CTA L trains a Evening Rush Tower 18 Compilation

With the weather starting to warm up, I decided to tray and catch some rush hour traffic on the CTA. Tower 18 is the entry and exit point for the loop on both the north and west approaches, meaning there is a lot of trains come rush. Sit back, and relax, and watch anything from orange to brown to purple, pink or green line trains as they rumble their way through the heart of Chicago.

[@PCthesecond]

I don’t know why but it looks like an ultra realistic scale model

[@retiredbusop2076]

Probably due to 4k

[@althejazzman]

Because the camera angle is way above it, the light is really consistent, and there's no people for scale.

[@Seurnn]

No trash

[@l.m.delgado7808]

@@retiredbusop2076 And also HDR...

[@adityapal8367]

23:41 the moment I was waiting for

[@Barflax]

Yup indeed 3 trains at the same time.

[@hanznathanpo]

asymptotes be like

[@ljbutler12]

Thanks I was about to skip😂

[@leradicideglialberi]

Absolutely

[@AnthonyP2A]

It would have been better if it wasn't fr all that damn panning...

[@dijikstra8]

Grade separating this single junction would probably at least double the capacity of these lines. I don't think any other metro system exists in the world with such an insane junction.

[@kutilmartin]

try to do that in such a tight space lol

[@praxyi5926]

@@kutilmartin they could always double elevate the lines, Thailand did it

[@kutilmartin]

how would you make the junction between those 2 levels given that there are buildings occupying each corner@@praxyi5926

[@automation7295]

@@kutilmartin Do you even realize how old the railways are?

[@automation7295]

Do you people even realize how old Chicago's El system is?

[@louismoore9196]

i we to chicago recently, the L might be one of the coolest and unique rapid transit systems in the world

[@Jotrain]

The thumbnail looks like a model railway set 😅

[@ocshaljufrian6109]

Try it bro, you can ride the highest speed train for the first time in Southeast Asia. The highest speed is 350 kilometers per hour, the Indonesian fast train Jakarta - Bandung, the newest, most sophisticated in Southeast Asia, the first,.,the way to the beautiful and comfortable and beautiful and cool and cool city of Bandung, thank you sis and bro.,..,Try it bro, you can ride the highest speed train for the first time in Southeast Asia. The highest speed is 350 kilometers per hour, the Indonesian fast train Jakarta - Bandung, the newest, most sophisticated in Southeast Asia, the first,.,.,.,..the way to the beautiful and comfortable and beautiful and cool and cool city of Bandung, to lembang is Ciwidey ,thank you sis and bro,,.,..

[@djijspeakerguy4628]

Thumbnail photo is from the 24:05 mark.

[@grahamallen1970]

Absolutely Brill.....but even better at x2 playback speed!

[@milazinnia]

I agree lol, I just wish the CTA trains moved *sliiightly* faster than they do (which I can say about most American public transit trains, like LA Metro, MTA, RTD, SEPTA, etc.) Whenever I watch a cab view video facing the front I always speed it up to at least 1.3. 😅

[@Jaquxan]

Guys like to speed 10 MPH

[@L1ru-Transportny_kanal]

? У нас максимальная скорость на некоторых перегонах 80 км/ч.

[@notarotomwithhair5637]

The line the trains are going on is the loop, which is 3.25km to go through the whole thing

[@lifestyle936]

Is Chicago like New York where you could have three trains all going near the same place?

[@koskism9181]

@@lifestyle936 all but one line go to the downtown, and of those that do only two dont use the loop tracks (red and blue line subways). Brown, orange, pink, and purple lines use the full loop, the green line uses the track but doesnt loop fully. There is a portion of track which contains the red, purple, and brown lines for a few miles in the north side of the city. I would look at a map of the system, its pretty cool. The only downside is there arent arterial lines, which are badly needed.

[@Terrywhitney8192]

​@@L1ru-Transportny_kanal he is talking about how the trains have to go slow on the junction. The trains are very capable of 80 kph on different stretches, but going full speed here is a death sentence...

[@vitocarlucci4248]

J'ai toujours été fasciné par les voies ferroviaire .

