Chicago Trip Report
Day One
On June 1st I flew to Chicago from Central Kentucky, arriving at 7:00 AM. I caught the hotel shuttle to have them check my bag for check in later that day. They took me back to the Cumberland Blue Line Station and I took the train to Clinton Street and walked the short two blocks to CUS. Bt the way, if any need to know, the Hertz Car Return and Pickup is on Clinton, just a few steps south of CUS. Also, to reach the entrance/exit from CUS to Clinton Street, you have to go into the Great Hall and exit under the big American Flag.
I picked up my tickets for Friday and Saturday’s trips from a very nice lady at the counter. I was the only one in line and we chatted for a while. I mentioned I was retired and was just out riding trains. She thought that was great. Very friendly. Then, down a few windows I saw the ticket agent lady who had assisted me and my wife with some changes in our tickets nearly two years ago for our EB trip. She didn’t have any customers so I talked with her for a few minutes, too. When I told her how nice she had been two years ago and I had taken her picture, she said she thought I looked familiar. What a great start to an Amtrak weekend. Two friendly employees, already and I haven’t even gotten on a train, yet.
I wandered around CUS and took a few pictures. What a magnificent building.
I needed to get to the LaSalle Street Station, then to catch the Metra 507 at 9:30 AM to Joliet. I had ridden a number of the other Metra lines before, but not this one. It follows the old Rock Island Line south and west of Chicago. Boarded the train about 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time and it left right on the dot. Metra owns all the tracks to Joliet and they are in good repair and very smooth. The first stop is 17 minutes out and this train would really move along on the straight stretches. I was one of about 15 people in my car, not crowded at all. Rush hour was over.
When the train gets to Beverly Hills and Morgan Park, it stops every 4-5 blocks between 95th and 123rd. This makes the going slow, but interesting to see how many people get on and off quickly. Each station stop was maybe 10-15 seconds.
We arrived at the old Joliet Station right on time and the train sits there for a while and then becomes the next one to return to Chicago. At non-rush hours they run hourly.
The old station has been somewhat refurbished, has rooms for special banquets, weddings, and there is a full bar and sports grill in the lower level. Metra and Amtrak have agents on duty. I chatted with the Amtrak agent for a few minutes. No Amtrak trains would come through while I was there, unfortunately.
I took some pictures of the station and then walked to town for lunch. Joliet is the county seat of Will County, Illinois and is where the famous old State Penitentiary is located. So happens they were having some type of big trial going on the day I was there.
I ate in a little place right near the court house and they were getting ready for the jury to come in for lunch later in the mid-day. Little hole-in-the-wall place but I had a great Patty Melt sandwich. I then walked back down to the station.
Up on the second level two main lines cross each other within 4-5 feet of the edge of the platform. It is perfectly OK to stand there and watch the many freights and Metras pass by. Simply a great picture taking spot. I watched several freight trains and my Metra come in. I then took number 516 back to Chicago, this time sitting in an upper level seat. Riding out my view had been to the west; going back I was looking east.
I was back in the Loop about 2:45 PM. Had some time before I needed to ride the Blue Line back out to Cumberland, near O’Hare. I took the Red Line out north to Wilson Avenue. This was the station we used when I was a kid in the 40’s and 50’s as my grandmother lived only about 6 blocks from this stop. I hadn’t been there since 1962. Things had changed! But, it brought back some memories. Riding the old brown and orange cars with wicker seats, seeing the North Shore Electro Liners speed past the station platform, what days those where.
I then rode the Red Line back down to Belmont and transferred to a Brown Line train so I didn’t go back in the subway and could ride the El all the way back down to the Loop. I transferred to an Orange Line train in the Loop and rode it around to where I could transfer to the Blue Line and took that back out to get checked into my hotel for the night. I had a rental car from O’Hare and picked it up and went to a little pizza place in Rosemont for a great Chicago pizza. The small size was so big I couldn’t eat it all.
Day Two
Today would take me to Milwaukee and back on the Hiawatha Service. All unreserved coach class, only.
