5000-series - Updates

[dre_cta6221]

I had 5000 on my run today 019. Hc of 5045/5025 so they are coming. And also seen new led color today, very nice almost look blue from far back.

[jajuan]

I had 5000 on my run today 019. Hc of 5045/5025 so they are coming. And also seen new led color today, very nice almost look blue from far back.

I spotted a train with the colored LEDs on the Pink while walking along Paulina to get a 7 Harrison into downtown to head home. Didn't get car numbers because my eyes focused in on the signs more. You could make out 'Loop' against pink background and this is with the train speeding past just before that point it decelerates going into Polk. So it doesn't appear there will be too much of an issue of the colored backgrounds washing out the white lettering from a distance as the concern was posed a few days ago.

[Guest]

I had 5000 on my run today 019. Hc of 5045/5025 so they are coming. And also seen new led color today, very nice almost look blue from far back.

I love that humming sound they make when theyre pulling into the station. Very nice cars, I wish the "Blue" was getting some, or at least transfer some 3200s to that line. My favorite CTA cars are the 5000 and 3200s.

[artthouwill]

I had 5000 on my run today 019. Hc of 5045/5025 so they are coming. And also seen new led color today, very nice almost look blue from far back.

Welcome back Dre. Haven't seen a post.from you since a quote from you started this thread. I guess you've gone from bus to rail?

[dre_cta6221]

oh yes im back, been with rail since last year.

[mkohut]

I feel they should order more 5000's.The whole fleet should be the same.

Your still going to have both AC and Dc.Plus,you can't correct the 2 types for a whole train.

If the Purple Line get the 5000's and the brown line doesn't .it doesn't make sense during rush hour.

[Busjack]

I feel they should order more 5000's.The whole fleet should be the same.

Your still going to have both AC and Dc.Plus,you can't correct the 2 types for a whole train.

If the Purple Line get the 5000's and the brown line doesn't .it doesn't make sense during rush hour.

You got a check for $750 million? Send it to Forrest Claypool. c/o CTA.

Or based on its sales tax haul, can you buy about $75 billion of taxable products in Chicago?

Anyway, the Brown Line would get the 3200s rehabbed as 5000s if the deal on which Hilkevitch blew the whistle gets done in a more transparent manner. As previously noted, the only question is whether the Blue Line stays permanently incompatible with the rest of the system.

[Mr.cta85]

You got a check for $750 million? Send it to Forrest Claypool. c/o CTA.

Or based on its sales tax haul, can you buy about $75 billion of taxable products in Chicago?

Anyway, the Brown Line would get the 3200s rehabbed as 5000s if the deal on which Hilkevitch blew the whistle gets done in a more transparent manner. As previously noted, the only question is whether the Blue Line stays permanently incompatible with the rest of the system.

I agree with you on this Busjack lol but in response to your Blue Line question, I wouldn't think permanently cause in the future I'm sure they'll order another new series that will be compatable with the 5000's and the rehabbed 3200's as well. The only question that remains will be how soon will that happen considering it took like 10 yrs for them to finally get the 5000's coming in lol.

[mkohut]

I agree with you on this Busjack lol but in response to your Blue Line question, I wouldn't think permanently cause in the future I'm sure they'll order another new series that will be compatable with the 5000's and the rehabbed 3200's as well. The only question that remains will be how soon will that happen considering it took like 10 yrs for them to finally get the 5000's coming in lol.

If you look at the cost of the rehab of the 3200's.You would be better off getting something brand new.

Plus,the amount of time it would take for rehab.

[chitowndude84]

What ever is rehabed or purchased in the future PLEASE, NO MORE STUPID NYC MTA BOWLING ISLE SEATING !!!!!!!!

[Busjack]

I agree with you on this Busjack lol but in response to your Blue Line question, I wouldn't think permanently cause in the future I'm sure they'll order another new series that will be compatable with the 5000's and the rehabbed 3200's as well. The only question that remains will be how soon will that happen considering it took like 10 yrs for them to finally get the 5000's coming in lol.

