2400's Back On red Line?

[cta5658]

I Rode The red line today and when the train pulled out of cermak-chinatown and we saw another train passing us and at the end i Saw 2 2400's. Does this mean the red line getting their 2400's back?

[Busjack]

Were they the work cars with the red stripes? Or just regular 2400s?

[cta5658]

Were they the work cars with the red stripes? Or just regular 2400s?

Regular 2400's, without the stripes

[ArcherRider]

I seen on the Red Line too with a pair of 2400's with 6 pair of 2600's during PM rush hour

[geneking7320]

One day last week I saw a pair of red striped 2400s leading 6 2600s on the Red Line.

[RJL6000]

Actually, those 2400s are normally assigned to the Purple Line. They are sometimes run on the Red Line whenever that line needs more cars, such as when the Purple Line doesn't run south of Howard.

[qwantae]

I Rode The red line today and when the train pulled out of cermak-chinatown and we saw another train passing us and at the end i Saw 2 2400's. Does this mean the red line getting their 2400's back?

Ive rode the Red Line 2 weeks ago from 69th Station to Jackson on a 2599 which has the Purple Line map on it, they have must been sharing or something. I think Red line should have some 2200-2300 series from the Blue line, those are my favorites.

[Danielsmusic]

The Red Line runs with 2400s when there is:

a) A shortage of operable cars at Howard

Maintainance work being done at Howard which prevents parts of the yard from being accessed

c) A major delay on the Red Line. If this occurs, two Purple Line shuttles are coupled together.

[sw4400]

The Red Line runs with 2400s when there is:

a) A shortage of operable cars at Howard

Maintainance work being done at Howard which prevents parts of the yard from being accessed

c) A major delay on the Red Line. If this occurs, two Purple Line shuttles are coupled together.

You're forgetting one thing...

8 of the Red Line's 2600-Series "L" Cars(2891-2898) are currently being used for the "Santa's Express" Train, so those 2400-Series "L" Cars you are seeing on the Red Line are probably temporaries until the Holiday Train is finished for the year and undecorated, then they'll be sent back to the Howard or 95th Yard(wherever the Red Line cars are) for use again.

[Danielsmusic]

You're forgetting one thing...

8 of the Red Line's 2600-Series "L" Cars(2891-2898) are currently being used for the "Santa's Express" Train, so those 2400-Series "L" Cars you are seeing on the Red Line are probably temporaries until the Holiday Train is finished for the year and undecorated, then they'll be sent back to the Howard or 95th Yard(wherever the Red Line cars are) for use again.

Yeah, but I've seen 2400s on about 2 trains a month for about a year. Unless "Santa's Express" is now a yearlong thing, I don't think that's the sole reason.

[rmadisonwi]

Technically, the holiday train only uses six cars (2893-98), plus the flatcar.

[qwantae]

Last Wednesday Morning about 3am, I've caught a Purple Line (#2550) 4-car with 2600 train at Chicago/State going south bound to Jackson on Red Line.

[Danielsmusic]

Last Wednesday Morning about 3am, I've caught a Purple Line (#2550) 4-car with 2600 train at Chicago/State going south bound to Jackson on Red Line.

Like I said, 2400s will occasionally run on the Red Line.

[rmadisonwi]

A dozen or so 2400s were recently "transferred" from the Purple Line to the Red Line, in exchange for an equal number of 2600s. In reality, they just stayed where they were, but go out on different trains now. I don't know the reasons for the swap, though could wager a guess that it had something to do with maintenance/vehicle mileage.

[Danielsmusic]

A dozen or so 2400s were recently "transferred" from the Purple Line to the Red Line, in exchange for an equal number of 2600s. In reality, they just stayed where they were, but go out on different trains now. I don't know the reasons for the swap, though could wager a guess that it had something to do with maintenance/vehicle mileage.

You are correct. Apparently, the Linden and Howard yard workers were having a hard time coupling and uncoupling the 2400s from the 3200s. They run in trains together, but the 2400s need maintenance work done far more often than the 3200s. Therefore, to stop unnecessary work, a few 2400s went to the Red Line.

At least, this is what the Howard yard manager told me.

[qwantae]

A dozen or so 2400s were recently "transferred" from the Purple Line to the Red Line, in exchange for an equal number of 2600s. In reality, they just stayed where they were, but go out on different trains now. I don't know the reasons for the swap, though could wager a guess that it had something to do with maintenance/vehicle mileage.

Well, I know it would look better for the 2400s with red stripes like (2400-2401s Purple) and (2410s Green) to operate the Red Line permenately.

[rmadisonwi]

It may "look good" to have the red-striped cars on the Red Line, but that's not why those stripes are there on those specific cars.

[RJL6000]

...but that's not why those stripes are there on those specific cars.

That's correct. Those red stripes merely signify that those particular 2400's had been significantly modified to function as work cars. Originally, 22 cars (2401-2422, 11 units) were modified (at the same time the 2400s went through a mid-life rehab in-house at the old Skokie Shops building, which has since been replaced by a new shop building); a few years later, unit 2423-2424 was so modified.

[dreyday]

i always wanted to know, what is modified on the cars to make them suitable as work cars?

[RJL6000]

i always wanted to know, what is modified on the cars to make them suitable as work cars?

A lot of things that you cannot (easily) see. For example, the electrical wiring in the work-converted cars are of a thicker (lower-numbered) gauge than the wiring in the non-work-capable cars. And some of the resistors are larger than those in the non-work cars.

And those 24 cars in the 2400 series aren't the only in-service cars which had been converted to work-capable motors: Select groups of 2600-series cars (particularly the 2890s), and cars 3441-3444 of the 3200 series, are also "work-capable" motors (even though they aren't livered specifically as such or to stand out from the other cars in those two series).