I'm from Wilmette and love the CTA! For me it always felt like such a contrast getting on the purple line in downtown with all the hustle and bustle and getting off in sleepy little wilmette^^
I'm glad to see that the Purple Line was highlighted. It's my favorite train in the CTA system. I had no idea that the flyover for the Brown Line was completed. I haven't taken the train since the beginning of the pandemic, but now, I'll have to ride it to see what it's all giving.
Should be fun, but based on recent newscasts, trains have been running gingerly around the flyover. It was reported that parts of the concrete siding are falling off, on the heads of Lakeviewers, due to materiel-cost-cutting by the construction contractors. Maybe Chinese builders are better.....coulda, shoulda, woulda.
@@michaelbrinkers1145Chinese contractors are definitely better lmao, thoes buildings they make in 2 days and destroy in 2 minutes take multiple bombs to even show damage.
I remember Evanston Express only stopped at Howard, Belmont and Fullerton then Merchandise Mart. They would scream on the loud speaker "EVANSTON EXPRESS,.... EVANSTON TRAIN... NO STOP BETWEEN HOWARD AND BELMONT." With mic 🎤 feedback.
Great relaxing video! I have spent two separate days in Chicago (around 8-10 hours each) that both were related to transferring to/from Amtrak trains at Union Station. The last time I was there I rode the UP-N right to Davis station and explored the Evanston downtown area. Evanston is one of those old suburban areas that still have a downtown by the old train stations, and this is one of the best I’ve ever been to! It was very lively, active, and actually had pedestrian-oriented full service grocery stores, decent train service, and a great lakeshore park just a short walk away. Then I rode the Purple train to the Linden for fun, but didn’t have time to leave the station to explore as I had to head back to The Loop.
I haven’t had the chance to explore Evanston yet, but it sounds like I might have to! Glad you enjoyed the video! Chicago is a great place to create content.
Ride the Yellow Line, aka Skokie Swift. It's non-stop from Howard to Skokie. It's the old North Shore Skokie Valley line. It wasn't that long ago that the power switched from 3rd rail to North Shore catenary halfway to Skokie.
Wow, they sure have gussied up the Linden station in the past three decades (last time I was there)! And I see they've rebuilt a lot of stations from materials that won't catch fire from cigarettes or electric sparks. Good on ya, CTA!
Thanks for presenting train/transit content in a way that's approachable and not overly technical or esoteric. Having lived in Chicago my whole life it's always great to see content about our great transit system too!
@@Thom-TRA lol tell me about it, I always try to avoid downtown during Lolla but I actually have to go down to take the South Shore Line tomorrow to visit some family... wish me luck haha
@@Thom-TRA the SSL itself probably won't be crowded outbound anyway so that's good. I gotta take my hat off to all those Metra conductors especially who I know deal with tons of shenanigans during Lolla weekend.
Purple is my favorite color, but I rarely get to use this line. It's a curious line as, like you observed, doesn't feel very express for a good portion of its run due to it circuitous route, kind of defeating the purpose of an express. I kind of wish it did run full time to provide full time express service to the Far North neighborhoods of Chicago as well as Evanston and Wilmette. It would also be cool if it ran in the subway with the red line. It hits Fullerton, Belmont, and Wilson now, which I think are wise choices, but it would be nice to see services also call at one or two more stops, maybe Berwyn and Loyola. I've ridden to train from Evantosn to the Loop before, and it wasn't a very fast ride. It makes too many stops in the Near North area. It's striking how much service the North Side gets when you think about it. It has the red, purple, and brown lines, several express bus lines on Lake Shore Drive, as well as Metra calling at Clyborne, Ravenswood, Peterson (in a few months), and Rogers Park. I routinely see packed trains on the red and purple, and increasingly on the brown. I definitely think the North Side needs more service, and I think maybe resurrecting the AB limited stop services or making a new kind or expanded express service would help.One day, I think they're going to have to replace the brown and purple line tracks from Merchandise Mart to Fullerton. They're so old and windy. It would be a bummer to loose the elevated sections because the views are amazing, but maybe a new subway before rejoining the red line would be best. Might as well extend the brown line to Jefferson Park while they're at it. :D
Before the 1990s, the Purple Line Express, formerly known as the Evanston Express,, didn't make ANY stops between Merchandise Mart and Howard. Even though the Evanston Express shared tracks with the Brown Line, formerly known as the Ravenswood, there were few, if any delays. But in the 1990s, the Brown Line ridership increased so dramatically that service had to be beefed up. Also both lines only ran six car consists because the stations along those lines could only berth six cars. During rush hours Ravenswood trains had AB skip stop service. Because of overcrowding, and the delays caused by that and increased levels of Brown Line service, Purple Line trains were made to make all Brown Line stops between Belmont and Merchandise Mart. Then the Brown Line was rehabbed to make all Brown Line stations accessible and extended the platforms to accommodate 8 car consists.
