Why the Amtrak City of New Orleans leaves Chicago Backwards

That bunny rabbit on Halsted St. platform at 8:10 is at the right place. It can ride rabbit transit.

The way the trains leave Chicago is so weird and confusing, I’m glad to know how it all works.

I have to say I find the prospect of Amtrak using the South Shore line Tracks to be quite exciting! That's a marriage made in heaven. Amtrak can keep a schedule, and the South Shore Line will have more income.

What a fascinating and detailed explanation. Your maps and diagrams really help someone like me who has no idea about the rail layout in Chicago, but understands it's the most important hub on Amtrak transcontinental routes. I especially appreciated the notes on who owns/operates the specific tracks and how that relates to iconic names from the past. The only place in Europe I have experienced this kind of maneuver was in France at Nimes where the daily loco hauled train from Paris via Clermont-Ferrand had to reverse into the station. A new curve avoids that need now, and I'm not even sure the train runs - DMUs rule.

Ping Tom Memorial Park is named after Ping Tom, who after fighting for decades for the construction of a new park in Chicago's Chinatown, formed the real-estate firm Chinese American Development Corporation (CADC) in 1984. The firm purchased a Santa Fe railyard in 1989 and built Chinatown Square, a residential and commercial development. But some of the land (6 acres) was left untouched, and it was decided to turn this piece into a public park. The Chicago Park District would end up purchasing the 6 acres for it in 1991. Originally it was gonna be designed based off the walled plazas of Suzhou, but it was scrapped for security and vandalism risks. Instead, it was decided to make a system of pathways meant to mimic Chinese courtyards. Ping Tom would end up dying of pancreatic cancer in 1995, three years before the park was complete. So it was suggested to name the park in honor of him, the driving force behind its creation. The park was dedicated in October 1999.

I live in Chicago now, but my first visit was on the City of New Orleans. The nighttime views of the city falling away as the train heads south still reads as peaceful closure, a sort of punctuation on a visit to the Windy City. A lot of cities care about saying hello, but this is a lovely way for Chicago to say goodbye.

So Illini is where the name Illinois comes from. Illinois is the name that French Catholic missionaries gave to the Illini/Illiniwe Confederation, a group of thirteen tribes who originally lived in the Mississippi Valley before settling in area stretching up to Iowa and Lake Michigan. Illini is also for the Fighting Illini of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. While Saluki was named in 2006 after the mascot of Southern Illinois University (both of these universities are near stations along the route). They're a breed of sighthound originally bred in the Fertile Crescent. Salukis are swift and agile sprinters, capable of sprinting as fast as 42 miles per hour, so you could say the name also fits to show how fast trains are, and didn't choose Greyhound, another sighthound because well...that name was taken. 😂

If you think the P42's or Chargers are loud be very thankful you weren't riding Amtrak during the F40 era. The F40's HEP was feed off of the main generator which means the units basically ran at notch 8 even when standing still. This gave them the nickname "Screamers". The P42's and Chargers have a separate small HEP generator which doesn't require the engine to run at full throttle. I believe METRA still has some F40's on it's roster so you might be familiar with the term Screamer.

I rode the City of New Orleans into Chicago back in 2011, and it used the St Charles Air Line back then. Interesting riding through there in the morning. My friend and I were in the rear sleeper so I spent most of the ride over the air line looking out the back window, until it came time for the backup move at Halstead and the conductor kicked me out of his spot!

Chicago had a number of train stations in late 19th and early 20th century. The B&O station (on east side of Chicago river) was one of favorites, demolished in 1970s. Like Penn Station in NYC in 1960s the head houses were demolished or remodeled. Union Station’s recent ceiling restoration was long overdue … and looks beautiful.

As an Amtrak fan since its inception in the 1970s, nice work, fellow railfan. Hope you have a lot more chances to ride the rails.

This is such a bizarre operation it could rival what they do in Tampa, Florida with the Silver Star and Silver Meteor. I also noticed that one of the crossings (at 17:54) had Safetran e-bells, which are used at a few crossings in New Zealand as well.

Nice to see a young person interested in trains and so knowledgeable. Nice video.

Travelled on the City of New Orleans almost 20yrs ago, we had a 2 berth cabin with steward, restaurant car with silver service, observation car with videos - all to ourselves. We met a couple from Memphis with whom we made friends, visited their home as we drove back through the South and met them when they visited England. We hope to see them again next year in Scotland. I always wondered about the to-ing and fro- ing as we left Chicago Union, we did more than shown here before we set off South.

Interestingly, there's a similar (though reversed) maneuver at the other end of the City of New Orleans line. The train pulls beyond the station in New Orleans and then backs up to reach the platform at New Orleans Union Terminal.

what an awesome video! I've taken the CNW several times, and always wondered about the serpentine route to get out of the city (I know the city pretty well, but I would see places "I have no idea where we are!" .I have to recommend the original version of the song by ita writer, a Chicago Folk Music Giant -- Steve Goodman (long deceased, RIP) Also check out how the auto CC mangles that text at 21:05 ... "onc conductor zero Saxon male" LOL (it should be "Sacks of Mail"). Cheers, what a great video!

Visited Chicago for the first time in November. Took the Saluki from Carbondale. It was my first time on an Amtrak. Love the footage, thanks for reminding me of an awesome trip!

I want to thank you for the report you posted showing the old Metropolitan Lounge in Union Station Chicago. I remember it from being there numerous times.and wondered what happened to it, in winter the fireplace was in use. So now it's for Hiawatha Monthly pass holders. Thanx to your video I know what happened to a favorite place of mine.

Stumbled across this video after watching my weekly dose of DownieLive. My curiousity was aroused by the title as I'm aware of Amtrak's reversal moves. I visited Chicago about 28 years ago from Australia as part of a 6 week adventure taking in Western Canada, Colorado narrow gauge and the Eastern USA not previously visited. Great to see railfanning is still well and truly alive with your generation and I notice you have a young lady accompany you on some of your adventures. Thanks for your comprehensive and informative commentary with this video. I recognise several places I have been to or passed. I had to chuckle when I saw the rabbit on Halsted Street Station Platform - that was a real surprise - somebody's pet must have escaped home as I doubt a rabbit could normally be found there. Must get around to checking out more of your videos when time allows. Cheers from Michael in Melbourne, Australia.🙂

Excellent Video!!! The City of New Orleans are one of my favorite Amtrak Trains. Very informative and educational video♥️💯🤞🏾