the one to ask...on the old CNW line out too hard when you are between Barrington and Crystal Lake many signals seem to stand surrounded by not guardrails but rather high rise platforms..Is that some kind floodplain thing?

[@ronnywhite2926]

Kkk

[@SamojamoVR]

(16:04) that seems like an odd place for a crossing (19:58) WHAT IS THAT?

[@oboyz3848]

That’s rock island for you everytime I get on we are literally in the middle of the street in the neighborhoods lol

[@METX141railfan]

Those 2 crossings are a few neighborhoods away, both being on the Beverly branch on rock island (RI)

[@METX141railfan]

⁠@@oboyz3848not all of these crossings are on the RI line. Smith rd,laraway rd,state st,north st,Joliet hywy are on SWS

[@johnjarquin4826]

3:53 Wow! This train is so damn fast!

[@METX141railfan]

Yes, ur gonna find fast trains at either direction over there

[@veggiepowered]

I'am Your Newest Subscriber

[@DowntownWithBrown]

North Street seems so much like a typical NS crossing, more so than most other SWS crossings.

[@ag6371]

The railroad crossing near Frontenac Road and US 34 got killed by an overpass recently

[@Ih8kone]

Which Metra line was featured in Home Alone (1990)?

[@MilesJajich]

The Union Pacific North Line. The shot took place at the Hubbard Woods Station.

[@ag6371]

Long live mechanical bells

[@benhuffstetler3282]

14:54 and 14:58 scariest part ever in this video.😨😨😨

[@nssteampunk4865]

Wonder if the first crossing has a WCH mechanical bell

[@METX141railfan]

Yes it is and it’s still there

[@CaptianNamco]

awesome video theres a idiot at 4:37 just ignored the red ight fashing lights when crossing signal is activated by the train that means stop ggod grief thats why ppl get killed and awesome various typs of mechanical bells

[@tonys4250]

Stopped way past the stop line there is even an arrow to show the idiot where he should stop.

[@denisetindall1487]

I like train videos on KZbin 😁

[@richtomeyer3081]

WTF.......... why and how the hell did I get here. Chooo chooo

[@ianmason4907]

Does anyone know what the bell on the crossings at 8:40 are? They remind me of the bells at Kirkwood station which I used to sit at for hours as a kid! Miss the mechanical bell sounds. Thanks for the videos!!

[@brodiessirenproductions]

They sound like they could be Western Cullen-Hayes mechanical bells.

[@METX141railfan]

@@brodiessirenproductionsthey are, this crossing on the SWS has still not replaced them

[@tonys4250]

When are you allowed to go after the train passes? Most people thinks it's as soon as the gate is up high enough it doesn't hit the roof of my car.

[@themetrafan7198]

THE GATE JUST WHEN OVER A CAR😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@EthansNZ-AUtrains-GAMING]

look A Water Tower looks like demolition At 8:06

[@Mirroxaphene]

Where is the crossing in the first part of the video?

[@user-yo3px3kt9w]

ME TOO

[@MetraBNSF]

What location at 19:40?

[@DowntownWithBrown]

120th and Vincennes in Blue Island

[@lastblossom_mayanggandes4367]

What Location At 4:46

[@METX141railfan]

@@lastblossom_mayanggandes4367that is gougar road in new Lenox, located on the RI line

[@MetxsightseerRailfan]

At 6:10 wheres that at?

[@METX141railfan]

Beverly Hills

[@gil.k9634]

Where’s 20:45

[@timothyj.harrington8952]

The 120th and Vincennes 4-way crossing near Blue Island on the RI District.

[@planeflight1202]

where is that at 20:50

[@METX141railfan]

Rock island, somewhere near blue island maybe

[@Young_Drizz]

4:58

[@EthansNZ-AUtrains-GAMING]

😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡4:37

[@JuiceWrldLivePerformances]

fox river grove was sad :(

[@METX141railfan]

There is not fox river grove action here, every crossing is in Chicago, new Lenox or Manhattan

[@themegbite3342]

20:01 location?

[@tyhik9338]

Will you do the metra electric line too?

[@kellyfisher3615]

Ty Hik hkhb

[@mplantig24]

That maybe ceased to exist. Maybe Highliners did too

[@debragillan5009]

Ty Hik don't you're not something to not flip my Usher off askew Google

[@debragillan5009]

Jessica's 👍

[@Ih8kone]

@@mplantig24 No it didn't.

[@bobm7250]

19:31

[@a0d_s]

not a single e-bell??

[@METX141railfan]

He just hates e bells😀😀

[@muskegonaviation]

At 19:06, what street is that?

[@METX141railfan]

That is at north street in Manhattan Illinois

[@schneidervargas5870]

Gate hit car 14:56

[@leysdianaalarcon8684]

I saw that

[@lastblossom_mayanggandes4367]

What name is this crossing? 4:46

[@METX141railfan]

Gougar road, new Lenox

[@bentheswitchsportsfan06]

4:36 really?

[@themetrafan7198]

That's a metra

[@davewollenberg1518]

Why'm I still gettin' stupid KZbins, women's products, yet. I no longer take their surveys. Smh.

[@electroscribe]

Too bad the computerized controller can’t sense that trains aren’t moving while stopped at stations and raise the gates until the train starts up again.