# Chicago L - Operator's View from Start to Finish



## SarahZ (Nov 11, 2014)

The CTA has posted the first in a series of "operator views" on every route, from start to finish.

They started with the Red Line (northbound from 95th).

More lines will follow in the coming days. I'll be sure to link them.


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## greatcats (Nov 11, 2014)

Shades of last year's AU Gathering when I first met Sarah! Thanks for the video.


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 11, 2014)

Nice find Sarah! Look forward to seeing the others as you add them! ( BTW, you don't like Chicago do you? LOL)


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## SarahZ (Nov 11, 2014)

They just uploaded a southbound view:

http://youtu.be/M5ZYZrrj2IA


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## MrFSS (Nov 11, 2014)

I want to see one going around the loop at that high speed!


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## SarahZ (Nov 11, 2014)

MrFSS said:


> I want to see one going around the loop at that high speed!


Yeah, I know.  Maybe it won't be quite as fast, since the Loop trains aren't as long as the Red Line. They won't have as much mileage to condense into a 9-minute video.

I should have made a generic thread instead of calling it "Red Line". I'll keep all the videos in this thread. Would it be possible to change the title to "Chicago L - Operator's View from Start to Finish"?


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## SarahZ (Nov 11, 2014)

SarahZ said:


> They just uploaded a southbound view:
> 
> http://youtu.be/M5ZYZrrj2IA


For some reason, the tunnel footage was much cooler during the southbound video.


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## trainman74 (Nov 12, 2014)

Seems like there were a lot of CTA workers visible in the southbound Red Line video.

Guess everyone wanted their 15 minutes of fame (well, more like 1.5 seconds)!


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## SarahZ (Nov 13, 2014)

trainman74 said:


> Seems like there were a lot of CTA workers visible in the southbound Red Line video.
> 
> Guess everyone wanted their 15 minutes of fame (well, more like 1.5 seconds)!


That made me nervous. The third rail is dangerous. I wonder if they can shut off certain sections of it while they're working? I have to imagine that's possible.


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## NorthShore (Nov 13, 2014)

Yes, they can. Sometimes they have to in emergency situations. But they don't like to if it isn't necessary.


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## SarahZ (Nov 14, 2014)

They posted a new one. This video features the Blue Line from O'Hare to Forest Park. That's a nice, long ride. 

http://youtu.be/htEMRatyVSU


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## Ryan (Nov 14, 2014)

There are awesome.

In the Red Line videos, it looks like you can walk in between Lake, Monroe, and Jackson on the platforms. Is that true?


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## MrFSS (Nov 14, 2014)

There is a YouTube Channel I subscribe to where a fellow does the same thing with road trips videoing from his car. Some of them are really awesome.


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## afigg (Nov 14, 2014)

The CTA videos are cool. Looking forward to seeing those from L trains going through the Loop. This is a good way to document how the system, the stations, and the buildings looked in 2014. Do this every 5 years and future generations could see how the skyline, the tracks and the stations changed over the decades.

It would be neat if other transit agencies were to do the same. Similiar HD videos from WMATA, NYCT, the T, various light rail lines, above and below ground lines from around the US would be fun to watch.


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## Ryan (Nov 14, 2014)

I'm sure someone would complain "ZOMGTERRARISTSWILLWATCHIT!!!" and put a stop to it.


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## MikefromCrete (Nov 14, 2014)

Search YouTube and you'll see lots of homemade videos of end to end rides on transit lines. Of course, most of them are from side windows. The CTA's head end videos are much better.


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## MrFSS (Nov 14, 2014)

CTA has a Then and Now video. Not quite the same idea, but still interesting to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S1Dd0J25O0


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## trainman74 (Nov 14, 2014)

RyanS said:


> In the Red Line videos, it looks like you can walk in between Lake, Monroe, and Jackson on the platforms. Is that true?


It's supposed to be true -- it's actually all one continuous platform, and the exact train stopping locations have changed somewhat over the years (most obviously where "Lake" has supplanted "Washington"). However, there are occasionally construction barriers whenever they work on portions of the platform, and I'm not sure what the current status is.


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## SarahZ (Nov 14, 2014)

trainman74 said:


> RyanS said:
> 
> 
> > In the Red Line videos, it looks like you can walk in between Lake, Monroe, and Jackson on the platforms. Is that true?
> ...


Andplusalso, those narrow portions on the platforms make me very nervous. I'm the one who walks down the exact center of the platform and stands there until the train arrives. I've seen too many people jostled, especially when it's the weekend and the platforms are full of drunks and tourists with SUV-sized strollers. (Or the Addison stop after a Cubs game.)


