5000-series - Updates

[BusHunter]

So that was no hoax yesterday? #5000's are not just there because of being on a charter? I'll soon know cause I'm heading over there for this evenings rush.

[briman94]

So that was no hoax yesterday? #5000's are not just there because of being on a charter? I'll soon know cause I'm heading over there for this evenings rush.

Well, charters don't normally run public service with correct destination signs and run numbers and everything...they have always mentioned wanting to put 5000s on the Orange Line too. It may have been that they were putting it off until all the deliveries were settled, and then the charter brought a train to Midway so they decided to just start putting them on there directly after the charter. That's my theory anyways. There have been a bunch of weird sightings recently that point to some sort of arrangement regarding the Orange Line and 5000s.

The picture on Facebook yesterday showed people boarding and sitting on the train, so it wasn't just an out-of-service train with a destination sign either...it was actually in-service.

 

Edited October 1, 2015 by briman94

[Pink Jazz]

So, if the Orange Line does get 5000-series cars, I wonder how many cars will it get.  The Orange Line didn't have as many cars as it does now when it operated the 2400-series; the 2400s were a minority on the line which was otherwise mostly 3200-series.  Not sure why the Orange Line needs 210 cars.  Will the 5000s be a majority as the 2600-series are now, or will they be a minority as the 2400-series cars were?

I assume Brownages will continue to run mostly 3200-series cars though, since if a train needs to be sent to Kimball Yard in an emergency, that yard has experience with the 3200-series cars.

Edited October 1, 2015 by Pink Jazz

[briman94]

So that was no hoax yesterday? #5000's are not just there because of being on a charter? I'll soon know cause I'm heading over there for this evenings rush.

Did you see any? I wa taming the orange line somewhere tonight and I decided tl just go all the way to Midway again and I still don't see any, but the yard is blocked by trees and a couple consists of 2600s so I can't be sure there aren't any hiding in there.

[Pace831]

I was at Midway around 10:30 this morning and saw no 5000s from the train or the pedestrian walkway to the airport. Though most of the yard is too far from the walkway to distinguish car series without a telephoto or binoculars, the use of which might make one look suspicious near an airport.

Perhaps it would make more sense to be checking the red line to see if the cars have returned there. My gut tells me they left the orange line this morning or last night. Someone would have spotted them today if they were still on the orange.

[briman94]

I was at Midway around 10:30 this morning and saw no 5000s from the train or the pedestrian walkway to the airport. Though most of the yard is too far from the walkway to distinguish car series without a telephoto or binoculars, the use of which might make one look suspicious near an airport.

Perhaps it would make more sense to be checking the red line to see if the cars have returned there. My gut tells me they left the orange line this morning or last night. Someone would have spotted them today if they were still on the orange.

I guess the wait continues..... *sigh*

[briman94]

We can at least pretend the Orange Line has 5000s, right?

 

[BusHunter]

Did you see any? I wa taming the orange line somewhere tonight and I decided tl just go all the way to Midway again and I still don't see any, but the yard is blocked by trees and a couple consists of 2600s so I can't be sure there aren't any hiding in there.

I was there at 6:15PM and there was nothing. I saw something suspicious like some hiding close to the shop so I went upstairs on the bridge to see if i saw anything. You can see them if you look for the orange warning signs they have by the couplers. I don't know if you can see them with bad vision, mine is perfect, lighting might play a factor too, it was still daylight when I was there. But I didn't see anything upstairs either. Now I looked in the shop cause they had the east shop track door open but still nothing. They were pulling an 8 car consist into it. (all 3200's, last car #3205-06) So there's still the possibility they could have been in the shop track area on the other two tracks. There's 3 doors and each can hold 8 cars. The door was closed on those tracks. So i don't know what to say, but with DH's sighting of a quad and my sighting of a quad the day before the 8 car train was spotted I still say their training or something's up. We'll have to keep tabs on the orange line.

[MTRSP1900-CTA3200]

I guess it's gone for now. It was almost like a mirage. 

Apparently the set was from Howard Yard, so it might be up there already.

[BusHunter]

I guess it's gone for now. It was almost like a mirage. 

Apparently the set was from Howard Yard, so it might be up there already.

I saw #5691-92 yesterday on the Red line at Granville. So much for #5000's on the orange, but that still doesn't explain the quads a few of us saw on the orange. They'll have to get some eventually or they can't retire 200 #2600's.

[briman94]

I saw #5691-92 yesterday on the Red line at Granville. So much for #5000's on the orange, but that still doesn't explain the quads a few of us saw on the orange. They'll have to get some eventually or they can't retire 200 #2600's.

Maybe it was a training/test thing. We *did* see the not in service consist on its way south on Wabash that one day...it could be that they had a 5000 driver at Midway for the charter, decided to have them run a service run either "just because" or as a trial, and now they're in the process of training actual Midway drivers for service. That's my theory anyways.

[TheBrunswickBowler]

I saw 5521-5522 on the Red Line yesterday, heading nb from Cermak Chinatown at 1:00 pm. Also, I was up by Midway and there are no 5000's in the yard that I can see, but a lot of 3300's though.

[verive.m]

I was on a southbound Red Line today, and happened to be on car 5648, one of the ones spotted on the Orange Line. Sure enough, it even had the Orange Line map instead of the Red Line map! I'd find it very strange if they changed the map for a charter run... It was like this on all cars in the consist that I could see. Was in a rush and didn't get the rest of the car numbers or run number, unfortunately.

 

 

 

[joechicago]

I was on a southbound Red Line today, and happened to be on car 5648, one of the ones spotted on the Orange Line. Sure enough, it even had the Orange Line map instead of the Red Line map! I'd find it very strange if they changed the map for a charter run... It was like this on all cars in the consist that I could see. Was in a rush and didn't get the rest of the car numbers or run number, unfortunately.

