May 31, 2013:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I went downstairs for breakfast. Today, I would be going to Kenosha. I got my stuff and headed out. There was a shuttle there. I had it take me to the Oakbrook Center instead of the Metra station so I could use my pass and save money.

 

            When I got there, I saw a bus I could take was already there. I got on and rode to 54^th Cermak station on the Pink line. I boarded a Pink line train and rode to Clinton. At Clinton, I filmed the train pulling out. I then walked towards the Ogilvie Transportation Center. As I got there, I photographed a CTA Nova LFS and a D60LF operating on CTA's “Jump” service which I assume is the CTA equivalent of VIVA.

 

 

 

            I then went inside and bought a round trip ticket to Kenosha. I waited for my train to depart. I bought lunch at the food court and browsed in a couple stores.

 

            Soon, it was time to board. I took a seat in the cab car. The train departed on time. Along the way, I photographed some Union Pacific power at Waukegan.

 

 

The green tint is from the window of the Metra train. Sorry.

 

            A little while later we arrived into Kenosha. I photographed the train.

 

 

 

            I went to the street and awaited a streetcar. I was hoping that PCC #4609 would show up as it was Kenosha's only ex Toronto PCC that I have yet to ride. It did! I was ecstatic. I photographed 4609.

 

 

            I rode 4609 to the barn. I got off and photographed it again.

 

 

 

            I noticed the driver was having problems closing the doors. I helped him. I then photographed 4609 and filmed it pulling away.

 

 

 

            I walked around the outside of the barn. I saw it was locked up tight. However, when 4609 came around again, it stopped short of the switch that would take it into the barn. I walked over and photographed it.

 

 

            I learned that 4609 was being changed off with another PCC.  I filmed 4609 as it pulled past me. I took one more photo of #4609.

 

 

            I asked the driver of 4609 if I could take pictures inside the barn. He said it was alright. I did just that. I noticed that PCC #4617 which I rode last time was being prepped for painting into San Francisco colours.  I took some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click to see my updated page on Kenosha’s PCCs:  Kenosha streetcars

 

 

This it PCC 4617’s trolley shroud on the ground.

 

 

            The driver was taking PCC #4615 out instead. I talked with the driver as he prepared to back #4615 out. After the car was outside, I got out and walked to the stop and photographed #4615 as it pulled up.

 

 

            I rode 4615 one time around the line. I got off and filmed the car pulling away. I then took one more photo.

 

 

            I noticed that ex SEPTA PCC #2185 had been moved one car length backwards. It looked like it was going to go out. I thought that I may be able to ride it as well and I'll have ridden all of Kenosha's active PCCs. However, they were just moving 2185 out of the way in order to get 4609 over the pit. I asked if I could at least ride #2185, but was told I couldn't. I photographed the cars as well as a D40LF.

 

 

 

 

 

            I decided to walk over to a nearby Wendy's. At Wendy's, I bought a coke. I then walked around the area and took another brief ride on #4615.  I wandered around the area before I saw #4615 coming. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I had a conversation with the driver. I told him that I have now ridden all of Kenosha's ex Toronto PCCs as a result of riding 4609 earlier. I told him of my quest and my previous trips to Kenosha. He was impressed. I stayed on for a couple times around the line. At one point, I saw PCC 4606 had been pulled out. I photographed it from the windshield.

 

 

            The driver had to use the washroom and invited me into the car house again. I took some photos in the barn and the office. I noticed they had printed the page on Transit Toronto about the 4600-4618 series PCCs. In 2000, I supplied two photographs which were there!

 

 

 

This is the Transit Toronto page about the 4600-4618 series PCCs with two of my photos!

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like Kenosha plans which cars will run on which days.

 

            Soon, I had to go. I rode PCC 4615 to the Metra station. I filmed the car pulling away and took one more photograph of 4615.

 

 

            I went to the Metra station to await my train back to Chicago. When it arrived, I filmed it pulling in to discharge its passengers. After it switched tracks, I photographed it.

 

 

            I noticed an older Metra coach in the consist of the train, but it wasn't at the platform. I boarded the coach in front and decided that if it was opened at some point during the trip to Chicago, I would move. From the Metra train, I photographed PCC 4615 as it came by again.

 

 

            The Metra train departed on time. As we passed Waukegan, I photographed two former Chicago Northwestern cabooses.

 

 

 

            I later photographed a former Chicago, North Shore, and Milwaukee bridge.

 

 

            The last coach had opened up, but I only moved after the train had departed the stop before the Ogilvie Transportation Center. When we arrived at the Ogilvie Transportation Center, I took some photos.

 

 

 

            I thought I would be able to take the Pink line to 54th-Cermak station and take the 322 back to the Oakbrook Center. I boarded a pink line train heading to 54th-Cermak, but at Cicero; the stop before, I decided to get off and have dinner at a White Castle a block away. On the way, I photographed the marks in the pavement caused by a crashing train of 2200 series El cars.

