5000-series - Updates

[Guest]

The 2600s are the cta's fogotten breed of rail cars

They were definitely the workhorses for the last thirty years, I enjoyed riding them. But theyre now showing their age. One day they will no longer be safe to ride.

[Mr.cta85]

The 3200s would be a good and acceptable addition to the Blue line if it cant get the 5000s. But the CTA wont even make that move! But Im getting so much attitude about it here! Im glad to know Im not the only one who sees this!!!

I don't think you're getting attitude about it, Its just we've heard your opinion and how you feel about the NW side not getting new equipment but you just keep stabbing at it lol we understand your frustrations but at the same time we heard you over and over we get it!!! You're not happy about the blue line not getting 5000 series or at least some 3200's. But if youre looking for change about that this site is not going to help you, you have to keep pressing your dislike to someone who can change that situation. Rather it be your alderman or whoever but we don't wanna keep hearing you complain about it all the time.

[Mr.cta85]

The 2600s are the cta's fogotten breed of rail cars

Well not really they're still the work horse of the rails but not for long tho with the 5000's coming in the way they are. I'll miss those cars when they're gone.

[andrethebusman]

As of 7/14, Purple now has 5405-5416, 5447-5460, 5463-5466, 5469-5476.

5501-5502 left Plattsburgh this morning

[chicagopcclcar]

Actually NYCTA still has a few R-32's in service, which were contemporaries of the 2000's!

Few? 222!

Not one person has said what the CTA is doing for keep the 2600 running. Those are some good people at Rosemont and Forest Park and Skokie. People complain but no one showed what they did to learn what has been done to keep 2600s running.

Only two people understand what I was explaining with the examples from MTA. Read it for self.

http://www.mta.info/news/2012/09/07/oldest-mta-new-york-city-transit-subway-cars-getting-their-final-makeover

" Instead were being lectured how NYCTA runs, assigns and compares their railcar fleet to the 2600s!!! I guess NYCTA runs CTA!!! " Stupidy! No one said the MTA runs the CTA!

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

Actually NYCTA still has a few R-32's in service, which were contemporaries of the 2000's!

They still have a decent amount of R-32s, and the last time I checked, they were going to keep them in service a little longer with a maintenance package or something.

As of 7/14, Purple now has 5405-5416, 5447-5460, 5463-5466, 5469-5476.

5501-5502 left Plattsburgh this morning

Thanks for the update!

[R36BoxMotor]

They were definitely the workhorses for the last thirty years, I enjoyed riding them. But theyre now showing their age. One day they will no longer be safe to ride.

It has been 15 years and counting since they were remanufactured at Alstom between 1999 and 2002. Even the best overhaul programs show age and wear after 10-15 years.

[andrethebusman]

Let's figure how many 5000's are needed to cover routes they are currently on:

104 Green, 42 Pink, 6 Yellow (152 on routes already fully equipped)

360 on Red (as of 7/1 288), 96 on Purple (as of 7/1 38) (456 on routes to be equipped)

This leaves 108 still homeless.

3200 routes would be Brown (168 needed) and Orange (166 needed). This gives you 334, or 76 more than exist. So logically the 108 should go to Brown and Orange??

[jajuan]

I hear you, but if it's politics that's deciding this, the NW side don't have the power to decide a mayoral election. If anything don't vote for your Alderman anymore because they are not standing up to your rights as a passenger of the CTA. Not only are things unfair at CTA they are unfair in the wards too. One alderman on the north side has replaced nearly all the streetlights whether it is poles or just fixtures. By me it's just one street.

In a way I'm glad the #5000's are not coming to the NW side. I like looking out the window on a train and not at someone's butt or the homeless man across from me who just wet himself. CTA will not change the spec so it's there own folly. The #7000's are going to be the better car. Wouldn't you rather have something better than something worse? As far as the #2600's and #2700's most will probably end up at the scrapper. So at least you'll have the newer #2600's on the blue and who knows if we are lucky maybe the #3200's too in a rehabbed state. I think 2015 is going to be the NW side's lucky year, they should get #3200's and most likely #8100's or #8200's or both.

Now that's the one response to this 'the Blue Line isn't getting new cars' rant that I can agree with 100%. Ok the Blue Line won't get 5000s, but with it being the second busiest line are folks on the northwest side really in that much of a rush to get cars where more often than not you'll be looking into someone's butt or crotch instead of out the window due to the 5000s' crappy seating arrangement that we're all stuck with for 30 to 40 years? It's actually a big reason I don't ride the Red Line (the line closest to me) nearly as much as I used to unless I'm really going to run late to where I need to go and need to pick up that extra time so that I do make it on time or just be slightly late instead of seriously late. Since I'm a short distance from Howard, I sometimes will even ride a Purple Line Express from downtown, while 2600s are still more likely found on that line than 5000s are. Those 5000s becoming the dominant car on the Red Line has induced that riding pattern from me.

