This popular train watching spot is in the far west suburb of West Chicago,
about 30 miles from downtown Chicago. From I-294 (the Tri-
State Tollway) or I-355, exit at Roosevelt Road (Illinois Rte. 38) and head west. About
a half mile past Illinois Rte. 59 is Joliet St. Turn right and go north to Geneva St.
Turn left and then right on Wood St. You can park in the parking lot in back of a
professional building on Wood. Or you can proceed to Washington Street, and go left to
the junction. Parking is difficult right at the junction area, however.
From downtown Chicago, take the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) and then the East-West Tollway (I-88) to Rte. 59. Head north about four miles to Joliet Street, which feeds into Rte. 59 from the north. Bear left onto Joliet and follow the above directions. However, the easiest way to get here from downtown is to take a Metra/Union Pacific West Line commuter train. West Line trains use the Ogilvie Transportation Center on the second floor of an office building at Madison and Canal Streets in downtown Chicago. The junction is about a half mile west of the West Chicago station.
Union Pacific's ex-Chicago & North Western main line to Omaha is here crossed by the single track Elgin, Joliet & Eastern, one of the Chicago area's major terminal roads. "The J", as it's known, runs north-south here, with Waukegan as its northern terminus. From here, it runs south to Joliet and then east to the industrial areas of northwest Indiana. The triple track UP main is one of the busiest around, featuring freight trains of all varieties and plenty of West Line commuter trains. A given weekday is likely to see over 100 trains with rush hours being a constant parade. Traffic is a bit less on weekends since there are fewer Metra trains operating. Commuter trains once terminated at Geneva, about five miles west of here, but in 2006 service was expanded another ten miles to Elburn. Most UP freights are headed to Proviso Yard about 15 miles to the east. Intermodal trains run to UP's "Global" yards at Proviso and on Chicago's west side.
The J, however, sees very little traffic, and what few trains there are run mostly at night. Daytime occasionally features a local and sometimes a UP train that accesses the line just north of here. Both UP and Canadian National have trackage rights on the J, and this sort of traffic could increase in the future. CN trains access the J at Leithton to the north (from the former Wisconsin Central) and at Griffith to the south, where the J crosses their ex-Grand Trunk Western line. EJ&E's own trains, however, are infrequent here; the Joliet area and the main line east of there see considerably more traffic.
The tower is still here and continues in operation. It is manned by EJ&E operators.
Frequencies
UP: 160.890, 161.040, 160.575
EJE: 160.350, 161.475, 161.145
The parking lot off Wood Street offers a fine view of the UP line, and the building owner doesn't mind your presence if your parking spot isn't needed. The J, however, is about 100 yards west of here. If you wish to be closer to the diamonds, the city sidewalks are available, but it is not advisable to stay near the tower. The J owns the property and does not take kindly to trespassers. The local neighborhood consists of well-kept older houses and is quite safe.
For other EJ&E junctions, see Chicago Heights, Griffith, Rondout and Pine Junction. See also Van Loon at Other Northwest Indiana Junctions and Eola at Other West / Southwest Suburban Junctions. See also Rondout, Leithton, et al. at Other North / Northwest Suburban Junctions.
For more on UP's West Line, see Western Avenue. See also Elmhurst Station at Other West Suburban Junctions.