All Photos Copyright© 2008 by Robert E Pence

 

Fort Wayne, population just over 200K, has had no Amtrak service since 1990. The nearest stop is about 30 miles north at Waterloo, Indiana, population about 2,200 and served by the Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited, connecting Chicago with New York/Boston and Washington, D.C., respectively.

 

On Monday morning, Amtrak's web site showed the Lake Shore Limited running a little more than an hour and a half late. I allowed some extra time to look around and take some photos at Waterloo. I got shots of a couple of fomerly railroad-related buildings, but the temperature was 24 degrees fahrenheit with winds gusting to 35 mph.

 

 

I sought the warmth of the cozy depot ...

 

 

... cheerfully decorated for the holiday season. I decided to wait in my car.

 

Amtrak 49, the westbound Lakeshore Limited, arrived a few minutes after 9:15, and departed at 9:21, one hour and forty-eight minutes late.

 

 

Amfleet coaches, introduced with Amtrak's first order for new coaches in the mid-1970s, ride quite nicely on well-groomed track. Well-groomed track isn't an everyday occurrence on the long-distance routes in the Midwest. The ride on typical freight-railroad track is somewhat noisy and shaky.

 

Legroom is abundant and the seats recline nicely, but the seat construction is unyielding for anyone who hasn't grown their own padding. The old-time Heritage Fleet cars gave a smoother, quieter ride and their original seats were built like good furniture, with tied coil springs and padding covered by durable upholstery fabric.

 

Amfleet coaches' electric baseboard heating works well to keep them cozy in winter, and the air conditioning is effective in summer.

 

A few photos from the coach windows on the way into Chicago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived in place to back into Union Station about 11:00 a.m., pretty good running, and then sat for twenty minutes.

 

 

Then, we backed around the wye and I thought we'd be at the platform at any minute. Instead, we stopped just outside the station and sat again. We didn't come up to the platform for detraining until 11:58 a.m., two hours and thirteen minutes late. I had plenty of time to take train photos through the window as Metra crews switched equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Putting dinner in the diner; another train being prepared for boarding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago Union Station's design was initiated by Daniel Hudson Burnham, but Burnham died before the project was completed; the project was finished by successor firm Graham, Anderson, Probst, and White.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Temps were around ten degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago, with fierce winds. Rather than do any sightseeing and photography, I took care of an appointment and then holed up in my hotel until morning.

 

On Tuesday morning the temperature was seven degrees. Instead of walking to the Green Line, I just sprung for an 18-dollar cab ride to Hyde Park. Good cabbie, good conversation, and I got to see some sights that I don't see from the Green Line.

 

University of Chicago Medical Center, from the second floor of the Center for Advanced Medicine at 58th Street and Cottage Grove. Construction on this campus is a continuous process.

 

 

 

Looking south from the sixth floor. The arched roof on the left is the armory on Cottage Grove. This photo was taken about noon, just as snow was starting; in clear weather, you can see the Sears Tower and other tall Loop buildings beyond the Armory.

 

My Chicago photographer friend, Chris, and I made plans to meet up downtown. For a warm, sheltered place, we chose Randolph Street / Millennium Park Station. South Shore and Metra Electric commuter trains terminate here. The station is beneath the street at Randolph and Michigan.

 

We took of to walk around for a couple of hours. Snow was getting started in earnest by the time we set out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris enjoying winter in the Loop. If you're looking for a top-notch pro photographer to shoot your wedding or other event, activity, or business venture, this is your guy. He's chris at ockenphotography dot com .

 

 

 

Vietnam Memorial

 

 

Chris had an appointment to keep, so we adjourned at the Thompson Center. From here, I took off solo to hoof it around until 5:30, when I headed back to Union Station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Randolph Street Station to try to get some feeling back in my fingers.

 

I watched a few South Shore trains board and depart for Indiana.

 

 

 

Back out into the snow for a last-minute stroll around Millennium Park. This is the first time I've been there, that there wasn't a crowd around the Bean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The obligatory reflection self-portrait. The much-loved Bean is properly known as Cloud Gate. It was created by Anish Kapoor, and is polished stainless steel.

