Scenes from Amtrak's 'Hoosier State', Indianapolis to Chicago at 3X Speed, 07.06.12

[@mkmcclure]

Bridge over the abandoned ROW is the ex-B&O to Illinois. That ROW should be preserved for light rail--at least in Marion County.

[@HighRail62]

Was just on the "Hoosier State" from Indy to Chicago. I couldn't video from the rear because it was in Business class.Great ride,non the less! Thanks for sharing and the music,perfect!

[@crownprinceofgroovy]

Tripling the speed on the video was brilliant. Like the background music too.

[@Rkevwill2687]

in 2017 we took the train from Indy to Chicago. Amtrak station in Indy, was hot, not air-conditioned, and it shares with Greyhound. Our train was over 4 hours late departing. Almost nothing worked well in the private compartment car (1st class) and it was stuffy. We should have done Business Class. Our trip back to Indy, was equally as depressing. Train was supposed to leave around 5. Their web site said it was leaving at 7:30, then 8, etc etc. We rented a car for the drive instead. We arrived in indy at 9PM via our rental car, the train had still not left Chicago. Unfortunately, never again! Too bad. We love trains.

[@Nachtwolf1]

The Villa Grove Sub goes as far as (I believe) Canal Street Yard near downtown Chicago, through the South Side. North of Joliet, UP trains either use trackage rights on CN's Joliet Sub (ex-IC) or the Leithton Sub (ex-EJ&E). Not many trains use the Joliet Sub, but the ones that do are either vehicle trains for the Indiana Harbor Belt or intermodal transfers from Global 4 to BNSF at Corwith Yard. UP traffic has ballooned on the ex-EJ&E from Joliet to the ex-C&NW Geneva Sub at West Chicago.

[@bbuck1003]

Gosh, I think I've watched this video 4 or 5 times now, and I love it! I don't live in the Midwest any longer, and it's great to see its beauty- not to mention the amazing and history-laden railroading- passing by out the window. As for the music, I have to say, I think I've found a new guilty pleasure (shhhhh). Having been a raver and deeply involved in underground electronic music (techno, Chicago house), Spacesynth is a happy medium for my worn out ears and my kids alike. Thanks for the vid!

[@gunsaway1]

Really great job

[@HOTRAILProductions]

If you look closely at 0:26, you will be notice a slight curve in the track after you pass the switch. That was where the PRR I&F Branch branched off the PRR St. Louis mainline. The St. Louis line continued straight west on the roadbed on the right.

[@mkmcclure]

That ROW goes so close to the Indianapolis airport. Ideal for being turned into a transit line. Indy is the largest city in the nation without rail transit.

[@TylersNeighborhoodGarage]

Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern amazingly still operates the ex-Big Four from Lafayette to Kankakee. "Amazingly", because the James Whitcomb Riley(predecessor of the Cardinal and Hoosier State) was forced off of that routing in 1973 by the FRA because Penn Central had let the track get so bad. They rerouted onto the ex-PRR between Chicago and Indy(using the I&F branch seen in the first few minutes here) and THAT line got shut down by the FRA in 1974 as well, account that track conditions were so poor that it was declared unsafe to operate even at 10mph. The entire line...Chicago to Winnemac, onto the I&F down to Indy, then onto the line to Jeffersonville. All of it condemned until they repaired it.

[@keithlewis9106]

Very good, I like how you lay out the track crossing and area .

[@HeartlandTuber]

All the windmills near Reynolds look like Northern Germany near the north sea coast where we were for a couple week last Spring. I am glad to see this many signs of alternative energy going up in Indiana.

[@alannavy9469]

good

[@stereoplayers]

Benton County has the largest concentration of wind farms in Indiana.

[@fogdan]

Great Job!! I enjoyed it!!

[@yesfandavidb]

Love the video! Just wish there was video of this going through the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago (my old neighborhood).

[@Ferrocarril_Chicago]

Disappointing to see the Hoosier State go. But yet on the exciting side, I sure wonder when they'll start the Iowa Pacific service on that line? Nice video by the way.

[@gfonzy]

+Metra MP36 407 I'm glad they brought the Iowa Pacific in to replace the Amtrak train , i like the color design of that IP train better it looks more retro. It stops in the City i live in.

[@yesfandavidb]

Not a replace, per se. A joint effort

[@RailRoadRex439]

I’m seeing this in late 2019. The Hoosier state has been rerouted into Illinois at this point. Is Iowa Pacific gonna run trains on the Monon again?

[@spaceghost8995]

@@RailRoadRex439 Amtrak still uses Monon line.

[@RailRoadRex439]

@@spaceghost8995 I’m aware.

[@mkmcclure]

Huge mistake abandoning the Monon north of Maynard. The Cardinal and Hoosier State previously entered via a connection under the Chicago Skyway approach on the east end. That was always faster and less choked than the CN (GTW) and UP and NS combination that is too full of freight on too few tracks.

[@ramonestubblefield758]

I always wondered what happened to that connection remember coming into Chicago that way and yes the connection now used is definitely congested for sure !!but hopefully with the create project the bottle neck in the 75th street corridor should become a thing of the past

[@BOBXFILES2374a]

Thanks for posting the video! I used to live in Chicago; never went to Indiana, though.