 

 

            I had dinner and made my way back to the El. I caught the next train to 54th-Cermak. I checked the bus schedule and saw the last 322 of the night left at 9:18 pm and get me to the Oakbrook Center at 10:10 pm. I had a long time to kill. I phoned the hotel, and found out the shuttle stops running at 10:00 pm. When the bus showed up, I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            The bus departed. Several minutes later, I saw a taxi in a parking lot. I got off the bus and took the taxi to the hotel. I saw a few blocks down the street that if I had stayed on the bus for a few more minutes, I would have seen another group of taxis which would have saved me some money.

 

            It cost me about $21 to get back to the hotel. I went up to my room and worked on this report some more. I eventually called it a night.

 

June 1, 2013:

 

            I got up and got dressed. I went downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast I returned to my room and worked on this report some more. I phoned my friend Karl. He said he wasn't sure about meeting me today. I decided to take the shuttle to the Elmhurst Metra station. As the shuttle bus made its way to the Metra station, Karl phoned me. We arranged to meet at the Metra station. While I was waiting at the Metra station, I photographed a few trains that passed by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Karl soon showed up. He parked in a Union Pacific employee parking spot (he works for Union Pacific so he was allowed to park there). Karl and I watched some Union Pacific trains pass. One had several cars with calls lettered for “fallen flag” railroads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            We then had lunch at a restaurant across the street from the Metra station. While waiting, I photographed two Union Pacific autorack trains. They both had autoracks from fallen flag railroads.

 

 

According to Karl, the locomotive leading this train is new.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed a Union Pacific coal train that had an unpatched Southern Pacific unit.

 

 

 

 

 

            I then photographed another freight train. I noticed the second unit was Union Pacific #4601; the number of the ex Toronto PCC behind me meeting Karl.

 

 

 

            Karl and I then decided to leave. We headed by Union Pacific's Proviso yard. When we got there, we photographed some locomotives including three patched former Southern Pacific units.

 

 

 

 

 

            We saw a CN locomotive in the yard and we drove up to it and I photographed it even though I’m all too familiar with CN locomotives.

 

 

            We kept going down the road and just like in 2008, we saw Union Pacific's last two unpatched Chicago and Northwestern units! This time they were coupled together. Needless to say, we photographed the units.

 

 

 

 

 

            We then continued down the road and I saw five CSX units. We also saw a CSX freight pulling into the yard.

 

            We got to the main road and I photographed a Metra commuter train passing though.

 

 

 

            Karl and I drove around. We stopped in a McDonald's parking lot near the main line. We saw the railway crossing nearby had been activated. I jumped out hoping to photograph a train, but after several minutes, only a hi-rail truck passed by. I photographed it anyway.

 

 

 

            Karl then drove me back to the Metra station. I decided to go downtown. Karl was meeting people, but he would be on the charter tomorrow. I had also received a text from Greg saying he was busy.

 

            While waiting for the Metra train, I photographed a Union Pacific intermodel with five locomotives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I also photographed an outbound Metra commuter train as well as two more Union Pacific trains including a coal train with a distributed power unit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            My train soon arrived. I photographed it pulling in.

 

 

            I took a seat in the cab car. The train soon departed. As we passed Proviso Yard, I took some pictures.

 

 

 

 

            The train soon arrived at the Ogilvie Transportation Center. I got off and took some photos.

 

 

            I waited for a CTA Jump bus. I saw one at intersection of Clinton and Madison. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I rode the bus to Michigan and Jackson. Along the way, the bus made a detour. I then got off and filmed the bus pulling away. I then walked to the El. It was a few blocks further to a station, but I got on the brown line. I photographed the train before I got on.

 

 

            I rode to Chicago station on the brown line and got off. I then filmed the train pulling away. It was raining pretty hard. After several minutes, it let up. I walked over to the building with all the names and photographed it.

 

 

            I then walked back to the brown line. I then rode to H.W. Library and got off. I then transferred to the red line and rode to Roosevelt. I walked by Amtrak's 14^th street yard and photographed the equipment. I saw the Lakeshore Limited in the yard with all three sleeping cars at the back instead of one in the Boston section at the front of the train and two at the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I crossed the street and started walking back towards Roosevelt. It started POURING and I got DRENCHED. After awhile, I attempted to dry off in a nearby Target store. When I left the store, it had stopped raining and the sun was out! I decided to just head back to my hotel and try to make the 6:40 pm Metra back to Elmhurst. I rode the green line to Madison and transferred to a route 56 bus. I made it to the Ogilvie Transportation Center in time to buy dinner and get on the train. I phoned my hotel and asked for a shuttle to meet me at the station. I was told the shuttle stops running at 7:00 pm on weekends! At Elmhurst, I photographed my train pulling away.

 

 

            I then photographed an inbound commuter train.

 

 

 

            I then took a cab back to my hotel. The driver seemed to not know the way and I had to give him directions. Sheesh, the Canadian knows more than the local!

 

            Back at my hotel, I changed. I worked on this report some more. I went for a swim in the pool. I eventually asked for a wake up call at 6:30 and packed. My cell phone was giving me problems. I figured it was a little wet inside. I hoped it wasn't broken. I then called it a night.

 

Click here for the charter itself:      Farewell to the 2200s part 3