Normally, most of my railfan activity goes into hibernation for the winter and doesn’t resume until March or so, when snow has started to melt and the sun gets high enough in the sky to avoid causing too much glare. However, due to some unseasonably warm weather, I started a bit early this year. Just as I started railfan season in 2021 with the Union Pacific/Northwest Line, I went back to the same line this year. Last Sunday, I went to all the stations between Barrington and Des Plaines using a combination of Metra and walking. It was a cloudless sky, perfect for some bright, vivid colors.
Hopefully I’ll knock out a big chunk of the remaining stations this year. I have photographed 147 stations so far, leaving me a little under 100 to go. Some of them will be easy to get to, but some of them will be a lot more difficult, being only served on weekdays, having infrequent weekend service, or not being accessible on foot. I will find a way, so stay tuned for a lot more Metra photographs, and eventually photos of every station.
Also coming up this year is Double Track NWI. I have been out to Indiana to photograph construction progress and made it to Michigan City less than a week after service resumed there, but this year it all will be completed. I’ll be out as soon as I am able after it all reopens. Hopefully I can be there right at the beginning, but life has a way of throwing schedule conflicts in my way, so we shall see.