Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren
 |
52 Years of Railroad Photography
1960-2012
|
 |
Saturday July 21, 2012
Amtrak Grand Rapids to Chicago
| We slept on the Cimarron River in Grand Rapids, MI, connected to the Amtrak train. We awoke to the train heading for the station. The ex-Conrail snow plow was spotted in the yard south of the station in Grand Rapids. |
 |
| I then spotted the two Chessie cabooses in the Grand Rapids CSX yard. |
 |
 |
| This GP15-1 was also in the yard at Grand Rapids. |
 |
| At our stop in Holland, MI, this young lady railfan talked with our group while we were stopped. |
 |
| This is the Amtrak station in Holland, MI |
 |
| This is the Bangor, MI Amtrak station. |
 |
| We passed under this coaling tower near Michigan City, IN. |
 |
| We joined the former New York Central tracks at Porter, IN. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| This is the Portage/Ogden Dunes station on the South Shore electric line. A great place for watching trains. |
 |
| A loaded UP unit coal train is seen westbound just east of Gary, IN. |
 |
| We passed this westbound NS intermodal train. |
 |
| It is so sad to see four 2-track lift bridges with only 1 still in use. |
 |
| We then ran past these switchers. |
 |
| This vertical lift bridge had "split rail" derails on all tracks leading to the span. |
 |
| We passed this intermodal on what appears to have been PRR trackage. |
 |
| Here we see several NS units getting refueled. |
 |
| We then passed under this signal bridge with position light signals from PRR days. |
 |
| Another string of NS units. |
 |
 |
| We passed this NS intermodal in the yard south of the Chicago River. |
 |
| Then we pass this UP switcher. |
 |
| We got a "stop" signal. This train then pulled up even with my roomette and stopped in the shade of a bridge. |
 |
 |
 |
| We got going again and met passed this Metra train sitting in their downtown commuter yard. |
 |
| We passed this Amtrak train just south of Union Station. |
 |
| Here is the power for our "Pere Marquite" from Grand Rapids. |
 |
| These are the imfamous stairs from the movie "Untouchables", where the baby carriage rolls down the steps during a gun fight. |
 |
| After I got to Chicago, I grabbed a bite to eat at Union Station and caught the 12:40pm train to Riverside. |
 |
| Here is the train that I rode. |
 |
 |
| The first in-bound was this Metra. |
 |
 |
| This was the first BNSF east bound freight. |
 |
 |
| This CSX unit was leading a bare table train eastbound. |
 |
| In the going away shots you can see 2 other trains, the BNSF freight which just passed my location and a westbound BNSF stack train. |
 |
 |
| That westbound BNSF stack train is now seen over the top of the rear of the bare table train. |
 |
 |
| My next action was this eastbound Amtrak on the center track. |
 |
| The going away shows a westbound Metra on the near track. |
 |
 |
| We then see the Metra arriving in the station. |
 |
 |
 |
| My next train was the Amtrak "California Zephyr" westbound with the private car "Southern #1" on the rear. |
 |
 |
 |
| The next westbound was this BNSF "Z-piggy". |
 |
 |
| Then I got an eastbound "Z-piggy". |
 |
 |
| The "Z-piggy" then met this westbound Metra first seen leaving the station at Harlem Ave. |
 |
 |
 |
| As the Metra disappears a BNSF freight peeks over the top of the grade west of Riverside. |
 |
| That BNSF peeping over the hill was this eastbound container train. |
 |
 |
| The Amtrak "Southwest Chief" is seen rushing through Riverside on its journey west. |
 |
 |
 |
| The next train was this inbound Metra. |
 |
 |
| Then we get this eastbound Amtrak. |
 |
 |
| Then I got this westbound Metra. Look carefully in the lower right side of the image, there is a BNSF intermodal on the near track in the distance. |
 |
 |
| Here is the westbound empty coal train which we could see in the distance in the previous Metra shots. |
 |
| Next was this eastbound intermodal. |
 |
 |
 |
| This Metra appeared before the intermodal had disappeared. |
 |
| The water tower is a landmark of Riverside. BNSF decorated cars are landmarks of the "triple track" service. |
 |
|
 |
| The last of the freights was this eastbound. |
 |
| Before it had completely passed, my ride into the city peeped over the top of the hill. |
 |
| Here is my train. I spent 4 hours in Riverside. During that time, I shot 22 trains, twice the sequences had 3 trains showing,6 times there were 2 trains showing. |
 |
| This is the view of downtown from my Metra seat on the way into the city. |
 |
This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren.
Earlier issues of Recent Trains are available through the
indexes.
If you would like to receive the next issue of Recent Trains,
request that your email address be put on the distribution list
by emailing me at mcondren@cbu.edu.