5000-series - Updates

[BusHunter]

Hey garmin, did you notice any new led lighting on the newest #5000's? From the looks of the latest pictures it looks to have the new lighting. The lighting seems a little more blueish. Passing #5371-72, they appear to be the same way. So am I seeing things or what?

[garmon757]

Hey garmin, did you notice any new led lighting on the newest #5000's? From the looks of the latest pictures it looks to have the new lighting. The lighting seems a little more blueish. Passing #5371-72, they appear to be the same way. So am I seeing things or what?

No, you're actually on point about it. I've been noticing that since #5369-70 came into service. I like the lighting structure because it makes the inside more lively with that extraordinary blueish hue.

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

I think the Green Line is getting more LED lit cars. Riding from Ridgeland to Clark/Lake on Saturday, I noticed that more cars had LED lighting. Although I was on a fluorescent tube car set, the 2 car set behind me had LEDs (I walked past it on my way to the platform bridge), and it's possible that the next set had them too.

[garmon757]

I think the Green Line is getting more LED lit cars. Riding from Ridgeland to Clark/Lake on Saturday, I noticed that more cars had LED lighting. Although I was on a fluorescent tube car set, the 2 car set behind me had LEDs (I walked past it on my way to the platform bridge), and it's possible that the next set had them too.

I've seen a couple of them in the 5100s retrofitted with LEDs but they're not the same compared to the lighting on the upper 5300s.

[jtrosario]

Hey garmin, did you notice any new led lighting on the newest #5000's? From the looks of the latest pictures it looks to have the new lighting. The lighting seems a little more blueish. Passing #5371-72, they appear to be the same way. So am I seeing things or what?

I haven't seen except for pics posted, but it seems as though what we visualize as lighting on the 5000's are now in 4 categories:

Original inside interior with Original lighting

Blue inside nterior with Original lighting

Original inside interior with LED lighting

Blue inside interior with LED lighting

From the pics, to me the Original inside interior with LED lighting has a slight bluish tint, whereas the Blue inside interior with LED lighting has a whole "Super Blue" thing going on.

Can anyone who has seen both the Original and Blue interiors with LED lighting on the 5000s verify this?

[BusHunter]

No, you're actually on point about it. I've been noticing that since #5369-70 came into service. I like the lighting structure because it makes the inside more lively with that extraordinary blueish hue.

Definitely #5367-68 is the old flourescent type. I was on that car yesterday. I personally don't see a difference between the two types. The Red line's may be a hair darker, but do you think that has something to do with the blue interiors? Lighter colors reflect and darker colors darken so it may just be the appearance difference.. I'll look more closely at it next time.

[Busjack]

... Lighter colors reflect and darker colors darken so it may just be the appearance difference.. I'll look more closely at it next time.

If nothing else, blue reflects blue light. The dirty white interiors would not be as specific, and probably would absorb more blue.

[BusHunter]

I added 14 cars to the led lighting equipped #5000's list above. New cars are #5001-02, #5011-12, #5059-60, #5097-98, #5107-10, and #5141-42. I also changed around a few cars on the #5000 roster. Seeing as cars are being retrofitted out of 54th and Harlem shop, I wonder if the red line cars might be swapping with the green and pink lines or will the retrofit happen out of howard shops or skokie shops. .

[andrethebusman]

Cars 5001-5004 (Artics) were set up for conductor to work very differently depending on whether it was a single car or a multi-car train. ON two or more cars, conductor would work doors from two-lever controls in motor cabs in middle of train, one lever for all doors to left, a second for all doors to the right (like a 6201-6470, basically). However, they were specifically designed for pay-on-train when in single-car service. Conductor would have worked doors from a pair of "stands" in the middle vestibule, from which he could see inside both end section doors. There were THREE levers in these stands, a left one operating end section door to the left, a right one operating end section door to the right, and a center one operating door directly in front, in the center section. Approaching a station, conductor would look both ways inside to see if anyone was getting off in either end section, and if so open that section's door. In addition he would open the door in front of him, which would be the one any entering passengers would have to use. They would then pay as the passed the conductor, like on a streetcar. After everyone was on, conductor would close his doors and train would go. Actually this was a VERY good plan in an era when riding, particularly on the West Side L, was down off-peak to the point that there was single-car operation on Sundays. Whether this system was ever officially used is doubtful, however the middle section door controls had to have been used in the early years, as there are shots of single cars in service on Garfield and Evanston, and there would not have been any other way to operate the doors. Later, when the cars ended up on Ravenswood, they were used strictly as end cars because of their door operation limitations. For Skokie, the motorcab door controls were rewired for one lever to control all doors on one side, the other all doors on the other side.

