Secrets of the Chicago L

[@paulj6756]

Those "ghost tracks" tracks on the Northside Main Line (present day Brown Line ) were actually local tracks. The tracks the Brown Line presently uses were actually express tracks, mainly used by the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee interurban line. When the CNSM ceased operation in 1963, the present arrangement was adopted.

[@metromaster2010]

I love this. CTA is one of my favorite places to railfan

[@mic1240]

Some of the lines were shortened, but entirely new ones were also added (like Orange line, or trains into O’Hare). The former A-B system of trains not stopping at every stop kept the trains moving

[@HighHolyOne]

Yes, i liked the A-B-Allstop system. Rode from Bryn Mawr to Chicago Avenue for years in the late 1960's, early 70's. Speedy service.

[@bluetheta]

Those two non-revenue tracks are available for revenue service during cases where the loop needs to be bypassed, once I rode a "corrupted" brown, red, and orange train without transferring due to a building fire in downtown that closed the loop L. It can get very wacky when either the loop or State St. subway must be closed. The blue line is completely severed when the Dearborne St. subway goes down as there is only one connection (Paulina St. - former blue branch line now the pink line) between the loop and subway.

[@davidtyler-ul9vw]

Quite interesting on how much Chicago changed from 1975 to 2024! I follow three cities quite closely, NYC, Boston and Chicago. All have very similar histories and transit structures over the years. It's wild to think that the AMTRAK train I took out of Chicago in the early 1980's going West is now entirely abandoned and ripped. The train was rediverted onto another main line away from the old Milwaukee Road. You can still see some remains of it in Montana.

[@mynorthshore]

The remnant structure at Hubbard St Curve of the brown line was a leftover from a curve straightening and realignment project many long years ago. The lead to the North Water Street Terminal was opposite the Merchandise Mart at Carroll Street.

[@joshuafajardo5697]

When the Dan Ryan Branch was being renovated in 2013, they fully rerouted the ⬇️ terminal to Ashland/63 through the 13th Street Incline & they also did that in 2017 when the 95th Street Ⓜ️ was being renovated but only during Rush Hour

[@louisbertaux5193]

Great video history, thanks! In 1985-86, I lived in Oak Park, and took the Congress L train into the city, to work at the CBOE (Chicago Board of Options Exchange). Lots of stops between Oak Park Ave, and LaSalle/Buren. Very crowded in the morning, and in the early evening. I think it cost around .75 cents, and you had to pre-pay just to go down the ramp to the station

[@jetfan925]

I kinda wish Chicago couldve kept the Ashland section of the L to avood downtown transfers. Now they needed is an orbital line between O'hare and Midway to Jackson Park.

[@TMD3453]

Thanks, cool, I won’t to look at the tracks the same way again. Cheers

[@Thom-TRA]

Chicago is pronounced "shicago," not "tchicago"

[@timothynoel786]

Although Hizzoner (Mayor Richard J Daley) often pronounced it "in dis great city of Tchicago"!😂

[@hihy-dv7lc]

Yooo thom

[@joshuafajardo5697]

I wished they could rebuild all the lost lines/branches & Ⓜ️ both on the mainline & branches

[@ryannewsome2981]

More remnants, please. As a side note, the tunnel on 13th and State St. was used in the move Blankman starring Marlon Wayans.

[@michaelsherrell6389]

A very informative video. Thanks!

[@jeswartz2723]

The track structures seen at the curve just north of Merchandise Mart aren't remnants from the Kenzie St stub terminal, they're leftover structure from when the tracks had a much tighter 90° s curve. They straightened it out and reused as much of the old structure as possible to save $$$

[@calvinkendrick851]

Very informative and interesting video, and Very interesting that Chicago has an actual loop while the closest thing that NYC has to a loop is the M line.

[@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2]

Mta please add more stations North of Metropolitan Ave and give forest Hill a lower level

[@calvinkendrick851]

@@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2 would take tons of money to build but yes I’d like to see

[@dubreil07]

@@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2there’s a provision from 2nd Avenue and Houston in Manhattan. Potentially build a tunnel to connect to grand Avenue to Brooklyn and continue to metropolitan Avenue and go all the way to Jamaica or the JFK airport

[@MrPedroramos8911]

Great info thanks

[@elijaha773]

Good video, but could have benefited from satellite view maps, especially for section discussing swap of South L and Dan Ryan Branch.

[@movietrain808]

Randolph/Wells isn’t used for storage - the platforms are full of equipment related to the interlocking at Tower 18 - Lake/Wells. This interlocking was once the busiest in the world.

