Busy Railfanning afternoon at West Chicago!
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- On a hot summers afternoon we spent some time at West Chicago Illinois railfanning. This is an awesome spot to fan at as the action can be nearly nonstop.
First train up was a westbound Union Pacific Oil train. This train had a pair of NS SD70Ace’s second and third out behind a UP Motor with the old “We will deliver” slogan on it.
Second train of the day was a meet behind the oil train. They cleared the crossing shortly after the oil train tying up the town.
After the UP trains took their turn it was time for a CN Northbound. This train featured a pair of BC Rail Units on it, with the second being a cowl unit in BC Rail red white and blue paint. I used my drone on this train to get a view of the power and tower together and elevated.
The action picked right back up with a crawling UP autorack train taking the cross over for the yard at slow speeds. Once again I used my drone, and it was noted that the rookie conductor was looking for “UFO’s” as he passed. This gave another interesting perspective of the tower and diamond from above.
After the UP was once again done tying up the crossings a Metra inbound scoot rolled on through.
Like clockwork the outbound scoot came shortly after.
Another CN took its turn northbound after the outbound scoot. I took to the air again to film the slower train at another unique vantage point.
Another westbound UP train came rolling by, this time an intermodal train. As the intermodal rolled by a coal train continued westbound as well with a DPU on the rear.
As the coal train cleared the DPU is seen passing JB Tower.
Our last UP Train for the day was another westbound train, this time being led by a very dirty GEVO and a large consist. The intermodal train passed the coal train which had stopped just west of the diamond and tower.
We returned to the West Chicago Metra station where the next outbound was seen rolling under the old signal bridge.
Finally our last train is seen pulling into the station, the inbound scoot which we will board makes its stop at the depot.
Please rate, comment, and subscribe!
wow a BCOL marked CN and a BCRail combined, awesome, feels weird seeing BCRail all over the place when I"m from BC lol, awesome stuff
12:12 when the small tankers interrupt the beat the diamond crossing and its non stop banging for 30 seconds.
But it is a nice video! Thanks for sharing!
Really looks like UP has the game sown up.
17:00 to 20:20 -SIX locos followed by some 100 intermodal wagons, a lot being double decker.
Double stack*
Those ex BCOL C44-9W's are ugly. So much better in BCOL paint.
This video is a good example of what a truck wheel goes through.
Wheel Wear Lesson # 101.
That old clickty clack sound is one of two reasons that contribute to a damaged wheel.
That sound is the impact of the flat surface of the wheel and it causes a shock load to the surface of the wheel.
The second reason is the wheel flange wear in the radius of curved track. A good example is viewed on Horseshoe curve.
The heavier a train and the tighter the radius, puts extreme pressure on a wheel flange, which produces that squealing sound.
So anytime you have a gap in the rail or heavy pressure on a wheel flange, this will cause a wheel to eventually have the potential to fail.
When the single track passes over the 3 other lines it sounds like a marching band drum line.
koiesbow I know right. XD
koiesbow 2:20
koiesbow 8:33 also.
It's awesome. Nice spring/summer/fall evenings, listening to the slam across the diamond is that "white" noise that puts you to sleep. You know what trains and on which line they're on based on the pattern of sound as they cross the diamond.
Lol
Awesome video!!
+Jaw Tooth Thanks!
Michigan Central Lines
Your welcome and that shot from the drone showing the train crossing the road and other tracks was amazing!!
EVERYWHERE I GO
LOL
xxMineVSCraftxx Gaming // xxMVCxx
You like the same trains that I like! lol
Thank you for sharing this awesome video! - Roger Ribblett
roger riblett thank you!
Ann Arbor railroad GP20C-ECO # 1337, something hanging from Amtrak 38, Amtrak 126 in a sunset, Conrail Heritage Unit, and NS 1066.
wowza a triple interlocking diamond !
We've got one of those in Winnipeg.
It would be a joy to live near there at night on the first video with all the track noise.
It is. Like I said above, it's a soothing night time soundtrack to put you to sleep
Hello from England. It's a great video, trains in the USA are so different to trains in the UK. I thoroughly enjoyed this video
Trains in the USA haul tons of cargo every day
Industry in the UK is quite different as well, requiring different forms of transportation.
Lorries are much different than our trucks as well.
Yeah our trains look more industrial
Very good video.
I am kind of amazed the train doesn't trigger the neighboring crossing as close as it is to it but I don't enough to understand how the crossing circuits work.
The great sound of a diamond crossing, and freight moving across America is an excellent combo. Awesome video!
AWESOME video!
Once I saw a red white and blue Bc rail c44-9w lashed up with two CN es44-ac's in Green Bay WI
go packers
BCRAIL :)
How did you get the camera that high, a drone
+Amtrak productions Yes this was filmed from the ground and with a drone
Cool! :D
Cool! what jucntion is this and where?
