In The News

Pacific 2-3-1 wrote:I vote to electrify the tracks to 25 KV AC like CALTRAIN Peninsula is planning on doing!

Would there be room in Chicago at OTC, CUS and La Salle Street to hang the wires, and still have the bi-levels?

Would "the industry" still be able to run "double-stacks" beneath the wires away from downtown?

LaSalle, probably.

OTC, maybe but the CTA overpass at Lake Street would need to be raised. Right now it's around 19-20 ft, and I'd think pans would need about 23' of clearance.

At CUS, which is really where the problem lies, I don't think there's sufficient clearance for overhead. Dome cars and bilevels already are about a foot from the roof when they enter on the north end; not sure about the south end.

eolesen wrote:OTC, maybe but the CTA overpass at Lake Street would need to be raised. Right now it's around 19-20 ft, and I'd think pans would need about 23' of clearance.

Minimum clearance on the MED is listed as 17'2" (75th ST Norfolk Southern crossing). Most of the bridges are listed as 18' clearance.
Minimum clearance on the NICTD line is 16'9" from Michigan City to South Bend ... NICTD operated their new gallery cars (same size as the new MED cars) all the way to the end of the line for a test.

Good to know. But they're not pulling double-stacks or tri-level autoracks... Top of car on those are 19' for the autoracks and 20' for doublestacks.

NEC wire is at 21'6" -- OK for autoracks, but not for doubles. Presumably, wire height on the UP-NW, UP-W, MD-W and BNSF would need to be higher where freight trains operate and doubles would be essential.

eolesen wrote:Good to know. But they're not pulling double-stacks or tri-level autoracks... Top of car on those are 19' for the autoracks and 20' for doublestacks.

The South Shore did handle autoracks in South Bend on the airport industrial park track that became their current main line. As long as autoracks /doublestacks didn't have to pass under the lowest point (such as the CTA overpass noted in your prior post) and lose clearance to the wire there would not be an issue. The pans themselves do not need 23ft of clearance.

NEC wire is at 21'6" -- OK for autoracks, but not for doubles. Presumably, wire height on the UP-NW, UP-W, MD-W and BNSF would need to be higher where freight trains operate and doubles would be essential.

That would be the best plan ... for example, where the NICTD line crosses the CN-IC at Kensington. The wire height is high enough across the diamond that doubles on the CN-IC line can pass under it (the same wire height would apply at other diamonds on the line). The catenary does not have to be at the same height throughout the entire system, just within the working range of the pantographs.

Perhaps the next generation of equipment on the diesel lines can be overhead electric powered locomotives. For now, it is probably better (and cheaper) to try to figure out what to do with the pollution.

Wire height is also a function of speed. At diamonds like Kensington, trains move slowly so high wire is not a concern. On main lines, wire must be lower to prevent de-wiring at speed due to body sway/roll.

This morning I saw an item in the crawl at bottom of screen of NBC5 newscast that CTA has placed an order for 300 new L cars to take advantage of discounts for ordering before end of this year. I thought CTA had already ordered 400+ 5000-series cars pending successful completion of testing of the initial 10 cars. So would this new order represent an additional 300 cars?

Yes it would, but it's part of the same order. CTA's contract with Bombardier calls for an initial delivery of 206 cars, the first 10 of which are already on the property undergoing testing, as noted. The contract allows for separate options of 200 additional cars (which has already been exercised), plus second and third options totaling 300 cars; of which 84 are slated for use in airport express service...

Dorian -- Thank you for the follow-up!

Coming in 2011: CTA Train Tracker...

Something worth reading:
Chambers rail against Metra change

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

WHO WILL GUARD THE GUARDS THEMSELVES?

Not really in the media, but close enough: There's a doublestacked intermodal car sitting on the southern track of the wye viaduct just north of the 47th St shops on the Rock. On the top container of the two, a billboard is attached and facing the northbound lanes of the Dan Ryan.

byte wrote:Not really in the media, but close enough: There's a doublestacked intermodal car sitting on the southern track of the wye viaduct just north of the 47th St shops on the Rock. On the top container of the two, a billboard is attached and facing the northbound lanes of the Dan Ryan.

Solar panels too!

I thought from the get go the whole CUS pollution thing was a joke. Glad the Tribune's idea to basically make a story up has cost Metra money. Check this out-
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2011 ... 701149602/

Yet now the 5m people of Chicago think Metra is poisoning them, so we'll come up with a $20m solution to a problem that isn't a problem but there is one problem: the state is teetering on bankruptcy. Something the Chicago Trib should understand.