Railroads around Chicago

Stunning original photographs of railways around Chicago offer highlights of the exciting Midwestern city.

In his 1914 ode to Chicago, Carl Sandburg referred to the city as the ‘Hog Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation’. What was true over a century ago is still true today—Chicago is the heart of America’s railroads.

A dizzying array of rail lines radiate out of Chicago serving as vital gateways for goods from the Midwest to the rest of the nation and the world. An amazing variety of railroads also interchange huge amounts of tonnage at many yards surrounding the city. Amtrak uses Chicago as its national hub, and Metra commuter trains convey over a quarter million people from home to work-and back on weekdays. On average, over 500 freight trains and 700 passenger trains travel through Chicago every day.

This colorful tour, lavishly illustrated with Mike Danneman’s stunning photographs of Chicagoland, offers highlights of the exciting Midwestern city.

Mike Danneman is a freelance photographer, writer and artist with a lifelong interest in trains. Mike was art director for Trains Magazine from 1990 to 1995, and is also the author of eight books. Mike and his wife Katie, also an artist, live in Colorado, where they enjoy spending time with their two horses and two dogs.