The equipment set from the mornings Amtrak’s Cardinal 51 from Indianapolis to Chicago is finishing their day while in the process of yarding their train about an hour after disembarking passengers at Chicago’s Union Station. As a CTA Orange Line train is in frame racing by, they are seen pulling across the historic 112 year old vertical lift bridge over the Chicago River at 21st Street, after utilizing the wye at Union Avenue to reverse into Amtrak’s Shops for servicing. In charge of the mornings 51 to Chicago was a pair of back to back fan favorite Amtrak Dash 8’s, 519 and 504. These classic B32-8WH’s were built by General Electric In 1991 as road power for Amtrak. Once they were replaced by P42’s, they’ve been captive as yard goats since. Every once in awhile in a scenario like this, the Dash 8’s escape yard service and make appearances on road passenger trains. Seeing one on a passenger train in 2025 is neat as a whole, but two back to back is the icing on the cake!