+Isaac Raymond This is JB Tower at West Chicago Illinois. It is the former EJ&E (now CN) and CNW (now UP) crossing.
Big scandal in BC concerning the sale of BC Rail to CN Hopefully those responsible will eventually be convicted. Privatization is theft. 2:30
What day/days was this filmed. That BC rail/CN train I may have seen in Oshkosh Wisconsin briefly. I was on a bus and it stopped at a railroad crossing and right as we started across the train came around the corner and the lights started flashing. 10 seconds and I would have seen the entire thing. Al I know was it had a CN leader and a BC rail behind it and a few boxcars in the front of the consist.
I don't get why I couldn't be one big intersection plus an accident has or will happen there with two trains
I would like to commend the great videography done here. I would like to know what were the original (Fall Flags) RRs that operated here. Thanks.
+FWD37 Thank you very much! The original railroads to cross here were the EJ&E and CNW. Now UP and CN own the tracks, with CN operating the tower.
9:00: Why does my windshield have a crack in it? Maybe the train it was on went through too many crossovers.
The drone is dope but finding the right spot to film is key and you get an A+ for location.. Of course in Chicago all you gotta do is walk down the street and you'll find some tracks
Those trains crossing that intersection, sound almost like the beat of a song.
I love it.
'Diamonds Are Forever'...(could almost use the theme song from the movie Diamonds Are Forever').
I too questioned the arm not down, but after seeing the drone view, it explained (showed?) why. That is a great video and views are awesome, thanks!
It would make more sense to have a single set of crossing gates encompassing both rail lines, so that no cars would be stopped within the narrow gap between the 2 lines
Quiet zone? Never going there.
I noticed the gates did not go down in the first episode.
Joseph Glaser that’s because those gates are for the CN Line. There are other gates for the UP.
@@SamLovesTrains Yeah Correct
Dude
2:30 that second unit is quite foreign.
Joshua Kosek BC rail power isn’t necessary foreign power because CN owns BC Rail. Definitely different from your normal CN!
BC Rail Can Be A Part Of CN. The 1st Engine Is An Ex-BCOL (BC Rail) Too, So CN Owns BC Rail.
@@NorthernAlbertaRailfanner hey Cxrrupted!
@@UnionCountyPhotography hello there!
I see that crossing gate is only for the single trk line. But what if traffic backs up on the double trk and along comes a train on them?? Or am I missing something?
I hate to correct you, friend, but the CN train I saw had one CN unit and one BC rail unit.
The lead unit could have been a former BC Rail unit. True, it was painted CN now...
I was that way at one time and still have to watch myself from correcting every fault. I agree! Just enjoy the trains!!
CN owns BC thankx for making the video it is great to see trains that one doesn't have access to see
They’re both BC rail units. The first unit was just repainted into CN colors. It still goes by BCOL 4647.
Awesome video! Also, I have never heard an e-bell on a BCOL before. ...
Now I have!
Those overhead views of those Canadian National trains rocking the diamond were awesome!
The close up of the metra train at 21:11 looks cool
🚂🚂🚂🚂🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋
🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋
Nice video
Dang nice catch at 2:30 a repainted bc rail dash-44cw paired with a bc rail c40-8m
Nice video
I grew up less than 10 miles from that spot. Excellent rail fanning area. That's the old EJE (Elgin, Joliet and Eastern),- now CN - crossing the UP (ex Chicago and North Western) triple track. I actually lived a mile from the CNW tracks growing up in the western suburbs of Chicago. BTW - that's a manned tower, owned by the CN. The CN has priority over the UP at that point, which is hilarious based on the traffic on the UP triple. vs the CN. Anyone visiting should go 30 miles west where that same UP main crosses the BNSF main (ex Burlington Northern) on grade in Rochelle, IL. One of the greatest on grade crossings in the US!
I bet it was hot it looked it
That second cn train was VERY long. How many cars were there?
Very nice video. I've seen a lot of videos from that spot but yours is the best. Subscribed! What drone do you fly?
+Yard Limit Thank you so much!
the sounds of the train crossing the 3 track diamond, i could absolutely make those click clacks of the diamond into some party music or something idk
I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS VIDEO FOR SEVERAL YEARS UNTIL I FOUND IT
This is one of the places on my bucket list, along with Joliet and Racetrack
Ahhh west chicago,one of my home yards besides proviso and sometimes yard center
Awesome video and catches. I love the sound of a train going over a diamond. Subbed.
+The Nomadic Railfan Thank you!
I would like to know exactly where this place is...I wanna go there!
Google West Chicago and locate the major diamond on the map. You could also search West chicago trains or railfanning, there are some pages about spots and other info!