Here's some facts on The Red Purple Brown and Yellow Lines. One they weren't part of the CTA originally. They were a separate transit company. In Chicago the L Lines were owned by separate companies before Samuel Insull merged them into one company called The Chicago Rapid Transit Company. Fact number 2. The tracks that the lines run on was also used by another line. You've been on The South Shore Line but did you know that at one time there were other lines that was exactly like The South Shore Line? One was called The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad. While it didn't run on these lines you could connect to these lines at Quincy. That parking garage right next to the stop used to be a L Terminal called The Wells Street Station. The Metropolitan Electric Railroad (now our CTA Blue and Pink Line Trains run on the routes of The Metropolitan Electric Railroad) and The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Electric Railroad. If you take the Blue Line going towards O'Hare right after Halsted before the subway portal you'll see another portal to a subway that's not being used but when I290 was being built the CTA thought that The Chicago Aurora and Elgin would survive the construction of the highway and use the tracks like they did before to get into the city and that portal was what they were going to use. But the main line I'm talking about and is connected directly to The Red Purple Brown and Yellow Lines is The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad or better known as The North Shore Line. It ran from Dorchester Ave where the CTA Green Line used to end (though later on it ended at Roosevelt on The Green and Orange Lines) to Milwaukee Wisconsin on the south east corner of 6th and Michigan. But the North Shore Line had branches like The L does and at Howard Street is where the branches diverged. Where The Purple Line runs on was The North Shore Line's Main Line Route called The Shore Line Route. If you've taken The Metra UP North Line and noticed a bike path next to The Metra Tracks that was where The North Shore Line ran trains. But as you can probably imagine The Shore Line Route was a heavily used line so they needed to build a new line to have some trains bypass the busy Shore Line Suburbs and get to Milwaukee or Chicago quickly and efficiently so they built The Skokie Valley Route which is what The CTA Yellow Line uses now. If you get off at Howard Street and go downstairs and outside of the original station (the station with the elevator while nowadays is the main station it wasn't originally the main station. Howard has 2 ways you can get down to the street. One if you're connecting to the buses or going to The Gateway Center you go through the main station with the elevator. Two if you're going down to Howard to shop or go to Lake Michigan go downstairs at the stairs at the platform but there's another stairway at the west end of the platform and you go downstairs and get past the turnstile and if you're coming from the south turn right and if from the north left. But you'll walk past a vacant storefront but it's not a ordinary storefront. Take a look above the door and you'll see North Shore Line. That was the station that The North Shore Line used at Howard and the stairway was their stairway.
I wish the North Shore Line still existed today! I had done a little bit of research about it when I made my Skokie Swift video last fall. I think it’s fascinating that those trains ran all the way over the L into the Loop. I’d like to go to the Illinois Railroad Museum to see those trains someday. I did not know about the Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin! I go to UIC often, perhaps next time I will try to look for those portals you mention. Thanks for the informative and in-depth comment!
