How a Chicagoland Train Wound Up in Iowa
It's always interesting where old Metra trains end up.
When commuter train systems have old train cars they want to get rid of, a lot of the times, they sell them off instead of junking them. That's how Chicago commuter train system's late 70s Pullman passenger cars wound up in museums, private collections, even other commuter train systems. Nashville's Music City Star line still uses Metra cars - which warms my heart a bit more than it probably should.
And, in one interesting case, Metra train cars wind up delivering football fans from a remote parking lot to Iowa Hawkeyes' Kinnick Stadium.
Now, I'm not really a fan of American version of football, but I can appreciate the cleverness of the idea. There's a railroad track between the stadium and a parking lot six miles away. Why not have a passenger train that can fit hundreds of people take the people from the parking lot and right to the stadium entrance. It's convenient, it reduces traffic closer to the stadium and it helps build up comradery and anticipation among fans.
The Hawkeye Express shuttle has been running since 2004, and it's been using Metra cars since 2006, so the Hawkeyes fans obviously like it.
On, and according to the Hawkeye Express factsheet (pdf), this particular set of train cars were used on Chicago & North Western Lines. Or, as they're currently known, Union Pacific lines. Which includes the Union Pacific Northwest Line, which annanov, hettie_lz and a lot of people in Chicago's Northwest suburbs know so well.
Ride on, old Metra train. Ride on.
When commuter train systems have old train cars they want to get rid of, a lot of the times, they sell them off instead of junking them. That's how Chicago commuter train system's late 70s Pullman passenger cars wound up in museums, private collections, even other commuter train systems. Nashville's Music City Star line still uses Metra cars - which warms my heart a bit more than it probably should.
And, in one interesting case, Metra train cars wind up delivering football fans from a remote parking lot to Iowa Hawkeyes' Kinnick Stadium.
Click to viewNow, I'm not really a fan of American version of football, but I can appreciate the cleverness of the idea. There's a railroad track between the stadium and a parking lot six miles away. Why not have a passenger train that can fit hundreds of people take the people from the parking lot and right to the stadium entrance. It's convenient, it reduces traffic closer to the stadium and it helps build up comradery and anticipation among fans.
The Hawkeye Express shuttle has been running since 2004, and it's been using Metra cars since 2006, so the Hawkeyes fans obviously like it.
On, and according to the Hawkeye Express factsheet (pdf), this particular set of train cars were used on Chicago & North Western Lines. Or, as they're currently known, Union Pacific lines. Which includes the Union Pacific Northwest Line, which annanov, hettie_lz and a lot of people in Chicago's Northwest suburbs know so well.
Ride on, old Metra train. Ride on.