For me, the E and F units are the most beautiful diesel locomotives in North America. Too bad for the good pieces. Greetings from Berlin/ Germany. Sven
I also agree, I adore studying and filming these things at the Illinois railway museum, best diesels to ever ride the American rails, greetings from Chicago.👋🚂
@@DanTDMJaceno it's not. F units like the F3 and F7 are structurally entirely different then an f40. EMD using the letter F in F40 is just Loosely carried over for naming purposes.
I lived in Mt Prospect, illinois from 1969 thru 1974. My mom would drive my father to and from the commuter station Monday thru Friday. i didn't get to ride with her in the morning (school) but, I would go with her to pick up my father in the evening. What a show. CNW had E's and F's, many lashed with B's. It was quite the rush hour. Those memories will stay with me to the end.
I grew up in the Chicago area about the same time and you, but I didn't start taking pictures of trains seriously until 1985. When I see stuff like your Rock Island and GM&O pictures it makes me wish that I had gotten started a lot earlier.
I'd guess "railfan indoctrination" most definitely did happen to that little guy on the platform in Berwyn (9:40)! Same thing happened to me when I was his age, courtesy of my Dad. Thanks for the memories, Steven. Berwyn is still one of my favorite trainwatching spots in Chicagoland.
I've been riding the BN to Union Station since 1982. Someone I was dating in 1985 lived in Berwyn on Kenilworth St. just north of the tracks. I recalled one time she slammed the window shut as she said "those damn trains". When I asked why, she had me come to the window and I ran my hands across the window ledge and there was black soot from the E9's billowing smoke like a steam locomotive when leaving the Berwyn station going West. I laughed it off. I really miss those unique BN E9's..Thanks for posting Steve...
Starting in the early 1960s it was always a treat to visit my two aunt's in LaGrange. They would ride the dinky to their jobs downtown and would humor me by going trackside in the weekend. Whether the Q or BN at was a great show so thanks for re-kindling those glory years
I grew up in Riverside and as a child I and lived only a few blocks from the train station and used to go and watch the fleet of dinkies with their loads of human cargo running west during the evening rush hour. Sometimes I would meet my dad who commuted downtown on the Q and walk home with him. One time I went on a Saturday not realizing what day it was and my folks drove by the station and saw me standing there and stopped to ask me what I was doing.
@@uhlijohn it was the thought that counts. The aunt's both rode to Stone Ace and I was intrigued by how the E's dug in hard just to hit the brakes a couple blocks later. Also dining at Connie's. So So food but great view of the tracks. I think that was in Brookfield
I worked at the BN yard in Cicero back in 1988/89 I remember the E units coming around the curve on the east end with a ring of fire from the brakes on the locomotive wheels, the engineers would push them hard to maintain schedule Its also the only place I've ever saw a searchlight signal indicate flashing green. Truly high speed, heavy duty railroading
I grew up at the Fairview station in Downers Grove, back in the 80’s. I would go to the burger joint “Cock Robin” just north of the tracks, get a lunch and head back to the station to see all the glorious trains
Truly impressive photography and excellent narration! Thank you so much for preserving the history and legacy of these former roads and engines for future generations of railfans to enjoy, truly invaluable series.
Thanks for sharing these memories Steven. I'm much younger, but I still remember a lot of these scenes. I grew up in the south east corner of DuPage and crossing the racetrack was almost a daily occurrence. Spent a lot of time in downtown Hinsdale and Downers Grove. When I grew up and got a real job, I worked up in the northern suburbs. We had a place right off Park Ave in Elmhurst and watching UP power and commuters constantly stream out of the UP yard on the other side of 290/294 was always a delightful sight. I was never mad getting stuck at a crossing trying to walk back to work from the cheap lunch I would pick up at the 7-11. Don't tell my boss, but I'd sometimes take a detour into the now sadly gone and missed Al's hobby shop.