@@Thom-TRA you're welcome. Sorry for the long comment I just get carried away with The L and it's history. One of my favorite subjects in school growing up was history and I loved watching shows like Nova and I loved watching Geoffrey Baer Chicago Tour Programs.
@@briansivley2001 don’t apologize! I love learning history too. I’m hoping to do a series about abandoned rail things around the city sometime next year, will definitely ask for your input!
After leaving Linden, North bound on the North Shore line, the trains ran down the middle of the street for about a mile and then joined their own right-of-way.
Thank you for the superb video Thom! I enjoyed learning more about this unique L line plus more about the red line modernisation project. Was good to see the express trains at speed. I also enjoyed the views of Downtown Chicago. It's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city sometimes. 🙂
Downtown Chicago (and many of the other neighborhoods, such as Lincoln Park) are very delightful, particularly in the summer. Did you know the Red Line is also receiving an extension? It will run further south, extending from 95th down to 130th.
CTA Purple Line From Linden to Downtown Chicago Loop Downtown Chicago Loop to Linden will run service all day Weekday Midday 9am - 3:30 pm, Evening 6:30pm - 12am Weekends All Day Purple Line Express to/from Linden - Downtown Loop 4am - 12am
I am glad that you are adding more historical parts of the CTA L system. When Ron Carson filmed the Purple Line which was of course was the Evanston Express and what is now the Brown Line, you could almost hardly understand the station stop announcements. What came with this first CTA moderation was also a brand new voice. You could hear the guy's voice on the automated system very clearly. The seats seen at 12:27 and a frame or two before that are built by American Seating and the seat models we see are the 6468 style seats.
I’m from upper Evanston and I ride the purple line the most frequent. From South Boulevard all around the loop, the purple line makes about a third of the stops. The red line does. So I guess it would be an express throughout the week day.
Back in the 80's when I commuted from Evanston to Chicago, the Evanston Express (pre-colors) did not stop at any station between Merchandise Mart and Howard (and vice versa). It still followed the Ravenswood (Brown Line) and then the Howard (Red Line) until Wilson.
I hope I can say the L is in my dna someday too! The voice making the announcements is definitely a permanent resident in my head. Thanks for the comment!!
Parts of the blue line are also pretty suburban, although maybe not as affluent. I went to dinner near the Belmont station and was walking through a pretty quaint suburban neighborhood.
lol that’s the thing about Chicago, once you’re out of downtown, neighborhoods feel very suburban very quickly. Belmont is still very much in the core of the city, just doesn’t feel that way.
When I was a kid in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember when the Evanston and Skokie trains from Howard would have to raise trolly poles to contact the catenary. There was no third rail, because they had grade crossings (or so I was told, since they changed to third-rail later). But the Evanston Express always had to have trolley poles on its equipment so it could get power when it got to the Evanston line.
The sections between Armitage and Chicago Avenue are a good place for Quad tracking same can be said about the highway medians and the subways And an L over wider streets would be good and grade separate the Brown line as well as the Isabella street crossing on the Purple line by elevating the tracks. The Yellow line can use catenary for certain at-grade portions like in the old days and entrench the Pink line tracks below ground as a way to grade separate the Pink line. Plus demolish the Ashland Green and Pink line station with an Ogden Avenue station and have two tracks diverge from the Blue Line at Wolcott Avenue above Milwaukee Avenue then turn right onto Ashland Avenue then have it go straight down, Ashland Avenue until it hits the green line tracks so there would be an alternative to the demolished Northern section of the Paulina connector
Fascinating! I literally knew nothing that you said in this video, good job, well explained 🙏🏻☺️ Great shots out the front, and beautiful destination at the end 🏖️👍🏻
Haha, I hope my lecturing style is to your satisfaction. Please open your textbook to page… lol The lack of view out the front is the only major disappointment of European trains. Particularly in Japan there are very large windows so people can enjoy the views!