I was up and on the Blue Line train early as I didn’t know how the rush hour crowds would be on a Friday. Even getting on 2 stops from O’Hare where the train starts, I had to stand most of the way downtown. I also made this discovery. I was probably only one of very few people who didn’t have an IPod type device plugged into my ears while riding the trains. I never saw so many people with wires hanging down the sides of their head in my life. I guess it’s the new thing. And, if they didn’t have an IPod, they were on a cell phone.
I arrived at CUS about an hour before train time and so had a quick breakfast at the upper level MacDonald’s. Nice place, fast, hot food and the décor is great for a rail fan. Many, many pictures on the walls from rail days gone by. Lots of steam engines, streamliners, etc. I tried to look at as many as possible, but there were lots of people having breakfast.
Our train would leave from the north side at Gate B. Everyone congregates in a small waiting area and then they open the gate and it’s a mad dash to get on first. Looked to be about 50-75 people this AM. The consist was a Cabbage on the rear, three coaches, and a P-42 on the front. When this one gets to Milwaukee, it then becomes the next one going back to CUS. In fact, I would ride it back after an hour wait in Milwaukee.
We left exactly on time and arrived in Milwaukee exactly on time. They have this down to a science, I guess since there are so many trains both ways each day.
One of the coaches is a quiet car. I opted to ride the regular coach going up and the quiet car coming back. Glad I did. Unlike the El/Subway and Metra, Amtrak is a place where people talk to each other; get to know one another, on short 1½ hour trips such as this one. In this short time I met and talked with folks from Florida, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Illinois. We all joked and told stories and learned where everyone was going and why. If you don’t like that sort of conversation, Amtrak isn’t for you!
In Milwaukee with just an hour, I could only wander around the station and outside a little ways. When I passed through here on the EB several years ago there were some private cars sitting at the far side of the station. They were still there, plus a few more. I was able to get a few pictures of them, but the station folks wouldn’t give me permission to get up close to them. The lighting was really bad.
We boarded about 10 minutes before departure time for the south bound trip that would put me back in Chicago about 12:30 PM.
While we left on time, we stopped at the new Mitchell Field station south of Milwaukee and probably 30-40 people boarded the train. Took longer than normal and we were 4 minutes late leaving. Then, almost immediately we had to stop on a siding and wait for a CN freight to pass going north. Made up some of the time as we were only 4 minutes down into CUS.
Some interesting observations. The windows were extremely dirty on the train. I tried a number of different seats, but the windows were always really dirty. Very difficult to try and take pictures.
The suburbs north of Chicago have passed no-whistle ordinances. While the engineer blew the horn out in the country and in some cities, several of the well to do bergs caused the train to run quietly as it passed through their little towns. I wonder what the liability situation would be if they hit a car or pedestrian?
From CUS I walked back down to Clinton Street to catch the Blue Line and took it to Monroe where I transferred to the South Bound Red Line to Roosevelt Road. The last time I walked on this street was in the 50’s where I took many slides of old trains coming out of the many stations Chicago had in those days. Then it was a narrow street. Today it is 6-8 lanes of high speed traffic.
I walked from State Street down to Canal on the north side and had several nice picture opportunities. Saw the Texas Eagle leaving and several Metra trains. There is also a large open grassy area between LaSalle Station tracks and the river that used to be all tracks years ago.
At Canal I crossed to the south side of Roosevelt and walked back to State Street. From the south side you can see the Metra and Amtrak yards. Another nice picture taking area.
It took me almost an hour to make the roundtrip walk as I stopped and watched for trains quite a bit. It is a healthy walk, though.
At State Street and Roosevelt I boarded an Orange Line train back to the Loop and got off at Adams and walked over to State where I met RMADISONWI, a fellow Forum Member, for an early evening meal and discussion of things Amtrak.
Robert was very helpful to me, as were many others, several years ago, when I was new to all this and as we have new people coming for advice and guidance even today on the Forum. I was getting ready for my first Amtrak trip on the EB and had tons of questions. He and I had communicated several times over the years and it was really nice to put a face with a name and share some time talking about our favorite subject. I’m 65 and he has just graduated from college. Amtrak has no age barrier!
After dinner I took the Blue Line back out to Cumberland to get to bed early as I had a 7:50 AM train the next morning.
Day Three
Up at 5:30 AM to get ready to again take the Blue Line to Clinton Street and the two block walk to the station. Simply a beautiful day and nice and cool.
