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  • UP/Metra Line to Harvard, IL

  • Discussion about the Union Pacific operations past and present. Official site can be found here: UPRR.COM.
Discussion about the Union Pacific operations past and present. Official site can be found here: UPRR.COM.

Moderator: GOLDEN-ARM

 #545169  by Conrail8124
 
I'm going up that way ( Crystal Lake) this weekend & wanted to get a bit of Railfanning in - is this line all Metra, or will I see some UP on it as well. If it's all Metra, where is the nearest line / Freights to Crystal Lake?

Thanks!
 #545313  by doepack
 
This line is pretty much all Metra, autos between Proviso and Janesville provide is about the only regularly scheduled freight that runs, and these typically run at night. There's a local job based out of Crystal Lake that serves a few of the industries in nearby Cary and Woodstock, but I'm not sure if it runs on weekends. If you're looking for more freight action, you'll probably have to go to Deval crossing in Des Plaines, where the Harvard sub crosses both the UP Milwaukee Sub (ex-CNW new line) and CN's north-south main; (ex-WC), the Milwaukee sub sees about 20-25 trains per day, while CN runs 30-35 trains through here on average. Good luck and happy hunting...