CTA "L" - 40 Minutes of Grade Crossing Train Action!

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I've had various requests for a long action video and to showcase CTA's Grade Crossing operations. Here is a good 40 minutes of just that! This is something CTA is blessed with to make its system unique and more interesting compared to other US cities.
Stay tuned for more!

[@C.Q_Wilkenson]

Having grade crossings with rapid transit is one thing, but with electric third rails! I love the signs basically saying "for the love of God, do not touch this rail!"

[@nashorn9745]

On the crossing it’s self there is no 3 rail to kill you but on the part were there is no pavement there is

[@nikhillrao3799]

Every few years a drunk person dies from peeing on the rail I think

[@Mnbaco2]

True

[@alfredfeagins1886]

It is unfortunate that dogs, cats and other animals are unable to read and understand warning signs. 🥺

[@captainkeyboard1007]

That is right!👍

[@graffmixer]

That train horn!!! Sounds like someone playing a recorder 😂😂😂😂

[@Robbi496]

When the (Now named) Pink Line went as far West as Oak Park Avenue, there were more than there are today. When the Blue Line was the Garfield Park L, it was at Grade West Of Laramie Avenue, The Old Westchester L had many also!

[@jmstransit]

Kinda see this everywhere in Tokyo where you have "subway" lines with grade crossings - it's also where the definition of "Subway" and "Commuter rail" really becomes blurry

[@AVianna0777]

I just love 💕 the Chicago transit system. I spend hours watching everything related to this. Thank you very much for posting these videos, as it is very gratifying to be able to know in detail stations, intersections... thank you very much! 🙏

[@NeoTurboManiac78]

I rode the "L" (Red and Blue Lines) during my visit to Chicago years ago, and I never knew that there were sections of it that had at-grade crossings. Very interesting.

[@MattKhosrowRailfan]

The red and blue lines don’t have any I think

[@alanfollett6242]

The outer reaches of the Brown, Yellow, and (for a shorter distance) Purple Lines are at grade as well.

[@TonyP9279]

@@MattKhosrowRailfan I'm guessing this was before the pink line existed and the tracks on the south side of I-90 was a branch of the blue line.

[@jacobthompson5580]

I'm from Cleveland, OH and i really appreciate Chicago trains when i come to that city.

[@retailadventures6]

Jacob Thompson Cleavland has the red line subway right?

[@jacobthompson5580]

mall and train 555 yes we have a red line subway.

[@keyshawnscott12]

@@jacobthompson5580 I'm looking forward to visiting cleveland someday

[@GreenLine4444]

@@retailadventures6 Well, he said he appreciates the Chicago trains, meaning he appreciates the entire Chicago elevated/subway network. Cleveland has no subway/elevated network in comparison to Chicago's network.

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

Wow! I didn't know the 54/Cermark station still uses Mechanical Bells

[@edy21865]

It’s interesting to note that on the yellow line, the short two-car trains actually have a moment where there is no power going to the train as both cars leave the third rail when going over the long crossings. The trains basically coasts across the crossing as there is a momentary lack of power to the traction motors.

[@fhowland]

I’ve never seen grade crossings on a third rail subway before !

[@maurycewarner794]

I think you forgot about the purple line, there is a crossing at Isabella and 4th (I'm not sure if 4th is the correct street) and the "Linden" station in Willemette

[@iatif1995]

I didn't know they had grade crossings!

[@SydeLeaderRay]

Beautiful capture if the grade crossing! It's very satisfying to hear the motors lose and gain power when crossing them. 🤗 - - - 7:02 - This is an attempt to guess what the driver is saying. " Stop, re-cor-ding, or, I will, re-port, you! " I think the driver is saying that because a driver told me that when I was recording.

[@ChicagolandTransit]

They can never tell you to stop recording. You're in public. If they tell me to stop, I'll point the camera at them and shame them for doing that! But that little horn show, I don't know why he/she sounded the horn like that. Probably cause I was in between the tracks close to the train a little bit.

[@amfm889]

@@ChicagolandTransit Only the Yellow Line/Skokie Swift trains sound the horn at grade crossings. May be a Skokie requirement.

[@MediumCase19540]

@@ChicagolandTransit Sounds like el sonodito

[@diyintrovert961]

At 3:00, I used to live right by that intersection 2 periods.

[@TheChicagoL]

Very familiar to me because my stepfather lived just around the corner from this station/grade crossing on Cullerton Ave. I also remember when the station stop was named "Kildare Ave"; it was renamed "Kostner" after this "L" line was rebuilt around 2003.

[@diyintrovert961]

@@TheChicagoL I remember it too.