Fantastic pictorial and beautifully written and narrated words and "foley" effects. I'm trainspotting on the Racetrack (in a rainstorm) while I write this, and marvel to recall my earliest days doing this, way back in the 1980s when these green Es on YT were certainly noteworthy, but nothing we'd go far outta the way for. How wonderful to be taken along on this impossible-distance time travel adventure...in the palm of my hand! Praise YT, the present era, and thanks für sharing;-)
Very cool. I watched E8s push and pull CNW scoots through Mount Prospect for many years before they were replaced by the F40PH-2s. The F40PHMs may seem mundane, but they are unique to Chicago, which puts them in the same league as F40Cs. Let's hope an example of each gets saved.
Well Metras probably going to keep the F40phm around for another 20 years but the f40c needs to be saved as they're threatened to go extinct right now.
Thats exactly what i thought about the e units back then lol. I was 7 when this vid was made, i didnt know any better. Seen so many f40s in the last 30 years tho, i just take em for granted like i did the e's
Did you get any photos of EMD 9912? That unit was the one involved in that fatal accident back in August 26, 1991. Mary T. Wojtyla was the woman fatally struck at the Fairview Avenue station.
To think that it’s almost been 2 Decades. I was not born until 2003, but I remember watching older train videos when I was a Young Railfanner and stumbled upon an old Metra Video that featured these E Units and the F40PHMs on the BNSF Racetrack. It must’ve been good times back then
Love those old green E & F’s. My girlfriend/wife committed on the C&NW West line for 15 years and saw the transition there. I had friends who lived in “Downers Grave”. You had a lot more diversity on that line, especially with Amtrak units running on it.
@@brucewallace4337 I grew up in Lombard. My mom and dad lived there for over 50 years before they passed and I lived there almost 30 years. My dad called it Downers Grave, and I reserve the right to repeat that!
Great video! You really capture how sad it felt to see such nice locomotives in their last days of service, like how I felt when CN retired the Blue Devils earlier this year. At least you were able to snag some great photos!
BN 9913 was kept in the rail museum in Nashville for a while, then repainted, used for the Tennessee Bicentennial train, and last I heard it was in California and used as a movie locomotive.
The Right Stuff! “Doc” Brown! Thanks for the Time Warp… It’s interesting to note that BN E8A 9907 survives today Abandoned on a industrial Siding near O’hare Airport. Again, Thanks for the Memories. 👊🛤📸
Yet another GREAT program you've put together, Mr. Brown, and thank you for sharing your wonderful photos and memories! It wasn't until 2017 that I began picking a location somewhere along BNSF's "Racetrack" and observing the entire evening rush coming out of Union Station. Wow, talk about an adrenaline rush! Of all the places I've done this, Highlands is my favorite so far. I just wish I had done this back in the early '90s when the E-units were still working, but hey, we all have regrets, right?
Those METRA painted E8s wound up doing Long Island Rail Road service for a few weeks on the Port Jefferson Branch with the newly delivered Tokyu C1 Bi-level cars. Those same E units had to be pulled because of constant breakdowns in Smithtown due to their lack of hillclimbing abilities....
My grandmother ran a railroad boarding house in Tomball, Texas in the 1940’s, which is actually still there. Obviously, no longer a RR boarding house today though. The rail line through Tomball is a Burlington Northern, now BNSF rail line. During the 40’s though (I think) there was a Zephyr that ran through through there along with other steam engines. I’m guessing maybe it was the CB&Q? I don’t know. I wished my grandparents were still alive to ask them. My dad is 91 and has dementia, so I can’t really talk with him about it. This was a very interesting video. Thank you for posting this. I love the old Burlington Northern, for obvious reasons. My wife lived in Downers Gorve for close to 10 years. I think that may be where a lot of these BN commuter trains around Chicago were. Merry Christmas, All
My aunt, that just passed lived in Downers Grove for several years. My family and I love the area although it is a long way from Memphis. It is nice to visit a metro area where one does not always need to be looking over their shoulder. It is fun to watch the trains on the racetrack and go to the Friday night car show.
@@jeffholloway7974 Sounds cool to watch trains as you note from a car show. That’s a “two for one”. Sorry for the loss of your aunt. Merry Christmas to you!
