For me, the E and F units are the most beautiful diesel locomotives in North America. Too bad for the good pieces. Greetings from Berlin/ Germany. Sven
I also agree, I adore studying and filming these things at the Illinois railway museum, best diesels to ever ride the American rails, greetings from Chicago.👋🚂
@@DanTDMJaceno it's not. F units like the F3 and F7 are structurally entirely different then an f40. EMD using the letter F in F40 is just Loosely carried over for naming purposes.
I grew up in the Chicago area about the same time and you, but I didn't start taking pictures of trains seriously until 1985. When I see stuff like your Rock Island and GM&O pictures it makes me wish that I had gotten started a lot earlier.
I'd guess "railfan indoctrination" most definitely did happen to that little guy on the platform in Berwyn (9:40)! Same thing happened to me when I was his age, courtesy of my Dad. Thanks for the memories, Steven. Berwyn is still one of my favorite trainwatching spots in Chicagoland.
I lived in Mt Prospect, illinois from 1969 thru 1974. My mom would drive my father to and from the commuter station Monday thru Friday. i didn't get to ride with her in the morning (school) but, I would go with her to pick up my father in the evening. What a show. CNW had E's and F's, many lashed with B's. It was quite the rush hour. Those memories will stay with me to the end.
I've been riding the BN to Union Station since 1982. Someone I was dating in 1985 lived in Berwyn on Kenilworth St. just north of the tracks. I recalled one time she slammed the window shut as she said "those damn trains". When I asked why, she had me come to the window and I ran my hands across the window ledge and there was black soot from the E9's billowing smoke like a steam locomotive when leaving the Berwyn station going West. I laughed it off. I really miss those unique BN E9's..Thanks for posting Steve...
Truly impressive photography and excellent narration! Thank you so much for preserving the history and legacy of these former roads and engines for future generations of railfans to enjoy, truly invaluable series.
Starting in the early 1960s it was always a treat to visit my two aunt's in LaGrange. They would ride the dinky to their jobs downtown and would humor me by going trackside in the weekend. Whether the Q or BN at was a great show so thanks for re-kindling those glory years
I grew up in Riverside and as a child I and lived only a few blocks from the train station and used to go and watch the fleet of dinkies with their loads of human cargo running west during the evening rush hour. Sometimes I would meet my dad who commuted downtown on the Q and walk home with him. One time I went on a Saturday not realizing what day it was and my folks drove by the station and saw me standing there and stopped to ask me what I was doing.
@@uhlijohn it was the thought that counts. The aunt's both rode to Stone Ace and I was intrigued by how the E's dug in hard just to hit the brakes a couple blocks later. Also dining at Connie's. So So food but great view of the tracks. I think that was in Brookfield
Thanks for sharing these memories Steven. I'm much younger, but I still remember a lot of these scenes. I grew up in the south east corner of DuPage and crossing the racetrack was almost a daily occurrence. Spent a lot of time in downtown Hinsdale and Downers Grove. When I grew up and got a real job, I worked up in the northern suburbs. We had a place right off Park Ave in Elmhurst and watching UP power and commuters constantly stream out of the UP yard on the other side of 290/294 was always a delightful sight. I was never mad getting stuck at a crossing trying to walk back to work from the cheap lunch I would pick up at the 7-11. Don't tell my boss, but I'd sometimes take a detour into the now sadly gone and missed Al's hobby shop.
Fantastic pictorial and beautifully written and narrated words and "foley" effects. I'm trainspotting on the Racetrack (in a rainstorm) while I write this, and marvel to recall my earliest days doing this, way back in the 1980s when these green Es on YT were certainly noteworthy, but nothing we'd go far outta the way for. How wonderful to be taken along on this impossible-distance time travel adventure...in the palm of my hand! Praise YT, the present era, and thanks für sharing;-)
I grew up at the Fairview station in Downers Grove, back in the 80’s. I would go to the burger joint “Cock Robin” just north of the tracks, get a lunch and head back to the station to see all the glorious trains
I worked at the BN yard in Cicero back in 1988/89 I remember the E units coming around the curve on the east end with a ring of fire from the brakes on the locomotive wheels, the engineers would push them hard to maintain schedule Its also the only place I've ever saw a searchlight signal indicate flashing green. Truly high speed, heavy duty railroading
Very cool. I watched E8s push and pull CNW scoots through Mount Prospect for many years before they were replaced by the F40PH-2s. The F40PHMs may seem mundane, but they are unique to Chicago, which puts them in the same league as F40Cs. Let's hope an example of each gets saved.
Well Metras probably going to keep the F40phm around for another 20 years but the f40c needs to be saved as they're threatened to go extinct right now.
Thats exactly what i thought about the e units back then lol. I was 7 when this vid was made, i didnt know any better. Seen so many f40s in the last 30 years tho, i just take em for granted like i did the e's
Great video! You really capture how sad it felt to see such nice locomotives in their last days of service, like how I felt when CN retired the Blue Devils earlier this year. At least you were able to snag some great photos!
