Passenger Trains > For my Chicago area friends

Need some advice, 
I'm taking a bucket list trip on The City of New Orleans. Departing Tuesday from New Orleans arriving In Chicago on Wednesday. I have 6 to 8 hours to kill to  Catch A Metra train if my Amtrak isn't late.of course. 
If their was two Metra train that was best for a train fan and for the scenery, which one would take? My options are open. I could leave from Union Station or Ogivle Transportation Center. Never taken a Metra train so gotta get that off my bucket list. I've been to Chicago before, so I know the basic cities and Suburbs. Flight leaves from O'Hare!
Thanks in advance.
JohnnyCity of New Orleans.  

Juan Cornejo
Hacienda Heights, CA

Go to Aurora and back on the BNSF/Metra line.  Lots of other trains to see as you travel.  Good eats in Aurora if you have time.

-John

As a former Milwaukee resident now in Massachusetts for the past 27 years, I've done what you're planning on to be able to ride all the Metra trains I can on a one-day layover in Chicago.

The first step whenever I plan such an out, be it NJT, Septa or other lines I've ridden all routes is to expect Amtrak to be an hour late, maybe more.  So I go to the web site (METRA), and print out (repeat...print out) time tables starting about 9AM of several lines I am interested in for the day.  Why print them out?  I can check them and decide which route is 'next out' within my ability to make it in less than 30 seconds vs 5 minutes or more screwing around with my cell phone or walking over to Oglivie Station and deciding there what to do.  I mark on the printouts #1, #2, #3 choices to automatically lead me to the the soonest following the 'expected arrival' time of my Amtrak train. 

I also allow for time in Union or Oglivie for a restroom stop and picking up a snack...coffee, donut, etc.  I also buy a bottle of water to stay hydraded during the day.  At mid day (post AM rush hour), METRA routes are anywhere from an hour to two hours between trains to the end of the line, Part of my pre-trip route selection also includes checking on the return train schedule.  As I recall, Big Timber (Milw West Line) and others may require an hour layover with a closed station and no convenient food or facilities.  Use Google Maps at home to 'look around' at the endpoint station.  I want to make sure I have time, even an hour late, for return to the station so I can get dinner in downtown Chicago and still make my train back home.  Of note is that there's more 'reverse commuting' into Chicago during rush hour than during mid day.  

As I am a trolley fan, especially of the late Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee RR (abandoned Jan 21, 1963), one of my selected possibilities is the Metra North Line to Waukegan as it runs parallel to the still very visible right-of-way east and mostly adjacent to the C&NW right-of-way for about 20 minutes, give or take. Fall, winter, and spring give the best views of the right-of-way.  The ex Burlington line west brings glimpses of the abandoned CA&E, the 'Roarin' Elgin' electric line as well.  

Best scenery?  I'd have to vote for the former Milwaukee Road line to Elgin and Big Timber.  If I were to do it again, I'd probably get off at Elgin as it's near downtown.  Big Timber is nothing more than a large parking lot in the middle of nowwhere about 5 miles west of Elgin.  The former Chicago, Aurora & Elgin had a line there, but it's not visible from the Metra.  However, at the south side of Elgin there's a trolley museum.  The Milwaukee line travels through some of the more affluent suburbs of Chicago before it takes a swing to the west just north of Rondout, after passing under the former CNS&M line.  It also passes alongside the former Glenview Navel Air Station which is now a bunch of condominiums, as I recall.

To repeat...make a list of route options that appeal to you and based on Amtrak arrival time, pick the one that fits best.  Also...Maybe 5 years ago, I got to Hoboken to ride one of NJT's trains, and choice #1 had been cancelled due to a retaining wall failure in Summit.  So having alternatives readily available is always important, in my opinion.


 

Another thought, building on =10.5pxBRAtkinson would be to ride several lines, just not all the way out to the end.

I favor the CNW (Metra UP North) Line - I grew up in Highland Park. Lots of nice suburbs and HP should have some reasonable places to grab a bite. You can still see evidence of the North Shore LIne's Shore Line Route along the way if you look closely. Half hour headways, alternating between "expess" and local service.

Another option would be the former Soo Line route (North Central Service) - it follows the Milwaukee West line to Franklin Park and then heads north to a final terminus in Antioch. Service on the line may still be limited due to Covid. This line also has a station that's convenient to O'Hare.

And - - don't forget the Metra Electric from Randolph Street to the southern suburbs.

So many trains, so little time.

-- wzd
 

Although I do not live in Chicago, during numerous visits, I've managed to sample just about every commuter rail in Chicago, including the South Shore.  Of all those I rode, the least interesting, from a scenery perspective, is the North Central Line.

My favorite commuter line, by far, is the South Shore.  However, you'd have to spend time getting to/from Randolph Street and it would be difficult to ride the entire line within the time you have in Chicago.

I'd suggest the BNSF or Union Pacific North Line.
 

RuleG,

I stand corrected regarding the North Central line - it's been on my list, but never rode it.