They asked the business class to come into the pre-boarding area first and then allowed us to go out to the train about 10 minutes before the coach passengers. B.C. is in the front of the café car, only about 15 seats. But, there is a lot of room between seats and one seat on one side of the aisle and two on the other. Nice, big, comfortable seats with leg and foot rests and a big tray table. However, the windows were very dirty. Amtrak needs to learn to wash windows!!
Of the 15 seats, 11 were filled. The train left right on time. I was on 350, the same one that some days before had hit the dump truck near Jackson.
After leaving the station, I walked to the café and ordered a breakfast sandwich and OJ. The OJ was free and the sandwich, egg, cheese and sausage on a bagel was very good. Fresh and so hot I had to let it cool down. Later I went back for a coffee and it was very tasty, too.
We remained almost on schedule all the way to Battle Creek, Michigan, where I would leave the train and catch 353 back to Chicago.
There was a young boy, maybe 8-9 years old, riding by himself. His mother had put him on in CUS, and the conductor took him to his seat. They put a wrist band on him with his ID info and I was impressed that the conductor and SA would check on him ever so often to make sure he was OK.
The ride, even at 79mph was very smooth and I never spilled a drop of my coffee. Our car is the one right behind the cabbage which is in the lead going east bound. The horn is loud and continuous.
What always impresses me is how friendly the fellow passengers are on Amtrak. I never spoke to or was spoken to by anyone on the flight to Chicago. On the train yesterday and today, within minutes everyone is talking to everyone else.
I mention to one lady next to me I was just out riding trains for the weekend. She told two other people in the café and I had several people come up to me and start asking questions about long distance travel and what to expect. Thanks to two years on the Forum, I could answer the questions.
I also find it interesting at how many people are riding a train for the first time. What does that tell you about the need for Amtrak in this country?
Right outside Dowagiac we sat on a siding for about 10 minutes waiting for 365 and 351 to pass going westbound. They were both running late.
We were 10 minutes down into Battle Creek, but I still have almost two hours before boarding 353 back to Chicago.
I used to travel to Battle Creek on business years ago and always came into town by car. Strange to come into the downtown area a few blocks from where I had business meetings. I walked down and had lunch a Bistro on Michigan Street, walked around a little while and then back to the station.
Some interesting people waiting for the train. I talked to one fellow who was supposed to have been on the same train the day before. He said he was pretty drunk when he got there and they wouldn’t let him on. He had sobered up this day and would make it to Chicago, finally. Then there were a collection of people with various handicaps, blind, walking disabilities, etc. Really nice folks and they were on their way to St Paul to then go down to the Mayo Clinic. They said they could never afford to fly and the train was the only way to get there.
Turned out 353 was running 20 minutes late, but she pulled in and we all boarded. I was amazed to see the handicapped folks trying to board with their luggage and help each other and NONE of the conductors tried to help. Finally, several other passengers and I helped them and took their luggage on. They all went into coach I went through the café to the business class seats.
We left Battle Creek 30 minutes late and would never regain it all the way to Chicago.
The windows are dirty!
Across the aisle from me are two couples from Switzerland who, amazingly, hardly speak a word of English. They conversed in German the whole trip. I thought everyone in Europe spoke English.
When we hit the time zone change area the conductor made an announcement to turn you watches back an hour. I could tell they were wondering what he said. I pointed to my watch and tried to explain we had gained an hour. It finally took. I guess they don’t have but one time zone in Switzerland!
In front of those folks was a couple from Melbourne, Australia. They were on a two week trip to the US and loved to ride trains. They had flown into Detroit and were on 353 to Chicago to catch the Lake Shore to NYP. They had a sleeper for that leg and no one had told them they could use the lounge in Chicago and that meals were included in the ticket price. I explained all that to them. Just a delightful couple and we talked most of the way back to Chicago. We even exchanged emails and I took their picture and sent it to them so they will have it when they return home.
Back to Chicago 30 minutes down. I helped the Australians find the lounge and I was off for the last time to Clinton Street to ride out to my hotel. I flew home the next morning and was never able to start a conversation with anyone on the plane.
There are 265 pictures I took on this trip on my photo page if you are interested. The link is here
It was a great trip and I would like to do another weekend sometime. If anyone has a question or comment, please let me know.
