The Flickr Chicagosub Image Generatr

"Amtrak Train no. 3 passengers, your train is now going to be arriving on Track 3, the station track. Please grab your bags, and head under the tracks to that side ASAP."

Such were the timely instructions that the Amtrak station agent belted to us just minutes before the arrival of our 45 minute-late Southwest Chief into Naperville. Unfortunately, it ended up running right up on a block occupied by a Dinky, so instead of further delaying it, the BNSF Dispatcher hastily rerouted it to M3 using the crossover at East Naperville.

The tardiness on this trip was simply due to the earlier Train 5's power being bad-ordered for headlights and windshield wipers, so they stole 3's original leader. Train 3 then had to get this new one from the shops, and from then all the way to Kansas City, it was smooth sailing. Highball, Naperville!

After a late start on my way back to Kansas, I set out to photograph the day's eastbound Southwest Chief, which was running with a PAIR of repainted P42s on the point. Finding a spot to photograph afternoon eastbounds can be challenging, but there are countless opportunities to do so here in downtown Aurora. This is looking southeast down Downer Pl.

Amtrak's Phase VII paint debuted on repaints last year (Feb. 2024), but due to a combination of factors, this was the first that I've been able to photograph any of them. Big thanks to Matt for the heads up on this one!

IC 9613, a GP38-2 that has traded its Illinois Central black for CN red, works a pulldown job with IC 3138, a GP40R which IS wearing the old IC black, second out.

CN 5736 (SD75I) leads a couple of other EMD locomotives on a pulldown auto job at Homewood, IL.

Another fine September afternoon at Cedar Lake Sand and Gravel, finds todays flare resting comfortably before being brought to life for another evening on the aggregate run to Leithton, Illinois and back.

BN 3143, EMD GP50
GTW 6415, EMD GP40-2, ex DT&I 415

It's an overcast afternoon north of Duplainville, as Lonnie catches this northbound rail grinder dressing the railhead before winter sets in. In the distance, you can see the headlights of a highrail truck following the grinder to put out any missed lineside fires.

SOO 4402
Rail Grinder
Duplainville, WI.
November 1983
Lonnie Maves photo
D.A.Longley collection

BN 1521, rebuilt GP28M, originally built as EMD GP9, GN 905
BN 2088, EMD GP38-2

Northern Illinois was blanketed with some of the thickest fog I had ever encountered on this December morning in 2021. Driving in it is hard to describe in words. It was like trying to look straight up from under a hat brim. No matter how close moved my head forward, it always felt like something was blocking my upward view. Air temps were hovering around freezing and ice was accreting onto any forward exposed surface. Just south of Kankakee, I punched into clearer air and pulled into Chebanse to wait for my target. Checking out my car, I noticed my 1/8-inch diameter antenna had accumulated almost a 1/2-inch of ice on the front.

Anyway, after the morning hot shots had cleared the Mainline of Mid-America, A408 got the blessing from RTC to depart Otto. Here we see them rolling down the hill into Chebanse, marking the start of an all day 170-mile chase that ended in Kimmundy. These were fun days back when 408 was north of Champaign in daylight.

On my way home to Chicagoland for Thanksgiving, I noticed that CPKC's ex-CP Holiday Train was headed west down the Chicago Sub at the same time that I'd be headed EAST.

Well, as I was traveling with my wife and two cats, it quickly turned into the classic "math class word problem," as to where I could intercept it with as little down time as possible. Sure enough, the answer was "just west of Leaf River, IL, along with ALL of the other nerds. This was my first time to this location, and I can absolutely see why it's as popular as it is, with the Byron Nuclear Generating Station's cooling towers looming in the background.

KC to Bensenville manifest train, #253, has two of the new to CPKC painted ET44AC's. Power 7431, CSX 7216 and 7433. This is along the Chicago sub for CPKC and is passing an old Milw Rd code line pole from years past. Maybe because it is fresh paint, but they do not look all that bad, this is my first CPKC painted unit I've seen in person.

The lighting is atrocious, but I still shot Wisconsin Central's Waukesha local, YO981, as they just finished spotting loads and pulling empties at the Duplainville Quad Graphics plant. Their next move is to head up to Sussex and service the Quad Graphics plant there.

BN 7051, EMD SD40-2
BN 7501, EMD SD40-2B

BN 8010, EMD SD40-2

OWY 9090, EMD SD60

Conductor Scott takes a quick break from his paperwork after catching this turn off of the extra board, to give his contagious smile for the camera as we get underway out of Spur 105 at Sussex. We are using a pair of former Amtrak locomotives on the aggregate train from Sussex to Grayslake this evening. They were not very good on handling the loads down, but on the return with the empties, they were in their element at track speed.

Brand new rebuild CN 3407 (ex BNSF 4961) leads Z19571 past the town's grain elevator and the old IC railroad tower. This tower once a vital part of the IC, now sits somewhat preserved. The old IC north-south mainline has tons of history yet, that CN has not removed. Power 3407,3383,3000,8901,3115,8808,5764.