AM southbound "Brownage" run 711 - not dependable

[Amtrak41]

On my annual Chicago August mecca, I make a point of riding it from Diversey at some point. Last year it was signed at run 703 and "Midway". This year, though it runs runs at the same time, it is run 711 signed Brown "Loop" until around Chicago or Merchandise Mart, then changed to "Midway". Auto-announcements were to the Loop and Midway. At Merchandise Mart, the T/O announced the Lake and Wells stops they would not be going to. Fine. We proceed up to Tower 18, stop, proceed, and as the first car hits the junction, makes a left turn onto Lake when he announces we are taking a reroute, sorry for the convenience, yadda-yadda. Half the train load got off at State/Lake. I wanted Randolph/Wells, so got off rather than wait for a Purple. Passengers were grumbling this is the 3rd time in a week that this happened. None are aware there is such a thing as a "Brownage" anyway, except for the few people I was standing next to and walked with into the Loop.

Why do they have so much trouble dispatching this train ?

[Busjack]

It sounds, from what you said, that it became an Orange at Wells and Lake, instead of at the expected Van Buren and Wabash.

CTA has posted that there is signal and other work in the Loop which may have affected things. Don't know if it is related.

Apparently, sw didn't pick up the disruption and notify the operator about it until it was too late.

[jajuan]

Are there more than one of these "Brownage" runs? Because I saw an Orange Line train southbound just before 9am turning off of the Brown Line portion of the Loop elevated tracks and I don't remember seeing a notice that Orange Line trains would be operating counterclockwise on the Loop tracks, which would be highly unusual for them to do for maintenance on a weekday instead of the past weekend occurrences anyway especially during an AM rush period.

[Amtrak41]

The one I am talking about goes thru Belmont at around 829am. I have no idea when other trips run. I once tracked that train on my PC. It seems to disappear from the Train Tracker radar screen once it gets past Van Buren.

[jajuan]

Ok. The reason I asked is because this train from approximately 8:55am I saw heading south as an Orange Line crossing over Congress was coming from the Van Buren outer Loop tracks instead of already being on the Wabash tracks coming from the inner Loop portion as is normal.

[Amtrak41]

I guess we are talking about the same train, and the one you saw was properly routed. Wonder how the northbound ones are supposed to be routed ?

[Busjack]

... I once tracked that train on my PC. It seems to disappear from the Train Tracker radar screen once it gets past Van Buren.

Which gets us to the techie question of how the trains are tracked on Train Tracker. We discussed in connection with the 31st detour that buses went off BusTracker when they went off route, even though they are periodically transmitting their vehicle and run numbers.

Now, if the only information in the system is that train 711 left the Blagojevichville terminal (yeah I know it's Ravenswood) at 7:23, and it showed up on signal blocks thereafter until it hit Tower 18, does it fall off the Train Tracker thereafter?

[Amtrak41]

The one time I tracked it, it vanished after Library with a long gap between Orange line trains. I guess their software can't handle anything out of the ordinary.

[Mr.cta85]

My question is why do they run the trains from the Brown to Orange Line like that are they thinking about making that 1 solid line?? Which in my opinion would be awesome if they did.

[See Tea Eh]

My question is why do they run the trains from the Brown to Orange Line like that are they thinking about making that 1 solid line?? Which in my opinion would be awesome if they did.

Because Kimball yard cannot hold enough cars to provide all the service the Brown Line needs.

Up until the start of the three-track project a few years ago, they did something similar with "Ravenston" trains that came from Howard, operated Brown Line service, then returned from the Loop to Howard (or Linden) as a Purple Line.

[ChicagoNova]

My question is why do they run the trains from the Brown to Orange Line like that are they thinking about making that 1 solid line?? Which in my opinion would be awesome if they did.

& in mine 2. Going southbound: Merchandise Mart, Clark/Lake, State/Lake, Randolph/Wabash, Madison/Wabash, Adams/Wabash, then Roosevelt. Northbound: Roosevelt, Adams/Wabash, Madison/Wabash, Randolph/Wabash, State/Lake, Clark/Lake, then Merchandise Mart.

[See Tea Eh]

The problem with a permanent Brown-Orange linkup is there is no way to do so without either:

1) Screwing over one side of the loop

2) Making the operation too confusing for riders

The Wells/Van Buren side is extremely busy during the rush hours, but relatively dead at other times. However, that's also your closest connection to Union/Ogivlie Stations, so you would still want to serve that part.