[@L.DOT.P.]

This video was amazing for a true blue Chicahgoan 😂😂😂

[@landonbenford8369]

I find it ironic and a little funny that so many stations were closed along the Lake Street Branch during the 1993-4 remodel. And Now those same stations are being rebuilt like the Morgan stop replaced the Old Halsted and Lake Street station. They're rebuilding the Damen station right now. Will they rebuild the Western avenue station??🧐🧐

[@keyshawnscott12]

You forgot the 63rd and racine station on the green line closed on January 9th 1994

[@israeldelarosa5461]

The Green Line shut down much more than that station in ‘94.

[@docjanos]

Another excellent historical video by you--congrats from this old guy who remembers some of these. My memory goes back to the late 50s and I recall wthat the old CAE terminal was till partly in place off of Wells. The tracks out to the Water Street terminal were still there but inaccessible as a platform extension for Merch. Mart was built over them. The Congress Street stub was till there. It was the original Alley L terminal and was used for package freight by the North Shore Line. The CNSM terminated at Roosevelt Road and used a third track in that area for storage. The tracks continued towards Cermack, meeting the subway line where they came above ground. There was no revnue service south of Roosevelt from the completion of the State St subway (1943) until the late 60s rerouting of the Lake Street line down to the Dan Ryan. Paul, below, is correcting in noting that the 4 track section south of Armitage was for the CSM post 1943. Pre-1943 it was just continuation of the 4 track sytem extending to Wilson.

[@YaboiOGOC]

I think it’s a bit much to say that the CTA is a shell of its 70s self. The North green line and west blue line really did have too many stops. And I’d say that the development of the pink, orange and ohare extensions are far better for the city. A revised Humboldt spur is needed, but it’s down the list of potential extensions

[@galeschool]

The CTA rail network today is the largest it has ever been (in total mileage, not number of stations). Despite the closing and truncation of several lines, the O'hare branch of the Blue Line, the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line, the entire Orange Line, and the Ashland extension at the south end of the Green Line more than make up for the loss.

[@USArailfan2000]

Are there any physical connection(s) between Chicago's elevated rail system and the rest of the US railway network?

[@galeschool]

Yes, there's a track connection with Conrail in the 63rd street yard. That's how the CTA gets supplies as well as new train cars. There were also track connections for freight at the Skokie shops and in Buena Park but those tracks were removed long ago.

[@USArailfan2000]

Thanks for the info!

[@billdavis1436]

Why are my comments being deleted?

[@jointransitassociation]

Well it is either YT flagged you or you didn’t make the comment at all. I checked the comments and your comments didn’t show up.

[@billdavis1436]

@@jointransitassociation OK, I will try it again. This time without links. Correction on a couple things. The North Water Terminal stub was over Carrol Ave, just south of the Merchandise Mart station, not Kinzie. At Kinzie there were no continuing tracks, it was originally a Z curve, which was "straightened" out to an S curve in 1921

[@billdavis1436]

I hope my Chicago L link posted. That is where I got most of my information.

[@WaluigiLebron]

@@billdavis1436KZbin automatically flags all comments with links in them as spam that’s why your comments aren’t appearing

[@Marvilloso]

​@@jointransitassociation we need a series on this. I done my homework on this as well with every former station in all branches. I was surprised and was as a shock of awe that a lot of branches has been closed throughout the years.

[@billdavis1436]

What happened to my comment?

[@arturocuizon69]

What's wrong with having old trains like the 46s run on the lines that have cbtc because if their not compatible with cbtc shouldn't they just not have to use it at all and it would be fine?

[@chicagotransitoperatorcta]

1. High Maintaining cost, 2. Old, 3. no accesibility, 4. no automated annoucements, and 5 is unappealing. Plus these trains are less compatible with some signal systems meaning in a case of an emergency. the trains are to old to act on what new trains could do

[@arturocuizon69]

@@chicagotransitoperatorcta ok I see so they can't run on the lines that have cbtc because all the signals they were compatible with are all gone right so they would have no choice but to use the cbtc signals which they can't do right?

[@chicagotransitoperatorcta]

@@arturocuizon69 The old trains are out of date, and arent up to todays standards

[@arturocuizon69]

@@chicagotransitoperatorcta ya that explains why I see most subways like the Washington Metro and the NYC subway using mostly or all new trains right?

[@pepe-zg3pf]

It's pronounced "Shicago..."

[@Thatgamingdiary]

:o

[@ReRailTheKilljoy]

L