Best route for a 2-3 hour joyride out of Chicago?

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Texan Eagle

Conductor
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Messages
1,705
Out of all the Amtrak routes starting from Chicago, which one would be the best (most scenic or just interesting from a rail fan perspective) for a 2-3 hour joyride that can be done in a single day?

I have one Saturday free in Chicago and want to do some Amtrak roundtrip that starts at a decent time in the morning/afternoon and gets me back to Chicago by evening (so, for example Hoosier State would not work).

I have already done the run to Milwaukee and will be taking TE to STL next day, so those two routes are out of the race.
 
GaSteve said:
Why don't you get a METRA weekend pass and go to a couple or three end-of-the-line destinations and back. I once rode almost 500 miles over a 2 day weekend doing that.
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I have already done 3 METRA lines to end-of-the-line and don't want to do more of those. I'd rather ride one of the so many Amtrak routes out of Chicago.
 
Id say ride out to Galesburg in the morning, have lunch, (several good places close to tbe Station)and explore this Historic great old Railroad town. (there's a Rail Museum next to the Amtrak Station (if open when you're there?)Then catch the Chief or Zephyr back to Chicago.

Second choice would be to Joliet, take Amtrak one way, Metra the other, Several choices for trains.

You might also consider the South Shore Route to the South Bend Airport,it's a fun day trip also.

The old standby of buying a,pass and riding the "L" all over is also a good choice if you haven't done it!
 
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Last March I made three trips in three days -- one to Niles, Michigan, one to Galesburg, IL, and one to Bloomington-Normal, IL.

I especially enjoyed the trip to Niles to see the classic Romanesque train station there. Plus the train ran at speeds up to 110 mph according to my GPS.

Second favorite was Galesburg, IL, which has a couple of museums nearby and several railroad cars -- passenger and freight -- on display near the station.

On another day, I also enjoyed a trip on the Chicago, South Shore, & South Bend line out to Michigan City, IN to experience their street running and viewing the old Gary steel mills that I remember from my trips on the B&O's Columbian through that area 60 years ago.
 
Good recommendations by Bob Dylan. I would add Chicago-Springfield, 301 or 303 down, 304 back. Spend the layover seeing the Lincoln-related sites: his law office, the Old Capitol across the street, his house a few blocks away. (Those three are all free, by the way.) The Lincoln Museum is a must-see if your layover is long enough to do it justice, but the museum gift shop is worth a look-see if it isn't.

If you want to take a train just to take a train, and don't mind catching a train at ZeroDarkThirty 7am, taking 301 to Bloomington/Normal and 22 back would give you rides on both a corridor and long-distance train; breakfast in a cafe car and lunch in a dining car. :)
 
The furthest possible places to travel and return same day to Chicago are Carbondale, IL, Milwaukee, WI, Pontiac, MI, Quincy, IL, and St. Louis, MO. This means any stations on the Carl Sandburg/Illinois Zephyr, Hiawatha Service, Illini/Saluki, Lincoln Service, or Wolverine are possible.
 
Very nice suggestions coming in. I hope this will help others too who have a similar question.

Which routes apart from Lincoln Service currently have 110mph running, and between which stations can I experience it? I'd love to do that if it is possible in a day trip.
 
John Bredin said:
Texan Eagle said:
Which routes apart from Lincoln Service currently have 110mph running, and between which stations can I experience it? I'd love to do that if it is possible in a day trip.
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In the Midwest? Only the Wolverines & Blue Water, between Portage (IN) and Kalamazoo.
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Is the entire route from Portage to Kalamazoo cleared for 110mph now? If I ride only upto, say, Niles, will I get to experience 110mph running?
 
One restaurant on the Wolverine line--and near the Troy Transit Center, where the Wolverine stops--is the Big Rock Chop House, a steakhouse located in the building which had been the Grand Trunk passenger station in Birmingham for many years.
 