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## afigg (Nov 14, 2014)

MikefromCrete said:


> Search YouTube and you'll see lots of homemade videos of end to end rides on transit lines. Of course, most of them are from side windows. The CTA's head end videos are much better.


The CTA videos are better because you see both sides of the tracks, the speed-up effect is well done, and each station is labeled as the train pulls up to the platform. These videos will make for a good video documentation of each line in 2014 for posterity.


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## rickycourtney (Nov 15, 2014)

It's really striking when you watch the video of the southern section of the Red Line that was just rebuilt and compare it to the northern section or the Forest Park branch of the Blue Line.

On the Red Line the acceleration seems very smooth and the shot is very stable.

On the Blue Line that the train keeps speeding up, slowing down and bouncing all over as it goes over sections of bad track.

Just a very visual example of how badly the track has deteriorated over the decades.


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## NorthShore (Nov 15, 2014)

Gee, I wish the trains I get on would go that fast!


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## Ryan (Nov 15, 2014)

It looks like they deleted the Blue Line form O'Hare video and reposted it - here's the new one:


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## AmtrakBlue (Nov 15, 2014)

For us out-of-towners, it would be nice to have an imbedded map at the top (right or left) of the screen so we can see where the lines run.


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## OlympianHiawatha (Nov 15, 2014)

And you cannot go wrong with that good German-inspired Techo music! If you go to the Full Youtube they provide a link to a Free Share site where you can download it


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## XHRTSP (Nov 15, 2014)

They really shouldn't be posting videos like this, the terrorist could use it to figure out that Chicago has trains. I commute on the Blue Line, and now some ISIS terrorist is going to try to give me Ebola. Welcome to Obama's America...


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 15, 2014)

Hopefully the post above was done tongue in cheek!?

There are actually low information voters out there (aka T-partiers) that actually believe right wing propaganda like this! See Elections 2014!!!


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## SarahZ (Nov 15, 2014)

I'm fairly sure that was tongue-in-cheek. 

Here's the return trip, Forest Park to O'Hare:



Thanks for catching the issue with the first one and reposting, Ryan.


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## NorthShore (Nov 15, 2014)

Hmm....I wonder what was on the original version they didn't want us to see.

CPD is doing random bag checks at a different station each day for street theater to pretend this is protecting us. "Sir....how DARE you bring that sandwich aboard! Haven't you read the sign that says "no eating" on the train?"


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## NorthShore (Nov 15, 2014)

TONS of track work and slow zones on that trip to O'Hare video.

Where's the part when you get to ride up the escalator?


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## AmtrakBlue (Nov 15, 2014)

NorthShore said:


> Where's the part when you get to ride up the escalator?


I think they ran out of tape at the end.


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## XHRTSP (Nov 15, 2014)

That was the CTA version of a one time excursion train.


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## NorthShore (Nov 16, 2014)

Videos of lines going around the loop should be interesting, as it might be just one video from the same start/end point.

Yellow line they could practically run in real time, without the speed up.


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## SarahZ (Nov 17, 2014)

NorthShore said:


> Videos of lines going around the loop should be interesting, as it might be just one video from the same start/end point.
> 
> Yellow line they could practically run in real time, without the speed up.


They're doing every line, though, so we'll see the Loop several times.


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## MrFSS (Nov 18, 2014)

And, the BROWN LINE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYGnCDTPN4k


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## Shawn Ryu (Nov 20, 2014)

I cant wait til Green Line, which branch they would use?


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## Metra Electric Guest (Nov 20, 2014)

RyanS said:


> There are awesome.
> 
> In the Red Line videos, it looks like you can walk in between Lake, Monroe, and Jackson on the platforms. Is that true?


You can on the Blue Line platforms a block west, but no longer on the Red line due to "construction" though from a casual view from the train windows the platform appears continuous. They cut it to create a connection for an "O'Hare Express Service" when Block 37 was built (across from, ugh, can't say it, evil, will go with the department store formerly known as Marshall Field's State Street Store) and included a station box for express trains to the airport, but nothing else was ever done other. It's big benefit was severing the platform, if you call that a benefit (though prepping for a future station, at least in theory is good, though I suspect a waste of money in this case).


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## SarahZ (Nov 20, 2014)

Shawn Ryu said:


> I cant wait til Green Line, which branch they would use?


I'm curious about that too.  Someone asked on the CTA page earlier, but the CTA hasn't answered yet.

Also, several people have commented that the video creators should leave the Yellow Line in real-time; otherwise, the video will be about one second long.


