RI Photos

I found this page with some good RI photos from the later years.
http://www.thebluecomet.com/rockisland.html

I love the piggyback yard just south of LaSalle station - I know IC also had a pig ramp at Van Buren until 1968, and either one blows my mind - can you imagine driving an 18-wheeler downtown just to load it on a train? What a waste of time.

Pretty cool site. Among the pics that jarred my memory was the background shot of bilevels with a brown sign on the side reading "Regional Transportation Authority", complete with the circular RTA logo. I forgot that many of the newer cars bought by the RTA back then carried that sign. And no ditch lights on those brand-spankin' new F40's either, thus yielding another clue of a bygone era...

Everyone: Good RI site! I took the RI totally for granted on my trips to Chicago from 1973 to 1988. Those days in the 70s were indeed interesting including the creation of the RTA - first commuter rail line to improve was the Rock's service to Joliet. Some of those shots show the variety that exited back then-the commuter service was described in a TRAINS article by Ed King-who was superintendent back then in the 70s as a operating RR museum of sorts. I remember the appalling condition of the Suburban Line tracks on S. Wood Street-in cases you could not tell where the street ended and the tracks began. I also recall that the RTAs bilevels had a light blue and orange color scheme inside. It seems to me after the formation of METRA the RTA signs were quietly withdrawn and the RTA colors disappeared somewhat quickly. Memories from MACTRAXX P.S. Merry Christmas and any other holiday you all may celebrate and a great 2007 to all!

Wow, do those pics bring back memories! It's a crying shame I was just a kid back then, otherwise I'd have had some pics as well...

I've noticed that at least one of Metra's F40s has a horn that sounds exactly like the ones that I was accustomed to hearing on the RI E-units. Trouble is, I never seem to be in the right place to get the unit number.

That eastbound GP7 consist at Ottawa was priceless... the only to top it would have been to have a high-nose Geep with the red-and-black Route of the ROCKETS scheme to go with it.