 

 

 

 

Pritzker Pavilion, designed by Frank Gehry.

 

 

 

 

 

To restore one's Christmas Spirit, there's nothing like a stroll along Michigan Avenue in gently-falling snow.

 

 

Union Station is such a grand, monumental piece of architecture. I think it may be the city's finest treasure.

 

 

 

 

One corner of Amtrak's corral - er - gate area at Union Stockyards - er - Station. Despite the standee crowd, folks were mostly in a good mood.

 

Here's the original passenger councourse that they tore down in 1969 and replaced with the claustrophobia-inducing squalid mess they have now.

The above photo was taken by my aunt, Dr. Jeraldine Baumgartner, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 1950s. The jpg is a scan from a 14x17 gelatin-silver print.

 

Amtrak business car 10001 was on the rear end of Train 30, the Capitol Limited.

 

 

 

On the next track, a Hiawatha Service (Chicago-Milwaukee) trainset. This locomotive has had its engine, generator, and traction motors removed and functions as a baggage car and a cab car, for bidirectional operation that eliminates the need to turn the train around.

 

Cab car + baggage car = Cabbage car. Seriously. That's what they call them.

 

 

Amtrak provides pre-boarding for handicapped, seniors, and people with small children. It's a nice amenity, but on this occasion there was a glitch; they were having problems bringing the power on line from the locomotive, and there were no lights in the cars. Employees were ushering passengers to their seats on the darkened train, one at a time, using flashlights.

 

 

The accumulated snow and ice atop the cars cascaded down from time to time. The crew member ahead on the left had just gotten hit with a heavy, wet mess that might have been enough to knock down a frail elderly or handicapped person.

 

I've taken a few long-distance winter rides on Superliners, including two round trips between Chicago and Oakland, California, and I've never gotten comfortably warm on them. Apparently they have circulating air HVAC systems instead of electric baseboards like the Amfleet cars, and the air is never really warm and my feet are always cold. On this mercifully short ride, I know it wasn't just me. Two younger, robust men were sitting across from me, and one was wearing gloves the whole time. The other kept rubbing his hands together to warm them.

 

Train #30 left Union Station at 7:32, 27 minutes late, and departed Waterloo at 11:18 p.m., 36 minutes behind schedule. Here, eastbound passengers are boarding at Waterloo.

 

 

 

 

That's all, folks. See you in Fort Wayne, after a 40-mph white-knuckle drive on icy pavement, regularly terrorized by speeding 18-wheelers.

 

Nice!  Fabulous as usual.  I felt like I was in Chicago with you.  Although the snow made me sick.  I hate going to Chicago in winter!

wow, now that has an appropriately seasonal vibe. brrr!

 

cabbage car, thats funny.

 

rob did they ever explain why the trains were so late coming & going?

Nice!  Fabulous as usual.  I felt like I was in Chicago with you.  Although the snow made me sick.  I hate going to Chicago in winter!

 

The snow was the best part of the visit. Chicago in winter without snow is just bitter-cold, windy, damp and depressing gray. The flying snow transforms it. For me, walking at night in Millennium Park and then on Michigan Avenue and along Adams over to Union Station with the snow flying and the wind blowing was positively exhilarating.

 

wow, now that has an appropriately seasonal vibe. brrr!

 

cabbage car, thats funny.

 

rob did they ever explain why the trains were so late coming & going?

 

I suspect that my train to Chicago on Monday may have been delayed by problems related to the ice storm in the Northeast. That sort of thing can take down signal lines and cause all kinds of delays. It's not unusual for westbound trains to be running late by the time they reach Indiana, because of freight train congestion or mechanical problems.

 

The power for lights and heat on the cars comes from a generator on the locomotive, and they were having trouble getting that to work on Tuesday night. That's why the train was dark and cold when we boarded, and that slowed the boarding process, delaying our departure.