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned this yet but the southbound Purple Line Express trains sometimes stop at Sheridan to drop off cubs fans riding from Evanston, Skokie, and nearby suburbs. It’s because Sheridan is two island platforms that serve all four tracks, which means they don’t need to switch tracks for Addison, which is usually more crowded than Sheridan, which is half a mile north of Wrigley. I could also tell that Sheridan is one of the worst stations in terms of infrastructure condition, but at least you get good views of the trains rounding the curves. I also saw one of the system maps at Linden hasn’t been changed since 2008, it still mentioned Richard M. Daley being the Mayor.
Yeah, I remember Sheridan looking abandoned/decaying the first time I recall using it………16 years ago. No rehab since then, I am near certain, so cannot imagine how bad it is now
And it’s not like I hate old-style stations. My favorite CTA station is probably the Purple Line one at Evanston’s Main Street for the VERY FACT that it feels preserved nearly as it and most other stations looked in the early 20th century. But Sheridan felt almost dangerous even back during the Cubs’ 2007 station. It’s more about the state of repair.
First of all, I love your videos they're both informative and amusing , last year I made it a point to ride all the L lines virtually via TH-cam. It left me very confused 😆 too many colors and too many lines, and I thought the NYC subway was bad. Which by the way is where I 'm originally from 🙂
One of your very best (and they are all of a high standard to begin with). I enjoyed this because of the clear explanation of a system I knew little of but had heard a lot about. I especially liked your lovely 'kid's story' story at the beginning (😄) and the great use of graphics. That monstrosity of a worship building did seem somewhat out of place in suburbia, but each to their own. I imagine that there is enough patronage from well-off Linden citizens into the city to make it worth running and the express system surely lures people from their cars onto the train - excellent.
I’m hoping to make more videos about the L in the future! What with it being part of my daily commute and all, haha. I’m glad you appreciate my videos so much! Your feedback is very valuable to me
The Shoppers Special and Evanston Express existed before the Purple Line Express. They also used to make less stops. Also much reconstruction on the Fred/Purple Line
I rode the Howard (Red) line every day through the 1970's before moving away. There was an aerial bridge at Fullerton to cross between north and south bound platforms. I guess it was a shorter walk than heading to ground level, or that that set of stairs was often too congested. I don't recall if there was another such bridge at Belmont. They're gone now, right?
Wilson station was built with a terminal yard for the North Shore line which was where the Target store is now, it was also an interchange point between the L and the Milwaukee Railroad and at some point had THREE platforms. At Lindon, the North Shore R. R. turned left and ran over next to the now U. P. North line to Waukegan and up to Milwaukee. The Yellow line only has two stops past Howard and was also part of the North Shore R. R. through the Chain Of Lakes area to Milwaukee. From the north end of the Evanston line you can also hike the North Shore Sanitary and Ship Canal all the way to Wolf Point in the Loop, junction of the North and South Branches of the Chicago River system.
South of the Wilson station, I also recall an outside south-bound track (for freight trains?) that ran down to street level after Montrose, along the wall of the (Graceland) cemetery. My pals and I used to get on that ramp to sneak into the graveyard..... don't remember what for!
@@stevesummers2462 Thanks. My recollections were of the late 1950s, just as the North Shore lines were ending at Wilson Av, but with some freight service still operating into the 60s. I remember seeing coal trains in that Montrose yard, going north to Argyle or Berwyn (?).
@@michaelbrinkers1145 coal into Evanston. After so many years it's hard to see the coal dumps along the line, but they're remnants, the most obvious alongside the tracks south of the Main Street station
Great video. Thanks. You did a nice job of highlighting the area around Linden. It's not easy to make it interesting. UP line that the purple line parallels is the north line rather than the northwest line.
All you need for that would be a billion dollars or so. :) There was a plan back in the 90s to build a street car line that would have connected downtown, Michigan ave, and Navy Pier with Union and Ogilvie stations. The downtown circulator, as it would have called, was cancelled for lack of funding.
If the CTA would restore the two outer tracks on the elevated line north of the Loop, the Evanston Express could be a true express, instead of running behind Brown Line locals.