When I said permanently, above, I didn't mean it in an absolute sense. Also, 4 of the 10 years are based on having the wrong spec., and a couple because, as Hilkevitch put it, "this is the first of a new model." While no one else is buying this model, next time for the CTA wouldn't be the first.

If you look at the cost of the rehab of the 3200's.You would be better off getting something brand new.

Plus,the amount of time it would take for rehab.

There is a difference between ~$0.9 million and ~$2.4 billion of about ~$1.5 million a car, based on numbers given in the press (i.e. that the rehab deal was reported to be somewhere in the $900,000 to $1,000,000 range per car, and that CTA exercised the last options before they ran out after 5 years, because if they were rebid, the price would have gone up to something like $2.4 million a car).

Again, if you have the check for the difference of approximately $384 million, the address is above.

Not to mention whatever the FTA useful life is, although Chicago usually assumes that an L car is good for 35-40 years.

What ever is rehabed or purchased in the future PLEASE, NO MORE STUPID NYC MTA BOWLING ISLE SEATING !!!!!!!!

Kevin O of the CTA Tattler has been campaigning for something else for two years (although he prefers bench seating rather than bowling alley 1970s bus seats). It is obvious that CTA isn't reading this.

[eyetube21]

Does anybody know if the Green Line received more 5000s this weekend?

[BusHunter]

Does anybody know if the Green Line received more 5000s this weekend?

Not any that I know of. (the last two weeks Skokie has been pumping out the new cars mid week) BTW, have you seen the #5119-22 in service yet? Everytime I see them there parked deep in the yard

[eyetube21]

Not any that I know of. (the last two weeks Skokie has been pumping out the new cars mid week) BTW, have you seen the #5119-22 in service yet? Everytime I see them there parked deep in the yard

Last weekend, the Green Line only runs with 2400s. I haven't seen the 5000s in service on weekends. I have to say I guess they run them in service on weekdays and rush-hour trips. I can't wait to see #5119-22 in service.

[RJL6000]

Last weekend, the Green Line only runs with 2400s. I haven't seen the 5000s in service on weekends. I have to say I guess they run them in service on weekdays and rush-hour trips. I can't wait to see #5119-22 in service.

I believe that it is because the deliveries of the new cars have not been as prompt as they could have been, slowed down by the Fourth of July holiday. Skokie Shops does have a few of the new cars at acceptance but is slow in assigning them. We will likely not see much if any weekend runs on the Green Line using 5000s until late August at the earliest.

[eyetube21]

I believe that it is because the deliveries of the new cars have not been as prompt as they could have been, slowed down by the Fourth of July holiday. Skokie Shops does have a few of the new cars at acceptance but is slow in assigning them. We will likely not see much if any weekend runs on the Green Line using 5000s until late August at the earliest.

I agree with you RJ6000. During that time, we will see some of the 2400s starts heading to the Red Line then, and some more 5000s starts to come.

[artthouwill]

Runs 002 & 004 both.have 5000s on the Green Line this morning. Run 004 had the first four.cars with the green signage and the last 2 cars along with all cars on Run 002 ,with amber signage. Both trains were consecutive and heading west to Harlem.

[Mr.cta85]

Around 10:15pm or so I saw a 6car set of 5000's heading towards Ashland/63 I believe. I couldn't get any car numbers cause it was too dark to tell but I noticed 2 sets had the regular amber lights and another set had either the new green colored led signs, were white, or a type of blue I was driving the opposite direction when I saw them so I couldn't tell what the heck coor they were but it was weird though. Has anybody else seen this as well??

[artthouwill]

Green Line Run 005 has 5091 as the lead car this morning. It still has that new train smell. The last 4 cars had the new LED signage for Cottage Grove, Green lettering on white background, Cottage Grove on 2 lines.

[Mr.cta85]

Green Line Run 005 has 5091 as the lead car this morning. It still has that new train smell. The last 4 cars had the new LED signage for Cottage Grove, Green lettering on white background, Cottage Grove on 2 lines.