Awesome thread Rob.  The snow in Chicago was gorgeous.  All of your train threads make me so jealous.  I only got to ride a train a few times and that was the Long Island Railroad.  Hopefully I'll be able to take a longer ride on a train sometime soon.

Idk if I could ever live in Chicago...just too damn cold. Great pictures, though.

Idk if I could ever live in Chicago...just too damn cold. Great pictures, though.

 

Oh please.  Grow a pair!  :wink:  Its not winter there 24/7/365!

 

We great lakes folks should be happy that we get the full compliment of 4 seasons.

Absolutely beautiful pics! You're a true pro! I'm packing my winter clothes now; I'm probably one of the few that are looking forward to some white stuff.

Absolutely beautiful pics! You're a true pro! I'm packing my winter clothes now; I'm probably one of the few that are looking forward to some white stuff.

 

Pack your long johns and leave your flip flops in Lauderdale!

Great photos!  The Christmas vibe is just great!  And yes....it feels super cold in Illinois (moreso than Ohio, IMO).  The wind chills out in the hinterlands west of Chicago were nearly 20 below a few days ago  :-o

Riding the train into Chicago is one of those "real chicago experiences" I believe in.  Great photo thread rob!

Riding the train into Chicago is one of those "real chicago experiences" I believe in.  Great photo thread rob!

 

Thanks. I still have some mental images of my first visit to Chicago, with my dad when I was five years old and in kindergarten at Lincoln School in Decatur, Indiana. There was a war on, but Dad didn't get drafted because he didn't pass the physical. He had a defense-industry job in management at the General Electric plant in Decatur and had to go to Chicago for a day to meet with someone.

 

He got me out of school for the day so he could take me along. It was the first time I remember being up before daylight. We walked from our tiny rented house to the station and boarded a train to Chicago on the Erie Railroad. I remember varnished wood on the trim in the coach, and going to the observation car at the rear of the train and watching the tracks run away behind us. Because of the war, there wasn't much in the way of extras or fancy stuff. My breakfast in the dining car was gray, congealed oatmeal with skim milk - I called it "blue milk," and that description stuck in our family for as long as Dad lived. The oatmeal sure was't like what Mom made; she always sprinkled cinnamon on top and added a pat of butter, and we had whole milk at home. We lived with rationing and managed to still eat well enough because Mom was a frugal but good cook who had grown up in the Great Depression, and my parents raised a vegetable garden every year.

 

We arrived at Dearborn Station. It was winter and as we walked up the platform past the steam engine, the air pumps were panting and the steam was swirling up around the front of the engine.

 

I remember a cab ride, and a visit to the Field Museum after Dad finished his business. I don't remember the trip home; I probably slept the whole way.

 

Over all the years, all my trips into downtown Chicago except one, in 1968 with friends who drove, have been by train. You're absolutely right; arriving by train is an essential part of the real Chicago experience.

 

 

Chicago in the snow just before Christmas... what a great sight.  Nice pix!

Awesome set, Rob. Snow in Chicago sucks most times of the year, except before and during the holidays. Then it is beautiful, and you captured that beauty very well!

 

BTW, I will be in contact with you over the use of some of your train/station pictures.

 

Oh, and one more thing, the conductor should be reprimanded for this. Dropping the stepbox into the ballast when there is a hard platform available is a big no-no when it comes to operatingsafety rules....

 

Very nice pictures, you are truly talented.

Absolutely fantastic stuff.  I've been to Chicago in the winter twice.  Both times had terribly cold, windy, and snowy weather and I wouldn't have traded them for the world.  That is what you expect when you go there in the winter.  Then again I think most future trips to Chicago will be during their absolutely gorgeous summer weather.

Thanks for the great tour.  You've given me inspiration to share my upcoming rail experience.  Monday I'll be taking the Hiawatha from Milwaukee to Chicago and then Chicago to Bloomington/Normal on the Lincoln Service to visit my Dad in Peoria.  Then I'll take Amtrak back to Chicago, then Metra to Kenosha, then Wisconsin Coach Lines to Milwaukee on the way back for a bit of variety.  I'll post the thread for Christmas...