@@Thom-TRA For some train history, cycle up the Green Bay Trail, which begins in Wilmette, and follows the route of the former North Shore Line interurban, and parallels the UP North line. By the way, the original Linden terminal has been preserved and still stands next to the new and pretty bland-by-comparison station.
The trains having to cross in front of each other at Clark Junction did not cause delays. If trains in all directions are waiting they can send NB and SB Red & Purple at the same time and make the brown line wait 30seconds
Whenever I take the red line home from work (from the Loop to Rogers Park), I like to imagine that we're racing the purple line for who gets in front. I know we're not, but long boring ride = time for imagination.
Nice relaxing video! And Wilmette is such a beautiful and serene place to visit! 🥰 Now I noticed on the subway car's strip map, there's a short Yellow Line connecting via transfer right where the Red Line ends. Any chance this Line will be extended all the way into the city?
No, the Yellow Line (also known as the Skokie Swift) has been running as a shuttle since 1964. The ridership is much lower, so they use short 2-car sets. The trains into Chicago are 8 cars, which are very necessary but overkill on the yellow line.
@@Thom-TRA Ah, but the CTA can run the long trains during rush hours express to the Loop like with the Purple Line, and 2-car shuttle trains all other times! 🙂
@@edwardmiessner6502 the stations on the Yellow Line can’t accommodate trains longer than 4 cars. There really is no need, during rush hour there is a very easy cross platform transfer to the Purple Line Express.
A question (which I should have included in my commment below): The Evanston train had automatic gates blocking off the right of way, to keep pedestrians away from the ground-level third rail, and I think Maple and Isabella. They were there when I rode in the early 1980's, and I don't think I've been north of Central on the line since then. Are the gates still there? Thanks.
They were there at Maple some point in the last 12 years I think because I remember them in that time span. Looks like they replaced them with some kind of spikes on the ground to keep you from walking
Looked into this for you. Evidently, they were removed sometime between 2014 and 2019 They are at Maple in this 2014 video th-cam.com/video/I-GkHVNwhY0/w-d-xo.html But not in this 2019 video th-cam.com/video/tag-0WOzn7o/w-d-xo.html
I suppose if I lived in Chicago, all this would make sense, but I find it totally confusing. Also...when you have a dozen sets of tracks all crisscrossing, how does a train know what track to take? Obviously no one switches the tracks. Is it determined by the train itself (a driver)?
So most railroad switches are actually controlled by computers. The computers know the trains’ schedules, and they have sensors that tell them when a train is coming. The computers are programmed so that they always lead a train onto the right track. The driver is just there to accelerate and brake. As for the contents of this video, basically this is a short suburban line that runs over the tracks of two other lines to reach the center city, but only during weekday rush hour.
Chicago don't have a traditional express like New York and Philadelphia. Express service is made outside traditional express, while local is in the middle. New York has a similar junction (Myrtle), which it has yet build a fly junction.
Technically it does - when it was built, the line between Merchandise Mart and Wilson had the express trains on the middle tracks and locals on the outer ones. The outer tracks were torn out between Mart and Armitage once the State Street subway opened, and by that time the northern section had been extended all the way to Linden with the opposite configuration to its southern half, with local stations in the middle and no outer platforms.
Actually, that’s not true. The yellow line is 4.7 miles long. The Purple Line is 3.9 miles long. The yellow line is almost a mile longer than the purple line.
The purple line is shorter than the yellow line by distance. Or do you think every station on the CTA network is the exact same distance apart? Just a tiny bit of googling prevents you from looking dumb in the comment section.
Metra conductors can be a manace at times. I think they are dealling with it though.......Covid made them lazey and demanding. The ebike craze is going to be an issue on all of this stuff........ Buses work though because the racks only work for specific bike types. Ive seen large motorcylcles on the metra.
The Evanston Express used to be just that, with stops at Loyola and Chicago (Loyola's downtown campus) it dates from what was called the Evanston Shopper's Special. What they have done to the beloved Evanston Express is an abomination. Now it is now just the bastard child of the brown line.
