5000-series - Updates

[Bus1883]

Looks like #5051-52 are OOS/LTH. Why’s does Skokie shops unmate cars if they’re not retiring them?

[strictures]

1 hour ago, Bus1883 said:

Looks like #5051-52 are OOS/LTH. Why’s does Skokie shops unmate cars if they’re not retiring them?

Must be easier to work on an individual car.

[Busjack]

3 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

Looks like #5051-52 are OOS/LTH. Why’s does Skokie shops unmate cars if they’re not retiring them?

 

2 hours ago, strictures said:

Must be easier to work on an individual car.

That's correct. Going back to about 1948, CTA books said that it didn't go beyond the initial 4 articulated PCC cars (see here on chicago-l.org) because they had to be disassembled for the pit or lift, and only the Marshfield shop had the equipment to avoid that. Apparently, it's easier to disassemble 2 cars than a 3 piece articulated car.

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

23 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

Looks like #5051-52 are OOS/LTH. Why’s does Skokie shops unmate cars if they’re not retiring them?

I swear I just saw 5051-5052 recently. 5051-5052 have a zebra like wrap, and they have been in that same wrap since either 2018 or 2019. Was this photo taken recently? I didn't know 2811-2812 were still on CTA property.

[Bus1883]

On 9/12/2024 at 2:49 PM, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

I swear I just saw 5051-5052 recently. 5051-5052 have a zebra like wrap, and they have been in that same wrap since either 2018 or 2019. Was this photo taken recently? I didn't know 2811-2812 were still on CTA property.

Those photos look recent, it was a screenshot I took I wasn’t going to bother doing it because I thought it would be #5271-72 in that exact spot #5051-52 appears to have sat in.

[Bus1883]

#5605 has LED headlights 

[scotthilly]

On 4/19/2025 at 7:49 PM, Bus1883 said:

#5605 has LED headlights 

Would love to see a pic of this! Was always curious why 7000's weren't delivered with them. Will be interesting to see if they swap over. 

[Busjack]

On 12/19/2024 at 8:58 PM, Busjack said:

Anyone know which car and what this is about:

C24OP103072942 - One-Time Off-Site Repair of CTA Rapid Transit Car

 

On 1/20/2025 at 8:32 PM, NovaBusFan said:

What happened to 5271-5272? They’ve been LTH for too long there’s no point of that whatever the issue is Skokie Shops is not trying to fix them, it’s time for them to come back into service

I don't know why this ordinance doesn't show up on transitchicago.com, but diligent Googling turned up Ordinance 025-050, which states that the car to be repaired is 5272. Anyone know how it was damaged?

[Bus1883]

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

 

I don't know why this ordinance doesn't show up on transitchicago.com, but diligent Googling turned up Ordinance 025-050, which states that the car to be repaired is 5272. Anyone know how it was damaged?

Yard collision maybe with another 5000 maybe? Could it be possible if they send 5599-5600 down there. I highly doubt tho lol

[Busjack]

12 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

I highly doubt tho lol

3 reasons, at least not now:

• This was a "one off" contract.
• The accident was Nov. 16, 2023. There is a 2-year statute of limitations, so it will be on litigation hold for a while.
• Media reports were that the front end collapsed into the operator's cab. and published pictures show that the front end was shredded..

On the other hand, if 5272 has almost $600,000 of damage that can only be fixed by Delaware Car Co., it must be serious.

•  

[Bus1883]

Looks like #5524 will be out for a bit as an undercarriage box is crushed after knocking over a signal control 

[Busjack]

3 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

Looks like #5524 will be out for a bit as an undercarriage box is crushed after knocking over a signal control 

Any relation to the "service disruption" of the Yellow Line? If so, it will be OOS for a NTSB investigation, too.

[Javi75]

1 hour ago, Busjack said:

Any relation to the "service disruption" of the Yellow Line? If so, it will be OOS for a NTSB investigation, too.