Day One
On June 1st I flew to Chicago from Central Kentucky, arriving at 7:00 AM. I caught the hotel shuttle to have them check my bag for check in later that day. They took me back to the Cumberland Blue Line Station and I took the train to Clinton Street and walked the short two blocks to CUS. Bt the way, if any need to know, the Hertz Car Return and Pickup is on Clinton, just a few steps south of CUS. Also, to reach the entrance/exit from CUS to Clinton Street, you have to go into the Great Hall and exit under the big American Flag.
I picked up my tickets for Friday and Saturday’s trips from a very nice lady at the counter. I was the only one in line and we chatted for a while. I mentioned I was retired and was just out riding trains. She thought that was great. Very friendly. Then, down a few windows I saw the ticket agent lady who had assisted me and my wife with some changes in our tickets nearly two years ago for our EB trip. She didn’t have any customers so I talked with her for a few minutes, too. When I told her how nice she had been two years ago and I had taken her picture, she said she thought I looked familiar. What a great start to an Amtrak weekend. Two friendly employees, already and I haven’t even gotten on a train, yet.
I wandered around CUS and took a few pictures. What a magnificent building.
I needed to get to the LaSalle Street Station, then to catch the Metra 507 at 9:30 AM to Joliet. I had ridden a number of the other Metra lines before, but not this one. It follows the old Rock Island Line south and west of Chicago. Boarded the train about 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time and it left right on the dot. Metra owns all the tracks to Joliet and they are in good repair and very smooth. The first stop is 17 minutes out and this train would really move along on the straight stretches. I was one of about 15 people in my car, not crowded at all. Rush hour was over.
When the train gets to Beverly Hills and Morgan Park, it stops every 4-5 blocks between 95th and 123rd. This makes the going slow, but interesting to see how many people get on and off quickly. Each station stop was maybe 10-15 seconds.
We arrived at the old Joliet Station right on time and the train sits there for a while and then becomes the next one to return to Chicago. At non-rush hours they run hourly.
The old station has been somewhat refurbished, has rooms for special banquets, weddings, and there is a full bar and sports grill in the lower level. Metra and Amtrak have agents on duty. I chatted with the Amtrak agent for a few minutes. No Amtrak trains would come through while I was there, unfortunately.
I took some pictures of the station and then walked to town for lunch. Joliet is the county seat of Will County, Illinois and is where the famous old State Penitentiary is located. So happens they were having some type of big trial going on the day I was there.
I ate in a little place right near the court house and they were getting ready for the jury to come in for lunch later in the mid-day. Little hole-in-the-wall place but I had a great Patty Melt sandwich. I then walked back down to the station.
Up on the second level two main lines cross each other within 4-5 feet of the edge of the platform. It is perfectly OK to stand there and watch the many freights and Metras pass by. Simply a great picture taking spot. I watched several freight trains and my Metra come in. I then took number 516 back to Chicago, this time sitting in an upper level seat. Riding out my view had been to the west; going back I was looking east.
I was back in the Loop about 2:45 PM. Had some time before I needed to ride the Blue Line back out to Cumberland, near O’Hare. I took the Red Line out north to Wilson Avenue. This was the station we used when I was a kid in the 40’s and 50’s as my grandmother lived only about 6 blocks from this stop. I hadn’t been there since 1962. Things had changed! But, it brought back some memories. Riding the old brown and orange cars with wicker seats, seeing the North Shore Electro Liners speed past the station platform, what days those where.
I then rode the Red Line back down to Belmont and transferred to a Brown Line train so I didn’t go back in the subway and could ride the El all the way back down to the Loop. I transferred to an Orange Line train in the Loop and rode it around to where I could transfer to the Blue Line and took that back out to get checked into my hotel for the night. I had a rental car from O’Hare and picked it up and went to a little pizza place in Rosemont for a great Chicago pizza. The small size was so big I couldn’t eat it all.
Day Two
Today would take me to Milwaukee and back on the Hiawatha Service. All unreserved coach class, only.
I was up and on the Blue Line train early as I didn’t know how the rush hour crowds would be on a Friday. Even getting on 2 stops from O’Hare where the train starts, I had to stand most of the way downtown. I also made this discovery. I was probably only one of very few people who didn’t have an IPod type device plugged into my ears while riding the trains. I never saw so many people with wires hanging down the sides of their head in my life. I guess it’s the new thing. And, if they didn’t have an IPod, they were on a cell phone.