West Washington and North Aurora Streets in West Chicago
Very busy
Where exactly west of Chicago is this....this is a fantastic place to railfan.....I'm a big UP Power guy......loved it :)
+sparks1504 It is actually a town called West Chicago, its about 40 miles west of the city or so. Thank you! I recommend this spot
West Chicago, IL 60185, W. Washington St. and Wood Street.
Thanks for the train with all the tank cars (love to see tank cars). the vide was very clear and the color was outstanding (on wide screen) Thanks for the video.
about 3 years ago, i was about 5 miles east of this location and i got to see a empty crude oil train scream by on the center rail. it must have been doing 70 and i lost count at over 300 cars. had 8 engine i am sure were at notch 8. i was impressed and frighten at the same time.
Is it a no horn zone because the trains are not using there horns
I agree
In Washington street, closer to the West Chicago Library !
Sylvain, from France
Why didn't the gate go down?
Gary Plastek the gate that didn’t go down is for the CN line so it only activates when CN trains are going through.
Nice sounds and great trains going over them diamonds
That oil train is actually an ethanol train but great video
US trains are ENORMOUS!
That was a MONSTER CN train at 8:42.
Yeah, a bloody beauty ay?
Really cool spot. Love the drone shots.
Nice rail footage with a lot of great filming
What kind of train was the seond train
Great video!! I use this crossing everyday, it is definitely a great spot to rail fan but when your on your way to work. It definitely can drive you nuts especially if the auto-racks are going into the yard or coming out.
And if it's a train on the CN/EJE line, you CAN'T go around like you can if it's on the UP line.
12:11 its my mind or this is a non-stop wheels sounds?
If you live, work or frequently drive through the area of these tracks, you'd know what an incredible inconvenience they are, and how LOUD it is. We lived next to the rail in nearby Winfield, and I worked in DT West Chicago for a while.
I realize the trains need to "do their thing" and this is what makes our economy "go around".
However, at 3 AM...you can hear these trains, each car down the line, banging as it comes to a stop or changes direction. Or, listen to the engine idle or blow its horn to signal to the other end.
Like I said, you live, work or drive through the area enough, you will have a different take on how "cool" this all is.
You're in the minority on that one. I love the sound. Second, working in WeGo, you should know how to work around the UP line at least if you need to get through.
@@CMNTMXR57 Your generalizations lack fore-thought or compassion.
Perhaps my comments are in the minority when it comes to rail enthusiasts such as yourself, however, the general public? I'd say it's quite the opposite.
I can enjoy the power and majesty too of these locomotives and enormously long trains, however, then there is the reality and danger they pose.
At 2 am, while trying to sleep, the continually sounded horn is nothing in comparison to the coupling/uncoupling of cars, or just general shaking of the earth as a heavily loaded train passes through which rattles everything inside your house including your bed until awake. Obviously, you've never lived close enough for this perspective or tried to sleep through any of this. You just want to take pics and video, say "how cool" it is. LOUD and sudden booming sounds in the silence of the night. Startling is putting it mildly when it wakes you out of a sound sleep.
As for getting around the tracks in DT West Chicago...I know exactly how to do that when I am in a CAR...but, you are forgetting that not everything on Washington is on 4 wheels. Those routes are on residential, weight restricted streets...the cops aren't going to look the other way when an 18 wheeler decides to cut through them, let alone, will a semi be able to swing the turns.
Care to make any more thought-lacking comments?
genieva sub and the liethton
Great Video. Loved It. Very Nice.
A really neat place to watch some UP yard action is the Proviso Yard in Melrose Park. Take a METRA train from Chicago and get off at the Melrose Park station. Mannheim Road is a four lane highway which crosses the UP line and is a great vantage point for train watching. I lived in Oak Park when I was younger and would ride my bike up there to see the action.
Gotta be careful with that drone. What i mean by that is people probably don't know what you are doing with it. They may thing you are going to fly a bomb into the train. Trust me, people WILL think that believe it or not. But i love the overhead view its very creative don't get me wrong.
+PRESTIGER33 you would be surprised, I have never had anyone have any issues with me flying it. No one has thought negative of it or questioned me. The reason being is because I keep myself within obvious sight distance of the unit and it is clear that I am controlling it. I also do not make sudden or dumb moves when flying (mostly because it would mess up my shots lol). Honestly you will get more people interested in them if you're smart with them. Thanks btw!
When I worked on the Appalachian Trail I was installing a trail sign with a ratchet wrench. I had carried the clip of ratchet sockets on the highway shoulder where the trail sign was and someone driving by must have thought it was a bullet clip because ten minutes later I was looking down the barrel of a state trooper who was drawn on me yelling "FREEZE"...I could have easily been shot because he was tense.