Some of those F40s were eventually equipped with what was known as "blended brake". The WABCO 26L automatic air brake was integrated with the electric dynamic brake. An electrical cable was connected to the outside face of the 26L and then disappeared somewhere into the innards of the engineer's control stand. When taking air to make a stop the dynamic brake would kick in automatically so the engineer did not have to set up and operate the dynamic separately. All was accomplished with a service reduction in brake pipe pressure while coming to a stop. I do not know if the blended brake is still in use or not. It may have been a test to see how it worked for all I know.
Most of the f-series now use blended brake and direct air disc brake control, with the WABCO Westinghouse-style brake retained as a backup. All of your braking is done with small reductions of brake pressure, with larger reductions activating the Westinghouse brake as normal.
not-so-fun fact, the infamous internet shock video "traingirl" was filmed in downers grove on one of the last days of service by a railfan taping the last runs of the E units. The filming railfan's legs and tripod were broken when ....... you know what, you can look it up yourself
There is one of video that had a tape after few weeks that final run since May 30 1992, the units were 9902 and 9919 (I think those where the final 2 E units on BN passenger service)
Man I was not even 2 years old when the BN E9’s went bye bye. I was concerned in the late 2000’s that the MP36’s were gonna replace all the F-40’s (although they did manage to replace the F40C’s except for 611 and 614 which are now sitting in storage). But fortunately Metra hates the MP36’s as much as I do so they stopped buying them! I also miss the express cars and F40PH’s and Phase III scheme on Amtrak.
I find it funny how most people in this comment section are either old RR workers or people who used to live in Chicago. I am 13, and live in north side Chicago, a block away from the UP-N.
Yup - that would be my audience 😂 UA-cam analytics tell me that most people looking at my stuff are over 50! I am happy to hear that that are younger rail fans out there too!
Never cared much for the e units when i was young back then tbh, always thought oh another boring passenger train lol. Now i miss them. Didnt realize how rare they were. And way cooler than the dime a dozen metra p40s i see all the time now. Ill probably miss those when they get replaced tho lol
Yes! The recordings were made by my brother in Nov 91 when I dragged him trackside to LaGrange while we were both in town for Thanksgiving. He coincidentally found them while I was working on this. One of these days I’m going to figure out what to do with them. Perhaps match them with the photos from that day.
sorry Steve, the F40"s will never replace the E-units. The new ones have no romance. I am a south side native. When we grew up in the 50's, Rock Island and many others were household names. I grew up near the Chicago and Eastern Illinois tracks and we saw many E units passing South along 100th street. I don't know if they were pass thrus or C&EI units. I have been in other countries and most of the states and there is nothing better than a hot Maxwell Polish with sweet green relish and onions.
If you ever get up to Wisconsin, go to East Troy Wi. There is a small RR Museum there with a couple old South Shore passenger cars complete with the old reversible wicker seats. They run short excursions with the cars. Brings back a lot of memories. No E units though.
You know, for a lot of us younger guys, the E units were so long ago they almost feel mythical. The F40s and P42s are what we grew up with. They will some day be retired and we'll say the new units have no romance! Already starting to hear it with the SC-44s. Funny how that is.
@@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory Exactly what I'm talking about! Now wait 35 years when the chargers are old and see what the kids say about the new power.
@@Shortline819 I see your point. But for real, the SC-44s look too European, the front looks like a car, and the destination signs on the front of the Chargers make it look like an overglorfied bus.
For me, the E and F units are the most beautiful diesel locomotives in North America. Too bad for the good pieces. Greetings from Berlin/ Germany. Sven
Sven Okas. I agree 👍
I also agree, I adore studying and filming these things at the Illinois railway museum, best diesels to ever ride the American rails, greetings from Chicago.👋🚂
The F40PH replacing the E and F units is one of the few examples of worthy replacments.
Agreed. Can’t kill ‘em. Still running in Amtrak and T in Massachusetts
@Dan C. they repurposed them into cab cars. That counts😌
I don’t know about that
The F40 is technically an F unit (*F*40PH *F*7A)
@@DanTDMJaceno it's not. F units like the F3 and F7 are structurally entirely different then an f40. EMD using the letter F in F40 is just Loosely carried over for naming purposes.
Thank you, Mr. Brown!!
Metra still uses a roughly 50 year old locomotive on its ballast train.