Texan Eagle said:
John Bredin said:
Texan Eagle said:
Which routes apart from Lincoln Service currently have 110mph running, and between which stations can I experience it? I'd love to do that if it is possible in a day trip.
Click to expand...
In the Midwest? Only the Wolverines & Blue Water, between Portage (IN) and Kalamazoo.
Click to expand...
Is the entire route from Portage to Kalamazoo cleared for 110mph now? If I ride only upto, say, Niles, will I get to experience 110mph running?
Click to expand...
When I rode from Chicago to Niles last March, my train reached 110 mph in both directions, according to the GPS I was carrying.
 
If you haven't done the South Shore Line, I'd do it before they get rid of the street running (which they are planning to do).
 
neroden said:
If you haven't done the South Shore Line, I'd do it before they get rid of the street running (which they are planning to do).
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Is it safe to ride that route as a non-white person? Sorry for the politically incorrect question, but I have heard a lot of bad things about Gary, Indiana, coupled with the recent atmosphere of dislike for people of foreign origin, I have to consider things like these which may sound ridiculous and unnecessary to some of you. What is the crowd profile like on South Shore line? Does it get homeless and bums onboard like many commuter systems across the country?
 
Texan Eagle said:
neroden said:
If you haven't done the South Shore Line, I'd do it before they get rid of the street running (which they are planning to do).
Click to expand...
Is it safe to ride that route as a non-white person? Sorry for the politically incorrect question, but I have heard a lot of bad things about Gary, Indiana, coupled with the recent atmosphere of dislike for people of foreign origin, I have to consider things like these which may sound ridiculous and unnecessary to some of you. What is the crowd profile like on South Shore line? Does it get homeless and bums onboard like many commuter systems across the country?
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The train is very safe. Gary is not the best area, but the train is too expensive for most of the poor population to ride. I rode it to South Bend last winter and found it to be a really fun trip.
 
Texan Eagle said:
Is the entire route from Portage to Kalamazoo cleared for 110mph now? If I ride only up to, say, Niles, will I get to experience 110mph running?
Click to expand...
Yes, it's been running at 110 for at least a couple of years or so.

Niles has a beautiful station. I've never seen the interior, but I enjoy seeing the exterior every time we stop.
 
Texan Eagle said:
neroden said:
If you haven't done the South Shore Line, I'd do it before they get rid of the street running (which they are planning to do).
Click to expand...
Is it safe to ride that route as a non-white person? Sorry for the politically incorrect question, but I have heard a lot of bad things about Gary, Indiana, coupled with the recent atmosphere of dislike for people of foreign origin, I have to consider things like these which may sound ridiculous and unnecessary to some of you. What is the crowd profile like on South Shore line? Does it get homeless and bums onboard like many commuter systems across the country?
Click to expand...
I've been on the South Shore many times, and it reminds me of Metra. You get crowds of commuters, students, and tourists along with people going to Cubs/Sox/Bears/Bulls/Hawks games. I've seen people of all colors. Nobody gives anyone else a second thought. Most people just chat with their friends, read a book, etc. I really don't think you'll have any issues if you're just going for a joyride to Michigan City and not hanging out in the sketchy parts of Gary.
 
Will echo those recommending the South Shore line. What's not to like about EMUs with overhead wire, gauntlet track at the stations, and the fabled street running through Michigan City?

South Bend is about 20 miles from Niles, so you could conceivably ride the South Shore to South Bend, hop on Uber/Lyft to Niles, check out Niles station, and return to Chicago on the Wolverine. Or in reverse.
 
SarahZ said:
Texan Eagle said:
Is the entire route from Portage to Kalamazoo cleared for 110mph now? If I ride only up to, say, Niles, will I get to experience 110mph running?
Click to expand...
Yes, it's been running at 110 for at least a couple of years or so.

Niles has a beautiful station. I've never seen the interior, but I enjoy seeing the exterior every time we stop.
Click to expand...
Interior of Niles station is beautiful hardwood, and the station agent gave me a free postcard and descriptive literature when he saw me taking photos.
 

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