[BusHunter]

Yeah Jajuan when I do ride I mostly stand unless I'm getting on and the forward/rear facing seat is open. I need to do like that guy on facebook and set up a lawn chair on the train!! LoL!!

[jajuan]

Yeah Jajuan when I do ride I mostly stand unless I'm getting on and the forward/rear facing seat is open. I need to do like that guy on facebook and set up a lawn chair on the train!! LoL!!

That's usually what I end up doing in one of those "emergency" ride moments I described above when the ADA seats that let you look out the window aren't available, which is almost never since my emergency rides are still during rush hour. So like you, I just stand. And I try to stand in that spot near the doors that's kind of like open space so I'm not subjecting a sitting passenger to the very thing I'm trying to avoid. LOL

[artthouwill]

Let's figure how many 5000's are needed to cover routes they are currently on:

104 Green, 42 Pink, 6 Yellow (152 on routes already fully equipped)

360 on Red (as of 7/1 288), 96 on Purple (as of 7/1 38) (456 on routes to be equipped)

This leaves 108 still homeless.

3200 routes would be Brown (168 needed) and Orange (166 needed). This gives you 334, or 76 more than exist. So logically the 108 should go to Brown and Orange??

Wait a minute. The Orange Line has never needed 166 cars. Maybe that is the yard capacity, but Orange barely had 100 cars with the 3200s when the line ran exclusively 3200s. Thus the Orange Line would take the entire 108 you say remains.

[Brandon93]

Wait a minute. The Orange Line has never needed 166 cars. Maybe that is the yard capacity, but Orange barely had 100 cars with the 3200s when the line ran exclusively 3200s. Thus the Orange Line would take the entire 108 you say remains.

I agree the Orange Line should get the rest of what's left of the fleet. My prediction is that when the 7000 series gets here the Blue Line will get the 7000's first since they have what will be the oldest cars.

[Busjack]

Wait a minute. The Orange Line has never needed 166 cars. Maybe that is the yard capacity, but Orange barely had 100 cars with the 3200s when the line ran exclusively 3200s. Thus the Orange Line would take the entire 108 you say remains.

There are about 160 cars in the yard. Just because they are on Kimball-Midway trips doesn't mean they aren't Orange Line, or at least Midway.

Also, someone saying 108 cars remain doesn't mean anything unless he or she is in the planning department.

[Around the Horn]

Few? 222!

Only two people understand what I was explaining with the examples from MTA. Read it for self.

http://www.mta.info/news/2012/09/07/oldest-mta-new-york-city-transit-subway-cars-getting-their-final-makeover

Just what I was about to type...And before start saying they run underground only,80 of them are assigned to the J which is mostly above ground.

They still have a decent amount of R-32s, and the last time I checked, they were going to keep them in service a little longer with a maintenance package or something.

SMS or Scheduled Maintanence .see link in above quote.

[jajuan]

Well this morning on the Purple Line Express, the final three AM rush trips for the day were back to back 5000-series consists. So I ended up having my vary first Purple Line ride on a train of 5000s. I gotta say that with most of the northbound slow zones eliminated on the express tracks north of the Sheridan S-curve and the speeds increased a bit on some of the few that remain, the ride was noticeable smoother than on the 2400s and 2600s as the train sped up to Howard. Don't know if there were any other 5000s outside of those three trains since it was late in the morning.

As for the Orange Line, I don't know how true it Is regarding the 5000s and the Orange Line not getting any as mentioned in that article 5750 spoke about, but one thing I've been noticing for a while now is that whenever the 2400s on that line are used, they're now the only cars trained in a consist. But when the 2600s that are now assigned to the line are used, they get trained together with 3200s and a lot of times those 2600s are positioned as belly cars in the train. It's kind of odd that 2400s get trained alone now but 2600s and 3200s get trained together.

[garmon757]

Well this morning on the Purple Line Express, the final three AM rush trips for the day were back to back 5000-series consists. So I ended up having my vary first Purple Line ride on a train of 5000s. I gotta say that with most of the northbound slow zones eliminated on the express tracks north of the Sheridan S-curve and the speeds increased a bit on some of the few that remain, the ride was noticeable smoother than on the 2400s and 2600s as the train sped up to Howard. Don't know if there were any other 5000s outside of those three trains since it was late in the morning.

