#2600's on the Orange line

[BusHunter]

I just noticed some #2600 series cars in midway yard. looks like 2 tracks of them one can be seen on the midway pedestrian bridge and the other seems to be mixed in with the #2400's.Have they started receiving these?

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

I wonder why. The 2400s are there to help with the Brown Line and are possibly byproducts of the Green Line and the 5000s. Maybe the 2600s are from the Red Line... Easier than the Blue Line and the Paulina connector. I'm still wondering about why they'd shift them from there though, AND put them with the 2400s. Hopefully someone on here may see if the visitors will run on the Orange Line during the week.

Looks like the Orange Line might have a tri-type fleet if these 2600s are here to stay.

[wordguy]

I don't know for sure, but it seems logical that the 2600s at the Midway yard have probably been reassigned there to replace the 2400s; those 2600s probably came from the Red Line, having been displaced by the newly-arrived 5000s. It's likely that the Blue Line has received all the equipment it needs.

A few 2400s have already been recently retired, according to sw4400's latest assignment updates. It seems to make sense that the rest of them will start leaving the roster as they're displaced by the remainder of the Red Line's 2600s. Once the 2400s are gone from the Orange Line, I assume that the Purple Line will be next destination for additional 2600-series Red Line refugees.

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

...Once the 2400s are gone from the Orange Line, I assume that the Purple Line will be next destination for additional 2600-series Red Line refugees.

I've heard that 2600s are already making it to the Purple Line, however I have yet to see any in an Express consist (I wait for Green Line trains at Clark/Lake, but so far I've only seen 2400 Express trains). I don't venture up to the full time Purple Line tracks though.

[Juniorz]

Didn't You Suggest that this may be the fleet that will get the 5000-series in fall 2014, the Orange Line is next to get a full fleet of 5000s

[Mr.cta85]

Didn't You Suggest that this may be the fleet that will get the 5000-series in fall 2014, the Orange Line is next to get a full fleet of 5000s

Well if the Orange Line is the next line to get the 5k's then where will the 3200's go once they leave that line? I'm thinking blue for obvious reasons. I'm surprised there aren't any on that line now.

[Juniorz]

Think about it, Fall 2014, Orange Line begins 1st order, during that time & Spring 2015 the 3200-series will be prepped for rehab, which is inhouse, making the retirements & rehabs simultaneously seemless, with each new 5000-series or rehabbed 3200-series replacing a 2400 or 2600-series. Their might be some transfers mainly between the Brown, Orange & Blue Line aggressively as they are scheduled to get the rehabbed 3200-series, but if you observe closely now, these are the 2600s that could be getting retired

[Sam92]

Think about it, Fall 2014, Orange Line begins 1st order, during that time & Spring 2015 the 3200-series will be prepped for rehab, which is inhouse, making the retirements & rehabs simultaneously seemless, with each new 5000-series or rehabbed 3200-series replacing a 2400 or 2600-series. Their might be some transfers mainly between the Brown, Orange & Blue Line aggressively as they are scheduled to get the rehabbed 3200-series, but if you observe closely now, these are the 2600s that could be getting retired

I was thinking about that. A simultaneous retirement of some 2400 and 2600 series from Midway yard but that would depend on if those 2600's at Midway are in the lower range. But those 2600's would be from the Blue Line not Red because last time I checked, Blue took Red's ex 2600 ranged cars back when the moves to retire the 2200's came. And now that I think about it... I've seen 2600's on the Orange Line a week or two ago on while on the way to somewhere on Archer so they've been there for a while. I noticed last mintue.when I saw them though so I didnt really catch fleet numbers like that but I think I've seen a 2700 ranged car in the mixed. Don't qukte me on that though

[Busjack]

Well if the Orange Line is the next line to get the 5k's then where will the 3200's go once they leave that line? I'm thinking blue for obvious reasons. I'm surprised there aren't any on that line now.

It depends on what you read into the RFP for the 7000s saying that there will be 400 2600s and 256 3200s left after the delivery of 5000s is done. If you take the 5 month old assignment sheet, you need 344 on the Blue, 104 on Purple, 160 on Brown, and 148 on Orange (i.e. Midway yard). Blue and Brown certainly aren't getting 5000s, leaving 152 of the remaining cars unallocated. Considering that Yellow has gone below the "margin of error," assignment wise (sometimes has 5000s), the only place you have a good correspondence is Orange, so place your bets.

