CTA Can Now Deliver New 5000 Series L Cars

CTA has overcome a major bottleneck in getting new 5000 series rail cars into service. The cars were delivered to its Skokie Shops and prepped for service, but the suspension of the Yellow line prevented the new cars to be assigned to revenue service. With two months already past and the future in doubt, CTA management put in place a highway delivery procedure where low-boy trailers would transfer cars from Skokie to the 63rd St. lower yard in Chicago, next to the Green line. There the individual cars can be re-coupled into married pairs and transferred to their assignments. The travel uses Interstate-94 to Pershing Rd. on the south side. After crossing beneath the Metra Rock Island with a 14 t. clearance, the trailers use State St. and E. 63rd St. to reach the CTA facility. Four cars have made it so far. If another trailer is added, the backlogged new cars could be cleared easily.

http://chitransit.org/topic/3731-skokie ... ss/?page=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

DH

Its a good thing that there's positive movement going on re new car deliveries! I guess this was one of Forrest Claypool's final "miracles" as head of CTA before moving to CPS.

#5675 was the first 5000 series transported from Skokie to 63rd St. lower yard. As of Friday, Aug. 15, #5690 has been transported. Twelve cars have entered service on the Red line.

Except for the eight cars added on to the Bombardier 5000 series, all 706 have been received, and trucked to 63rd lower yard where the cars can be put on active rails. Eight cars are in the lower yard. No drag transported any this week past. Is the Red line full??

Is the truck that hauls the CTA cars considered the "big mean limousine"?

Sorry, I don't understand...."mean limousine." P and C Trucking of Gary, IN has the contract. Information including pictures are here.....http://chitransit.org/topic/1796-5000-s ... ment-79502" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It was a play on words. I've heard people refer to the old CTA green buses as the "big green limousine", so perhaps the big trucks carrying the CTA cars are the "big mean limousine". It was a long week last week, just a silly pun.

Evidently we have seen the last of deliveries of Bombardier 5000 series railcars to 63rd St. lower yard. The final cars #5713-5714 are being held out at Skokie and perhaps they will be used at the Reopening Ceremony whenever the Yellow line opens. In fact, Thursday's delivery to 63rd St. lower yard was #5521 a former Yellow line railcar, suggesting that the newest cars in numerical order might be used as "new" Yellow line cars. A total of thirty-eight 5000 series railcars were transferred by highway trailer since the program began.