2400s On Brown Line.

[jesi2282]

Today I was on the Orange Line and while in the Loop I saw a 2400 with a Brown sign that said: LOOP, Are they running 2400s on Brown Line now?

[Busjack]

Might have been the Ravenston. See also this post.

[RJL6000]

Might have been the Ravenston. See also this post.

That 2400-series train with the brown destination signs is definitely a "Ravenston" run. Those particular 2400's are actually assigned to the Purple Line - but instead of circling clockwise around the Inner Loop as usual, it circles counterclockwise around the Outer Loop like a Brown Line train does. Once that train reaches the Merchandise Mart station on its return trip northbound, however, it changes back to a Purple Line Express train. (In other words, those "Ravenston" runs are just Purple Line Express runs which use the Outer Loop instead of the Inner Loop.)

[RIPTA42]

I've seen these all the time at Kimball, but never in the Loop; I always assumed they would become regular Purple Line trains on the southbound run. If they're running on the Outer Loop, how are Purple Line riders supposed to know where to get on?

[Busjack]

According to the schedules posted on Chicago-l.org, it runs empty southbound, and essentially deadheads from Belmont northbound, as the terminal is Howard, not Linden. The question is whether anyone has seen a brown Belmont sign on them?

On the other hand, the CTA Brown Line schedules, such as for Clark & Lake and Adams & Wabash, have a legend on the top that * trips change back at Merchandise Mart to a Purple Line train to Linden, but none of the times has an * next to it. This is also the case for the Merchandise Mart Brown Line timetable. In the morning, the Merchandise Mart Purple Line timetable has 21 trains both going from and to Linden.

If you compare Wellington, Belmont, and Southport, all the trains at Wellington get to Belmont a mnute later, and Southport 3 minutes after that. Thus, the Ravenstons are not on the public timetables as such.

All of this is very confusing. I'm sure, though, that if any of you want to, you could spend more time analyzing the schedules and maybe find something.

[rmadisonwi]

The story on the Ravenstons:

There are currently two on the schedule, runs 541 and 542.  They start out at Howard in the morning, run NIS to Belmont.  Then they do a Brown Line shuttle to Kimball.  The trains then do two full trips Kimball-Loop-Kimball.  Once back at Kimball, they do another trip Kimball-Loop, then return, in service, to either Howard or Linden (541 goes only to Howard, the other to Linden). I should note that the "crew" for runs 541 and 542 only do one Loop trip, using different equipment (i.e. Brown Line 3200s). They then pick up their original equipment for its last trip through the loop to take it back north.

The reason they use the outer loop instead of the inner loop is that they are, in fact, Brown Line trains until they get to the Merchandise Mart Northbound.  They'll be packed full with Brown Line commuters who will more than likely be upset if their train takes a left turn at tower 18.  How are Linden passengers supposed to know where to board?  Well, there are still plenty of regular Purple Line Express trains running through the inner loop at that time.  Besides, the reverse commute traffic in the morning on that line isn't very high, so the small number of people waiting in the loop to go back to Evanston will just have to wait for a regular train (which still runs every 10-12 minutes).

[RIPTA42]

The reason they use the outer loop instead of the inner loop is that they are, in fact, Brown Line trains until they get to the Merchandise Mart Northbound.  They'll be packed full with Brown Line commuters who will more than likely be upset if their train takes a left turn at tower 18. 

But I seem to recall them being signed as Purple Line trains to the Loop. Brown Line commuters south of Belmont won't know the difference, since they're accustomed to getting on regular Evanston trains anyway. If the sign is purple and it runs counterclockwise, those folks would be confused. Some Brown Line riders north of Belmont might actually appreciate the shorter ride to Lake and Wabash. I'd wait for a Ravenston if I were on my way to Midway so I could get the Orange Line on the same platform instead of shlepping my luggage down, under, and back up the other side. Regular Brown Line riders who still want to go counterclockwise would have a lot less than 10-12 minutes to wait for the next one.

[Busjack]

But I seem to recall them being signed as Purple Line trains to the Loop.

That contradicts the original premise of this thread, that 2400s had Brown Loop signs.

I should note that the "crew" for runs 541 and 542 only do one Loop trip, using different equipment (i.e. Brown Line 3200s). They then pick up their original equipment for its last trip through the loop to take it back north.

Why switch crews? What crew is running the 2400s on the first two Kimball-Loop and back trips?

[rmadisonwi]

Why switch crews? What crew is running the 2400s on the first two Kimball-Loop and back trips?

In general, the minimum layover for a train is lower than the minimum layover for a crew. An RTO might get 20-25 minutes layover, but if a train sat in the terminal that long, things would get backed up.

In fact, it's quite rare (with the exception of the Yellow Line and Purple Line shuttle on weekends) for an operator to leave a terminal on the same train on which he/she arrived.