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Chicago/St. Louis/Dallas Fest itinerary changes


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#1 KevinKorell

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Posted 07 April 2005 - 05:07 PM

Don't panic if you have already made plans. Things have just been enhanced and adjusted to reflect the Amtrak timetable changes coming on April 25th, and to make constructive use of the Chicago dwell time.

All Amtrak times have been adjusted to reflect the new schedule as of 4/25/05. This means for us that we will be taking Regional 95 south out of Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, instead of 171. The reason is the much earlier departure from Chicago of Train 29, the westbound CAPITOL LIMITED.

Due to this earlier running time, we will also arrive in Chicago almost two hours earlier than before (with a good tail wind). That gives us all day to experience the rails in Chicago. Originally I had scheduled two afternoon/evening METRA trips on the Southwest Service (179th/Orland Park) and Milwaukee District-West(Big Timber), two endpoints only reachable on weekdays. Those will still be done at the previously scheduled times. But our extra time in the morning will allow some CTA riding before lunch. I have chosen the Orange Line to Midway Airport, and both southwestern branches of the Blue Line, including the recently rebuilt Cermak Branch (which we missed out on in 2003 due to a late arrival into town). If we accomplish that, it would leave only the O'Hare Airport segment of the Blue Line that was not covered by the 2003 fest or this one. But wait, there is more.

I also realized that if we arrive into Chicago on time on Wednesday 7/20 on Train 22, the northbound TEXAS EAGLE, we will have over 5-1/2 hours dwell time in the Windy City. Now here is where we can ride the Blue Line to O'Hare, and even take in the Airport Transportation System, the free people mover on the airport property. Then on the way back, we would switch from the Blue Line to the METRA UP-Northwest line at Jefferson Park, and ride that line inbound to Ogilvie Transportation Center (OTC). Since we most likely will be having dinner at OTC, that change puts us in the right building so we won't have to walk up from Clinton or change subway trains in the Loop. Then we walk back to Union Station in plenty of time in advance of our 7:55 PM departure of Train 48, the eastbound LAKE SHORE LIMITED.

Keep in mind that all Chicago activities are subject to change and alteration at any time, as late arrivals can put a damper on those plans. These are just time fillers to keep us on the rails. Should we get into Chicago late on Friday morning or Wednesday afternoon, we can omit all or part of these activities. For Friday this should pose no problems since the METRA trips were scheduled for the afternoon and evening. On Wednesday, we could always just concentrate on dinner and catching the LAKE SHORE out of town.

My itinerary and Chicago costs pages have been updated accordingly.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ





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