And Chicago

My original plan for going to Chicago was to catch the Nickel Plate 765 as it left Union Station.  I thought that I would have some fairly unique pictures since that doesn't happen all that often.  On Thursday I decided to check the Nickel Plate app to see where the train was and it was then that I found out they cancelled the trip.  Apparently there weren't enough people interested in riding the train.  I will admit, it was a pretty expensive trip to take and I can certainly appreciate people not wanting to plunk down that kind of cash.  However, I'm wondering if there are too many groups restoring steam engines.  It seems like every time I turn around, there is another group restoring one.  If there are too many, then rides on one stop being special.  Hopefully, the Nickel Plate will do the Cuyahoga Valley again...I will ride it then.

 If I ever needed a picture to sum up what it's like to drive to Chicago, this would be it.

 I still decided to get some train pictures outside of Union Station.  As I was planning for the Nickel Plate, I saw that Roosevelt Avenue crosses right over the tracks leading out of Union Station and I figured that would give me a good vantage point.

 And I think I was right.

 I guess depending on which way it came out, I could have gotten some good shots.  And I think they would have been better than this one because it was earlier in the day.

 An Amtrak train leaving.

 If you look in the upper right hand corner, there is a Southwest 737 (what else?) in the sky.  So I guess this makes for a bifecta.

 Another shot of that engine.

 I guess I'll have to imagine the Metra Train is the Nickel Plate and I would have gotten a pretty good shot.

And one more before heading home.

Even though I didn't get to realize all of my plans, I had a pretty fun weekend.  I hope that my dad did too.

Waiting in Union Station

I had a little bit of time before I had to be on the train, so I decided to get some pictures of Union Station.

 One aspect I like about taking the train is the ability to imagine myself in another time.  The Great Hall of Union Station still looks pretty elegant but I have to believe it looked better in its day.

 I kind of like the natural light.  Airports just can't compete with this.

 The stairs made famous by the Untouchables.

 Again, my favorite sign.

 Leading back towards the trains.

And one more shot.

National Train Day in Chicago

So I arrived in Chicago.  I had to wander over to the National Train stuff first.

 I kind of liked the picture of the pair of engines as I was heading into the station proper.

 The Amtrak Exhibit Train was being pulled by the same pair of engines.  The "Salute to Veterans" train was in front.

 I kind of like this.

 The station was pretty well lit.  I made for a pretty nice picture.

 One of the earlier Amtrak uniforms.

 National Train Day was started by Amtrak as a way to celebrate its founding.  It now covers many other aspects of railroads.  This is a plaque of the original Amtrak logo.

 I think one thing I like about Amtrak is the fact that it is aware of where it came from.

 An example of old Amtrak dining car.

 A pair of model engines.

 Why not?

 Part of the exhibit was a sampling of their horns. 

 Another pair of engines.

 The control panel for a train.

 A poster for the Acela train.

 A poster that shows how Amtrak gives names to its lines.  Part of it is from history and part of it is from railroad history.

 The lead engine.

 An inflatable Chuggington.

 One model railroad setup.

I guess this gives me something to aspire to.

I was happy to go there but I think the show in Toledo was a little better.

Waiting in the Great Hall

Sadly, my time in Chicago was reaching the end, so I headed back to the station.  At first I was waiting in the sea of humanity that is the Amtrak portion.  Then I decided to look at one of the monitors and saw that the Wolverine waiting area was the Great Hall.

 Now this is what a train station should look like.  Union Station was built in 1925 and replaced a station on this spot that was built in 1881.  This came out of an agreement between the Pennsylvania, CB&Q, Michigan Central, Chicago and Alton Railroad and the Milwaukee Road to build a combined station.  Like many other things, Union Station fell into decline with the decline of the railroads.

 Currently it serves as the station for the Metra and Amtrak lines.  I'm glad that they made the decision to restore this.

 And this is why it is called the Great Hall.

 I believe this stairway was used in the filming of the movie "The Untouchables" with Kevin Costner.

 Some of the columns.

 Looking up at the statue.

 The "To Trains" is my favorite.

 I just love the ornateness.

 Looking up at the column.

 Then I decided on a few black and white shots.  Somehow it seemed fitting.

 And makes it even more glorious, I think.

 Looking towards the exit.

And one more shot of the stairs.