Sort of just like now, Orange would be short 52 3200s, so that's probably how many 2600s it would need. Again, all approximations.

However, this is the only scenario that avoids mixed AC/DC operation at any yard after the 5000s are delivered.

[qwantae]

Well if the Orange Line is the next line to get the 5k's then where will the 3200's go once they leave that line? I'm thinking blue for obvious reasons. I'm surprised there aren't any on that line now.

I'm 100% hoping that 3200s will make it to the Blue. They should've been there already to replace the 2200s instead of receiving those Dirty-smelly oldest 2600s from the Red Line.

[Busjack]

I'm 100% hoping that 3200s will make it to the Blue. They should've been there already to replace the 2200s instead of receiving those Dirty-smelly oldest 2600s from the Red Line.

If the 7000s deal goes through, Blue probably will get the first 7000s, so it probably won't make much difference. Also, 200 2600s should be gone before then (although it appears some prematurely, for obvious reasons).

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

I'm 100% hoping that 3200s will make it to the Blue. They should've been there already to replace the 2200s instead of receiving those Dirty-smelly oldest 2600s from the Red Line.

And the noise! Although all trains in the subway are inevitably noisy, some 2600s seem noisier than others. I would like the 3200s too. Their seating arrangements are good (as long as I get my favorite seat! ), and the ride quality just seems better on them.

[BusHunter]

If the 7000s deal goes through, Blue probably will get the first 7000s, so it probably won't make much difference. Also, 200 2600s should be gone before then (although it appears some prematurely, for obvious reasons).

That set in the back by the shop might just be something that is stored there. There was a six or eight car set from the blue line there long ago. I don't know what it's function is. But the set that's mixed in with the #2400's does look like part of the fleet so it might be just one set so far. Maybe they got those as part of the Dan Ryan reopening. The Red line should be closer to 400 cars. I'll see if I can sort it out. But being mixed in with cars that have Kimball roll signs looks like it would run as part of Orange/Brown line trains in the morning.

As far the #7000's, do you think they would go through a trial and error period like the #5000's? (heaven help us if it's two years) Saying they are getting #7000's and actually getting them is another thing. I think the #3200's will go to the Blue line unless they want to use those as the spares on the Orange, but that's not fair to the Blue line. They need to at least move up to the 90's on the blue line.

[Busjack]

...

As far the #7000's, do you think they would go through a trial and error period like the #5000's? (heaven help us if it's two years) Saying they are getting #7000's and actually getting them is another thing. I think the #3200's will go to the Blue line unless they want to use those as the spares on the Orange, but that's not fair to the Blue line. They need to at least move up to the 90's on the blue line.

The 1 year testing requirement is in the specs for the 7000s (similar to that for 5003-5012), and I had questioned at the time whether that would be necessary if Bombardier won the contract, but apparently there are going to be several bidders, so that requirement is there,

My observation was more on the level of whether the contract and notice to proceed on the base order would be issued as conceived, with the first deliveries supposedly in 2016.

On the earlier part of your post, did you mean at the Midway shop?

[BusHunter]

Yes, the midway shop. That set has green line signs and may or may not even have orange line ones in it.

The #5000 deliveries should end by Sept 2015 if they go with 4 cars a week. So I don't know how they can expect to have #7000's when the end of #5000 deliveries happen. It's going to take at least a year for the prototype and they haven't even selected a winning bid. Then you state that it would take a year of prototype testing. So if they did want to start up with #7000 deliveries when #5000's end that window passed in Sept 2013 and each month of inactivity on the #7000's bid delays it another month. I personally think the two orders will be at least a year or two from each other. Maybe more we all know the punctuality of CTA projects.

[artthouwill]

With the exception of the uppermost 2600s that spent time on the Pink Line, all of the Blue Line 2600s (regardless of whether they came from the Red Line or not) are in horrible condition. Sadly, the Orange Line 3200s are not much better. Honestly it would've been better to put these new cars on the Blue Line first (except lack of luggage room), then the Red Line next. I understand the Pink Line was first for teething reasons. Right now the Red Line is nearly half 5000s. While CTA's stated plan was not to put any 5000s on Blue, I cite the high percentage of 6000 series Flx buses at 74th breaking down as precedent to immediately start equipping the Blue with 5000s and put the 2600s on the lighter Purple Line and Orange Line.

[Amtrak41]

When I visited Chicago around Labor Day, I saw some 2600's on the Purple, both solid and mixed consists.