I arrived at CUS about an hour before train time and so had a quick breakfast at the upper level MacDonald’s. Nice place, fast, hot food and the décor is great for a rail fan. Many, many pictures on the walls from rail days gone by. Lots of steam engines, streamliners, etc. I tried to look at as many as possible, but there were lots of people having breakfast.
Our train would leave from the north side at Gate B. Everyone congregates in a small waiting area and then they open the gate and it’s a mad dash to get on first. Looked to be about 50-75 people this AM. The consist was a Cabbage on the rear, three coaches, and a P-42 on the front. When this one gets to Milwaukee, it then becomes the next one going back to CUS. In fact, I would ride it back after an hour wait in Milwaukee.
We left exactly on time and arrived in Milwaukee exactly on time. They have this down to a science, I guess since there are so many trains both ways each day.
One of the coaches is a quiet car. I opted to ride the regular coach going up and the quiet car coming back. Glad I did. Unlike the El/Subway and Metra, Amtrak is a place where people talk to each other; get to know one another, on short 1½ hour trips such as this one. In this short time I met and talked with folks from Florida, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Illinois. We all joked and told stories and learned where everyone was going and why. If you don’t like that sort of conversation, Amtrak isn’t for you!
In Milwaukee with just an hour, I could only wander around the station and outside a little ways. When I passed through here on the EB several years ago there were some private cars sitting at the far side of the station. They were still there, plus a few more. I was able to get a few pictures of them, but the station folks wouldn’t give me permission to get up close to them. The lighting was really bad.
We boarded about 10 minutes before departure time for the south bound trip that would put me back in Chicago about 12:30 PM.
While we left on time, we stopped at the new Mitchell Field station south of Milwaukee and probably 30-40 people boarded the train. Took longer than normal and we were 4 minutes late leaving. Then, almost immediately we had to stop on a siding and wait for a CN freight to pass going north. Made up some of the time as we were only 4 minutes down into CUS.
Some interesting observations. The windows were extremely dirty on the train. I tried a number of different seats, but the windows were always really dirty. Very difficult to try and take pictures.
The suburbs north of Chicago have passed no-whistle ordinances. While the engineer blew the horn out in the country and in some cities, several of the well to do bergs caused the train to run quietly as it passed through their little towns. I wonder what the liability situation would be if they hit a car or pedestrian?
From CUS I walked back down to Clinton Street to catch the Blue Line and took it to Monroe where I transferred to the South Bound Red Line to Roosevelt Road. The last time I walked on this street was in the 50’s where I took many slides of old trains coming out of the many stations Chicago had in those days. Then it was a narrow street. Today it is 6-8 lanes of high speed traffic.
I walked from State Street down to Canal on the north side and had several nice picture opportunities. Saw the Texas Eagle leaving and several Metra trains. There is also a large open grassy area between LaSalle Station tracks and the river that used to be all tracks years ago.
At Canal I crossed to the south side of Roosevelt and walked back to State Street. From the south side you can see the Metra and Amtrak yards. Another nice picture taking area.
It took me almost an hour to make the roundtrip walk as I stopped and watched for trains quite a bit. It is a healthy walk, though.
At State Street and Roosevelt I boarded an Orange Line train back to the Loop and got off at Adams and walked over to State where I met RMADISONWI, a fellow Forum Member, for an early evening meal and discussion of things Amtrak.
Robert was very helpful to me, as were many others, several years ago, when I was new to all this and as we have new people coming for advice and guidance even today on the Forum. I was getting ready for my first Amtrak trip on the EB and had tons of questions. He and I had communicated several times over the years and it was really nice to put a face with a name and share some time talking about our favorite subject. I’m 65 and he has just graduated from college. Amtrak has no age barrier!
After dinner I took the Blue Line back out to Cumberland to get to bed early as I had a 7:50 AM train the next morning.
Day Three
Up at 5:30 AM to get ready to again take the Blue Line to Clinton Street and the two block walk to the station. Simply a beautiful day and nice and cool.