[@danbrit9848]

id love living there id sit and watch all day

[@Stairlift_bridg-it]

That’s what I was thinking

[@Deniska1486]

жить на таком перекрестки "мечта")

[@elfnetdesigns702]

This the sounds, would drive me nuts.

[@benscamihorn8065]

If you are not used to it already it would take a couple of weeks. Then it wouldn't bother you at all. Actually what would happen is I would be normal sounds and if you didn't hear one for a while you would get worried something had happened. I lived near an international Airport and if the plans stopped then you knew you needed to take shelter due to imminent bad weather.

[@ricardosam8050]

That’s one awesome view

[@KB-dg2gr]

Wow awesome video ❤❤ thanks always my favorite spot in all of the track

[@joaogoncalves1097]

Love the sparks, the best part...

[@michaelmiller641]

Those cars can't be longer than 40 feet ! Even shorter than the old london underground cars which were 50 feet. But they don't traverse curves as sharp as that! Almost tramway curves and thats almost a grand junction! I love the sounds they make!

[@chicagotrainandtransit9301]

48ft exactly, no more no less.its been the standard for over 100 years now.

[@jamesmolkenbuhr956]

The screeching sounds would drive me crazy

[@spythere]

My European soul has been hurt seeing this massive inefficient junction

[@JossRickard]

So often you won't even notice it

[@pacificostudios]

Fun fact, Tower 18 was at least twice as busy before the State and Dearborn subways were built. One wrong move by the tower operator could delay most trains in the city.

[@qolspony]

Even the IRT uses slightly longer cars and 10 cars. The #3 uses 9 and the 7 uses 11 as an exception. I do not know if these chicago cars are wider than the IRT. Or resembles the BMT/IND in this way. Trains in New York tends to squeal more around curves.

[@musicforaarre]

The only route that I can't figure out by track and direction alone is east/south bound Green and Pink. The Pink has 4 cars, and Green has 6 cars, and of course their colour flashes are different. Aarre Peltomaa of Mississauga, Ontario

[@frdml01]

It looks so nineteen-thirties to me. Can't believe this is still in use.

[@pacificostudios]

Look at 3:00 where a train stops in the middle of the junction, and look how many routes that jams up through this junction.

[@kristainviayoutube500]

Ik the only thing you could think of was the possibility of you dropping your phone off the edge

[@kenmills4739]

I enjoyed this video, playing guessing games at which train is which, I never have been to [as my Great Grandfather put it] 'Chiago'.

[@The_Untitled]

Nice sparks from the train at 6:30

[@Jens.M]

This is an engineering masterpiece!

[@nsl_black8053]

It looks highly inefficient in terms of capacity

[@leeroberts1192]

That building which looks like it could be a signal box, looks quite new. Was there ever a bit of track where that is in the past connecting the lines?

[@chicagotrainandtransit9301]

There wasn't ever a final connecting track, but the old design was wild. The tower was right in the middle of the intersection!

[@milktar2182]

​@@chicagotrainandtransit9301 Towering above the crossing?

[@laurenceskinnerton73]

Interesting.

[@francoisduranddelga1471]

In central Chicago, for sale or rent, splendid appartment with wiew on the railways. Very calm and so attractive. Low price.

[@zeusbottom]

“How often does the train go by?” “So often, you don’t even notice it.”

[@m31tdown]

Reminds me of Glen Huntly tram square. Thats very loud and slow also

[@gilbertomontaneziii6410]

When I saw that train stop while it was turning I said, "That's a problem". Because of the other trains that can't move. Meaning the train that's going the opposite way and the train that has to turn coming up.

[@bettyh2014]

Cool

[@lovasip]

Gee, I got a sudden urge to play Watchdogs again.

[@tylermcintyre1454]

Tyler Mac yeah let’s do this Chicago

[@michaelibk418]

From a distance I always liked the system. When I checked the daily ridership while ago I was surprised hoe low it is compared to the size of the city. I think the network is really good it’s kind of sad I mean for US Standards there is a very good system and people still prefer cars.