Did you get any photos of EMD 9912? That unit was the one involved in that fatal accident back in August 26, 1991. Mary T. Wojtyla was the woman fatally struck at the Fairview Avenue station.
Yet another GREAT program you've put together, Mr. Brown, and thank you for sharing your wonderful photos and memories! It wasn't until 2017 that I began picking a location somewhere along BNSF's "Racetrack" and observing the entire evening rush coming out of Union Station. Wow, talk about an adrenaline rush! Of all the places I've done this, Highlands is my favorite so far. I just wish I had done this back in the early '90s when the E-units were still working, but hey, we all have regrets, right?
To think that it’s almost been 2 Decades. I was not born until 2003, but I remember watching older train videos when I was a Young Railfanner and stumbled upon an old Metra Video that featured these E Units and the F40PHMs on the BNSF Racetrack. It must’ve been good times back then
The Right Stuff! “Doc” Brown! Thanks for the Time Warp… It’s interesting to note that BN E8A 9907 survives today Abandoned on a industrial Siding near O’hare Airport. Again, Thanks for the Memories. 👊🛤📸
BN 9913 was kept in the rail museum in Nashville for a while, then repainted, used for the Tennessee Bicentennial train, and last I heard it was in California and used as a movie locomotive.
Love those old green E & F’s. My girlfriend/wife committed on the C&NW West line for 15 years and saw the transition there. I had friends who lived in “Downers Grave”. You had a lot more diversity on that line, especially with Amtrak units running on it.
@@brucewallace4337 I grew up in Lombard. My mom and dad lived there for over 50 years before they passed and I lived there almost 30 years. My dad called it Downers Grave, and I reserve the right to repeat that!
My grandmother ran a railroad boarding house in Tomball, Texas in the 1940’s, which is actually still there. Obviously, no longer a RR boarding house today though. The rail line through Tomball is a Burlington Northern, now BNSF rail line. During the 40’s though (I think) there was a Zephyr that ran through through there along with other steam engines. I’m guessing maybe it was the CB&Q? I don’t know. I wished my grandparents were still alive to ask them. My dad is 91 and has dementia, so I can’t really talk with him about it. This was a very interesting video. Thank you for posting this. I love the old Burlington Northern, for obvious reasons. My wife lived in Downers Gorve for close to 10 years. I think that may be where a lot of these BN commuter trains around Chicago were. Merry Christmas, All
My aunt, that just passed lived in Downers Grove for several years. My family and I love the area although it is a long way from Memphis. It is nice to visit a metro area where one does not always need to be looking over their shoulder. It is fun to watch the trains on the racetrack and go to the Friday night car show.
@@jeffholloway7974 Sounds cool to watch trains as you note from a car show. That’s a “two for one”. Sorry for the loss of your aunt. Merry Christmas to you!
Those METRA painted E8s wound up doing Long Island Rail Road service for a few weeks on the Port Jefferson Branch with the newly delivered Tokyu C1 Bi-level cars. Those same E units had to be pulled because of constant breakdowns in Smithtown due to their lack of hillclimbing abilities....
There is one of video that had a tape after few weeks that final run since May 30 1992, the units were 9902 and 9919 (I think those where the final 2 E units on BN passenger service)
Some of those F40s were eventually equipped with what was known as "blended brake". The WABCO 26L automatic air brake was integrated with the electric dynamic brake. An electrical cable was connected to the outside face of the 26L and then disappeared somewhere into the innards of the engineer's control stand. When taking air to make a stop the dynamic brake would kick in automatically so the engineer did not have to set up and operate the dynamic separately. All was accomplished with a service reduction in brake pipe pressure while coming to a stop. I do not know if the blended brake is still in use or not. It may have been a test to see how it worked for all I know.
Most of the f-series now use blended brake and direct air disc brake control, with the WABCO Westinghouse-style brake retained as a backup. All of your braking is done with small reductions of brake pressure, with larger reductions activating the Westinghouse brake as normal.
not-so-fun fact, the infamous internet shock video "traingirl" was filmed in downers grove on one of the last days of service by a railfan taping the last runs of the E units. The filming railfan's legs and tripod were broken when ....... you know what, you can look it up yourself
I find it funny how most people in this comment section are either old RR workers or people who used to live in Chicago. I am 13, and live in north side Chicago, a block away from the UP-N.
Yup - that would be my audience 😂 RU-vid analytics tell me that most people looking at my stuff are over 50! I am happy to hear that that are younger rail fans out there too!
Man I was not even 2 years old when the BN E9’s went bye bye. I was concerned in the late 2000’s that the MP36’s were gonna replace all the F-40’s (although they did manage to replace the F40C’s except for 611 and 614 which are now sitting in storage). But fortunately Metra hates the MP36’s as much as I do so they stopped buying them! I also miss the express cars and F40PH’s and Phase III scheme on Amtrak.
Never cared much for the e units when i was young back then tbh, always thought oh another boring passenger train lol. Now i miss them. Didnt realize how rare they were. And way cooler than the dime a dozen metra p40s i see all the time now. Ill probably miss those when they get replaced tho lol