They asked the business class to come into the pre-boarding area first and then allowed us to go out to the train about 10 minutes before the coach passengers. B.C. is in the front of the café car, only about 15 seats. But, there is a lot of room between seats and one seat on one side of the aisle and two on the other. Nice, big, comfortable seats with leg and foot rests and a big tray table. However, the windows were very dirty. Amtrak needs to learn to wash windows!!
Of the 15 seats, 11 were filled. The train left right on time. I was on 350, the same one that some days before had hit the dump truck near Jackson.
After leaving the station, I walked to the café and ordered a breakfast sandwich and OJ. The OJ was free and the sandwich, egg, cheese and sausage on a bagel was very good. Fresh and so hot I had to let it cool down. Later I went back for a coffee and it was very tasty, too.
We remained almost on schedule all the way to Battle Creek, Michigan, where I would leave the train and catch 353 back to Chicago.
There was a young boy, maybe 8-9 years old, riding by himself. His mother had put him on in CUS, and the conductor took him to his seat. They put a wrist band on him with his ID info and I was impressed that the conductor and SA would check on him ever so often to make sure he was OK.
The ride, even at 79mph was very smooth and I never spilled a drop of my coffee. Our car is the one right behind the cabbage which is in the lead going east bound. The horn is loud and continuous.
What always impresses me is how friendly the fellow passengers are on Amtrak. I never spoke to or was spoken to by anyone on the flight to Chicago. On the train yesterday and today, within minutes everyone is talking to everyone else.
I mention to one lady next to me I was just out riding trains for the weekend. She told two other people in the café and I had several people come up to me and start asking questions about long distance travel and what to expect. Thanks to two years on the Forum, I could answer the questions.
I also find it interesting at how many people are riding a train for the first time. What does that tell you about the need for Amtrak in this country?
Right outside Dowagiac we sat on a siding for about 10 minutes waiting for 365 and 351 to pass going westbound. They were both running late.
We were 10 minutes down into Battle Creek, but I still have almost two hours before boarding 353 back to Chicago.
I used to travel to Battle Creek on business years ago and always came into town by car. Strange to come into the downtown area a few blocks from where I had business meetings. I walked down and had lunch a Bistro on Michigan Street, walked around a little while and then back to the station.
Some interesting people waiting for the train. I talked to one fellow who was supposed to have been on the same train the day before. He said he was pretty drunk when he got there and they wouldn’t let him on. He had sobered up this day and would make it to Chicago, finally. Then there were a collection of people with various handicaps, blind, walking disabilities, etc. Really nice folks and they were on their way to St Paul to then go down to the Mayo Clinic. They said they could never afford to fly and the train was the only way to get there.
Turned out 353 was running 20 minutes late, but she pulled in and we all boarded. I was amazed to see the handicapped folks trying to board with their luggage and help each other and NONE of the conductors tried to help. Finally, several other passengers and I helped them and took their luggage on. They all went into coach I went through the café to the business class seats.
We left Battle Creek 30 minutes late and would never regain it all the way to Chicago.
The windows are dirty!
Across the aisle from me are two couples from Switzerland who, amazingly, hardly speak a word of English. They conversed in German the whole trip. I thought everyone in Europe spoke English.
When we hit the time zone change area the conductor made an announcement to turn you watches back an hour. I could tell they were wondering what he said. I pointed to my watch and tried to explain we had gained an hour. It finally took. I guess they don’t have but one time zone in Switzerland!
In front of those folks was a couple from Melbourne, Australia. They were on a two week trip to the US and loved to ride trains. They had flown into Detroit and were on 353 to Chicago to catch the Lake Shore to NYP. They had a sleeper for that leg and no one had told them they could use the lounge in Chicago and that meals were included in the ticket price. I explained all that to them. Just a delightful couple and we talked most of the way back to Chicago. We even exchanged emails and I took their picture and sent it to them so they will have it when they return home.
Back to Chicago 30 minutes down. I helped the Australians find the lounge and I was off for the last time to Clinton Street to ride out to my hotel. I flew home the next morning and was never able to start a conversation with anyone on the plane.
There are 265 pictures I took on this trip on my photo page if you are interested. The link is here
It was a great trip and I would like to do another weekend sometime. If anyone has a question or comment, please let me know.