Oh that explains what I saw last night it was a Cottage Grove train instead of a Ashland/63 train.

[jajuan]

Oh that explains what I saw last night it was a Cottage Grove train instead of a Ashland/63 train.

Yes as mentioned the color LEDs basically have a look similar to the roller signs now in use, and the Cottage branch we all know reverses the coloring on the rollers. Green letters on white background instead of white letters on green background.

[BusHunter]

Runs 002 & 004 both.have 5000s on the Green Line this morning. Run 004 had the first four.cars with the green signage and the last 2 cars along with all cars on Run 002 ,with amber signage. Both trains were consecutive and heading west to Harlem.

There should be more #5000's now running on the Green line. This week they started transferring #2500's to the Red line. #2513-14 has been running on the Red line and #2511-12 has been running on the Purple line. So far this week I haven't seen cars higher than #2502 on the Green line. Also #3027-28, #3125-26 and #3063-64 have shown up on the Purple from the Blue line. As far as the white Cottage Grove signs, you can see the black in between the dots of LED light and it makes the sign darker. The sign is readable, but disappears at 20 feet away. The Pink line signs seemed more visible to me. I wonder how dark colors are going to fare with this setup, the Brown line may look like the black line. The purple could have issues too, unless they switch to a lighter purple. I wonder why transit manufacturers don't switch to an LED backlit sign similar to what PC's use for there monitors. They would have the brightness and lose the black lines between the pixels. Maybe that's the wave of the future. B)

[Amtrak41]

On mylar from a distance, the colors brown & purple look the same, especially if they both say "loop". So I first look to see if it a 2400 or 3200 to determine.

Now if they went to a NY system, simply color every downtown trunk line the same, and letter all the routes, everything around or passing thru the Loop L would be the same color, but then look for a big A thru E to determine what's what. But I am sure all of you Chicagoans would hate that.

[Busjack]

On mylar from a distance, the colors brown & purple look the same, especially if they both say "loop". So I first look to see if it a 2400 or 3200 to determine.

Now if they went to a NY system, simply color every downtown trunk line the same, and letter all the routes, everything around or passing thru the Loop L would be the same color, but then look for a big A thru E to determine what's what. But I am sure all of you Chicagoans would hate that.

The issue, especially on the end of the Brown Line, is that many of the riders don't read the Roman alphabet. That is supposedly one reason why they went to this system, instead of the old A=Red B=Green All stop=Black system on the Howard-Englewood-Jackson Park, Milwaukee-Congress-Douglas, and Lake-Dan Ryan routes. Even with that, Ravenswood signs were blue and yellow. (Of course, the A-B skip stop system was eventually abolished.)

And, except for the Yellow Line and Purple Shuttle, all trains go downtown.

Since we raised this issue with regard to Brown and Purple Loop trains at Fullerton and Belmont, I guess we'll have to wait and see until such time as (1) supposedly the Purple gets near the last of 5000s and the 3200s are rehabbed to be 5000s, and (2) in the meantime, the Purple doesn't get rerouted into the subway. Check back in about 3-4 years.

[eyetube21]

There should be more #5000's now running on the Green line. This week they started transferring #2500's to the Red line. #2513-14 has been running on the Red line and #2511-12 has been running on the Purple line. So far this week I haven't seen cars higher than #2502 on the Green line. Also #3027-28, #3125-26 and #3063-64 have shown up on the Purple from the Blue line. As far as the white Cottage Grove signs, you can see the black in between the dots of LED light and it makes the sign darker. The sign is readable, but disappears at 20 feet away. The Pink line signs seemed more visible to me. I wonder how dark colors are going to fare with this setup, the Brown line may look like the black line. The purple could have issues too, unless they switch to a lighter purple. I wonder why transit manufacturers don't switch to an LED backlit sign similar to what PC's use for there monitors. They would have the brightness and lose the black lines between the pixels. Maybe that's the wave of the future.

Yeah, I hope more #5000s now running on the Green Line right now. That's good news.