[@drmilkweed]

the government doesn't do a good job of encouraging ridership. when gas was crazy expensive, did they offer free rides on the cta? no, they offered gas gift cards.

[@michaelibk418]

@@drmilkweed Wow that is really bad. I pay 85 Euros a month for my ticket not for the city not for the state for the entire country. People use the ticket a lot Trains really become crowded. so sometimes i would pick the car over public transportation in rush hours but otherwise i will go with PT

[@drmilkweed]

@@michaelibk418 haha oh my, that's very cheap! I pay $300 a month for the commuter rail in New York, and I don't even get access to that entire system, let alone the city and state! I need a card for the Long Island Railroad, a card for the subway, and if I want to go upstate I need to get tickets from the Metro North Railroad. And this is in the most rail-dense city in the most rail-dense region of the country. However bad you think passenger rail is in the states, I promise it's much, much worse.

[@hadhamalnam]

@@michaelibk418 The problem unfortunately isn't the system, its the density of the city which is too low outside of the center. This means each unit of track serves way less people than it would in a European city, so it hasn't been economical to really build a system that covers most of the city within walking distance. The existing lines are basically a set of spokes that only meet in the very center (the loop), which also makes travel times much higher if you want to go anywhere besides along these paths as there are no ring routes. The low density also adds the additional problem that distances are far greater, and over long distances metros that have to stop repeatedly take much longer than cars if there isn't traffic. For context, from the city center to the borders are about 20km, and that contains only 2.7 million, and there are 6 million who live outside of the city, who on average live well over 20km from the center.

[@MolkoKillStyle]

@@hadhamalnam Yeah this metro looks like something i would do in cities skylines ahah

[@noobartz0890]

i initial thought it is a train model video mainly because of how short those trains are and that there's no wires over tracks

[@fmphotooffice5513]

The arcing flashes are some of my earliest childhood memories from the early 1960s. How are they made? Any negative effect of those constant electric discharges over the decades?

[@MrBestvidz2]

I heard it’s due to the foot slightly losing contact with the third rail and then going back

[@fmphotooffice5513]

@@MrBestvidz2 AC or DC, something made of metal gets consumed in an arc. Just wondering if they are replacing 3rd rail components for decades as they burn in that (nostalgic for me) way... kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJbdY6Vnh7Wjjbs&feature=share8

[@brainandforce]

This is normal. Often the third rail switches sides (sometimes to place it away from the boarding platform near stations) and the contact shoes lose contact with the rail, causing arcing.

[@FreezerBurn.]

Blues Brothers!! Also the outdated Tunafish sammaches are to die for at the 7-11 there. Literally.

[@Alex_Eicher]

Nice model railway

[@MrPompier3]

Ca nest pas du modèle réduit 😊

[@BerlinerGlockenfan]

Oh Gott, da möchte ich ja nicht wohnen. Fährt diese Metro immer so langsam? Die Gleisanlagen sehen aus wie bei uns in Berlin die von Trams auf der Straße

[@koskism9181]

Das ist Chicago. Dieser Streckenabschnitt liegt in der Innenstadt. Sobald Sie sich von diesem Abschnitt, der sogenannten Schleife, entfernen, bewegen Sie sich viel schneller. Es gibt auch U-Bahnen, die diesen Abschnitt überspringen, um schneller voranzukommen. Tut mir leid, wenn etwas nicht stimmt, ich habe Google Translate verwendet.

[@howsweetishyein]

i feel bad for people who lives here, the noise

[@chromebomb]

CTA is like heavy light rail

[@railpast]

Is that a public area of your shooting from?

[@mgordon1100]

He's filming from the parking garage, directly across the street from Century Tower.

[@atsuzuki]

Great. Transportation in the 21st Century of the 19th Century. Because it is tradition and should never change. If the company would invest in making subway lines, maybe and only maybe they could reach a decent speed without having to wait for another train to pass.

[@schwenda3727]

I read that in the mid-20th century to replace much of the L trains with just that (all subways supposedly). But it never materialized. However I also recall reading that there’s far less slow/crawl zones along the entire L train system than around 10-15 years ago; I’m talking like the ballpark of 5-10 mph in those certain spots because the infrastructure was structurally questionable at best. Something to which Boston appears to currently be dealing with on their network…

[@koskism9181]

they do have two subway lines. what is your point

[@user-ye7sd9pd6n]

It looks like a marching band drill!