What ballast train?
@@planebois The one that operates on the third Tuesday of the seventh month of years ending in eight.
I lived in Mt Prospect, illinois from 1969 thru 1974. My mom would drive my father to and from the commuter station Monday thru Friday. i didn't get to ride with her in the morning (school) but, I would go with her to pick up my father in the evening. What a show. CNW had E's and F's, many lashed with B's. It was quite the rush hour. Those memories will stay with me to the end.
I grew up in the Chicago area about the same time and you, but I didn't start taking pictures of trains seriously until 1985. When I see stuff like your Rock Island and GM&O pictures it makes me wish that I had gotten started a lot earlier.
I'd guess "railfan indoctrination" most definitely did happen to that little guy on the platform in Berwyn (9:40)! Same thing happened to me when I was his age, courtesy of my Dad.
Thanks for the memories, Steven. Berwyn is still one of my favorite trainwatching spots in Chicagoland.
I've been riding the BN to Union Station since 1982. Someone I was dating in 1985 lived in Berwyn on Kenilworth St. just north of the tracks. I recalled one time she slammed the window shut as she said "those damn trains". When I asked why, she had me come to the window and I ran my hands across the window ledge and there was black soot from the E9's billowing smoke like a steam locomotive when leaving the Berwyn station going West. I laughed it off. I really miss those unique BN E9's..Thanks for posting Steve...
my aunt used to live in DG and every time i went up to visit i’d always enjoy sitting at DG Main Street at watching the metras and BNSF freight trains
Starting in the early 1960s it was always a treat to visit my two aunt's in LaGrange. They would ride the dinky to their jobs downtown and would humor me by going trackside in the weekend. Whether the Q or BN at was a great show so thanks for re-kindling those glory years
I grew up in Riverside and as a child I and lived only a few blocks from the train station and used to go and watch the fleet of dinkies with their loads of human cargo running west during the evening rush hour. Sometimes I would meet my dad who commuted downtown on the Q and walk home with him. One time I went on a Saturday not realizing what day it was and my folks drove by the station and saw me standing there and stopped to ask me what I was doing.
@@uhlijohn it was the thought that counts. The aunt's both rode to Stone Ace and I was intrigued by how the E's dug in hard just to hit the brakes a couple blocks later. Also dining at Connie's. So So food but great view of the tracks. I think that was in Brookfield
Thanks for the memories...my father was working for the BN at this time...i will never forget this time period.
I worked at the BN yard in Cicero back in 1988/89
I remember the E units coming around the curve on the east end with a ring of fire from the brakes on the locomotive wheels, the engineers would push them hard to maintain schedule
Its also the only place I've ever saw a searchlight signal indicate flashing green. Truly high speed, heavy duty railroading
I grew up at the Fairview station in Downers Grove, back in the 80’s. I would go to the burger joint “Cock Robin” just north of the tracks, get a lunch and head back to the station to see all the glorious trains
Truly impressive photography and excellent narration! Thank you so much for preserving the history and legacy of these former roads and engines for future generations of railfans to enjoy, truly invaluable series.
Thanks for sharing these memories Steven. I'm much younger, but I still remember a lot of these scenes. I grew up in the south east corner of DuPage and crossing the racetrack was almost a daily occurrence. Spent a lot of time in downtown Hinsdale and Downers Grove. When I grew up and got a real job, I worked up in the northern suburbs. We had a place right off Park Ave in Elmhurst and watching UP power and commuters constantly stream out of the UP yard on the other side of 290/294 was always a delightful sight. I was never mad getting stuck at a crossing trying to walk back to work from the cheap lunch I would pick up at the 7-11. Don't tell my boss, but I'd sometimes take a detour into the now sadly gone and missed Al's hobby shop.
Fantastic pictorial and beautifully written and narrated words and "foley" effects. I'm trainspotting on the Racetrack (in a rainstorm) while I write this, and marvel to recall my earliest days doing this, way back in the 1980s when these green Es on YT were certainly noteworthy, but nothing we'd go far outta the way for. How wonderful to be taken along on this impossible-distance time travel adventure...in the palm of my hand! Praise YT, the present era, and thanks für sharing;-)
Very cool. I watched E8s push and pull CNW scoots through Mount Prospect for many years before they were replaced by the F40PH-2s. The F40PHMs may seem mundane, but they are unique to Chicago, which puts them in the same league as F40Cs. Let's hope an example of each gets saved.
