Passenger Trains > Metra busting through the snow this morning

In the areas north of Chicago this morning the forecast was for 6-10 inches of snow, so I set out to try and capture whatever train I could think of that would be the first to plow through the roadside banks of snow that snowplows left. Metra and Amtrak were the safe bets becuase I could pretty much know that the rails were undisturbed before the first train of the morning. Amtrak was also in the plan. The first stop was Kenilworth on the UP-N line, where the first inbound train of the day plowed through the snowbanks, running about ten minutes late at 4:55 am. Geographically the next closest train to catch was the first inbound MILW-N train from Fox Lake, which I caught at Tower A20 around 5:40am. Note the hitting the ground. This southbound main had a freight run to A5 maybe an hour or two before so it wasn't as much accumulated as it could be.

But the northbound main seemed to have been undisturbed for hours, and the first train scheduled north was Amtrak 329. Except... it got cancelled, even though the bulletin for calcellations that includes it starts tomorrow, not today. So, the first outbound Metra train then became the first train north, and by that time it was actually getting to be daylight.

The video is in reverse order, so:
1. Metra 2101 near Morton Grove
2. Metra 2108 moments later near Morton Grove
3. Metra 2102 at Tower A20
4. Metra (UP-N) 300 at Kenilworth



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/19 08:01 by inCHI.

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great video, love seeing this kind of action. VOTD!!

great video.  i wonder if those lowered snow plow blades could damage the tracks when go over them?

66

love the video (and glad I am not there to see it in person - thanks)
 

Great videos and great effort to provide them...thank you.
They remind that Metra doesn't hide on bad weather days.
Metra is there and ready to go in the most crappy weather.
No excuses and excellent communications with the public.

Thanks for the comments, glad it is enjoyable!

The night shots with the cab car oscillating head light are particulary cool!

Cool!

Excellent video.  Thank you

ALSO...   ...an interesting as a SAFETY AWARENESS reminder that with the locomotive in the pushing mode...   ...the snow masks the sound of approaching train.   

Cheers!  Jim Blaze
 

Awesome ! Thank you for sharing !!! :):):)

 Very nice-----thanks for going out this morning!

The truck drivers should be raising their plows slightly when they cross tracks so they don't rip up the rails or the crossing planks. But, it does not look like they did.

Gotta love the oscillating MARS light!

Fantastic video! Metra in the snow is awesome!!! Thanks for sharing. Just curious are the snow plow blades on those trucks made of something other than steel? They look like a composite material

Posted from Android

mp51w Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The night shots with the cab car oscillating head
> light are particulary cool!

Yes, very cool!

Outstanding video!

Great video!

mp51w Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The night shots with the cab car oscillating head
> light are particulary cool!

I agree!

Posted from Android

ABB Wrote:
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> The truck drivers should be raising their plows
> slightly when they cross tracks so they don't rip
> up the rails or the crossing planks. But, it does
> not look like they did.

I concur with your observation.  They didn't raise their plows.
Great video 
Rich S

Are snow plow drivers expected to routinely raise their plows at grade crossings ...... even  "a little bit"?

Thanks for video of the day!