[@RosinGoblin]

Chicago borders Indiana. how could you have never gone there? The beaches in Indiana blow away any Chicago beaches...

[@flexmann2148]

It's official, Amtrak is now owner of the Iowa-Pacific Hoosier Line. from Chicago to Indy.

[@kevinhoward9593]

Under the Section 403(B) Amtrak does not financially support trains under 750 miles, so no its not owned by them. it is operated by them for the state.

[@Harveycartoonlvr11]

Yes, indeed...very well done! I never KNEW where that CSX Track South of U.S. 30 went, and now I know! I see this train all the time, and many of those locations going into Chicago should be approached with due caution, as the areas many of these tracks go through are not safe, and expect them to be heavily patrolled by BRC, NS, BNSF and CSX Police! You at least were on a train taking these. But the Railroad Police isn't all bad...they HAVE TO PROTECT PROPERTY AND LIVES. Goes with the job!

[@Kinopanorama1]

Why hasn't the circuitous route via Dwyer been replaced by a more direct route? Why not use the original Monon route circa the 1960s.

[@HOTRAILProductions]

Most of the original Monon, along with the many other Chicago-Indy routes has been abandoned.

[@UPRR11]

Great video! Very Well Done!

[@stephentodesco4965]

Very very cool video.. Very well done......

[@josephcarlbreil5380]

Out-of-date once again. Back to Amtrak rolling-stock. Iowa Pacific cancelled its agreement with Amtrak on account of losses.

[@EmpireStateExpress01]

I have a questions about Union Pacific lines in Chicago, 1.) How far does the UP Villa Grove Subdivision go (does it cross the UP St.Louis Line) ? How does the UP connect from Joliet to Chicago since CN owns the line North of Joliet ?

[@2Brandec]

This is one badass video

[@gillmann1234]

this is an awesome video!

[@EmpireStateExpress01]

Great Video !

[@davidcavinder8747]

Great job!

[@marcuswalton2922]

I kept my eyes wide open, but did not see the tracks that bring B.N.S.F. into Union Station!

[@timothystockman7533]

You missed Battle Ground (and its defect detector)...

[@HOTRAILProductions]

Good video. Is the Pizza King still open in Monon?

[@r.l.sturgeonmoore7475]

Nachtwolf1, what do you like the best about riding on Amtrak and what do you believe could use some improvement?

[@michaelglass4701]

AWESOME

[@RailRoadRex439]

7:30 that’s St. John

[@spaceghost8995]

Can't you film from the rear and then reverse the whole vid on playback?

[@MrEvanston]

Awesome video!! Thanks for uploading. Anyothers?

[@jimwolken6726]

sooo cool

[@JFRAMEUSA]

US 30 at 8:00.

[@RobertKrebill]

RIP Hoosier State

[@flexmann2148]

love the 80's track on the video, cool video.

[@marcuswalton2922]

I meant B.N.S.F. Metra or The Cal Z.

[@gfonzy]

Great video they are shutting down the Chicago to Indianapolis line April 1st 2015 , it's sad they are doing that..

[@Kinopanorama1]

+Gregger Crum Rubbish. Where did you come up with this nonsense?

[@gfonzy]

Where did I come up with this Duh , I live in Crawfordsville Indiana where that line runs thru, and it was in the Indianapolis Star that they were shutting it down, and my comment is over a year old, they brought the train back they are using an Iowa Pacific train now to operate that line. here it is in the paper from last year, my comment from a year ago almost before they brought in the new train.www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/03/06/state-end-amtraks-hoosier-state-line/24505977/

[@HOTRAILProductions]

Did you film the whole trip originally?

[@Westerner78]

No stop at Speedway, No stop at Indianapolis airport. No stop for a suburban park and ride at the new development at Brownsburg! Only paid parking in downtown Indianapolis at a crappie bus station they used as train station. Last time I was there the police followed the agent to the bathroom! No heat in the building! Shameful of Indianapolis!

[@whitingguy]

My stepfather worked out of Lafayette Yard

[@Jabbajawz4life]

How long is the train ride? About an hour?

[@bfan6032]

lol try over 5 hours. A car is much quicker (only 3 hours) and you don't have to leave at 6am.

[@spaceghost8995]

That cannot be the Avon yard. Amtrak doesn't go that way.

[@aaron7671]

Music ruined it, no offense.

[@spaceghost8995]

You don't have the ability to mute the sound? REALLY?

[@Kinopanorama1]

Awful, inappropriate music. Ditch it.

[@DuckOfRubber]

I normally hate such pretentious comments but in this case I can’t help but agree.

[@jslasher1]

What awful music.

[@bfan6032]

idk....driving is cheaper, and so much quicker (3 hours) and infinitely more convenient. The scenery is so much better, what with not having to crawl through ugly train yards. You can take a quick detour if you want. Trains are a thing of the past for very good reason. They are slow, unreliable, a hassle, expensive, and inconvenient.

[@spaceghost8995]

WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE THEN? We don't think train yards are ugly at all.

[@davidcavinder8747]

Great job!