Well Metras probably going to keep the F40phm around for another 20 years but the f40c needs to be saved as they're threatened to go extinct right now.
Thats exactly what i thought about the e units back then lol. I was 7 when this vid was made, i didnt know any better. Seen so many f40s in the last 30 years tho, i just take em for granted like i did the e's
Scoots?
@@raritania7581 It was the nickname for Chicago & North Western commuter trains.
@@J3scribe All of them?
Very well done and a nice tribute to the elegant E units. Thank you! Mike
Great Video ! As a young kid would go to the Lombard Lilac Park for Mothers day and see the last steam trains (NW RR) in the area ! tjl
Oh the hours my friends and I spent on the BN racetrack back in the late 80's and early 90's.
Great job on all the pictures. Thank you for sharing.
Fantastic content! It's always really cool to look back on all of the neat rail action in Chicago way back then.
Your loss was my gain
loved watching the ex-BN E-9's
in commuter service on
MARC (Kensington, Md.)
in the '90's.
Did you get any photos of EMD 9912? That unit was the one involved in that fatal accident back in August 26, 1991. Mary T. Wojtyla was the woman fatally struck at the Fairview Avenue station.
To think that it’s almost been 2 Decades. I was not born until 2003, but I remember watching older train videos when I was a Young Railfanner and stumbled upon an old Metra Video that featured these E Units and the F40PHMs on the BNSF Racetrack. It must’ve been good times back then
I think I get to see an E unit locomotive in my birthday for some kind of Halloween train ride.
Very nice video and documentation of the final hours of the E units.
Fantastic video... I grew up blocks from the Rock Island Joliet line and saw many RI E’s back in the 70s...
My Dad use to ride my behind the E Units. He actually rode the last trip even though he wasn't a railfan.
thanks ! fantastic slides !
Great Photos
Thanks!
i grew up off the racetrack in Naperville and wish i was able to see those E9s in action i was just too young :(
Love those old green E & F’s. My girlfriend/wife committed on the C&NW West line for 15 years and saw the transition there. I had friends who lived in “Downers Grave”. You had a lot more diversity on that line, especially with Amtrak units running on it.
I would not call it Downers Grave it is actually one of the nicer Western Suburbs
@@brucewallace4337 I grew up in Lombard. My mom and dad lived there for over 50 years before they passed and I lived there almost 30 years. My dad called it Downers Grave, and I reserve the right to repeat that!
I sure am gonna miss those green Burlington Northern E9 units because they're in my favorite color😍😍😍😍😍!!!!!
Great video! You really capture how sad it felt to see such nice locomotives in their last days of service, like how I felt when CN retired the Blue Devils earlier this year. At least you were able to snag some great photos!
BN 9913 was kept in the rail museum in Nashville for a while, then repainted, used for the Tennessee Bicentennial train, and last I heard it was in California and used as a movie locomotive.
Thanks so much.
OOoh thank you, i had forgotten all about the bicentennials. i had seen them on the soo line a few times for a bout 3 years back then.
Very nostalgic. Es, Fs and even F40s. Thanks!
The Right Stuff! “Doc” Brown! Thanks for the Time Warp… It’s interesting to note that BN E8A 9907 survives today Abandoned on a industrial Siding near O’hare Airport.
Again, Thanks for the Memories. 👊🛤📸
These videos are very fascinating! Thank you for making them and sharing them! It is a really cool glimpse at history I was not around to see.
This man has a gift of prose. I’ve never found a slide show-type video this interesting and engaging.
Thanks!!
I was able to make it to the racetrack several times, starring the green E's.
Fun times.
Great pics and even greater narration! Kudos to you!