[@fredashay]

I wonder if a train ever ran a red signal at this junction and caused a train wreck?

[@Heinkelly]

Imagine having a nice corner office and right outside your window is this thing 💀

[@SShiJie]

Is this a light rail system or a metro system?

[@jizotk203]

Nonooo Living in Those building must getting headache

[@user-fy3dm2by3e]

The surrounding buildings seem to be noisy. soundproof wall

[@LocutorBritanico]

How can anyone sleep, work or think with that noise all day long?!

[@F-14D_Tomcat]

Slap a tilt-shift effect on that bad boy and voila

[@andrelandry548]

Omg what if every road in America be an train track

[@ms_1931]

This junction is in watchdogs

[@that1niceguy246]

1.25 speed when they take curves and 1.5, maybe 1.75 speed when they go straight is what i thinn the speeds should look like here. But as long as ir somehow works.

[@schnuurtchke]

I don’t want them to grade seperate this junction I’m from North America in Canada and I watch the Steel Highway rail cam on the CTA Green and Pink lines

[@adarshkandel3377]

for a moment I thought this was a miniature

[@ajayratnam3021]

Why it seems like some ultra realistic toy model

[@devonrongotoa-owen2837]

Just wondering what the gauge is on that track is it 4 foot or narrower?

[@chicagotrainandtransit9301]

Standard gauge. The cars themselves are pretty small though, only 48ft long.

[@devonrongotoa-owen2837]

@@chicagotrainandtransit9301 cool thanks

[@qolspony]

I was about to turn off the video until bam! He *SCORED* at the very end. New York does not come close to this complexity in an interchange. EVER in it history.

[@jldmartini]

The CTA cars are shorter because of the small curves like this.

[@MichaelBeeny]

Thats one hell of a noisy place to live in those flats. Must drive the people nuts.

[@koskism9181]

not much residential there, mainly offices

[@mgordon1100]

​​@@koskism9181That building across the street, with the red upper floors, was built in 1930 and used to be a bank. Since 2003, it's luxury apartments.

[@SchwarzeSonne130]

I always thought such junctions only exist in games I always thought when building them in transport fever 2 naaah too unrealistic

[@JoeBiden1776]

This is United States of America 🇺🇸 😎..games are made after it.

[@mgordon1100]

The CTA is an amazing transit system. I used to take a bus from my apartment to the Red Line all the way on the north side. Grab the Red Line to downtown, then walk a couple of blocks to take a Metra train way out west to my office.

[@caramelldansen2204]

TPF2 fans rise up

[@koyasumune]

那個木版都沒燒起來我也是挺驚訝的

[@akuzmenko]

I wonder if the residents of these houses pay rent? To live with a such noise, the city authorities must pay compensation of several thousand dollars a month.

[@iapoloskof]

Yeah… sexy subway…

[@rachadekel23]

Escuchar a cada rato ese ruido y no poder dormir debe ser una tortura

[@koskism9181]

no hay muchas personas que vivir en el centro de la ciudad

[@HeliosExeunt]

Q: What kind of music do you listen to? A:

[@akashdas13011991]

where is the electricity connection that connects the trains or all diesel trains?????

[@artransitmemories9640]

Third rail electrical power. If you look closely you can spot the third rail just to the outside of the track rails.

[@II21___1.]

Когда бежишь по беговой дорожке интернета, представляй, что ты убегаешь из страны. По рельсам. Паровозиком. Флаг в руках, а навстречу раровоз. ©

[@navizhunastye3756]

Раровоз? Раровоз!!! Мозгодрыг!!!!!

[@RootedHat]

So primitive. But it works!

[@parrot0051]

Looks like a grand union track layout, like they had around the turn of the century.

[@romanrat5613]

Not quite a grand union. 3/4 of one

[@thesteelrodent1796]

that's pretty much when the L was built - opened in 1892. They still run on the original cast iron bridges and the layout has never been changed

[@animenut69]

It's interesting railcars have a regulatory shelf life but rail infrastructure can be 100+ and it's np.

