Trivia Questions...

Ok, Metra fans, time to put on your thinking caps. Disclaimer: Other than a freindly compliment, I'm afraid there are no other prizes associated with getting all of these correct. I know some of these may be a bit obscure, but then again, it wouldn't be fun if they were all easy. Here we go:


1) How many Metra routes DO NOT cross at least one other railroad at grade?

2) With three stations (plus two terminals), Blue Island ranks first in terms of suburbs with the most Metra stations. Which suburb ranks second?

3) Based on 2005 figures, which route ranked fourth in terms of number of weekday revenue trains, yet carried the second-most passengers (based on weekday averages)?

4) Metra is planning a new SES line running from LaSalle St. Station to Crete. Much of the route is now jointly owned by UP and CSX. Which now-defunct railroad once ran commuter service on this line? (Extra credit: Which of CSX's predecssors was the original railroad to purchase a 1/2 interest in the route, accounting for CSX's share today?)

5) Currently, the UP-NW line has four outlying yards. However, there is an old coachyard location along this route which predecessor CNW moved to Barrington a little over 20 years ago. Where is this former location?

6) Arlington Heights mayor Arlene Mulder has served on Metra's board of directors for several years now. Whom did she replace?

7) As a result of the 5/1/71 formation of Amtrak, which current Metra line was reduced from three tracks to two?

Interesting thread, I like it....


These are all off the top of my head.... so I have no idea if I'm right on these.

1) How many Metra routes DO NOT cross at least one other railroad at grade?

2? MED was the 1st that I thought of, then I'm also not sure about UP-N.

2) With three stations (plus two terminals), Blue Island ranks first in terms of suburbs with the most Metra stations. Which suburb ranks second?

Orland Park also has 3. (143rd, 153rd, 179th)

3) Based on 2005 figures, which route ranked fourth in terms of number of weekday revenue trains, yet carried the second-most passengers (based on weekday averages)?

RID or UP-NW... I know ridership on the two lines were a close 2nd and 3rd.

I'll bite at a few ...

1) How many Metra routes DO NOT cross at least one other railroad at grade?

Two: Metra Electric and the UP North Line.

4) Metra is planning a new SES line running from LaSalle St. Station to Crete. Much of the route is now jointly owned by UP and CSX. Which now-defunct railroad once ran commuter service on this line? (Extra credit: Which of CSX's predecssors was the original railroad to purchase a 1/2 interest in the route, accounting for CSX's share today?)

The now-defunct railroad was the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, and its commuter service was discontinued in 1935. The CSX predecessor that bought a half interest in the route was the Louisville & Nashville.

5) Currently, the UP-NW line has four outlying yards. However, there is an old coachyard location along this route which predecessor CNW moved to Barrington a little over 20 years ago. Where is this former location?

Des Plaines.

7) As a result of the 5/1/71 formation of Amtrak, which current Metra line was reduced from three tracks to two?

Hmm ... would that have been the GM&O, now the Heritage Corridor?

MikeF wrote: Hmm ... would that have been the GM&O, now the Heritage Corridor?

Or maybe the (then IC) MED? Although most old pictures I've seen of the ROW show only two wires...


Very good questions, indeed.

doepack wrote:7) As a result of the 5/1/71 formation of Amtrak, which current Metra line was reduced from three tracks to two?

I'll take a shot and say the UP-North Line?

Question 5.

Barrington was always there. Atleast it was 30 years ago.
Des Plaines Yard was closed in the early 80's

doepack wrote: 2) With three stations (plus two terminals), Blue Island ranks first in terms of suburbs with the most Metra stations. Which suburb ranks second?

Downers Grove (Belmont, Main St., and Fairview Ave)
Hinsdale (W. Hinsdale, Hinsdale, and Highlands), although the former and the latter are only part time stations.

This is fun...
"1) How many Metra routes DO NOT cross at least one other railroad at grade?"
that would be two - ME and BNSF

Quote:
"2)With three stations (plus two terminals), Blue Island ranks first in terms of suburbs with the most Metra stations. Which suburb ranks second?"
Highland Park - Braiside, Ravina, Ravina Park, and Highland Park

Quote:
"7) As a result of the 5/1/71 formation of Amtrak, which current Metra line was reduced from three tracks to two?"

