#rooseveltroad

Late Sunday Afternoon Departure A view from Roosevelt Road: a train seen here departing Chicago's Union Station in the late afternoon on a Sunday. This may be number five, the San Francisco Zephyr (departed at four PM).

The legacy Amtrak equipment, as well as the motive power (two SDP40Fs), is adorned with the Phase II paint scheme

Outbound Illinois Zephyr

It’s late afternoon or early evening in Chicago. Knowledgeable people in the rail enthusiast community tell me this train is most likely the Illinois Zephyr, and I will defer to them.

The GE P30CH locomotive on point here was just over a year old at this time. Amtrak was still unsure of its longevity, and so were in the habit of buying large locomotives (such as the SDP40F) that could be sold to freight railroads if it went down. Somehow it’s still holding on fifty-three years after its inception.

Mystery Vehicle

I took this image almost precisely forty-five years ago: we’re standing over the Rock Island on Roosevelt Road. Stumbling upon it in my slides, I had no idea of what this mystery vehicle might be, but some folks in a knowledgeable Facebook group tipped me off that it’s an Aln 668 Fiat Italian Railcar.

Apparently the Rock Island experimented with this for a year or so, trying to find an inexpensive alternative to a commuter trains with full crew. Off subject: it’s nice to see the Chicago Board of Trade Building so prominent here, and the areas on either side of the tracks are completely built over. To see how it looks today, I have a post with the same tracks and surrounding area in 2018.

Yard Power

A former Union Pacific GP9, which would become AMTK 763 and wear silver paint (of various phases), moves a train about. We’re atop Roosevelt Road once again.

I think the train *may* be the Illinois Zephyr; it’s powered by the short-lived GE P30CH. There’s a nice assortment of legacy passenger equipment in the background.

Outbound Illinois Zephyr

It’s late afternoon or early evening in Chicago. Knowledgeable people in the rail enthusiast community tell me this train is most likely the Illinois Zephyr, and I will defer to them.

The GE P30CH locomotive on point here was just over a year old at this time. Amtrak was still unsure of its lasting power, and so were in the habit of buying large locomotives that could be sold to freight railroads if it went down. Somehow it’s still holding on fifty years after its inception.

Chicago Union Station Action

The first image shows a Burlington Northern commuter train headed out of the station late in the afternoon. The second and third depict Amtrak’s Panama Limited first being moved to the station prior to departure and later backing out (though I don’t know which is which). In the final image a porter has just opened the rear door as I was shooting away with a banged-up twin-lens reflex. It is the Sears Tower, of course, visible in the background.

Outbound

It’s late afternoon or early evening in Chicago. Knowledgeable people on Facebook tell me this train is most likely the Illinois Zephyr, and I will defer to them.

The GE P30CH locomotive on point here must have been brand-spanking new at this time. As far as I am concerned, the building in the background will always be known as the Sears Tower.

Alco at Work

Here’s an Alco RS3 working in the environs of Chicago Union Station. It is first seen shoving what seems to be the Southwest Limited down into the platforms. (I assume that much if not all of the train is ex-ATSF, including that interesting transition car, just in front of the high-level cars.)

After placing the train, the black Alco comes prancing out—it was built in 1950 for the New Haven, carrying the number 523.