[@Vxllain]

The subway out here in New York used to have grade crossings, but they've all since been eliminated

[@mr.jamster8414]

When did they get rid of them?

[@Vxllain]

@@mr.jamster8414 The last one was on the L train in Canarsie. Was removed on August 5, 1973. More recently, the M line fromm Fresh Pond Road to Metropolitan Avenue was renovated because it was at-grade. That was in 2018.

[@mr.jamster8414]

@@Vxllain alright, cool. In Australia we have "Suburban Rail" Which you use exactly like a subway but it's mostly on ground level.

[@tonyjaxkson3669]

Imagine the NYC Subway’s 10-car trains crossing at grade 😂😂

[@CaseysTrains]

I've seen super-8 videos of 8-Car R1-9 Trains crossing the Grade Crossing at East 105th Street on the LL Line. Yeah back in the 70s the L Line (Former LL Line) had a crossing there. Went out use by 1977.

[@GreenLine4444]

What's there to imagine? The Chicago El can run trains with 8 cars, not much difference.

[@cycloid2326]

@@GreenLine4444yeah but each car on the CTA is much shorter than MTA B-division cars

[@GreenLine4444]

@@cycloid2326 Yeah, and the CTA cars can do sharper turns that the MTA cars cannot do, which gives the CTA cars more flexibility along the routes. So it is what it is.

[@RailfannerMario]

OH My u impressed me ima not lie Keep it up brother man

[@ChicagolandTransit]

Thanks bro. I appreciate it very much.

[@retailadventures6]

Chicagoland Transit I love how they come at railroad crossings.

[@shannonviltervilla6066]

Nice video

[@DennyDreadBassMan]

The L was behind my apartment when I lived on Leland.

[@Oliver-kv2mm]

How often does the train go by? So often you won’t even notice.

[@DennyDreadBassMan]

@@Oliver-kv2mm Most of the time I didn't notice except if I was on the phone on the back porch. I had to wait until the train went by so I could hear who I was talking to. I didn't mind it.

[@Theonewhoistointerestedi-zo1ls]

And it happens to be the CTA L. I forgot that the brown line does this

[@diyintrovert961]

(5:11) That used to be my grandmother's house (on my mother's side).

[@1966ELDUBZ]

I grew up in chicago, i always thought that the trains either in the sky or underground i have never seen this before

[@MetraUPNWproductions7202]

Your mother is very logical. What she said is what all crossing idiots should be told. The idiots that cross the tracks when a train is coming to save seconds of time are entirely stupid

[@atheman90]

How did you get the destination signs on the video screen?

[@MrDgon23]

What no purple?

[@Motorman_G]

I don’t know why they don’t sound the horn at some crossings is it because they are in quiet zones?

[@vejet]

That's got to be super annoying if you actually live there. Probably not a day goes by where you don't get caught having to wait at the gates for a train

[@CaseysTrains]

That's the point.

[@DavidSSabb]

I live near a Brown Line grade crossing, but in the grand scheme of the general nightmare that is Chicago traffic, being stopped for 30 seconds sometimes doesn't really bother me.

[@tibbers3755]

well atleast these are subway trains. theyll get moving faster and are shorter

[@trackwerkOG]

What's with 3458 at 18:55 ? The sides and windows look like a 2600 series

[@vortexworldsword6784]

Because it's a 2600 series car .

[@orionharmon6017]

I wish these trains can just sound their horns when they come to a crossing.

[@dvferyance]

I didn't know the CTA had any grade crossings. So it's not completely elevated? The Metra on the other hand has many of them.

[@cat1554]

I see you've never heard of the State Street subway

[@dvferyance]

@@cat1554 I should have said either elevated or underground. Yes I was aware that there is a subway portion.

[@matthewwhitted9179]

If the the New York City Subway was built like that at street grade level the Transit Authority would lose Money 💰 like crazy do to people climbing up to the platforms to beat the Fair .

[@rgalesnyc]

We used to have a grade crossing on the L line in Brooklyn and there were quite a few in Staten Island.

[@CaseysTrains]

You do know The L Train once had Grade Crossing at East 105th St that they lost Zero dollars over right? The only reason why it was closed was because the road itself was very seldom use to begin with. Then again that area of Canarsie is somewhat a desolate Wearhouse district.

[@qjtvaddict]

The culver line used to be a streetcar it was upgraded to an EL today’s F train.

[@Theonewhoistointerestedi-zo1ls]

9:21 lantern gate lights

[@terryb0241]

How do they avoid people not getting electrocuted at grade crossings

[@rapjul]

The third rail ends a couple feet before the crossings. That’s the only safety feature in place besides the signage. CTA train cars only come in married-pairs of two cars each in part so no train will be stranded in between third rail sections.

