In recent months, Chicago Metra has been painting its older EMD diesels in a modern livery.
My first experience seeing these old engines in new dress was approaching Chicago Union Station on Amtrak number 4.
I made these views ‘on the fly’ from the dutch door of former Burlington Vista Dome Silver Splendor(nee Silver Buckle) that was rolling over old home rails on the last lap of the run from Los Angeles.
I worked with my FujiFilm XT1 fitted with a 18-135mm zoom lens, which gave me necessary compositional flexibly as the scenes rapidly changed.
Great shots of otherwise bland F-40s in a dynamite new paint scheme.
When I moved to metro Chicago thirty-nine years ago the system that became Metra featured a fleet of magnificent yellow and green passenger cars as well as engines.
On the North Line, running from Chicago to Kenosha, the passenger cars were double deckers
Eventually these beauties disappeared, replaced by
silver clad wagons.
Today Metra has plans to institute a much-needed revised weekday schedule because lots of folks work in the suburbs.
The transformed the ever growing number of people live in or near in Chicago work in outer counties
Lake as well as DuPage County will be served by weekday schedules that bring passengers to burgeoning jobs sites in places such as Naperville
Today Metra is reconditioning this fleet because it cannot afford brand new rolling stock.