Heads Up! 2600 Series Private Charter Saturday, Oct. 06

[chicagopcclcar]

There will be a private six-car charter Saturday, Oct. 06 using 2600 series Blue line cars, a rare event since most railfan charters ask for older equipment. The charter sponsored by the 20th Century RR Club is sold out. But some rail photogs might want to catch the equipment running on unusual lines like on the Orange line at 1000, the south end of the Green line at 1130, Linden Ave. at 1500. The charter begins and ends at Forest Park at 0900 and at 1800. Times are approximate.

David Harrison

[chicagopcclcar]

About 250 passengers and crew were carried on a rare 6-car 'L' charter sponsored

by the 20th Century Railroad Club on Saturday, October 6. I say "rare" because

the group used Blue line 2600 series cars at a time when most railfan charters

ask for the 2200s or the 2400s. On side note revealed observing passing

consists on the Blue line, the soon to be retired 2200s are still out in force

and in numbers.

The group missed going for "rare mileage" with a trip back into the "jungle" at

the Blue line Forest Park terminal, because the "jungle" tracks were loaded with

revenue cars displaced from the yard due to storage of extra work equipment

being used for track work on the branch. 20th Century chose this weekend

because it was one of the few weekends that had no downtown work scheduled, work

that often closes off sections of the Loop 'L'. The Bank of America Marathon

was the reason no downtown work was scheduled.

With the "jungle" rare mileage missed, it was made up for with a circuit around

the Midway yard and both turning loops and a rare mileage trip out the tail

tracks beyond the Ashland/63 platform at the end of the Green line. Up north,

the charter experienced the two track reroute due to station and track

reconstruction. Track #4 was used by all northbound Red line trains from

Montrose to Granville interlocking and all southbounds ran against the current

of traffic on track three. And no, all CTA is not reverse signalled as the

constant beeping cab signal and 15 MPH permissible indicated as the charter went

against traffic on track three.

At Howard, the six car charter was cut back to four cars so that two trips could

be made to Dempster/Skokie. The new Oakton/Skokie station was examined with

"ooh's and ah's" while Skokie Shops seems to have about two dozen 2600 series

cars outside on the storage tracks.

Finally, ChicagoTransit member Bill Shapotkin was present snapping photos.

Maybe he might contribute a few.

And here's a "head's up" for next weekend...there will be two back to back 3200

series charters on Saturday and Sunday, both featuring a rare appearance for

those cars in the State St. subway.

DH

[Guest]

So the 2200s were not used for this fan trip as first thought?

[chicagopcclcar]

So the 2200s were not used for this fan trip as first thought?

This trip was never planned for 2200s due to ADA requirements. This weekend's charrters will use 3200's. There is a rumor that CERA might run a charter at the end of the month using 2200's and 5000's. UGH! on 5000 seating.

DH

[2200SeriesFan]

This trip was never planned for 2200s due to ADA requirements. This weekend's charrters will use 3200's. There is a rumor that CERA might run a charter at the end of the month using 2200's and 5000's. UGH! on 5000 seating.

DH

So 2200s, 2400s(and etc.), and 5000s run interchangably on the same train? I thought I heard 5000s weren't compatible with 3200s and older railcars, the same way the older 6000s(which I seem to read somewhere online, maybe from a poster here back in my days when I lurked this board for way too many years, until now) weren't compatible with 2200s, 2400s, etc.(and I think 6000s also weren't compatible with 2000s, if I'm not mistaken).

[chicagopcclcar]

So 2200s, 2400s(and etc.), and 5000s run interchangably on the same train? I thought I heard 5000s weren't compatible with 3200s and older railcars, the same way the older 6000s(which I seem to read somewhere online, maybe from a poster here back in my days when I lurked this board for way too many years, until now) weren't compatible with 2200s, 2400s, etc.(and I think 6000s also weren't compatible with 2000s, if I'm not mistaken).

I'll accept responsibility for not being clear. CERA has a reputation of using two different sets of equipment on their charters, usually changing the trainsets during the lunchbreak. So when I mentioned the two types of CTA 'L' cars, I meant that they will be in two separate consists. You are correct, 5000s cannot train-line with any other CTA series of cars. In emergency, they can mechanically couple, but only only one trainset would control and move the mis-matched pair of trainsets.

DH