[@timlabell]

CHICAGO.🎶 ⚰️ VERY NOISY 🎧

[@carstarsarstenstesenn]

name a big city that isn't noisy 😂

[@automation7295]

Any city can be very noisy. I love how people complain about trains being noisy when American emergency sirens are much louder.

[@timlabell]

@@automation7295 oh yes, I don't miss the constant Blair of sirens in the big city.

[@automation7295]

@@timlabell And then if you live near a railroad crossing, you'll hear constant train horns whenever they approach the crossing. I wouldn't be surprised if train constantly blast their horn at night

[@oceanthresher6184]

@@automation7295or the sound of expressway traffic which lasts all day and night nonstop, but apparently the brief sound of a train is too much.

[@edy21865]

You call this rush hour service?! This is less trains per hour than the regular scheduled service for the Vancouver Skytrain over in Canada where I live! On Skytrain, trains come in as little as 30 seconds apart during rush hour. For regular service, trains come every 2 to 3 minutes and late nights (past midnight) every 4 to 5 minutes. I guess I had standards set too high for US public transport.

[@schwenda3727]

It’s far better than AVERAGE LRT/metro systems nationwide outside of the Northeast. St. Louis’s Metrolink (outside of the Red/Blue Line concurrency) only has 20 minute headways (used to be 15 minutes precovid). But they’re effectively a hybrid LRT with metro AND commuter/regional characteristics so it could be worse. KC’s existing streetcar has 10-12 minute headways but their ongoing expansion efforts are slated to almost TRIPLE the coverage of the current line. Therefore if they don’t get enough rolling stock, it’s likely that trains per hour could decrease. But KC in particular is far better than say, Milwaukee’s HOP streetcar; 20 minute headways presently. And plentiful rail systems in the US suffer from either a PERCEPTION or a WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM regarding crime and problems ON the trains & platforms themselves. And in plentiful cases, perception could be just as bad as if they actually had a problem regarding overall ridership & reputation. Therefore plentiful people WILL take their chances driving and overpaying for a parking space in the heart of town and back unless they have ZERO options otherwise. Minimizing crime or perception thereof could overwhelmingly likely be the best things that transit systems could do nationwide. Coupled with cleanliness.

[@Paracelsus74]

​@@schwenda3727The Paris, France, metro system has a 90 seconds interval *per line* during peak times - just for comparison.

[@edy21865]

@@Paracelsus74 And like I mentioned in my post above, The Vancouver Skytrain has 30 second intervals between trains during rush hour and peak travel times, and 180 seconds off peak. It has the highest frequency in all of North America! Not to mention the trains are fully automated (no driver or attendant) with a GoA of 4! Vancouver also has nearly 10 million less people than Paris does, yet it has a much higher frequency than almost all major public transport networks. That gives you a better idea of just how many people use transit in Vancouver and how good its public transit network is.

[@EliAnd987]

@@edy21865 Do you want a medal or something? Your city has a better metro than Chicago. Okay?? How is this helping anyone, your weird superiority complex is adding nothing. If you're just going to bash what is unfortunately one of the better public rail systems in the US without looking into the systemic problems that plague public transit in almost every US city, why even say anything at all? Even worse, if you ARE aware of these problems, then what the hell is your damage dude, like???

[@edy21865]

@@EliAnd987 No need to get agressive! Just chill out dude, I am just expressing an opinion. I am sorry if my tone in the pevious comments hurt you. I am just trying to say that there are better metro systems out there. I understand that Chicago has one of the best public transportation networks in the United States. However Chicago has the potential to have much better transit than what exists. There is so much more thant can be done and should have been done long ago. Coming from a place with a developed transportation network and going to some US city like Chicago can be a big shock because of how lacking the public transport infrastructure is or how infrequent bus services can be. And no, I don't want or need a medal, maybe you do.

[@CUfkes]

Are these all residential buildings ?