Better than what it was during the rebuild of Belmont and Fullerton, when they swapped its route around the Loop and it basically just was a Brown from Belmont onward.
Is there any desire to change the names of the El lines from the baby colors, baby names, to neighborhood names or something less kindergarten-ish? It’s embarrassing nationally, and internationally.
@@Thom-TRA Who the fuck are you? It was a question not a tantrum, bitch. Ever been to London, New York or Paris? There are colors but NOT color names, loser.
Wow ! You and I look very alike! (never mind the avatar I tried to change it and I can't seem to do so!) I am also into railways (me only electric railways)! I want to commend you to recognise that we are human beings watching this -- not robots. Thus making yourself visible is a huge plus! Unfortunately the vast majority of YT uploaders seem to 'coucoon' themselves, hiding their name, and not even one selfie! Plus disguising their voice as to totally hide away from their viewers. GREAT JOB I wish I could meet you and do railway vids together. My guide would be the Guinness Book of Records, plus I shall be doing a serious documentary series (as soon as I can get funding) on ALL forms of human electrified transport -- internationally. Thus we must totally get away from fossil fuels IMMEDIATELY -- if not sooner! Thanks!
I agree! Public transport is the answer to many of our environmental and urban planning problems. I’m glad you like my videos! I try to keep sensitive personal information private but it is fun to have a face on the channel and relate to viewers on a personal level. Consider subscribing to the channel! In a few weeks I’m doing a video about the electric buses in Boston!
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
12:17 UP NW should be UP North
I'm from Wilmette and love the CTA! For me it always felt like such a contrast getting on the purple line in downtown with all the hustle and bustle and getting off in sleepy little wilmette^^
I'm glad to see that the Purple Line was highlighted. It's my favorite train in the CTA system. I had no idea that the flyover for the Brown Line was completed. I haven't taken the train since the beginning of the pandemic, but now, I'll have to ride it to see what it's all giving.
Should be fun, but based on recent newscasts, trains have been running gingerly around the flyover. It was reported that parts of the concrete siding are falling off, on the heads of Lakeviewers, due to materiel-cost-cutting by the construction contractors. Maybe Chinese builders are better.....coulda, shoulda, woulda.
@@michaelbrinkers1145Chinese contractors are definitely better lmao, thoes buildings they make in 2 days and destroy in 2 minutes take multiple bombs to even show damage.
I remember the Evanston Express and Ravenswood lines. I am a 70's child!
I remember Evanston Express only stopped at Howard, Belmont and Fullerton then Merchandise Mart. They would scream on the loud speaker
"EVANSTON EXPRESS,.... EVANSTON TRAIN... NO STOP BETWEEN HOWARD AND BELMONT." With mic 🎤 feedback.
I wish it still did that. It’s so slow now.
Great relaxing video!
I have spent two separate days in Chicago (around 8-10 hours each) that both were related to transferring to/from Amtrak trains at Union Station. The last time I was there I rode the UP-N right to Davis station and explored the Evanston downtown area. Evanston is one of those old suburban areas that still have a downtown by the old train stations, and this is one of the best I’ve ever been to! It was very lively, active, and actually had pedestrian-oriented full service grocery stores, decent train service, and a great lakeshore park just a short walk away.
Then I rode the Purple train to the Linden for fun, but didn’t have time to leave the station to explore as I had to head back to The Loop.
I haven’t had the chance to explore Evanston yet, but it sounds like I might have to!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Chicago is a great place to create content.
@@Thom-TRAstay in the downtown area or by the University.
Ride the Yellow Line, aka Skokie Swift. It's non-stop from Howard to Skokie. It's the old North Shore Skokie Valley line. It wasn't that long ago that the power switched from 3rd rail to North Shore catenary halfway to Skokie.
Wow, they sure have gussied up the Linden station in the past three decades (last time I was there)! And I see they've rebuilt a lot of stations from materials that won't catch fire from cigarettes or electric sparks. Good on ya, CTA!
