In the midst of rush hour, the outbound Illinois Zephyr highballs through Downers Grove, passing under the Fairview Avenue CB&Q signal bridge.

Metra 190 passes Metra 188, which is heading back east with a flipback.

The Cicadas were sure in action today. Below "Metra", one can be seen, as well as off to the right of the photo. This photo doesn't give you an idea of how ear deafening they were, though!

An unusual sight on Z-trains, this BNSF SD70MAC heads west down Main 2, just before rush hour. Trailing is a BN Executive SD70MAC, a BNSF H3 GEVO and a BNSF H1 SD40-2.

For no apparent reason whatsoever, a UP SD70ACe leads the Southwest Chief westbound, running over 3 hours late just 21 miles into its trip. The ACe was available to Amtrak after pulling #6 into Ch... (more)

A pair of BNSF 70MACs, the trailer in new H3 paint, hustle westbound coal empties under one of now few Q signal bridges on the Racetrack.

Ah, the sweet smell of spring railfanning.

Making its 5th appearance on the Chicago Sub this April, 7695 once again heads west. The guy on the right had just taken a shot and is already doing the "digital bow."

An after-rush hour express to Main Street comes to stop by a near-blooming tree and a reminder of Monday's terrible shooting. This photo is dedicated to those who lost their lives, and those who l... (more)

A "new" GP38-2 leads pulls the local today, with one hopper for Pepperidge Farm and 4 lumber cars for out west in Sugar Grove.

Two veteran BNSF SD40-2s lead South Seattle-Chicago through Downers in run 8.

Just a few ticks past 23.30, coal for Detroit Edison's River Rouge, Michigan facility moves east through a thick fog in Downers Grove under the CB&Q bridge.

February 13th brought nearly 12 inches of snow to much of the Chicago area, making for messy commutes for thousands. The Metra BNSF line was no exception, with trains returning commuters later tha... (more)

Bam!