Exploring the World with Trains: Metra Milwaukee District North Line
As the weather started to grow colder, and going on hikes less feasible, I decided it was time to go on another train ride. This time around I rode the Milwaukee District North Line. Its abbreviated as MD-N and so there are plenty of people that don’t know that this is the full name. This train has several sections that overlap with the North Central Service which I wrote about in my last trains post. I’ll reference these sections when they come up.
The Milwaukee District North Line does not start in Milwaukee Wisconsin despite the name, as far as I have found, the reason for the name is because the tracks the train runs on used to be used by a company that did operate freight out of Milwaukee. Specifically between that city and Chicago.
Instead the line begins in Fox Lake, Illinois. Fox Lake is a large village situated within the Chain O Lakes in Northern Illinois. Being centrally located in this region has made it a popular spot for visiting or living during the summer. Boating is a major draw an d there are lots of different places to go and explore. At some point in the future I’ll start exploring this town on my other travel blog.
There is also a historic hotel here that may or may not have been a front run by Al Capone. But legally nothing was ever proven hence my word choice. What is a true fact is that there is a Metra rail yard just southeast of the Fox Lake Station making this a prime spot for train watching. And its situated right in downtown Fox Lake providing plenty to do before and after train watching and or riding.
The Flag Stops
After the Milwaukee District North Line leaves Fox Lake, it heads towards two different Flag Stops in a row. The first of those is Ingleside an unincorporated community just outside Fox Lake. It is is notable for Mammoth Bones found in the marshlands. While the second is at Long Lake. This is another unincorporated community that surrounds Long Lake, the main water feature of the area.
The first full stop station on the line is at Round Lake. This village was actually built around what would eventually become the Metra Station. Don’t mix this up with the similarly named and nearby Round Lake Beach which is a station on the North Central Service. The population of Round Lake has massively grown in the last 20 years and is on a path to continue growing though not nearly as much.
The next stop is at Grayslake which I also talked about in my North Central Service Blog post. So take a look at that to learn about that important village.
Beyond Grayslake, the train crosses the North Central Service Tracks right before the Prairie Crossing Station. The stations on both lines share a large parking lot. I talked about this area in the North Central Service Post and it doesn’t need to be rehashed again. What I will say is that this station is much older than the other one.
Libertyville
Once the Milwaukee District North Line leaves Prairie Crossing and the North Central Service tracks, the train heads next to Libertyville. This village has a long history of name changing. And its a prominent town in the area. I have gone on several hikes for my travel blog in this area. And in my youth, I spent a lot of time here. With fond memories, I’m eager to come back here and explore Libertyville even more. Its modern downtown was originally built around the train station. And the village’s borders have continued to grow alongside its population.
After Libertyville, the train runs through a long segment before the next station. And there are two important places in that span. The first is a crossing with the Des Plaines River Trail. In fact, its a section I have hiked for my travel blog. I even drew attention to the railroad bridge in that post.
The second important feature is an unincorporated area known as Roundout. This not quite village was built around the major railroad crossing that I took pictures of above. First the Milwaukee District North Line merges onto the CPKC Mainline which also has Amtrak usage. Amtrak follows those tracks north past where the two tracks merge. The second crossing is with a CN Line that is the former EJ&E branch. This same track crosses the North Central Service tracks farther to the southwest.
Wealthy Towns Near the North Shore
After that long section of many features, the train next stops in Lake Forest, Illinois. Lake Forest is a wealthy city on the shore of Lake Michigan. The eastern half of the city which has a different Metra station that I’ll cover in a future blog post was built to have few roads leading in. The western half of Lake Forest where the Milwaukee North Line stops is easier to navigate. Allegedly, the city was originally built to be secluded to protect a “specific type of lifestyle.” I’ll let you guess on what that might mean.
Next up is an even more affluent town: Deerfield. This place features the headquarters for Walgreens, Baxter, and Fortune Brands. A dark part of its history was racism policies under the guise of keeping land values high. Another dark part of its history, but due to an accident not maliciousness was a plane crashing and killing several people within the town’s limits. Today Deerfield is a much better and diverse place. Perhaps the people here realized that inclusiveness actually creates more wealth not less.
The next station is right on the edge of not just Deerfield but also Lake County. This station is at Lake Cook Road, right at the border of the two counties from which the road gets its name. It was built to help reduce the number of cars on the road in the area. There are lots of businesses nearby including the ones I mentioned in the last paragraph.
Into Cook County
As the train crosses into Cook County, the next stop is in Northbrook. It was one of the first villages that was not actually on Lake Michigan to filter its drinking water from it. More recently Former President Clinton visited the village to congratulate one of the schools in the area that had won recognition for their science excellence. More personally, Northbrook Court is located here. And its a mall I want to visit for the sake of playing Pokémon Go.