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## XHRTSP (Nov 20, 2014)

I hope METRA picks up on this and does their own series too.

Oberman, if you're reading this make it so!


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## Metra Electric Guest (Nov 20, 2014)

XHRTSP said:


> I hope METRA picks up on this and does their own series too.
> 
> Oberman, if you're reading this make it so!


There are a ton of Metra Electric cabride videos already on YouTube - the new "highliners" have a railfan door at the front. I took one and was going to upload it and realized there were already dozens online. When I was a kid you could ride in the front vestibule of the highliners but they changed that in the mid-80s.


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## MikefromCrete (Nov 20, 2014)

Shawn Ryu said:


> I cant wait til Green Line, which branch they would use?


They will probably use both in some manner since the purpose seems to document all of the rail lines.


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## jebr (Nov 20, 2014)

Here's the new Brown Line one (for some reason the other one posted was removed.)


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## MrFSS (Nov 20, 2014)

jebr said:


> Here's the new Brown Line one (for some reason the other one posted was removed.)


 They took down their YouTube video and reposted a new one. That's why the first one stopped showing.


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## MrFSS (Nov 21, 2014)

And, *The Orange Line* both directions.


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## SarahZ (Nov 21, 2014)

I've been looking forward to this one. The Orange and Pink are my favorites, mostly for the view of the city.

I wish they'd film those at night.


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## NorthShore (Nov 21, 2014)

Metra Electric Guest said:


> RyanS said:
> 
> 
> > There are awesome.
> ...


All that for a mere $200+ million.


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## MrFSS (Nov 25, 2014)

*Pink Line*


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 25, 2014)

Very enjoyable and they bring back memories of the Gathering in Chicago.

I do feel like I'm watching a Video Game and want to grab the controller and drive the train!

As has been said, this would be cool if every Big City did this with their Rail! Keep 'em coming!


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## MrFSS (Nov 28, 2014)

*Green Line - Both Ways*


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## MrFSS (Dec 2, 2014)

*PURPLE Line*


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## trainman74 (Dec 3, 2014)

Ahh, my old stomping grounds. The current Davis station was built while I was a student at Northwestern, so I remember the old Davis station, and especially the interim Davis station (which was actually a block north, at Church).

I kind of wish they'd done a video of the Purple Line Express all the way to the Loop, but I know there's no real "need" for it (since it's covered adequately by the Red Line and Brown Line videos).


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## NorthShore (Dec 4, 2014)

Well, at least a video from Howard to Belmont would offer a bit of perspective on the low level track at Wilson.

I liked that temporary station in downtown Evanston!


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## trainman74 (Dec 4, 2014)

NorthShore said:


> I liked that temporary station in downtown Evanston!


I remember joking with someone that it seemed to be held together entirely by creosote.


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## MrFSS (Dec 5, 2014)

*Yellow Line*


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## SarahZ (Dec 5, 2014)

They could have done the Yellow Line in real time.


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## XHRTSP (Dec 5, 2014)

I don't see any more lines left. Metra, you're up!


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## fairviewroad (Dec 5, 2014)

Wow, what a mesmerizing, addicting series of videos. Well done, CTA. I forgive you for 20 minutes of slow zone delay!

It's really fascinating and a reminder of just how many neighborhoods are served by the L. And just how many trains are in

service at any given time. And what a complicated dance the loop interchanges are.

And yes, this type of video series should be mandatory for all rapid transit agencies...though I guess it would take a considerable

amount of time to watch the entire NYC subway system done in this manner.


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## SarahZ (Dec 5, 2014)

I like the way they split the Green Line. I wondered how they were going to handle that.


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## MrFSS (Dec 10, 2014)




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## MrFSS (Dec 19, 2014)

Real Time videos of the routes. *These are long)


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## MrFSS (Dec 19, 2014)

Real Time - They are long


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## MrFSS (Dec 19, 2014)




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## MrFSS (Dec 19, 2014)




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## MrFSS (Dec 19, 2014)

Real Time Video


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## fairviewroad (Dec 19, 2014)

Wow, I think I like these real-time ones even better than the sped-up versions. You really get a sense of the route. Plus, the absence of the techno music means you can hear the clickety clack of the wheels on tracks and crossovers.

Of course, they're not entirely real-time since the station stops are sped-up, but that's a production decision I 100% concur with.

But now I have to find the time to watch _all_ of these blasted things. :angry:


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## Shawn Ryu (Dec 22, 2014)

XHRTSP said:


> I don't see any more lines left. Metra, you're up!


Those woild have to go 8 times faster than original.


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