I lived in Chicago for 18 years. I completely agree you and the "weird" suburban feel after getting off at Linden.
Why is it weird? It's the suburbs.
These tracks used to go North to Waukegan, IL on the old North Shore Line Electric
And then on to Milwaukee. The North Shore was faster than driving today.
@@erie910So disappointed they tore it out.
Doesn’t the Amtrak Haiwatha train from Chicago to Milwaukee service the same purpose?
Thanks for presenting train/transit content in a way that's approachable and not overly technical or esoteric. Having lived in Chicago my whole life it's always great to see content about our great transit system too!
I’m glad my videos are understandable and enjoyable! I love living in Chicago (though maybe not right now on Lollapalooza weekend lol)
@@Thom-TRA lol tell me about it, I always try to avoid downtown during Lolla but I actually have to go down to take the South Shore Line tomorrow to visit some family... wish me luck haha
@@bkkeats most of it was fine today, just one stretch on the Red line tonight that was really bad
@@Thom-TRA the SSL itself probably won't be crowded outbound anyway so that's good. I gotta take my hat off to all those Metra conductors especially who I know deal with tons of shenanigans during Lolla weekend.
@@bkkeats it certainly is mostly suburb folk from what I noticed
Purple is my favorite color, but I rarely get to use this line. It's a curious line as, like you observed, doesn't feel very express for a good portion of its run due to it circuitous route, kind of defeating the purpose of an express. I kind of wish it did run full time to provide full time express service to the Far North neighborhoods of Chicago as well as Evanston and Wilmette. It would also be cool if it ran in the subway with the red line. It hits Fullerton, Belmont, and Wilson now, which I think are wise choices, but it would be nice to see services also call at one or two more stops, maybe Berwyn and Loyola. I've ridden to train from Evantosn to the Loop before, and it wasn't a very fast ride. It makes too many stops in the Near North area.
It's striking how much service the North Side gets when you think about it. It has the red, purple, and brown lines, several express bus lines on Lake Shore Drive, as well as Metra calling at Clyborne, Ravenswood, Peterson (in a few months), and Rogers Park. I routinely see packed trains on the red and purple, and increasingly on the brown. I definitely think the North Side needs more service, and I think maybe resurrecting the AB limited stop services or making a new kind or expanded express service would help.One day, I think they're going to have to replace the brown and purple line tracks from Merchandise Mart to Fullerton. They're so old and windy. It would be a bummer to loose the elevated sections because the views are amazing, but maybe a new subway before rejoining the red line would be best. Might as well extend the brown line to Jefferson Park while they're at it. :D
I really wish purple would run all day. It would also be cool if it took the state street subway and then the orange line to midway or something.
Before the 1990s, the Purple Line Express, formerly known as the Evanston Express,, didn't make ANY stops between Merchandise Mart and Howard. Even though the Evanston Express shared tracks with the Brown Line, formerly known as the Ravenswood, there were few, if any delays. But in the 1990s, the Brown Line ridership increased so dramatically that service had to be beefed up. Also both lines only ran six car consists because the stations along those lines could only berth six cars. During rush hours Ravenswood trains had AB skip stop service.
Because of overcrowding, and the delays caused by that and increased levels of Brown Line service, Purple Line trains were made to make all Brown Line stops between Belmont and Merchandise Mart. Then the Brown Line was rehabbed to make all Brown Line stations accessible and extended the platforms to accommodate 8 car consists.
