Naperville, IL 1995 early spring AMTRAK / METRA in Tales of the Jointed Track

I was off on rotation. I can’t remember whether I was day or nights. Kids are home from school, but at friends. The edict 630 no later, I am picking your mom up at the Naperville Train station. We will eat when we get home.

The wife usually took the Route 59 into Chicago and return. For some reason and I think it was turning in the Company car for a replacement was the issue. Naperville is closer than the Route 59 station, which is the next stop. Traffic is the major issue, plus I am in the “Old Factory” parking, which she can access via the tunnel. The “Old Factory” was a furniture manufacturing building. So craft stores, offices and a Brew Pub occupy now. It was a small poor mans mall so to speak for the city of Naperville. It is now a business office park. All the stores and Brew Pub are no longer there.

An AMTRAK Dash-8-32BW

The squeal of braking commuter trains, and those flying by on the middle main is almost non-stop action. Metra FP-40’s in the old and modified nose styles.

Soon AMTRAK arrives with a Dash-8-32BW on the head end and 10 cars. There is the boarding process and loading of what baggage needs be handled. The HEP is at a high rev providing the electrical and heat/AC to the trailing coaches. The Diesel on the Locomotive is also at a higher rev than the normal idle. The “whoop” of the electric driven motor for the air compressor kicks in, followed by the dull thudding of the main reservoirs being charged. The “whoop” sounds again as the unloader relay cuts off the compressor.

Metra is stopping on the middle main, and passengers are off loading. They will have to cross the eastbound, and down the stairs to the tunnel. AMTRAK has whistled off, and will crossover near Route 59 to the Middle Main to Aurora, IL. Then its on the BNSF to wherever the destination is. The wife shows, as the last car is blasting out, past the depot. Metra will be on his block to Route 59.

Last updated January 15, 2016