[Busjack]

Cars 5001-5004 (Artics) ...

Wrong 5000s series.

[garmon757]

Shots of #5379-80 @ 79th.

[eyetube21]

Yesterday, I have spotted #5377-78 in service on the Red Line at Berwyn Avenue station heading towards Howard.

[BusHunter]

If you read the getting around article closely, Hilkevich stated 388 cars are on CTA property, so that would be all cars up to #5387-88. Most likely #5377-78 and #5381-82 were released for service this last weekend, and #5385-88 will be coming next weekend maybe sooner if they get more cars before the week is over.

[eyetube21]

If you read the getting around article closely, Hilkevich stated 388 cars are on CTA property, so that would be all cars up to #5387-88. Most likely #5377-78 and #5381-82 were released for service this last weekend, and #5385-88 will be coming next weekend maybe sooner if they get more cars before the week is over.

Yes. I read the Chicago Tribune article has stated there are 388 cars on CTA property. I think your right!! Those cars you have mentioned is on CTA property from now until this weekend. Also, I wondering how many 5000s will the Red Line received before the Purple and Orange Line receive them?

[BusHunter]

Yes. I read the Chicago Tribune article has stated there are 388 cars on CTA property. I think your right!! Those cars you have mentioned is on CTA property from now until this weekend. Also, I wondering how many 5000s will the Red Line received before the Purple and Orange Line receive them?

They used to run the Red line with around 364 cars just after the Alstom #2600 rehab, so that would be a close prediction. So I would say roughly #5151 - #5524 will be what the Red line ends up with. #5514's delivery would be roughly about 8 months from now, so maybe around Sept- Oct '14. But CTA most likely will not wait until it has all #2600's cars left on the Purple line to test #5000's in limited numbers. I think we'll see that this spring once the nasty weather clears. Then they'll have roughly 100 cars for both the Purple line and Orange line. Although the Purple line only really needs 90 unless they want surplus equipment. The Orange line will probably end up with 110 #5000 cars, but the Orange line if they plan on having spares will have to have both AC and DC equipment although it doesn't really need it.

[eyetube21]

They used to run the Red line with around 364 cars just after the Alstom #2600 rehab, so that would be a close prediction. So I would say roughly #5151 - #5524 will be what the Red line ends up with. #5514's delivery would be roughly about 8 months from now, so maybe around Sept- Oct '14. But CTA most likely will not wait until it has all #2600's cars left on the Purple line to test #5000's in limited numbers. I think we'll see that this spring once the nasty weather clears. Then they'll have roughly 100 cars for both the Purple line and Orange line. Although the Purple line only really needs 90 unless they want surplus equipment. The Orange line will probably end up with 110 #5000 cars, but the Orange line if they plan on having spares will have to have both AC and DC equipment although it doesn't really need it.

Yeah. I agree. Red Line most likely up to 5500s by September. By then, the Purple Line will likely gets around near #5520s and up. The Orange Line will get near #5600-#5714 for the last 5000s delivery around 114 cars or just like you said 110. Who knows.

[Busjack]

Yeah. I agree. Red Line most likely up to 5500s by September. By then, the Purple Line will likely gets around near #5520s and up. The Orange Line will get near #5600-#5714 for the last 5000s delivery around 114 cars or just like you said 110. Who knows.

I think both of you are forgetting the bump up in car assignments, such as the 8 month old one on chicago-l.org showing an allocation of 380 on the Red Line, and even CTA having said that the fleet will be around 1300 (compared to the former 1190) by the time the 5000s are all delivered.

[geneking7320]

I think it would be nice if CTA would place the route map cards over all the doorways of the 5000s.

This way, you would be able to see them no matter where you were in the car. It seems as though half the time I find my self

on the wrong side of the car. Just my $0.02!

[BusHunter]

I think both of you are forgetting the bump up in car assignments, such as the 8 month old one on chicago-l.org showing an allocation of 380 on the Red Line, and even CTA having said that the fleet will be around 1300 (compared to the former 1190) by the time the 5000s are all delivered.

At one time the Green line had between 120-130 cars and they are down to 102 now. I expect a decrease in railcars from what we are currently seeing. I don't know if the Purple and Red line will still borrow off each other. Sharing the same yard, I'd say it's probable. So it may be difficult to say what exactly appears in Howard yard for the Purple line or Red line, but currently the Purple line is borrowing up to 20 cars a day from the #2600's pool of cars on the Red line, and that would drop the total used by Red to 370 now. So we may not really know until they start the Orange line.