[@benfisher3368]

32:42 where is this view at?

[@akis3556]

Yellow line. Somewhere between Dodge and Chicago aves.

[@shumacwilder]

You left Sacramento Ave\Auxiliary Entrance

[@ChicagolandTransit]

The Sacramento entrance is on the other side of the station. I filmed at the main entrance at Francisco.

[@coastercrafter1productions300]

This Subway is Flexiblehow coumd they cross when theres no 3rd Rail there

[@txquartz]

They coast, as long as the train is moving enough it rolls to the other side it won't lose power.

[@tysouthernrailfanner3668]

In Minecraft I have something like that my Metro has 2 Grade Crossings, 1 on each line

[@Stanf954]

Doesn't blow for the grade crossing.

[@edy21865]

Why are all crossings filmed in this video immediately outside a station? Are there no crossings on the CTA that are between stations and not right outside or were none filmed?

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

Yeah, there are on some parts of the Pink, Brown, Purple, and Yellow lines

[@litlgrey]

Four-car trains is all they can spare out there? And a mere two cars on the Yellow Line? That's anemic!

[@MJofLakelandX]

Ridership on Pink aren't as high and Yellow is more or less a feeder to Purple/Purple Express

[@ChicagolandTransit]

4 car trains with higher frequency is the way CTA runs the Pink Line. They had 6 cars on the Pink when the 5000s first came into service. Pink Line has plenty of ridership but I wish they'd use 6 cars. However 54th terminal has a habit of lining up two 4 car trains on one platform to get trains to come in and out fast. It's one of CTA's most efficient lines.

[@litlgrey]

@@MJofLakelandX Ahhhh, I see. Thanks!

[@litlgrey]

@@ChicagolandTransit Thanks!

[@unklecharliezMETAAUDTIONS]

WOW I THOUGHT I WAS LOOKING AT LAs BLUELINE. BECAUSE ITS USUALLY AT STREET LEVEL. SINCE WHEN THE "L's" BEEN STREET LEVEL? BACK IN THE EARLY 70s THE OLD "L" WAS GREEN and WHITE. NOW IN MY FIFTIES I JUST STARTED LOOKING AT CHICAGO AND HOW OFTEN THEY RELEASE THEIR TRAINS INTO RIDERSHIP. THEY ARE SOON TO BE GETTING NEW "L's" INTO CIRCULATION SOON.

[@coastercrafter1productions300]

So these trains are well engineered and designed for At Grade Crossing

[@MJofLakelandX]

@@coastercrafter1productions300 As long as the lead & trailing carriages are receiving power from 3rd rail, the middle cars won't lose power

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

Unpopular opinion: the Chicago L 'is a light rail system. (or at least, the Yellow and Brown lines are)

[@CaseysTrains]

Unpopular Opinion: You don't need to go out your way to label one mode of transportation as another because it feature something commonly seen in the other mode of transportation. Subways/Metro are allowed to have grade crossing and there nothing LIGHT about the Chicago L even for the few bits of grade crossing it has. The Chicago South Shore runs in the Street in Michigan City, do we call that a Light Rail? Or do we call it by it's proper title, a Commuter Interurban Railway? Exactly.

[@wicky201]

Chicago has no light rail.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

@@wicky201 There are level crossings on the L. By some definitions that disqualifies it as a metro

[@wicky201]

@@OntarioTrafficMan Not sure where you're getting your information from but I would have to say you're incorrect. The Long Island Railroad is mostly third rail with many grade crossings. Baltimore and Los Angeles light rail for instance have grade crossings as well

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

@@wicky201 Definitions vary.

[@randomcontentgenerator2331]

wait... that's illegal seriously though how does this even work?

[@brianmolina8818]

How so? They're regular at-grade crossings.

[@randomcontentgenerator2331]

@@brianmolina8818 because the trains use third rail. I’ve since learned more about third rail grade crossings.

[@brianmolina8818]

@@randomcontentgenerator2331 Ah, I see

[@wclifton968gameplaystutorials]

The carriages not on the level crossing will pick up the electricity from the 3rd rail and send it to the other carriages that are on the crossing I assume but idk since here in the UK, where I live in London, the nearest level crossing (grade crossing) to where I live which is West Barnes Level Crossing has the 3rd rail on the crossing with a big white sign on each side of the crossing saying that the 3rd rail is live

[@brianmolina8818]

@@wclifton968gameplaystutorials Yeah, that's how it works