[@davidf2477]

No

[@user-nf6un5ij7k]

I want to ask that people can work at that red building?? it's so noisy

[@mgordon1100]

That building has an interesting history. At the time of completion in 1930, it was the world's tallest concrete reinforced building. It was a bank that specialized in consumer loans. In 2003, it was sold and converted to apartments. I would hope that it's got soundproofing glass, as it's categorized as luxury living.

[@Anonimusz-rg8pq]

Ezeken a szerelvényeken van wc?

[@davidf2477]

No

[@KnightWithAnAssaultRifle]

I thought it was a scale model

[@idkjustayoutubechannel2760]

Bro this fucked me up when it paned over to the people walking cus i thought that its was a model train

[@Gaurav_1]

What is its source of power ?

[@Silver_Turtle]

DC third-rail; each car has a pick-up shoe to get power.

[@Gaurav_1]

@@Silver_Turtle thanks for info.

[@user-rb7pi6eu6h]

Why are the trains moving so slow? Especially if they don’t turn

[@ethanplaysroblox6253]

Me when 2x speed

[@maverickmanish9467]

People nearby withe the noises of tracks😂

[@legendarydaph2028]

I thought it was Cities Skylines at first

[@GRADE8BOLT]

Ellwood apt to the right

[@Three60Mafia]

This place sounds like an old wooden rollercoaster

[@navizhunastye3756]

Покажите это и расскажите московскому метрополитену! И посмеются и позавидуют!!!

[@strufian]

Там не принято пускать пыль в глаза и воровать на строительстве миллиарды. Так что посмеяться посмеются, а вот позавидуют навряд.

[@szymex22]

These tracks sound terrible, when have they been last modernised?

[@robotx9285]

Apparently, this trackwork has existed since the lines opened. I'm guessing they never changed it because it be a massive nightmare to figure out where and how trains will terminate during the Reconstruction.

[@Agent_RK]

Как же там жить, это ужас

[@strufian]

А там кто-то живёт ? Это не Россия, где все прутся в центр города жить, это Америка (Чикаго), там принято жить в тихих пригородах.

[@asliketheson]

Ride montreals subway and weep

[@kentdowner1342]

It's an evening train not a evening train

[@ToastRusk]

Why does this look like model train? 😂

[@that1niceguy246]

Perspective, the fact they use a third rail for electricity and the fact the junction is so tight in terms of curves and that there are so many junctions in one.

[@zathary564]

Yeah i see why Americans think public transport is bad now

[@Ernest33000]

Je pourrai pas supporter le bruit constant d'un métro près de chez moi.

[@martin_minds]

must be a horror to live there

[@luke.415]

They need to be greased. So squeaky!

[@SampNetRolePlay]

When in Open Trasport tycoon deluxe you are so lazy))

[@mettfrachter]

those poor residents. the level of noise is insane! they should put those tracks underground

[@caseywilliams8156]

I don't think any of the buildings surrounding this junction have residential units.

[@mxplixic]

"How often does the train go by?" "So often you won't even notice it." 😊

[@mettfrachter]

@@caseywilliams8156 well. Doesnt make a great work environment either imho

[@caseywilliams8156]

@@mettfrachter I assume the windows have some degree of soundproofing and that people get used to it. The L is pretty quiet if you're inside a building.

[@schwenda3727]

As a resident of the state of Illinois, I’ve learned in recent years that regarding transportation infrastructure in general, be it urban/suburban transit or suburban/rural roads & highways, everyone should be extremely thankful for what we CURRENTLY have. Because it increasingly appears that the powers that be in this state only put “patronage” & nepotism kinda hires as opposed to the best possible candidates into the people that run these transportation agencies statewide. “Ee’s a good guy ovah ‘ere; why’ya breakin’ ma balls ovah ‘ere?!” Chicago should have an LRT/streetcar system AND varying degrees of BRT not only citywide, but Cook Countywide. Running inbetween the L lines much less Metra regional lines. And major high volume interstate-to-interstate interchanges should be moreso 3+ level flyover interchanges instead of SIMPLE cloverleaf’s (plentiful of which WITHOUT the separated collector lane), especially with MOUNTING trucking traffic by itself.

[@artus198]

That looks third world