3300's On Green Line

[trainman8119]

I saw a string of 4 3300 series cars at Oak Park on the Green Line today around 1:30.

They all had Purple Line "Express" signs on them and did appear to be out of service.

The train was headed westbound and made a stop at the Oak Park platform, although

it looked as though the lead car was off the platform. Could not tell from my vantage

point on the street if there were people on the train or not. They were in the 3380

range series wise, so they came from the north side rather than the Midway (south) side.

[RJL6000]

They are likely being tested on the Green Line to study the feasibility of a possible large-scale assignment of such cars on that line. They might also have been on the Green Line as fill-ins or for work motor service, since most of the lower-numbered 2400-series cars specially marked for work-capable service have been reassigned to the North Side lines for the Brown Line Capacity Expansion project.

Or maybe the Pink Line (54th-Loop) could get some of those 3200-series cars?

At any rate, most of what I said is pure speculation.

[rmadisonwi]

Not sure why anyone would need to study the "feasibility" of assigning those cars to that line. They're compatible with the rest of the fleet.

3200s have found their way onto the Green Line a lot lately, when the route is short of cars due to 2400s being out of service.

[RJL6000]

Not sure why anyone would need to study the "feasibility" of assigning those cars to that line. They're compatible with the rest of the fleet.

3200s have found their way onto the Green Line a lot lately, when the route is short of cars due to 2400s being out of service.

Oh, I see. The 2400's have been breaking down of late - and a few of those at a time have gone to the Skokie Shops as part of their "life-extension" float. Those 2400's are at least 30 years old.

[Busjack]

Also, with the 3 track cutbacks on the North Main, not as many cars needed there.

[RJL6000]

Also, with the 3 track cutbacks on the North Main, not as many cars needed there.

Yes. No wonder why we now see the upper 2900s (that were previously assigned to the Purple Line) on the Blue Line.

[RIPTA42]

Those 2400's are at least 30 years old.

With delivery ending in 1978, some of them aren't quite at the 30-year mark.

[RJL6000]

With delivery ending in 1978, some of them aren't quite at the 30-year mark.

And the deliveries weren't quite in numerical order: Cars 2493-2500 were actually the last 2400's delivered to the CTA, coming onto the 'L' after car 2600 had been delivered. Cars 2491-2500 were supposed to be delivered with a solid-state chopper control, but only 2491-2492 were delivered as specified. Following testing, 2491-2492 were returned to the manufacturer for conversion to the conventional cam control. 2493-2500 were converted before they were ever delivered to the CTA.

As for the 3200's on the Green Line, they are fill-ins, needed only when that line runs short on cars (usually weekday rush periods). At all other times, those 3200's were returned to their regular Brown Line assignment, and only 2400's run on the Green Line.

[westing]

I just saw a Green line with 3300's heading West the other day. It was signed "express" and the driver had to make manual announcements. I thought it was a strange site but now I understand why.

One issue I bring up is how confusing this is for customers. It would be nice if the CTA had a plastic sign they could place in the front window to signify the train as Green line. I'm not sure how much good it would do but it couldn't hurt.

[trainman8119]

One issue I bring up is how confusing this is for customers. It would be nice if the CTA had a plastic sign they could place in the front window to signify the train as Green line. I'm not sure how much good it would do but it couldn't hurt.

Really, the only place that could be a big problem would be Downtown.

Once you clear Clark/Lake or Adams/Wabash having a Purple Line Express

sign doesn't mean anything. Of course in the Loop that would be a big problem...

especially with geeks like us knowing that a 3300 would be more likely to be

on an Evanston Express than it would be on a Lake St train. Really, other

than in a few spots on the Loop Elevated, destination signs on trains don't

mean too much, and from someone who grew up with green B and red A signs

on most routes I think I could figure out that if I get on a northwest bound train

in the subway at Clark/Lake (for example), it is going to O'Hare (short of a few

shorts to Rosemont) and I will get where I am headed.

[RJL6000]

Apparently, as of now those 3300s are back to their regular assignment on the Brown Line.

Today, however, I saw four 3250s (3251-3254) at the Harlem/Lake station on the Green Line, also similarly signed "Express." Those 3250s are normally assigned to the Orange Line.