The South Shore would normally be a great choice - however, the double tracking project between Gary and Michigan City has resulted in a bus bridge instead of rail service between those two points. Hopefully, the project will be finished soon and rail service restored over the entire line.
Chicago to Gary and back would be doable, I think.

I agree with BRAtkinson - Do some pre-planning and make priorities.  That way you can resort to plan B or C if necessary. 
I have two suggestions. 
The first doesn't involve much scenery, but a lot of trains.  The Roosevelt Road bridge is a railfan's paradise.  You can photograph plenty of Amtrak and Metra trains. Both Amtrak and Metra's coach yards are nearby as is Amtrak's engine house.  A few blocks further east are the Metra trains departing from LaSalle Street Station.
My suggestion for scenery shots is the  UP West line to Geneva.  There is an incredible bridge over the Fox River that has been used for C&NW publicity shots and even was the subject of a Howard Fogg painting.You can shoot from either the park underneath or from the State Street bridge.  The latter however will require some sort of telephoto lens.  The station is a few blocks west of downtown Geneva and has plenty of places to eat. 
The North Central Service is rush hour only.  There is a convenient transfer to O'Hare, but not all trains stop there.  My suggestion would be to take the CTA Blue Line since it offers direct service into the airport.  Just be prepared to walk (it's an underground walkway) since the station is not close to any of the terminals.
Good luck and have fun.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I sometimes pre-plan where I'll stop for a late lunch.  20+ years ago, my mom introduced me to Wisconsin-based Culvers fantastic burgers and I discovered they had a restuarant on Dempster St about a mile west of the Skokie Swift CTA station terminus (former CNS&M station still standing).  I took a bus there and back in a blizzard.  One of the burger places in one of MSN's 'best restaurants', etc shows a place in Evanston, a stop on the C&NW North line as well as CTA.  I saved the link to that, but haven't yet gone there. 

For what it's worth, a couple weeks from now, I and a friend are going to joyride the NJT RiverLine and then SEPTA around Philadelphia before coming back to Springfield MA.  I went to one of the 'best' rated Philly cheese steak places on Market St a block from the subway station and had a fantastic cheese steak.  If they weren't so far from the north south subway, the best rated cheese steaks are on Oregon St on the south side.  Taking a bus ride to get there would introduce perhaps 20 minutes ride time and 20-30 minutes waiting time each way.  It's all about preplaning things and hoping to stay with 'Plan A' scheduling.

One idea I've used in strange cities is to Google 'restaurants in xxx' and see what comes up.  Then try to match that with the subway and/or commuter rail maps to find one close to a stop.  I've encountered winners and losers along the way.  Of course, when I spent a day in Atlanta 3 years ago, I made sure to find a Pancake House near a subway station and ate breakfast and lunch at 2 of them!  The return Crescent was running several hours late, so I went to yet another Pancake House for dinner!

johnnyremixx Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Need some advice, 
> I'm taking a bucket list trip on The City of New
> Orleans. Departing Tuesday from New Orleans
> arriving In Chicago on Wednesday. I have 6 to 8
> hours to kill to  Catch A Metra train if my
> Amtrak isn't late.of course. 
> If their was two Metra train that was best for a
> train fan and for the scenery, which one would
> take? My options are open. I could leave from
> Union Station or Ogivle Transportation Center.
> Never taken a Metra train so gotta get that off my
> bucket list. I've been to Chicago before, so I
> know the basic cities and Suburbs. Flight leaves
> from O'Hare!
> Thanks in advance.
> JohnnyCity of New Orleans.  

Ride the train to Elburn and walk to Obscurity Brewing. The BBQ there is incredible. Then go to Geneva. Great little place and the breweries are delicious too! All very safe.

Whatever you do have fun.

Englishman in America

Posted from iPhone

wzd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hopefully, the project will be finished soon and rail service restored over the entire line.

Not soon. Buses between Gary and Michigan City through spring of 2023. The bus bridge was between Dune Park and Michigan City until work started west of Dune Park and they decided that busing was better than trying to fit trains around the construction. Construction has begun at Dune Park station that includes removal of an interlocking and the installation of a gauntlet track. It is going to be a while before another train with passengers passes through. Even after the track in Michigan City is replaced and the gauntlet at Dune Park is installed (which will probably take until spring) NICTD still has to rebuild the track to the west of Dune Park including four large bridges and two large realignments. So (short answer) don't expect services to be restored before 2024. (September 2023 would be optimistic for passenger service.)

> Chicago to Gary and back would be doable, I think.

Yes ... the schedule would need to fit in with the 6-8 hour window and transportation across Chicago to get to Millennium Station would need to be factored in. Delays due to construction are common so the train back may not leave Gary as advertised. I probably would not risk the full ride but just to say "I rode the South Shore" one could probably find a train to Hegewisch and another train back.

A Metra train to O'Hare (using the airport train to get to the terminal) is a natural part of this plan. If time and schedules permitted I'd consider booking the flight the day after the CoNO arrival ... just in case Amtrak is incredibly late. It would cost a hotel but would free up time to spend more than "6-8 hours" on trains.