UP-North Line

Wow, didn't expect this thread to become a "sticky" (Thanks mods.)
And now for the answers...

1) Of Metra's 11 routes, only three don't cross another railroad at grade, or don't do so at least within Metra territory. They are BNSF, MED, and UP-N. (Come on, MetraBNSF, I thought you would've been the first to guess BNSF!)

2) The suburb of Highland Park ranks second with four Metra stations, one fewer than Blue Island, as MetraRy correctly noted.

3) With a 2005 average of 37,600 riders, UP-NW ranked second only to BNSF in number of weekly passengers. The rest of the list, ranked by weekly ridership:

RI: 35,400
MED (Main line): 32,900
UP-W: 29,200
UP-N: 27,700
MDN: 21,900
MDW: 20,900
SWS: 6800
MED (So Chgo branch): 6500
NCS: 3700
MED (Blue Island branch): 2800
HC: 2700

(Source: Metra's 2006 Budget Book, available online at Metra's website.)
I'll be very interested to see the 2006 figures for UP-W, NCS, and SWS new starts...

4) Mike's correct answers of C&EI and L&N were dead on. Incidentally, CE&I's commuter service was also nicknamed "The Dolton Dummy"...

5) Mike's reply of the CNW's former coachyard location at DesPlaines is correct, which was located just north and immediately west of the UP's (ex-CNW) Milwaukee Sub diamonds at Deval crossing. Bones is also correct that Barrington yard was already there by the time CNW decided to consolidate the two yards in favor of Barrington...

6) Arlene Mulder replaced longtime Metra board member Warren Nugent, who, like Jeffery Ladd, was a member of Metra's board since it's 1984 inception. He stepped down for health reasons, and passed away last fall. This is the only question nobody took a shot at...

7) When Amtrak started up, CNW's Kenosha sub (today's UP-N as correctly noted by JLJ061 and MetraRy) was reduced from a triple-track main to double track. Today's outbound track from Chicago through Evanston was once the center track, and there's plenty of evidence of the third main's former existence along the west portion of the ROW...


Initially, I tried to come up with ten questions, but 2 hours of digging, thinking, and fact-checking left me a bit tired, so I just went with seven. The only criteria I really had in making this list was that the questions had to be interesting and thought-provoking with a historical slant, and judging from the responses, it looks like I succeeded. I'm glad everybody enjoyed it. This is a great forum with very knowledgeable members, and I hope I've inspired others to come up with more questions, so that all of us can continue to participate. Thanks again...

While thinking about question #2, Blue Island actually has 6 stations, four on RI... 119th, 123rd, 127/Praire, and Vermont... and two on MED... Vermont, and Burr Oak.

doepack wrote:1) Of Metra's 11 routes, only three don't cross another railroad at grade, or don't do so at least within Metra territory. They are BNSF, MED, and UP-N. (Come on, MetraBNSF, I thought you would've been the first to guess BNSF!)

I don't know why I thought the UP-W didn't cross the EJ&E at grade. And a while back, I heard that a BNSF train was delayed in Aurora due to "freight interference". I saw an EJ&E crossing the BNSF, but I forgot the former goes over the latter. Stupid me.

It should be noted UP-N's ghost track is on the east side of ROW near clybourn - some bridges over armitage and cortland have an unused span that lines up with the easterly platform.

Keep the Trivia Questions coming, it gives another reason to check out the Metra forum!

I'll start it off with another question:

What Metra locomotive currently in operation is named for a Village not served by Metra?

Good question ... and I'm stumped, although I haven't really kept up with the namings/renamings over the past several years.

I'll pose another two questions, more of a historical nature:

1) Which railroad once operated two commuter routes out of Chicago, of which only one continues today under Metra ownership? In what suburb did the now-defunct route terminate?

2) Which Chicago commuter route was the last one to receive gallery cars? Which one was last to be <i>fully equipped</i> with gallery cars?

There are more than three stations in Blue Island [plus the two terminals], if I'm not mistaken. I believe Burr Oak on the MED is in Blue Island, in addition to 119th, 123rd, and Prairie St. ,which is under the 127th St. overpass, also known as Burr Oak. So, Burr Oak has two stations, one on each side of the overpass.