Has there been any update or word about 5599 from 2023? 

[artthouwill]

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

Any relation to the "service disruption" of the Yellow Line? If so, it will be OOS for a NTSB investigation, too.

5523 and 5524 were the cars involved in the Yellow Line derailment. 

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, Javi75 said:

Has there been any update or word about 5599 from 2023? 

Even if the NTSB is done with them, there's undoubtedly litigation, and the front was so shredded and collapsed, I don't think they are coming back.

39 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

5523 and 5524 were the cars involved in the Yellow Line derailment. 

That's what I figured.

[Bus1883]

On 4/25/2026 at 12:08 PM, Busjack said:

Even if the NTSB is done with them, there's undoubtedly litigation, and the front was so shredded and collapsed, I don't think they are coming back.

That's what I figured.

The damage to 5599 is the second worst in accident history along with car 3177

[Busjack]

42 minutes ago, Bus1883 said:

The damage to 5599 is the second worst in accident history along with car 3177

History is hard to prove, as there were the 2000s that fell off the Loop L at Lake and Wabash, and wooden L cars smashed by a North Shore train, but 5599 was real bad.

Considering that it cost about $600,000 to fix 5272, whatever was wrong with that, repairingb 5599 would cost more than it is worth.

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, Bus1883 said:

The damage to 5599 is the second worst in accident history along with car 3177

 

19 minutes ago, Busjack said:

History is hard to prove, as there were the 2000s that fell off the Loop L at Lake and Wabash, and wooden L cars smashed by a North Shore train, but 5599 was real bad.

Considering that it cost about $600,000 to fix 5272, whatever was wrong with that, repairingb 5599 would cost more than it is worth.

He was probably born near ir after 1977.  

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, artthouwill said:

 

He was probably born near ir after 1977.  

Not to mention 3061, which had to be cut up to get it off the escalator at O'Hare. That has to be within his time (2014), and that car must be the most unrepairable.

[Sam92]

16 hours ago, artthouwill said:

 

He was probably born near ir after 1977.  

 

17 hours ago, Busjack said:

History is hard to prove, as there were the 2000s that fell off the Loop L at Lake and Wabash, and wooden L cars smashed by a North Shore train, but 5599 was real bad.

Considering that it cost about $600,000 to fix 5272, whatever was wrong with that, repairingb 5599 would cost more than it is worth.

 

17 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

The damage to 5599 is the second worst in accident history along with car 3177

Wasn't the train that drove itself out of Forest Park pretty high up as far as damage too?

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, Sam92 said:

 

 

Wasn't the train that drove itself out of Forest Park pretty high up as far as damage too?

I thought that was 3177 which @Bus1883 referenced.

[Bus1883]

On 4/27/2026 at 12:51 PM, Sam92 said:

 

 

Wasn't the train that drove itself out of Forest Park pretty high up as far as damage too?

Yes 

On 4/27/2026 at 2:06 PM, artthouwill said:

I thought that was 3177 which @Bus1883 referenced.

It was 

[garmon757]

On 4/25/2026 at 8:27 AM, Busjack said:

Any relation to the "service disruption" of the Yellow Line? If so, it will be OOS for a NTSB investigation, too.

I was right behind that train while trapped at Jarvis on my Purple Line run for almost 2 hours man.

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, garmon757 said:

I was right behind that train while trapped at Jarvis on my Purple Line run for almost 2 hours man.

So the Yellow Line train was headed OUTBOUND  leaving Howard?  Don't know why i thought it was inbound to Howard.   In any case,  I'm glad I didn't take the Purple and Yellow Lines that day.

[garmon757]

On 5/3/2026 at 9:51 PM, artthouwill said:

So the Yellow Line train was headed OUTBOUND  leaving Howard?  Don't know why i thought it was inbound to Howard.   In any case,  I'm glad I didn't take the Purple and Yellow Lines that day.

Correct. It was outbound.