Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

54 Years of Railroad Photography 1960-2014

Mike's Main Railroad Web Site

March 15, 2015

March 16, 2015

This is the hotel in Chicago's "Gold Coast" where we stayed for 4 nights. Our room was on the second floor where X marks the windows of our rooms. We had valet parking in the "Public Parking" to the right.

Caldwell Banker had their offices in this home across the street from our hotel. This photo was taken from the window of our hotel room.

After dropping Jan off at her meeting at 4th Presbyterian church, across from the John Hancock building on Michigan Ave, I headed south toward Roosevelt Road for my trip to Riverside and the Triple Track of the BNSF.

Here we see the CTA station above Roosevelt Ave. This is the station where we caught our train on our way to supper after arriving on the Cimmaron River on July 19, 2012. We walked from the Amtrak coach yard along Roosevelt Road.

While driving west on Roosevelt Road, this CTA train passed over the street near the University of Illinois - Chicago campus.

This is the Central Park station of CTA just off Ogden Ave.

I almost missed this Metra eastbound train at Riverside. A west bound freight had just left.

One of the landmarks of Riverside is this colorful watertower on the north side of the station.

Another landmark is the Public Library on the south side of the station. We spent some time in the library with our grandson in Dec. 2006 when he was about 6 months old. His parents and uncle were up at the observation deck of the Sears Tower.

This westbound empty oil train was led by a pair of CSX GEs.

This is the station at Riverside, ouside and inside.

Two headlights are seen in the distance. The one on the center track turns out to be the Amtrak train, "Carl Sandberg". The one on the left most track was a Metra eastbound.

The eastbound Metra was led by #112.

The train is then ready to depart.

This pile of dirtly snow was in park across from the station.

A track inspector is seen checking the middle track of the triple track.

Next we see a west bound Metra train as it approaches and stops at the Riverside station.

This sign was on the north side station at Riverside.

A vehicle train was next up westbound.

This water tower was located on the bank of the Des Paines River.

I then drove toward Chicago and caught this train at the Harlem Ave station.

This is the Metra Harlem Ave station.

This is the Metra Berwyn, IL station on the south side of the tracks.

A BNSF GE unit is sitting at the west end of the Cicero Yard.

A westbound Metra is seen approaching the Berwyn station for its stop.

This BNSF cantilever signal bridge is located just west of the Berwyn station.

This eastbound Metra is seen approaching the Berwyn, IL station.

Amtrak "California Zephyr" is seen passing a stopped BNSF freight just west of the Harlem Ave Metra station.

A westbound Metra train is seen stopping at the Berwyn station in the distance.

As it accelerates from the stop, a dark cloud of exhaust is seen pouring from the stacks.

The rain is then seen approaching the stop at Harlem Ave.

Our Metra train is then seen meeting a stopped BNSF intermodal train.

The BNSF inermodal is then seen moving as the Metra train heads west.

The eastbound BNSF intermodal is then seen meeting the Metra train as it heads to Cicero Yard.

I then returned to Riverside where I shot these 2 westbounds.

The Amtrak train "California Zephyr" overtakes the BNSF freight.

We then see the BNSF freight. Note the Amtrak train disappearing over the top of the grade.

Two westbound BNSF freight are seen in the distance.

The first to arrive was an empty unit coal train.

The westbound intermodal is seen as the end of the coal train approaches.

The end of the coal train is then seen as the unit oil train is passing the Riverside station.

The intermodal is then close.

The intermodal and unit oil trains are now both in the scene.

The unit oil train is then seen up close.

Eastbound Amtrak "Southwest Chief" is then seen passing the station at Riverside, IL.

The Metra train is then seen stopped at the station.

Here is another Metra.

My next train was the westbound Amtrak "Southwest Chief".

My last train at Riverside was this eastbound Metra.

After returning to Chicago, I shot this photo of a Metra train leaving North Western station for the line along the Kennedy Expressway.

This Metra train is seen leaving North Western station for the line out toward Elmhurst.

This Metra train is on the line out of the north end of Union Station.

I got at track level for the north Union Station tracks at Carpenter Street. This was my first Metra train there.

This was the next Metra train.

The next train was an inbound Metra.

Next came this outbound Metra.

The inbound train is then seen approaching the Carpenter Street crossing.

Next was an outbound Metra.

Then an inbound train appears and meets an outbound Amtrak for Milwaukee.

This was not my first meet at this location. The overpasses have been changed to crossings.

The City of 'Everywhere' is seen arriving behind a FP45 at the north end Chicago's Union Station on Aug. 23, 1969.

The "Afternoon Hiawatha" is seen leaving the north end of Union Station in Chicago as the City of 'Everywhere' is disappearing in the distance on Aug 23, 1969.

This train is on the Metra line toward Elmhurst on the former C&NW.

Two inbound Metra trains are seen in this shot, one for Union Station and one for North Western Station.

An inbound and an outbound Metra trains meet at the Morgan St crossing and then a meet with another inbound.

A Metra train is on the elevated track from the former C&NW North Western Station.

I caught the pusher of this inbound Metra train on my way to pick up Jan at 4th Presbyterian Church on Michigan Ave.

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