Just beyond Northbrook the tracks cross under a railroad bridge that carries the Milwaukee Union Pacific Subdivision tracks. I mentioned those tracks in my North Central Service post because they cross in Des Plaines right near where the Union Pacific Northwest Tracks also cross both. I missed that photo and instead got a picture of the nearby Willow Hill Dome that is in the corner between the two rail corridors.
Glenview
The next station on the Milwaukee District North Line is one that is located in a place that is special to the youngest version of me. And that is because when I was a baby, I lived near here. That place is The Glen/North Glenview located near the large Gallery Park which I intend to explore at some point, it gives a great preview for what one will see if they visit both here and the next station.
Speaking of Glenview, that is the next station. Currently its an Amtrak station too. Known for its former Naval Station which the northern station was built near and its vast parks and golf courses. The neighborhoods in the village were built in ovals around these large parks.
Next the train travels to the small village of Golf. Its small size but with its own Metra Station not far from several other stations indicates that the people who live here are well off. Its mostly residential and golf courses. The history of how the station was built is tied deeply with the growth of Golf (the town not the sport).
After Golf, the next station on the line is another one that is nostalgic for me. Morton Grove is where my Papa owned a TV Repair Store. And the Morton Grove Station is one of the first places where I got on to ride a Metra train. To this day, I send messages to my Grandma whenever I am here. And she tells me she smiles each time I do. Its a way to keep his memory alive. As far as history though, Morton Grove has far too rich a history to outline in one paragraph. One notable thing I’ll mention is that for a time, the village actually managed to ban handguns. Which is wild to do in the United States. Eventually that law was repealed by a court.
Chicago Neighborhoods
After Morton Grove, the Milwaukee District North Line makes its way into Chicago. But the city is large enough that several of the neighborhoods around downtown have stations of their own. And the first of those is in Edgebrook. Its designed to feel more like a suburb despite being in the city.
The next neighborhood the train stops at is Forest Glen. This neighborhood encompasses many more in Chicago including Edgebrook. Forest Glen itself is one of the oldest neighborhoods on the north side of Chicago. And with that much history, a single paragraph is not enough space.
Before the next station, the Milwaukee District North Line crosses Interstates 90 and 94 with CTA Blue Line running down the median as well as the Union Pacific Northwest Line. All of that within a stone throw of the next station: Mayfair. This neighborhood is part of Albany Park and has a large Korean American population.
The train then stops at Grayland in the Irving Park Neighborhood of Chicago which like many of the other areas nearby has a colorful and complex history that would need an entire blog post to talk about. So I’ll focus on one little tidbit since I’ll be talking about Irving Park again when I ride the Union Pacific Northwest Line, and that is that there is a large Serbian American population here after an influx in the 90s.
Getting ever closer to downtown Chicago, the next stop is at Healy which is located not far from the end. Walt Disney’s Birthplace was not far from this station. Before the next station, the tracks merge with another line that I talked about in my North Central Service Post. Before the final station that isn’t the end, the North Central Service and Milwaukee District West Line join the corridor as the three Metra Lines travel the final distance together.
The last stop on Milwaukee District North Line before Union Station is at Western Avenue. I have talked about this station before and tried to get a picture from the other platform. Notably this location has two Metra rail yards around it.
Into Union Station
For the final approach towards Union Station, The three Metra Lines including of course the Milwaukee District North Line are joined here with the Union Pacific West Line. Which merges and then crosses over to another set of tracks that will in turn merge with the Union Pacific North and Northwest Lines.
At the very end of the run as I talked about in the last post, the tracks go down towards underground where Union Station is, while going underneath and over other railroad tracks and Interstates 90 and 94. Chicago is a complex web of underground tunnels and above ground bridges. And I love how much space it utilized efficiently this way.
Wrap Up
I took a picture of Chicago while I was there. How could I not? No matter how many times I visit the city, I find the architecture to be incredible. The way this place was built is a work of art. And because this is a blog about trains, down on the left side of that picture, under the buildings, is Union Station. You can see trains if you zoom in on the image.
As usual, I’ll close out this adventure with a selfie. And like before I’m standing on one of Union Station’s many platforms. I didn’t take pictures of Union Station this time since my last adventure took me to the exact same place. When I go to the other half of Union Station, I’ll be sure to showcase what one might find there.
As the weather grows colder, I’ll be going on less hikes. And probably more of these adventures. The downside of course is that there are not that many Metra Trains in the grand scheme of things. But if I really space these out and am patient with things, I can make each of these adventures really special.