Yet another GREAT program you've put together, Mr. Brown, and thank you for sharing your wonderful photos and memories! It wasn't until 2017 that I began picking a location somewhere along BNSF's "Racetrack" and observing the entire evening rush coming out of Union Station. Wow, talk about an adrenaline rush! Of all the places I've done this, Highlands is my favorite so far. I just wish I had done this back in the early '90s when the E-units were still working, but hey, we all have regrets, right?
I miss both BN and CNW. Thanks for the memories.
The Mighty Covered Wagons! Many Thank to you for making another one of your fantastic “Throwback Thursday” videos.
🤓 👍👍
4 EMD E9s are at LTEX in McDonald Ohio, have been sitting there for 15 or so years.
What a fantastic slideshow and life story, truly enjoyed watching this thanks!
Another great one, Steve
I lived in La Grange when I was a kid in the 80s and would watch the trains from the news agency
Love your work Steven, well done as always!
Nice… brings me back … I grew up in forest park.
Every engine should look like these!!
Thank you for taking video in Downers Grove.
I was the guy on the Naperville pedestrian bridge on this day.
Great photography. I’m so glad I made it down to shoot the rush hour a couple times.
Now with the retirement of the F40Cs, the arrival of the newly rebuilt SD70MACHs will soon take the mantle for six-axle power on Metra.
Don't know much about trains but These Are Amazing and Gargantuan Beasts
I grew up watching the E9's roll through Downers Grove...
Look at that streetlamp/crossbuck combo in the thumbnail!
As always, great job!
Those METRA painted E8s wound up doing Long Island Rail Road service for a few weeks on the Port Jefferson Branch with the newly delivered Tokyu C1 Bi-level cars. Those same E units had to be pulled because of constant breakdowns in Smithtown due to their lack of hillclimbing abilities....
My grandmother ran a railroad boarding house in Tomball, Texas in the 1940’s, which is actually still there. Obviously, no longer a RR boarding house today though. The rail line through Tomball is a Burlington Northern, now BNSF rail line.
During the 40’s though (I think) there was a Zephyr that ran through through there along with other steam engines. I’m guessing maybe it was the CB&Q? I don’t know. I wished my grandparents were still alive to ask them. My dad is 91 and has dementia, so I can’t really talk with him about it.
This was a very interesting video. Thank you for posting this. I love the old Burlington Northern, for obvious reasons.
My wife lived in Downers Gorve for close to 10 years. I think that may be where a lot of these BN commuter trains around Chicago were.
Merry Christmas, All
My aunt, that just passed lived in Downers Grove for several years. My family and I love the area although it is a long way from Memphis. It is nice to visit a metro area where one does not always need to be looking over their shoulder. It is fun to watch the trains on the racetrack and go to the Friday night car show.
@@jeffholloway7974
Sounds cool to watch trains as you note from a car show. That’s a “two for one”.
Sorry for the loss of your aunt.
Merry Christmas to you!
Great narration, I enjoyed that. Thanks.
I Really Wish I Could Have Seen The BN E-Units In Regular Service, But I Was Born A Few Years To Late To See Them
Great video!
Good video, Steven!!
thasnks for sharing! i love these
1:15 Imagine being in a time where Amtrak's and Metra's F40PHs were hauling passengers side by side.
Damn wish I could've been alive to see that.
Some of those F40s were eventually equipped with what was known as "blended brake". The WABCO 26L automatic air brake was integrated with the electric dynamic brake. An electrical cable was connected to the outside face of the 26L and then disappeared somewhere into the innards of the engineer's control stand. When taking air to make a stop the dynamic brake would kick in automatically so the engineer did not have to set up and operate the dynamic separately. All was accomplished with a service reduction in brake pipe pressure while coming to a stop. I do not know if the blended brake is still in use or not. It may have been a test to see how it worked for all I know.