The Lake/Wabash side is busy all the time, and has the only good connection to the Blue Line (I don't consider the farecard transfer at Dearborn a particularly good connection).

The other little detail is that the Brown Line is quite a bit busier than the Orange Line. You'd have to add service to Orange (which isn't needed) in order to satisfy the needs of Brown.

[Busjack]

The problem with a permanent Brown-Orange linkup is there is no way to do so without either:

1) Screwing over one side of the loop

2) Making the operation too confusing for riders....

The original Circle Line plan had Orange going up to Ravenswood and essentially the Brown being from Ravenswood to 54th (now Pink). See chicago-l.org.

The real problem now would be that while the passenger loads then would have balanced, and there would have been some around the Loop service, Pink is now down to 4 car trains, so that now wouldn't work either, besides the New Starts being comatose. However, I did mention that there was enough yard capacity at 54th for either Brink or Blink.

[Amtrak41]

I believe there is one Brownage round trip per peak period. If this is all about lack of storage for one train-set, do they lay-up overnight a train in one of the Ravenswood station slots ? If not, could they use it, and get out this operation of borrowing a Midway trainset ?

[Busjack]

I believe there is one Brownage round trip per peak period. If this is all about lack of storage for one train-set, do they lay-up overnight a train in one of the Ravenswood station slots ? If not, could they use it, and get out this operation of borrowing a Midway trainset ?

That would have to be limited to 2:30 am to 4 am or it would be blocking the tracks, unless you want permanent one track maneuvers. Also wouldn't be near maintenance. This isn't the situation where they used to have the mostly unused third track near the old Lake St. Hamlin shops available for storage.

On a related topic, I saw a commercial where someone showed a bottlecap on a 2200 series train (obvious from the blinker door mechanism) and converted it into the Rocky Mountain Express. I bet that took it off Train Tracker.:lol:

[Chicago13]

That would have to be limited to 2:30 am to 4 am or it would be blocking the tracks, unless you want permanent one track maneuvers. Also wouldn't be near maintenance. This isn't the situation where they used to have the mostly unused third track near the old Lake St. Hamlin shops available for storage.

On a related topic, I saw a commercial where someone showed a bottlecap on a 2200 series train (obvious from the blinker door mechanism) and converted it into the Rocky Mountain Express. I bet that took it off Train Tracker.

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, there's a middle track just east of Western on the Brown Line. They could store a set there and it's not that far from Kimball shops....Or was that track removed during the rehabilitation project?

[Sam92]

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, there's a middle track just east of Western on the Brown Line. They could store a set there and it's not that far from Kimball shops....Or was that track removed during the rehabilitation project?

It's still there. It was also used to store tie replacement and track maintenence equipment there.

[sw4400]

Instead of the Brownage run, why not just return the Ravenston run? Have the Ravenston start at Kimball, head out to the Loop and return as a Purple Line to Howard or Linden. This seemed to work with less confusion in all it's years of operation.

Which brings up this quote.... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Same applies here... If the Ravenston works, don't change it to a Brownage!

[Busjack]

Instead of the Brownage run, why not just return the Ravenston run? Have the Ravenston start at Kimball, head out to the Loop and return as a Purple Line to Howard or Linden. This seemed to work with less confusion in all it's years of operation.

Which brings up this quote.... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Same applies here... If the Ravenston works, don't change it to a Brownage!

Undoubtedly, the reason is that the two lines use the same equipment. Also, we don't know what the relative free capacities of the two yards are.

Also, as in the case of bus routes splitting garages (such as one State run from 74th), who has a run crew that they can divert. Maybe the Howard board is all booked up.

BTW, Dave Stewart just said on WLS that there was police activity at the Jackson Blue Line subway stop, but you didn't post it.

[Amtrak41]

Instead of the Brownage run, why not just return the Ravenston run? Have the Ravenston start at Kimball, head out to the Loop and return as a Purple Line to Howard or Linden. This seemed to work with less confusion in all it's years of operation.

Because you can't go home again. The Brown line trains are 8 cars, and they need it. Purple is 6. Some of the stations on the Evanston Branch could once handle 8 cars, then some idiot demolished them rather than maintain for future expansion and/or compatibility with other lines.