A couple of weeks ago S7 JB sent me a photo of a Norfolk Southern GP40 taken in Chicago from 18th street about 20 years ago. It was in what looked like a paper mill and was there with plenty of boxcars. I'm back in Chicago this week, so today I decided to pop out at lunchtime and go and see what is available today, there is still a lot of tracks in the area. I did check first with my colleagues that I wasn't heading into the wild west, never to be seen again, but no it's China Town and you can take the Red Line L there, you could even walk from our office although its probably 45 minutes to an hour.
The China Town L station is at Cermak Street, 18th Street is 2 blocks further north, this is the view from the station looking North East, part of the Chicago Down Town skyline, although they appear fairly small in this photo you can see the Trump and Hancock Towers close tot he platform, running by them is blue line train on the flyover. The tracks to the right I think are Metra lines into La Salle Street station which I think was formerly the Rock Island station.
I headed west along Cermak Street for about 4 blocks, it is all very busy and clearly safe.
Cermak then goes underneath one set of lines then there is a second set about a block further along and it goes under those too, these are the ones that lead into union station. There was access upto the tracks so I grabbed a few photos all with my phone.
I'm looking north towards Chicago city centre here, the towers are some kind of lifting bridge over the river.
Here in the photo above, I'm looking south
Back to looking north and you see how the other lines coming from the south cross these and head for the bridge as well.
The flyover in this shot is the blue line L
I headed back along Cermak and then cut up towards the tracks heading to the right in the above photo, you walk through some modern housing and eventually you come to a park accessed by a level crossing. I could hear lots of whistles but couldn't see anything, then this appeared.
This is an Amtrak loco and is heading south, he didn't go too far as a few minutes later I saw him reversing north over the lifting bridge, this accesses the Amtrack carriage sidings to the south of Union station.
I left the park and returned to following the road, which a few minutes later lead to West 18th Street, this street crosses all the tracks on a large bridge, with footpaths on both sides, I started walking over and as I got close to the railway line you could clearly hear a freight train coming.
It is actually an empty ethanol train
I then headed back to the L to get the train back to the city, I had been there for nearly an hour.
There is certainly plenty more to explore there another time.
Richard