 

 

 

Interesting. I think the 5000s use different car maps too so these weren't just put in accidentally either 

Edited October 10, 2015 by joechicago

[BusHunter]

Interesting. I think the 5000s use different car maps too so these weren't just put in accidentally either 

I would have felt better if the signs were cut in half, because that would mean orange line signs have been ordered in the #5000 spec. Looks like someone just took a regular sign and put in in there. Still a mystery though why it went back to Red.

[briman94]

I would have felt better if the signs were cut in half, because that would mean orange line signs have been ordered in the #5000 spec. Looks like someone just took a regular sign and put in in there. Still a mystery though why it went back to Red.

I didn't think all the signs were cut in half on the 5000s. Isn't that just for the longer lines, like Red and Green?

[BusHunter]

I didn't think all the signs were cut in half on the 5000s. Isn't that just for the longer lines, like Red and Green?

no they should all have cut signs. In a way that's smart, you have all these people grabbing signs off the cars to the point they are screwing them down. Who would take a cut sign? I don't know why they didn't design the next stop LED system map signs to be over the doors? Who looks at them in the center of the car? The future of that sign will probably be digital anyway.

[Busjack]

no they should all have cut signs. In a way that's smart, you have all these people grabbing signs off the cars to the point they are screwing them down. Who would take a cut sign? I don't know why they didn't design the next stop LED system map signs to be over the doors? Who looks at them in the center of the car? The future of that sign will probably be digital anyway.

The specs for the 7000s is for flat screen monitors, but again it gets back to the point of why they persisted with the mylar signs over the red dots when they knew about 500 cars ago that something better existed. I don't know if that applies to the maps over the doors, though.

[BusHunter]

I wouldn't be surprised if the ad racks became digital. Seems to work at the fast food places and they could charge companies more for the use of an interactive sign. Like if you wanted movement within the advertisment. Similar to a titan expressway billboard that's digital.

[Busjack]

I wouldn't be surprised if the ad racks became digital. Seems to work at the fast food places and they could charge companies more for the use of an interactive sign. Like if you wanted movement within the advertisment. Similar to a titan expressway billboard that's digital.

Which comes back to whatever happened to the bus with the digital Titan advertising sign on the side?

[briman94]

Which comes back to whatever happened to the bus with the digital Titan advertising sign on the side?

I think they're just too expensive. They've definitely come way down in cost since the 5000s were designed but I think having that many per car (or a giant one on a bus exposed to the elements and very rigorous physical stress) is still just too expensive to be worth it at this point.

[chicagopcclcar]

 

All 712 of 714 of 5000's have been put into service. Some of the early railcars are seen rounding the curve at 40th St. on the Green line. This curve dates back to 1893, although at half of the radius of today's 180 ft. curve. And a plate girder bridge carried tracks over the Junction RR during the history of this curve.

[andrethebusman]

As of 10/1/15 here is where the 5000's are officially assigned:

5001-5050 Pink

5051-5182 Green

5183-5400 Red (98th)

5401-5500 Purple

5501-5516 Red (Howard)

5517-5522 Yellow

5523-5714 Red (Howard)

98th still has responsibility for 18 2600's - 2705-06, 2717-18, 2785-86, 2879-80, 2891-92, 2941-42, 2955-56, 3197-98

Only 2400's still carried as Long-term Hold are 2507-08.

Orange has following 3200's - 3201-46, 3251-52, 3255-56, 3259-60, 3285-86, 3311-3314, 3363-70, 3373-76

Brown has 3247-50, 3253-54, 3257-58, 3261-84, 3287-3310, 3315-50, 3353-62, 3371-72, 3377-3434, 3437-58

3351-3352 on Long-term Hold, 3435-36 have been retired

2600's are 404 on Blue, 120 Orange, 18 Red, 28 LTH, 29 scrapped

 

[chicagopcclcar]

 

#5521 was one of the last transfers to 63rd St. lower yard before the program shut down.  #5521-5522 were marooned where the Yellow line was suspended. 

[BusHunter]

As of 10/1/15 here is where the 5000's are officially assigned:

5001-5050 Pink

5051-5182 Green

5183-5400 Red (98th)

5401-5500 Purple

5501-5516 Red (Howard)

5517-5522 Yellow

5523-5714 Red (Howard)

98th still has responsibility for 18 2600's - 2705-06, 2717-18, 2785-86, 2879-80, 2891-92, 2941-42, 2955-56, 3197-98

Only 2400's still carried as Long-term Hold are 2507-08.

Orange has following 3200's - 3201-46, 3251-52, 3255-56, 3259-60, 3285-86, 3311-3314, 3363-70, 3373-76

Brown has 3247-50, 3253-54, 3257-58, 3261-84, 3287-3310, 3315-50, 3353-62, 3371-72, 3377-3434, 3437-58

3351-3352 on Long-term Hold, 3435-36 have been retired

2600's are 404 on Blue, 120 Orange, 18 Red, 28 LTH, 29 scrapped

 

So then what happened to #2681-82, #2733-34, #2788-89, #2837-38, #2919-22? I can't find those on the system. Possible retirements??? My roster has 130 #2600's on Orange, 402 on Blue, and 26 on Red. Going by what you say 120 Orange, 404 Blue and 18 on Red, (really those count to 16 cars) my roster is heavy or over capacity by 18 cars, so theoretically 18 more #2600 cars should be retired or on LTH, no?? 

OK now I see you have 28 LTH and 29 scrapped, that is out of what? can't be 600 as some have been gone awhile.

Edited October 12, 2015 by BusHunter