[KedziePink]

I don't know if this has been asked before, but how would they change the electronic maps (the ones with the red light indicating the station) on the 5000's when they add or remove a station? Or would they change at all?

[Busjack]

I don't know if this has been asked before, but how would they change the electronic maps (the ones with the red light indicating the station) on the 5000's when they add or remove a station? Or would they change at all?

That was asked before (by me, in fact). Essentially all there is is a mylar map with holes punched in it over a matrix of LEDs. They would have to slap up a new mylar map, and then reprogram the gps that controls the LEDs. I suppose there is an issue if the dot pitch of the LEDs doesn't provide enough definition to show through the punch for the new station.

That led me to the question that if the 7000s specs call for a flat screen map, why that wasn't implemented as an upgrade to the 5000s, sort of similar to how the color destination signs were.

[KedziePink]

That was asked before (by me, in fact). Essentially all there is is a mylar map with holes punched in it over a matrix of LEDs. They would have to slap up a new mylar map, and then reprogram the gps that controls the LEDs. I suppose there is an issue if the dot pitch of the LEDs doesn't provide enough definition to show through the punch for the new station.

That led me to the question that if the 7000s specs call for a flat screen map, why that wasn't implemented as an upgrade to the 5000s, sort of similar to how the color destination signs were.

Ah, thanks. I actually had no idea that there was a whole matrix of lights under those maps. I always imagined it was one light for each station (or row of lights for transfer stations).

[Sam92]

So... With the Red Line still needing another 100+ cars and the Purple Line only 20-30 cars away from becoming all 2600's, where are the remaining 2600's going to go until 5000's start moving to other lines? My guess is Orange where they can start retiring the 2400's there. And then the 2600's that don't get retired after the 2400's get phased out may end up as a few extra cars for some lines unless they want to trade some Brown Line 3200's for some 2600's from the Blue Line (although I'm guessing the 3200s from Orange might move to start retiring the Blue Line's oldest 2600's when 5000's hit Midway). Any thoughts?

[Busjack]

So... With the Red Line still needing another 100+ cars and the Purple Line only 20-30 cars away from becoming all 2600's, where are the remaining 2600's going to go until 5000's start moving to other lines? My guess is Orange where they can start retiring the 2400's there. And then the 2600's that don't get retired after the 2400's get phased out may end up as a few extra cars for some lines unless they want to trade some Brown Line 3200's for some 2600's from the Blue Line (although I'm guessing the 3200s from Orange might move to start retiring the Blue Line's oldest 2600's when 5000's hit Midway). Any thoughts?

The 7000s specs (properly reflected on chicago-l.org's 7000s page) said that the first 400 7000s were to replace 2600s, and the two options adding up to 256 were to replace the 3200s. So, basically all that is supposed to be replaced by the 5000s are ~140 2200s (now gone), ~200 2400s (going), and ~200 2600s. As I and many other sources have indicated,there is fleet growth because 714 cars are replacing 540. Probably not quite as great as that, but one has to figure that ~60 cars were transferred to Midway to cover the Brownage, so there is at least that rate of growth.

One also doesn't know if CTA will continue the Blue Line short turns, and there are other car needs,such as when the extra Oak Park to Roosevelt Green Line trains were added.

[BusHunter]

So... With the Red Line still needing another 100+ cars and the Purple Line only 20-30 cars away from becoming all 2600's, where are the remaining 2600's going to go until 5000's start moving to other lines? My guess is Orange where they can start retiring the 2400's there. And then the 2600's that don't get retired after the 2400's get phased out may end up as a few extra cars for some lines unless they want to trade some Brown Line 3200's for some 2600's from the Blue Line (although I'm guessing the 3200s from Orange might move to start retiring the Blue Line's oldest 2600's when 5000's hit Midway). Any thoughts?

As soon as they start with the #5000's on the Purple line, that will start the #2600's retirement, because the 150 cars on the Red line can easily retire the #2400's that's left on the Orange and Purple line. I already notice #2400's sitting in Howard yard that are not being used like #2479-80 that hasn't moved in a few weeks with snow still on the roof. They mostly seem to be running the work car #2400's now on the Purple line, which reminds me are they going to reassign the work cars soon or just go into the #2600's retirement? I know #2401-02 is a sleet car, so that's not going anywhere for the winter anyway. When they do start retiring #2600's they'll probably start doing that off the Blue line because they have most of the low #2600's. The Red/Purple line #2600 cars are mostly higher numbered cars.