What does that have too do with trains
Stupide ns
Very good rail fanning spot and great video
Very nice video!!
+NVKRailVideos Thanks!
1st train in intro 1337
Four tracks? Must be really busy there
I'll be going to Folkston Georgia in a few days to film all the CSX and Amtrak trains
Endless clacking omg! 12:10
@@carolinarailfanning I love it.
:43 how come the gates didn't come down?
There are two railroads crossing there, and the gates for the active track are all that are activated. The gate you question is for the track crossing over the active track. You can see the active gate down, at least the very tip of the gate arm, at the far right of the screen.
That is awesome spot! Do railroad employees work in that building around the clock? There must be a rail yard near by?
+Troy Baer Yes they do, that is one of the few remaining manned towers in the United States. There is a yard just to the west (in most clips that would be behind me or to the left of the screen) on the Union Pacific Line
Nice busy spot. And I LOVE those diamonds!
why isn' t the crossing gate down?
Because the train isn't on the track that gate protects.
Is the crossing broke
That Crossing Arm is for the single track
I was wondering the same thing.
Where is this? What street in Chicago?
W. Washington Street just west of Wood St.
@@CMNTMXR57 *4 years ago* lol. Thanks for the response
Is
nice railfaning
great camera angles
I miss the iconic red caboose...
I worked at the Indiana Transportation Museum (now gone) 2009 - 2012. We used to do caboose shuttles on Sundays. It was usually with the Monon DS-50 switcher (the first one that the Monon bought), and a Nickel Plate bay window caboose (I think it was number 570), and a Monon bay window cupola caboose, number 51852 (which was my favorite to work in).
Awesome video! Is it safe for two crossing to be so close to each other?
Yes.
You ought to see Griffith, Indiana back in the day.
que legal eu gostaria de ver ao vivo um cruzamento desse muito legal
The lead locomotive on the first train is UP 7018, a C60AC.
I live in West Chicago, and there always seems to be trains screwing up the traffic through the town. There are only two railroads in West Chicago now, and the town has their "Railroad Days" celebration every July because of the railroading heritage. We recently had the EJ&E railroad taken over by the CN, and about 40 years ago, the Burlington Northern (formerly the CB&Q) had their rails removed between General Mills and the down town area. In your video, did I see a car stuck between the tracks and the gate at the 17:00 minute mark? Anyway, nice video work! Very clear and the audio is top notch too. I like the drone footage.
5 years later here’s your reply, yes that was a car it’s happened to me like 5 times it’s crazy
Actually there is three. BNSF has a branch to west Chicago they barely use
@@SignalMan9292 Well, there USED to be 3 (4 if you counted the Aurora-Elgin electric route) but BNSF abandoned and then removed all but a short track that goes to the now closed down General Mills plant but not beyond. I don't think there has been a train there in 20 years or more, unless they're still serving Ball Seed on Town Rd., not likely. I used to live on Church Street, and the BNSF (Burlington Route) was right behind my house.
I saw a video of a train on that BNSF line from like 4 years ago
No horn zone I assume?
+xxMineVSCraftxx Gaming // xxMVCxx Yep West Chicago is a quite zone, but on the UP they do sometimes use horns when there will be a meet in the crossing
CN & UP
I love the noises from the tracks that the wheels make its satisfying to me
2:30 the second engine is the type of engine they mainly featured in the movie Atomic Train.
Nice catches!
Curious, where did you park your car while filming down there?
+Pyrodron Productions We actually took the train into town on this trip, but previously we had parked on one of the neighborhood streets for a couple hours and had no issues. There is plenty of parking in the area from what I have seen. Thank you!
+Michigan Central Lines You're welcome!
+Michigan Central Lines BTW: Did you take Amtrak, or a local train?
+Michigan Central Lines Would you consider this area a safe area? (eg local wise / 'interest' from police etc)
+Pyrodron Productions Only metra serves West Chicago, we took a midday train west and then an afternoon train back east
Nice video!! Subbed ;)
That's Ann Arbor railroad Admiral Cab GP38-2 1337, something hanging from Amtrak 38, flying Amtrak 126, Conrail heritage unit 8098, and New York Central 1066.
12:36 best song eva lol
nice vid, but too many commercials. l can't sit and watch the whole thing,
This is a great spot nice shots!
having been to West Chicago many times, the drone views gave a great perspective from the air! very nice video!
+kraigkasten i need to go to west chicago..... too far from my location
Trackside; the engineers don't wave from the train anymore, not they they did back in 1954 even if you see a few wave the engineers are not as meaningful just to the cellphones these days CHRIS
In the intro, there was the Conrail heritage unit, Ann Arbor railroad GP20C-ECO Admiral Cab # 1337 Amtrak P42DC 38 and 126.