And the only reason for the 3200-series cars' presence on the Green Line is that the 14 work-motor-equipped 2400-series cars normally assigned to the Green Line (cars 2411-2424) are needed for full-time work-motor duty on the Brown Line Capacity Expansion project construction. (Though a few of those red-striped 2400s are presently laid up in the Harlem Yard at the west end of the Green Line.)

[RJL6000]

I spoke too soon about the 3300's.

This afternoon at about 2:40 PM, I rode on one such train westbound from Adams/Wabash to Harlem/Lake. The six-car train was made up of 3321-3322, 3351-3352 and 3371-3372 (listed in numerical order). The train had the correct automated announcements for the Green Line, but did not have the correct destination signs for that line installed yet (the motorman had to manually make the announcement that the train was a Green Line train).

These fill-ins will continue for as long as the Green Line continues to run short on available cars and the North Side lines need fewer cars than are currently assigned to them.

On the other hand, this might lead to a possible future through-route realignment involving the current Brown and Green Lines: The Ravenswood leg may be through-routed to either the Lake Street leg or the Ashland/63 and East 63rd legs -- either full-time or during rush hours. (Ironically, Ravenswood trains actually ran to the South Side before August 1949, with the Ravenswood-Englewood through-routing operating between 1931 and 1949.)

[rmadisonwi]

I think it's an awfully big stretch to go from loaning cars from one line to another, to through-routing trains between those two lines.

For what it's worth, any train should be able to make automated announcements for any line. The announcements are triggered based on the run number the operator enters (which, incidentally, is why if you rode Pink Line run 301, the announcement would say run 361, because for a time, the system wasn't able to associate 301, etc., with both Blue and Pink; they seem to have fixed that particular issue, though).

[Busjack]

I certainly wouldn't bet on interlining Green and Brown. The current Green was created, because the South Side Main was too light to match the north side, and the Dan Ryan was too heavy compared to Lake (passenger count wise). Brown is supposed to be so heavy that it needs 8 car trains; Green now usually has 6. Boarding totals better correspond between Brown and Orange.

[sw4400]

I spoke too soon about the 3300's.

This afternoon at about 2:40 PM, I rode on one such train westbound from Adams/Wabash to Harlem/Lake. The six-car train was made up of 3321-3322, 3351-3352 and 3371-3372 (listed in numerical order). The train had the correct automated announcements for the Green Line, but did not have the correct destination signs for that line installed yet (the motorman had to manually make the announcement that the train was a Green Line train).

These fill-ins will continue for as long as the Green Line continues to run short on available cars and the North Side lines need fewer cars than are currently assigned to them.

On the other hand, this might lead to a possible future through-route realignment involving the current Brown and Green Lines: The Ravenswood leg may be through-routed to either the Lake Street leg or the Ashland/63 and East 63rd legs -- either full-time or during rush hours. (Ironically, Ravenswood trains actually ran to the South Side before August 1949, with the Ravenswood-Englewood through-routing operating between 1931 and 1949.)

These are most likely temps put on the Green Line because an entire train is still out of service because of the fireworks night fiasco a few days ago. A Green Line trains' spring broke and shorted out the third rail. That train has since been hauled to a yard for repairs(all six or eight cars).

[RJL6000]

I certainly wouldn't bet on interlining Green and Brown. The current Green was created, because the South Side Main was too light to match the north side, and the Dan Ryan was too heavy compared to Lake (passenger count wise). Brown is supposed to be so heavy that it needs 8 car trains; Green now usually has 6. Boarding totals better correspond between Brown and Orange.

These are most likely temps put on the Green Line because an entire train is still out of service because of the fireworks night fiasco a few days ago. A Green Line trains' spring broke and shorted out the third rail. That train has since been hauled to a yard for repairs(all six or eight cars).

I just inserted the 'through-routing' portion as my version of 'wishful thinking.' That through-routing is highly unlikely to occur.

And on some days, when I ride the Green Line, the ridership remains unbalanced even with the current through-routing: I have noticed much greater ridership north of Roosevelt than south on this line.

