Abandoned Trains near Chicago

Hidden behind some overgrown bushes in an industrial Chicago suburb, you will find the skeleton of a train with quite the interesting history. Find out how this green machine and these empty double-deckers ended up wasting away on an abandoned spur track.

WARNING: see tracks, think train. This video was filmed on a line that was confirmed to be inactive, and those exploring the area were not given any visual or verbal warnings regarding trespassing. Before undertaking any similar activity yourself, thoroughly confirm that you are not breaking the law. And NEVER walk along or on a railroad track: the risk is not worth it.

Trains Are Awesome!

[CrabMan]

4:12 Just a word of warning, if anyone hasn't seen that video, do not go looking for it. I made that mistake and I promise you it's not worth it.

[FlightAndTrack]

I really hope they get restored and put in a museum

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

Wow, who knew an abandoned train by O'Hare had such interesting history! Seeing a MARC locomotive in Burlington Northern colors is wild! Bensenville is named after a village called Bensen in the Sudwalde municipality of Lower Saxony in Germany, but it used to be called Tioga. A cool thing that the NYC Subway has done in the past when it's time to retire rolling stock is turning them into reefs! From 2001 to 2010, the MTA repurposed Redbird and Brightliner subway cars by submerging them into the ocean off states such as New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina. The nooks and crannies provide an ideal habitat for fish, mussels, shrimp, crabs and lobsters! The Redbird Reef off of Delaware for example has 714 Redbirds! The program saved the MTA $30 million in disposal costs and helping rebuild the environment. By the time the subway reefing project officially ended on Earth Day 2010, 2, 580 subway cars were placed in sites along the coast!

[Cupertinorail]

Yes the downers grove incident is the first thing people think about with these things. The locomotive involved is in poor condition too

[rikkichunn]

I have seen abandoned cars before, and near where I live there is an airliner graveyard. It's sad to see beautiful old trains and planes abandoned, rusting away. But it's good to see exciting new trains running, and watch America's passenger rail system slowly bootstrapping itself back into existence.

Thank you, Thom for covering the fallen fleet as respectfully as you cover the new trains!

[michaelb]

One time my dad and I snuck in to one of those abandoned Metra cars somewhere else in that area. I think it was outside of another warehouse and luckily no one else noticed and we got away with it. We only went up the first few steps and never went by the windows or on the upper level at all.

[bobsykes]

It’s fascinating to me that you were able to find that complete history of this locomotive’s operators from start to retirement. Very cool topic.

[TravelsByTransit]

I just went to the new york central railroad museum in Elkhart, Indiana, and it had a NYC locomotive just like the abandoned one you ahd in your video. You should definitely go check it out!

[JonathanGoon]

There was more videos on it, basically the prime mover has been removed. Would be nice to put it affixed to a plinth or something cosmetically restored.

[thickernell]

Those E9s were awesome. When I'd start out in the early AM in Aurora, bound for Chicago, they'd be lined up by the dozens waiting to handle the morning commute. It was a green and white sea of bull-nosed behemoths. Then they all gathered again just outside Union Station for the evening commute back out. The EMD E9 A remains my favorite train engine of all time.

[davinp]

There are abandoned pullman gallery cars sitting in the Arizona desert

[Carspotter]

There's a lot of classic trains at the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union, Illinois. You should check that place out.

[zenontrainstrucks]

Great video! Interesting to see those locomotives and cars with so many history!

[brycebundens]

So cool!!!! What a find. Particularly surprised that the gallery cars didn’t find another life!

[RandomTrainfan]

9912 was donated to a museum and is a decent shape but is in the process of restoration

[bobgarner]

It makes my heart soar to see someone give some love to these venerable hunks of iron

[rmorzy]

Wow! I didnt think you would make a video on this, but I'm glad you did! I've always seen this train but never checked it out! Thanks for the history on the engine. Great video 👍👍

[CrabMan]

The 2 instances I know of for abandoned trains are the old amtrak e8 along the NEC a bit north of Philadelphia (I believe) and the old budd spv-2000s outside of Wilmington. Sadly both have been moved out of sight. Not sure where they are now but given their state, I believe they no longer exist. You would pass them while riding a train.

[IamTheHolypumpkin]

This loco really likes the number 9. 😊. It’s a great number

[dominicwroblewski]

FYI Bensenville is where the Chicago Outfit killed the Spilotro brothers in 1986 and then buried them in a corn field in Indiana. (See the movie Casino)