07-06-29 PHOTOS: CTA - Metra UP West

Continuing on with my Chicago trip with American Pig, after dropping our stuff off at the Hotel we decided to ride some of the Chicago El and a Metra line. Wanting to see how Mayor Daley's efforts to gentrify the Cermak area by attracting Communists was goin we rode the new Pink Line out and back, stopping off at Clinton to take some pictures of the CNW station. On the return trip from Cermak we changed to a Green Line train at Ashland and rode it out to the end of the line at Harlem Lake. There we transfered over to the Metra UP West Line at Oak Park to catch a train back to Chicago.

I was able to use the gallery cab car's railfan window to good effect taking pictures of KEDZIE interlocking, TOWER A-2 at Western Ave and the semaphores at Lake Street interlocking right before the Chicago Northwestern Station.

Anyway, there are quite a lot of photos and you can see them all here.

http://acm.jhu.edu/~sthurmovik/Railpics/07-06-29_CTA_METRA_UP_WEST/-Thumbnails.html

There are going to be a good deal of high-lite pics so hold onto your DSL connection.

Green Line train a Wabash with a Boeing 2400 series car #2501.

The famous CTA Tower 18 with another 2400 series Green Line train approaching over the Lake St drawbridge.

Pink Line trains pass before Ashland with Budd 2600 series train #3013 in the lead.  Ashland affords a spectacular view of the downtown behind a classic elevated transit line.

Pink Line train turns off at Ashland with 2200 series Budd #2206 in the rear.

Patriotic 2400's are still running on the Green Line with #2530.

Rapid transit grade crossing abound at Cicero.  The green marker lights indicate that the crossing protections have activated.

Interesting platform configuration at Cermak.

Here is a shot I got of a standard CTA cab signal display.  The illuminated line grows upwards as maximum permitted speed increases.  The three color lights at the left will display red for a Stop, Yellow for any speed below 55mph and green for 55 or 70mph.

2400 series Green Line trains arrive at Harlem Lake with #2440.

...right next to outbound UP West Line METRA Trains with F40PH #158.

Three-track UP West Line next to the CTA Green Line showing classic Chicago Northwestern signal gantries with the trademark horizontal color light signals.

 My train encountered METRA F40PH #135 with a headhead move out of the yard as my train was greeted by an Approach Diverging signal at KEDZIE interlocking'souter home signal gantry.

The KEDZIE interlocking bracket mast on the small Kedzie island platform displays Diverging Clear through KEDZIE interlocking. KEDZIE tower is on the right having closed around 1999.

Conflicting movement at TOWER A-2 (Western Ave).

The Train Director at A-2 lines us up promptly to proceed across the 3-track Milwaukee Road crossing.

Tower A-2 is still manned and hosts an 80+ lever US&S Model-14 interlocking machine.

Tower A-2 has 4-track Main Line crossing a 3-track main line. There are 4 double slip switches and 8 movable point diamonds. All the iron is operated by US&S A-5 pneumatic switch machines.

Closeup of the doubleslips at A-2.

The PRR position lights at A-2 are there because the former PRR Panhandle Division joined here from the south and then entered Union Station from the North.

 East end position lights with Metra 124 pushing towards Chicago.

This abandonned El truss bridge now serves as a signal bridge for the 7-track Metra raceway. The line is the former Logan Square/Garfield Park/Douglas Line.

METRA 143 passing under signal bridge 12.

METRA 154 under Bridge B at LAKE ST interlocking.

Coming up on LAKE ST Bridge A. It wasn't long ago that this still had semaphore signals on it.

Here's what makes LAKE ST truly unique. Drawf semaphore signals still in service. Here I catch three, one in each of the possible positions as well as a lineup of METRA trains waiting in the station tracks.

Closeup of a dwarf semaphore from the front and rear.

LAKE ST tower. Still going strong after 70+ years. 

The LED searchlight signals replaced the US&S model S-8 CPL dwarf signals which originally replaced a portion of the dwarf semaphores. 

Taking the final lineups over the doubleslip switches into the station track.

Well, I hope you liked all the pictures. Please remember that there are many more not shown here back on my website through the link at the top. I urge you all to check it out. If you have questions or comments you know where to send them. In a week or so I hope to have up my photos from the famous BRIGHTON PARK crossing.