Most of the f-series now use blended brake and direct air disc brake control, with the WABCO Westinghouse-style brake retained as a backup. All of your braking is done with small reductions of brake pressure, with larger reductions activating the Westinghouse brake as normal.
not-so-fun fact, the infamous internet shock video "traingirl" was filmed in downers grove on one of the last days of service by a railfan taping the last runs of the E units. The filming railfan's legs and tripod were broken when ....... you know what, you can look it up yourself
Those trains are beautiful. But humanity wants better, and so it moves on, *To The Next Generation.*
Rock Island 630 was bought by a shortline in eastern Iowa, and was put into a different paint scheme, The railroad is Iowa Northern Railway
ive only once in my life time seen a e unit in action it was on a short line where i lived last time ive seen it was back in 1999 i was 6 then
Another great video. 🚂
There is one of video that had a tape after few weeks that final run since May 30 1992, the units were 9902 and 9919 (I think those where the final 2 E units on BN passenger service)
Outstanding!
Yes
At 5:37, you can see what I can only wonder is a Metroliner coach!
Yup - unpowered and used as cab cars.
Beautiful locomotives.
Awesome
Man I was not even 2 years old when the BN E9’s went bye bye. I was concerned in the late 2000’s that the MP36’s were gonna replace all the F-40’s (although they did manage to replace the F40C’s except for 611 and 614 which are now sitting in storage). But fortunately Metra hates the MP36’s as much as I do so they stopped buying them!
I also miss the express cars and F40PH’s and Phase III scheme on Amtrak.
another great video, well done
A passenger train is just not a passenger train without E or F units on the point...sigh..
I find it funny how most people in this comment section are either old RR workers or people who used to live in Chicago. I am 13, and live in north side Chicago, a block away from the UP-N.
Yup - that would be my audience 😂 UA-cam analytics tell me that most people looking at my stuff are over 50! I am happy to hear that that are younger rail fans out there too!
I actually liked the Winnebagos in the Metra scheme. You take any more IZ videos from the pre Orange era?
I understand your pain. I remember when my favorite engines were taken from me, without warning and with no final goodbye.
Gotta get me a snack for this!
Never cared much for the e units when i was young back then tbh, always thought oh another boring passenger train lol. Now i miss them. Didnt realize how rare they were. And way cooler than the dime a dozen metra p40s i see all the time now. Ill probably miss those when they get replaced tho lol
Cool
"I examine the new face. It will take some getting used to."
That hit hard, and I wasn't even alive.
Do you have any of the train sounds without narration?
They are wonderful sounds
Yes! The recordings were made by my brother in Nov 91 when I dragged him trackside to LaGrange while we were both in town for Thanksgiving. He coincidentally found them while I was working on this. One of these days I’m going to figure out what to do with them. Perhaps match them with the photos from that day.
wow your commentary is amazing i wasnt even alive at the time and i still felt sad and nostalgic
Nice
There was a Montana rail link with a k3la
sorry Steve, the F40"s will never replace the E-units. The new ones have no romance. I am a south side native. When we grew up in the 50's, Rock Island and many others were household names. I grew up near the Chicago and Eastern Illinois tracks and we saw many E units passing South along 100th street. I don't know if they were pass thrus or C&EI units. I have been in other countries and most of the states and there is nothing better than a hot Maxwell Polish with sweet green relish and onions.
If you ever get up to Wisconsin, go to East Troy Wi. There is a small RR Museum there with a couple old South Shore passenger cars complete with the old reversible wicker seats. They run short excursions with the cars. Brings back a lot of memories. No E units though.
You know, for a lot of us younger guys, the E units were so long ago they almost feel mythical. The F40s and P42s are what we grew up with. They will some day be retired and we'll say the new units have no romance! Already starting to hear it with the SC-44s. Funny how that is.
The F40PH's look cool, and if you think the F40PH has no romance, look at the Siemens Charger.
@@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory Exactly what I'm talking about! Now wait 35 years when the chargers are old and see what the kids say about the new power.
@@Shortline819 I see your point. But for real, the SC-44s look too European, the front looks like a car, and the destination signs on the front of the Chargers make it look like an overglorfied bus.
Steven. Do you know anything about the Lakewood branches in north sidebar Chicago? I am trying to gather info on a lot of abandoned lines
Man, that was awesome!
I would assume you have pictures of Seattle as well?
Also, did you get into a career with trains? Or something different?
Yes and yes
I currently railfan the Union Pacific north, and seeing your photos gives me a sense of how it used to be.
It's easier and cheaper to manufacture straight metal and welding at the seams then pressing the steel to curved steel.