Which leads to another one of my 'wishful thinking' scenarios: The current Green Line might be split off into two separate routes, both of which terminate their runs in the Loop.

[Guest]

This afternoon I spotted a 6 car 3200 series train in one hell of a hurry WB on the Green Line "Not in Service"

[Danielsmusic]

This afternoon I spotted a 6 car 3200 series train in one hell of a hurry WB on the Green Line "Not in Service"

I see that two times every day. From what I can tell, the trains run from Midway to Harlem to Ashland to Kimball. Depending on how the 2400-series trains are dispatched from Harlem, the first train of 3200-series cars will sometimes go to Cottage.

[Danielsmusic]

I see that two times every day. From what I can tell, the trains run from Midway to Harlem to Ashland to Kimball. Depending on how the 2400-series trains are dispatched from Harlem, the first train of 3200-series cars will sometimes go to Cottage.

And then, the day after that, the set will do the same thing, but in reverse order.

[qwantae]

Yesterday, I've spotted an 3300s(Brown Line) trains operating on Green Line heading on Lake St to 63rd while I was catching a Pink Line at Ashland/Lake; What is the main reason for the Brown Lines trains continues to operating the Green Line on Weekends, even its four cars? Are they short on 2400s? It is pretty irritating to me because this time, the operator didn't even announced which where it was heading to Cottage Grove or Ashland, some of passengers didnt even get on the train, because they don't know where it was goin to.

[Danielsmusic]

Yesterday, I've spotted an 3300s(Brown Line) trains operating on Green Line heading on Lake St to 63rd while I was catching a Pink Line at Ashland/Lake; What is the main reason for the Brown Lines trains continues to operating the Green Line on Weekends, even its four cars? Are they short on 2400s? It is pretty irritating to me because this time, the operator didn't even announced which where it was heading to Cottage Grove or Ashland, some of passengers didnt even get on the train, because they don't know where it was goin to.

Some 3300s are assigned to the Green Line permanently.

[RJL6000]

Some 3300s are assigned to the Green Line permanently.

In this case, it was mainly due to an insufficient number of operable 2400-series cars at both ends of the Green Line (Harlem and Loomis Yards). Unlike on the Purple Line, however, the 3200-series cars are never (thus far) coupled together with the 2400s in regularly scheduled Green Line service.

[RJL6000]

In this case, it was mainly due to an insufficient number of operable 2400-series cars at both ends of the Green Line (Harlem and Loomis Yards).

That surely is the case today. I saw an eight-car train of 2400s led by the 2435-2436 unit circling around the Inner Loop, with their signs saying "Not in service". Yellow tape was around some of the doors on the cars.

As for the 3300s-3400s, the ones which run on the Green Line are not in numerical order (or put it this way, scattered throughout the block of car numbers normally assigned to the Brown Line). I have seen 3300s and 3400s on the Green Line (for example, 3377-3378 today was on the Green Line, with the temporary Green Line signs hanging over the ends of the four-car consist -- while 3379-3380 was on the Brown Line). And over the past two days, I have seen units as low as 3319-3320 and as high as 3443-3444 (those two cars with roof boards still installed, which once held pantographs from their original assignment on the Yellow Line/Skokie Swift) on the Green Line. (And yes, those pantographs and roof boards are today superfluous, since the entire CTA rapid transit system including the whole of the Yellow line now runs on third rail.)

[Kevin]

That surely is the case today. I saw an eight-car train of 2400s led by the 2435-2436 unit circling around the Inner Loop, with their signs saying "Not in service". Yellow tape was around some of the doors on the cars.

I believe I saw that same set of cars on the Orange Line heading towards the Loop at around 4pm.

[FatMan123]

I have officially seen everything.

Today, I rode a 6-car train made of four 2600s and two 2400s. I boarded at 95th, and I saw the that the train displayed Purple "Loop" signs. We rode to 69th then went express to Chinatown. From there, we circled the clockwise once. However, when the train got back to Wabash/Van Buren, we turned right and went down Van Buren and Wells again. From there we followed the Evanston Express routing to Belmont. Then we made all local stops from Belmont to Linden. Strangest train route ever.