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garmon757

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10 hours ago, pudgym29 said:

I've used many Zone B-F tickets. Get to Jefferson Park and catch a NW line train to Palatine. There are at least four good beer bars within walking distance from the Palatine Station. :)

While I was looking at possible UPNW trips I realized someone going from zone A to C or farther could buy an A-B ticket and then pay the surcharge for riding beyond the zone limits, and the fare ends up being 25-75 cents cheaper than buying a ticket for the correct zones. For example, A-E ticket is $6.00, but A-B ticket with the surcharge is $3.50+$2.00 =$5.50 for the same A-E trip.

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12 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

While I was looking at possible UPNW trips I realized someone going from zone A to C or farther could buy an A-B ticket and then pay the surcharge for riding beyond the zone limits, and the fare ends up being 25-75 cents cheaper than buying a ticket for the correct zones. For example, A-E ticket is $6.00, but A-B ticket with the surcharge is $3.50+$2.00 =$5.50 for the same A-E trip.

Issue is essentially that not all jumps are 50 cents, some zone intervals are $.75 or $1.00, maybe because of the conclusion that people in outer zones were paying a proportionately lower fare for the total distance.

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2 hours ago, Busjack said:

Issue is essentially that not all jumps are 50 cents, some zone intervals are $.75 or $1.00, maybe because of the conclusion that people in outer zones were paying a proportionately lower fare for the total distance.

That's correct. The biggest jump is $1.25 between 2 and 3-zone trips, from $3.50 to $4.75, which makes this loophole possible.

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  • 1 month later...
33 minutes ago, garmon757 said:

Just spotted #8507 on the Rock Island District. Wasn't that cab car on the Union Pacific? O.o

I don't know about specific cars, but UP usually has 8400s, and the 8500s are usually on the other diesel lines (Milw, RI, and BNSF). The number of trains having two 8500s seems down though, so cars are being shuffled.

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1 hour ago, Busjack said:

I don't know about specific cars, but UP usually has 8400s, and the 8500s are usually on the other diesel lines (Milw, RI, and BNSF). The number of trains having two 8500s seems down though, so cars are being shuffled.

I remembered seeing #8515 and #8525 on UP but that was 3-4 years ago. However, UP indeed lost some 8400s to Milwaukee District, RI District, and Heritage Corridor. 

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2 hours ago, garmon757 said:

I remembered seeing #8515 and #8525 on UP but that was 3-4 years ago. However, UP indeed lost some 8400s to Milwaukee District, RI District, and Heritage Corridor. 

8515 is still on UP, rode on it last Friday night on NW train #629.

Another sighting last week was 8406 leading UP-N #306 with a WiFi On Board notice to the left of the doors.

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7 hours ago, busfan2847 said:

8515 is still on UP, rode on it last Friday night on NW train #629.

Another sighting last week was 8406 leading UP-N #306 with a WiFi On Board notice to the left of the doors.

Thanks for the heads up but WiFi on board eh? Is it just me or Metra trying to keep things on a "low profile" level?

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43 minutes ago, garmon757 said:

Thanks for the heads up but WiFi on board eh? Is it just me or Metra trying to keep things on a "low profile" level?

Metra had announced that it would be one car on each of the 11 lines. MTRSP must have hit the 1/100 lottery jackpot.

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25 minutes ago, MTRSP1900-CTA3200 said:

No idea, but Wifi + power plugs = the best commute ever. I'm happy Metra is actively working on the Wifi project.

 

5 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Metra had announced that it would be one car on each of the 11 lines. MTRSP must have hit the 1/100 lottery jackpot.

Ditto! Looks like the scavenger hunt is on! 

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27 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Metra had announced that it would be one car on each of the 11 lines. MTRSP must have hit the 1/100 lottery jackpot.

Not yet, as I haven't ridden Metra in a while, but wifi on the train would be very productive for someone I know who rides the UP-NW line. I've used wifi on planes before, so assuming Metra's future wifi setup will be equivalent bandwidth-wise, it will be a good addition to a commute, especially if it's free.

I'm never lucky when I use public transit. I remember when I was at work, some people I know texted me that they were heading downtown on Metra's polar express train. Last time I rode that route a few weeks before, I was stuck in a train packed with standing room only and noisy kids. >:(

18 minutes ago, garmon757 said:

 

Ditto! Looks like the scavenger hunt is on! 

Have fun!

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3 minutes ago, MTRSP1900-CTA3200 said:

so assuming Metra's future wifi setup will be equivalent bandwidth-wise,

The announcement said:

In general, the hotspots are limited to a 1 megabyte download speed per user. Checking email and Internet browsing are the intended uses of this service, not streaming video. Metra has posted information onboard to notify customers that streaming video will likely impair service and that there may be dead zones along the route. 

Doesn't sound like that much, but I don't know what the benchmark for comparison is.

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1 minute ago, Busjack said:

...Checking email and Internet browsing are the intended uses of this service...

Which is what I usually do on long flights as well. I'm not into streaming Netflix, and I know Youtube will look horrible on that kind of connection, so I'm good to go. Most likely the person I know will be checking emails only, so he is good too.

4 minutes ago, Busjack said:

...streaming video will likely impair service and that there may be dead zones along the route. 

Doesn't sound like that much, but I don't know what the benchmark for comparison is.

Same as on the airlines, so it's all about knowing what the system is capable of, as well as its limitations.

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2 hours ago, Busjack said:

The announcement said:

In general, the hotspots are limited to a 1 megabyte download speed per user. Checking email and Internet browsing are the intended uses of this service, not streaming video. Metra has posted information onboard to notify customers that streaming video will likely impair service and that there may be dead zones along the route. 

Doesn't sound like that much, but I don't know what the benchmark for comparison is.

And this is why I hack my hotspot on my iPhone! :ph34r: B|

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Related to Metra changes, someone I know was on one of the rehabbed 8400s with the test seating. He wasn't a fan overall, but he did appreciate the cup holders. He said the seats were pretty stiff and not very cushiony compared to the older seats. Another factor was the fact that the new seats don't flip for the direction of travel.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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I saw an unusual Pullman car at Woodstock yesterday. The lower and upper stripes were orange instead of red, the windows were not tinted green, but white/clear, and it appears the ancient looking vestibule lights were replaced with fluorescent or even LED fixtures.

I'm thinking this is one of the Metra --> MARC --> Metra cars and that it was refurbished in the MARC period of ownership.

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Former MARC car 7882 is on UPNW #610 this morning. It still has MARC informational labeling inside including MARC gallery car safety instructions at each seat. I noticed every window is an emergency window. If it has reverted to it's original number this is a Rock Island car. Did it always have this many emergency windows or did MARC put them in?

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On ‎5‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 5:42 PM, MTRSP1900-CTA3200 said:

I saw an unusual Pullman car at Woodstock yesterday. The lower and upper stripes were orange instead of red, the windows were not tinted green, but white/clear, and it appears the ancient looking vestibule lights were replaced with fluorescent or even LED fixtures.

I'm thinking this is one of the Metra --> MARC --> Metra cars and that it was refurbished in the MARC period of ownership.

 

12 hours ago, busfan2847 said:

Former MARC car 7882 is on UPNW #610 this morning. It still has MARC informational labeling inside including MARC gallery car safety instructions at each seat. I noticed every window is an emergency window. If it has reverted to it's original number this is a Rock Island car. Did it always have this many emergency windows or did MARC put them in?

All MARC. I think all Metra did was to put their own numbers back on them. There are 3 sitting in the yard at Blue Island...7900, 7904 and 7905, which I am assuming are MARC fleet numbers.

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