Incredible Metra evening rush hour action at Canal Street! 

Trains like these make me happy

I love trains

I love metra trains.

I can only imagine what this was like 50 years ago before Amtrak and Metra, and 80 years ago when union station was fairly new and streamliners were king!

Good lord. I've had dreams like this before... it's surreal to actually see footage of it!

The trains on the upper level are going to and from the Ogilvie Center just south of this location. This used to be the stately Chicago & Northwestern Terminal. As a teenager in the 1960's, I often rode the Lake Street elevated to the Clinton stop to visit the terminal and watch trains. I never went into the terminal from a street entrance. Instead there was a way into the train shed area from Clinton Street. You could walk up a flight of stairs and were at the tracks, sometimes with an idling diesel there to greet you at the top of the stairs. Eventually, I would walk through the doors from the trains she to the head house (the terminal building). Some years later (must have been about 1984 and I was now living out of state) I was visiting the area and did my usual pilgrimage there. But I couldn't find a way from the train shed into the terminal building. There were various vendors along that wall, news stands, food, and such. But no doors. So I went out the train shed to the Canal Street side to walk to the terminal building outdoors. As I walked a little bit south, I was aghast that there was nothing but a giant hole in the ground. The terminal building was gone in preparation for building the Ogilvie Center that would replace it.

THAT would BE A GREAT RAILROAD CROSSING TO RAIL FAN AT ALL Day !

My Dad worked CMStP&P passenger service. A couple times I helped him back up the cars to Western Avenue maintenance facility, using air whistle to relay signal readings to the engineer around these bends.

a couple weeks back i had this weird dream a massive tsunami came off the Lake and i was watching it on some sort of live feed on either youtube or on the news I dont remember. but it looked more like a Hollywood movie then a real life natural disaster being shown on live news. anyways what i remember most was giant waves flood the streets like in Day After Tomorrow. also the water was so powerful it was lifting Metra trains off the tracks like toys. the cars then would be tossed about and some would even snap in half like the Titanic!!(complete with the Metra car being tilted with one end sticking up in the air completely,then SNAP!! the two pieces start to part away from each other. only difference is the second half went under first instead of the first half which just still stuck out with its mangled and jagged open and bobbed around...) while other train cars would just slowly crumble or implode like nothing! i was like woah how can water be sooo powerful it can smash 100s of tons of steel cars into pieces as if they were cheap toys!! it was so bizarre!

Dreaming of having my bedroom window overlooking this action everyday :)

7:13 MP36PH double header. Something you don’t see everyday!

That was insane! I mean, even for Chicago, that's a lot of trains!

This video is amazing so many trains

So cool

0:57 Gotta love that sound . .

I can't wait to see the former Amtrak F59PHI locos in the Metra roster. In fact, at least one already has Metra markings!

Yeah,, that's Chicago alright!

Dang! That's a lot of trains for a short period of time!

Lots of train action thanks for sharing 👍

Canal st is my favorite crossing whenever i go to chicago

Man they keep these rails polished!!

I rode Metra into OTC and Union Station many times and have switched between the two many times. It may have been tough but it was well worth it

6:45 Wow, a car with the Metropolitan Rail logo still painted on, that's rare to see, even when this was uploaded.

Great vid!

It's been too long since I've visited a railyard, despite living in Pennsylvania, so these videos are the best I can get. And the videos you make are the best I can get. Well done.

watching this , i remember a rule " a train can come any track, any direction. any way at any time . :) nice vid. like . would have love to seen this in the steam era .

Looks like both gate masts now have WCH E-bells. All of them used to have mechanical bells.

Nice video. This location will always be one of the best for Metra action.

its a requirement for every railfan to do this crossing at least once every visit to chicago its worth it ive done it 5 times last year

You shoot some great videos here. I have to visit Chicago someday.

One of my favorite railfanning sites. Excellent positioning to catch both levels of Metra action. The outbound Amtrak gave the time frame you were there. Very enjoyable!

Great vídeo

Ben Styles and Sercan Cena Love ❤️ Metra Train 🚂

GREAT VIDEO! LOVED IT!

The crossing gates are down forever.

surprised they have a level crossing on such a busy track!

It's a good video. Although a little bit too noisy (excluding the fact that the trains are making a thigh curve on the video) it's good too see the amount of trains passing by.

2:28 I was driving #111 in Train Simulator 2017 just yesterday! What a coincidence!

Great coverage bud! Well done!!

3:55 Rare sighting. Usually, the blue engine cars are at the end facing the outer terminus, not Union Station.

It must be hell for the interlockers in their offices during the morning and evening rushes!

Great footage Fred!

Nice video! And because of the volume we know how to wake up our friends lol!

imagine being the dispatcher doing all this switching

Oh my god, 7 trains in a row without cutting the video... WOAH

Poor baby Daniel is the best for the girls in the same rooms

That crossing seemed closed for the whole video

WOW!! 👏👏👏👏👏

Wow, those people on cars had to wait for twenty minutes? Or even more then that?

Why do some F40s have the Metra logo closer to the bottom than others?

I think this is like third video I have seen of this area in Chicago. I know it’s somewhere near union station but where. I would love to set up there the next time I’m up there 🤔

Imagine how long people had to wait at the crossing just to cross the tracks lol

If my mom,dad and others were on that street we would be like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

In the chi we don’t edit any of our railfaning clips. Cuz the trains keep comin

What kind of camera did you use>

My mom said THATS TO MANY TRAINS! XD I said that metra left the next one is coming My dad said WHAT!

where did the first amtrak go to because on canal street ive only seen 2 amtraks when i return on the milwaukee district and the amtraks usually enter through the southern part

I wanted to go to Chicago

I'm trying to find this on Google Maps to mark for a potential future visit - I think I found it. Is this Canal Street & 16th Street?

Whats the point of having the station above CUS if the tracks meet at the same spot? why don't they just abandon that station and move everything to CUS?

Great

When the train blowed the train horn 2 times was he staying bye?

3:33 what train horn was on that heritage

Aha when Amtrak still used f40

You like Chicago and north western or Burlington Northern

How often do the trains go by? So often you don't even notice...🕴🕴

They now have electric bells.

I kinda feel bad for the cars, gotta stop every 30 seconds

what was the high level for?

2:31 and 3:33 can you guess the horns

2011 that tunnel wasnt there yet b

2:35 I thought this was a no horn zone

2:31

Cars should avoid that crossing!!

damn traffic don't get a break huh?

Great video! Great train action!!! My son would love some subscribers to his channel..#MetraSnakieAsaurus

Why do North American trains trumpet almost constantly during a ride? In addition, this bell ding ... ding .... ding ... non stop! It can turn you crazy! Trains make more sirens and bells than the natural sounds of engine or rolling elements. Living on the railway is a nightmare! Are Americans so stupid and do they get on the track like cattle everywhere? I do not think so. In Europe there is a higher railway culture, and the auditory and visual experience are nicer (rolling stock is much nicer :). (I use google translator :)