As for the Orange Line, I don't know how true it Is regarding the 5000s and the Orange Line not getting any as mentioned in that article 5750 spoke about, but one thing I've been noticing for a while now is that whenever the 2400s on that line are used, they're now the only cars trained in a consist. But when the 2600s that are now assigned to the line are used, they get trained together with 3200s and a lot of times those 2600s are positioned as belly cars in the train. It's kind of odd that 2400s get trained alone now but 2600s and 3200s get trained together.

But what sense it would make if Red/Purple/Yellow lines sharing the rest of the 5000s though? Also, after the 2400s are fully retired what are they going to use for the brownage? It would be very intersting if it was the 5000s because of the Brown Line getting a taste of them but who knows.

[Busjack]

But what sense it would make if Red/Purple/Yellow lines sharing the rest of the 5000s though? Also, after the 2400s are fully retired what are they going to use for the brownage? It would be very intersting if it was the 5000s because of the Brown Line getting a taste of them but who knows.

As previously indicated, the dead 7000s spec indicated that 400 2600s would be left to be replaced with 7000s, which would be enough to cover the Blue Line and Brownage. Like I said, I don't know if that is still authoritative, but it would seem like combining 3200s and 2600s would be consistent with that, as otherwise there wouldn't be a reason to treat 2600s as belly cars when the 2400s are presumably in worse shape and on their way out. But after having received about 500 5000s, it is inconceivable why there are any 2400s left.

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

...but one thing I've been noticing for a while now is that whenever the 2400s on that line are used, they're now the only cars trained in a consist. But when the 2600s that are now assigned to the line are used, they get trained together with 3200s and a lot of times those 2600s are positioned as belly cars in the train. It's kind of odd that 2400s get trained alone now but 2600s and 3200s get trained together.

One possibility I can think of is the minor variations in the GE motors that the CTA DC fleet uses, so maybe they want to use the motors that were built reasonably close together chronologically in the same consist. I overheard a train operator saying the 3200s brake the lightest, while the 2200s brake the hardest. Maybe all the motors behave differently, even though the motors are all 110 HP.

I wonder if train operator preferences play a role in this too.

[Juniorz]

There is only one 8-car set of the 2600-series so far & usually operates during rush hour.

[Busjack]

...

I wonder if train operator preferences play a role in this too.

I would think the operator has to take what's at the platform; certainly at shift changes.

[BusHunter]

Well this morning on the Purple Line Express, the final three AM rush trips for the day were back to back 5000-series consists. So I ended up having my vary first Purple Line ride on a train of 5000s. I gotta say that with most of the northbound slow zones eliminated on the express tracks north of the Sheridan S-curve and the speeds increased a bit on some of the few that remain, the ride was noticeable smoother than on the 2400s and 2600s as the train sped up to Howard. Don't know if there were any other 5000s outside of those three trains since it was late in the morning.

As for the Orange Line, I don't know how true it Is regarding the 5000s and the Orange Line not getting any as mentioned in that article 5750 spoke about, but one thing I've been noticing for a while now is that whenever the 2400s on that line are used, they're now the only cars trained in a consist. But when the 2600s that are now assigned to the line are used, they get trained together with 3200s and a lot of times those 2600s are positioned as belly cars in the train. It's kind of odd that 2400s get trained alone now but 2600s and 3200s get trained together.

Yesterday's Purple line PM rush had five #5000 consists, one had #5233-34 in it. Must have been a loaner. #5467-68 I saw again on the Purple line so I moved those over on the roster. The Red line was running #2600 cars that usually are on the Purple line like #2700's so I think the #2600 fleet up at Howard now could end up on either the Red or Purple line. I saw the Emirates wrap I believe it was #5285-86. And they put like a half wrap below the windows center of car body on #5479-80. There were six #5000 cars at Skokie Shops. i guess #5501-02 is still in transit. They should have it either today or tomorrow.

[chgofan78]

Just spotted 5487-5488, 5489-5490, and 5493-5494 in a consist heading northbound on the Red Line at Fullerton.

[renardo870]

How many 5000 trains are on the Purple Line now? I think I heard or seen 8 or 9 sets of 6 cars 5000s while I worked Davis today? I am seeing less 2600s during rush hour.

[BusHunter]

Still five, but the #2600 consists are getting more mixed up red line #2600's. Tonight #3049-50 and #2883-84 were some of the odd ones. Red line should be getting closer to 50-60 #2600's.