 

...now where is my darn camera charger?

 

PS - The way they use the space in the Union Station is horrible.  It was a beautiful building that has been ruined, but not beyond recognition.  Can we PLEASE pump some more money into Amtrak?

Oh, and one more thing, the conductor should be reprimanded for this. Dropping the stepbox into the ballast when there is a hard platform available is a big no-no when it comes to operatingsafety rules....

 

Although it appears to be about half a carlength and not too hard to hit, it looks like they overshot it by a few feet. My impression is that to back up, even a few feet is a big PITA; probably they'd have to have a trainman at the rear end of the rear coach, and in this case the rear coach was Amtrak 10001. It might have been politically inexpedient.

 

Besides, backing up pushes in the slack, and that can give a rough start, especially by the time it gets to that last coach.

 

I hadn't been to Waterloo in a few years, but it seems to me that eastbound trains used to cross over to the westbound track to use the full-length platform. I suppose NS put an end to that when they took over the line.

 

I will be on and off line over the next few days. The effects of the ice storm linger, and my power is off and on; I was down for two hours this afternoon, and the temps are low, keeping the ice on the trees. The forecast high winds tonight and tomorrow probably will  take down more lines. I haven't checked the count lately, but yesterday there were more than 80,000 power outages in metro Fort Wayne. I've brought my heaters up from the basement, prepared my lamps, and stocked up on kerosene. I'm not one of those foolish virgins.

 

Indiana Michigan Power says they hope to have everyone's power back on by Christmas Eve. I still have a big limb on my back porch roof, and a downed line yesterday shorted a transformer and shot 220 volts through the 110-volt circuits in my vacant rental next door, starting a fire that fortunately lost interest after the wires melted through, and before it could gain a foothold. Good thing it's a brick house; a fire in that location in a frame house would have gone into the walls and taken the whole thing before anybody saw it.

 

</babble-babble-babble>

 

Edited out some, but not all, of the babbling 6:30 p.m.

 

Thanks for the great tour.  You've given me inspiration to share my upcoming rail experience.  Monday I'll be taking the Hiawatha from Milwaukee to Chicago and then Chicago to Bloomington/Normal on the Lincoln Service to visit my Dad in Peoria.  Then I'll take Amtrak back to Chicago, then Metra to Kenosha, then Wisconsin Coach Lines to Milwaukee on the way back for a bit of variety.  I'll post the thread for Christmas...

 

...now where is my darn camera charger?

 

PS - The way they use the space in the Union Station is horrible.  It was a beautiful building that has been ruined, but not beyond recognition.  Can we PLEASE pump some more money into Amtrak?

 

Enjoy your trip. I've used Hiawatha Service, and it's quite satisfactory; nothing fancy, but comfortable and reliable, all anyone really needs for a trip of that distance. More speed on all trains would be nice, but for now it will do.

 

Does Badger Bus still operate between Milwaukee and Madison? They used to have a very good reputation as a quality operation. I'm thinking about a trip to Madison in the spring, just fo the heck of it, and was considering South Shore to Chicago, Hiawatha Service to Milwaukee, and bus to Madison.

 

Oh. And I added a 1950s photo of the original councourse that was torn down in 1969.

WOW, so cool! I wish I had your photographic eye!

WOW, so cool! I wish I had your photographic eye!

 

You shoot some interesting stuff in interesting places. Just keep practicing, and study other people's work that you like. The principles will rub off on you, and you'll develop your own distinctive style as you go along.

 

Another thing - and I think a lot of forumers are already doing it, and it makes me happy - pay attention to the everyday, commonplace stuff because, before you know it, twenty years will have passed and people will look at your photos and say, "Wow, look at that!" or, "Hey! I rode that train line to work every day. The cars sure have changed."

 

Time flies. Don't let it get away from you.

 

Edit: right after the photo of the people lined up in the departure concourse, I added a 1950s photo of the original 1913 concourse that was demolished in 1969.