Here's some facts on The Red Purple Brown and Yellow Lines. One they weren't part of the CTA originally. They were a separate transit company. In Chicago the L Lines were owned by separate companies before Samuel Insull merged them into one company called The Chicago Rapid Transit Company. Fact number 2. The tracks that the lines run on was also used by another line. You've been on The South Shore Line but did you know that at one time there were other lines that was exactly like The South Shore Line? One was called The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad. While it didn't run on these lines you could connect to these lines at Quincy. That parking garage right next to the stop used to be a L Terminal called The Wells Street Station. The Metropolitan Electric Railroad (now our CTA Blue and Pink Line Trains run on the routes of The Metropolitan Electric Railroad) and The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Electric Railroad. If you take the Blue Line going towards O'Hare right after Halsted before the subway portal you'll see another portal to a subway that's not being used but when I290 was being built the CTA thought that The Chicago Aurora and Elgin would survive the construction of the highway and use the tracks like they did before to get into the city and that portal was what they were going to use. But the main line I'm talking about and is connected directly to The Red Purple Brown and Yellow Lines is The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad or better known as The North Shore Line. It ran from Dorchester Ave where the CTA Green Line used to end (though later on it ended at Roosevelt on The Green and Orange Lines) to Milwaukee Wisconsin on the south east corner of 6th and Michigan. But the North Shore Line had branches like The L does and at Howard Street is where the branches diverged. Where The Purple Line runs on was The North Shore Line's Main Line Route called The Shore Line Route. If you've taken The Metra UP North Line and noticed a bike path next to The Metra Tracks that was where The North Shore Line ran trains. But as you can probably imagine The Shore Line Route was a heavily used line so they needed to build a new line to have some trains bypass the busy Shore Line Suburbs and get to Milwaukee or Chicago quickly and efficiently so they built The Skokie Valley Route which is what The CTA Yellow Line uses now. If you get off at Howard Street and go downstairs and outside of the original station (the station with the elevator while nowadays is the main station it wasn't originally the main station. Howard has 2 ways you can get down to the street. One if you're connecting to the buses or going to The Gateway Center you go through the main station with the elevator. Two if you're going down to Howard to shop or go to Lake Michigan go downstairs at the stairs at the platform but there's another stairway at the west end of the platform and you go downstairs and get past the turnstile and if you're coming from the south turn right and if from the north left. But you'll walk past a vacant storefront but it's not a ordinary storefront. Take a look above the door and you'll see North Shore Line. That was the station that The North Shore Line used at Howard and the stairway was their stairway.
I wish the North Shore Line still existed today! I had done a little bit of research about it when I made my Skokie Swift video last fall. I think it’s fascinating that those trains ran all the way over the L into the Loop. I’d like to go to the Illinois Railroad Museum to see those trains someday.
I did not know about the Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin! I go to UIC often, perhaps next time I will try to look for those portals you mention. Thanks for the informative and in-depth comment!
@@Thom-TRA you're welcome. Sorry for the long comment I just get carried away with The L and it's history. One of my favorite subjects in school growing up was history and I loved watching shows like Nova and I loved watching Geoffrey Baer Chicago Tour Programs.
@@briansivley2001 don’t apologize! I love learning history too. I’m hoping to do a series about abandoned rail things around the city sometime next year, will definitely ask for your input!
After leaving Linden, North bound on the North Shore line, the trains ran down the middle of the street for about a mile and then joined their own right-of-way.
@Trains Are Awesome The North Shore line needs to be restored, especially in this age
Thank you for the superb video Thom! I enjoyed learning more about this unique L line plus more about the red line modernisation project. Was good to see the express trains at speed. I also enjoyed the views of Downtown Chicago. It's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city sometimes. 🙂
Downtown Chicago (and many of the other neighborhoods, such as Lincoln Park) are very delightful, particularly in the summer.
Did you know the Red Line is also receiving an extension? It will run further south, extending from 95th down to 130th.
CTA Purple Line From Linden to Downtown Chicago Loop
Downtown Chicago Loop to Linden will run service all day
Weekday Midday 9am - 3:30 pm, Evening 6:30pm - 12am
Weekends All Day Purple Line Express to/from Linden - Downtown Loop 4am - 12am
I am glad that you are adding more historical parts of the CTA L system. When Ron Carson filmed the Purple Line which was of course was the Evanston Express and what is now the Brown Line, you could almost hardly understand the station stop announcements. What came with this first CTA moderation was also a brand new voice. You could hear the guy's voice on the automated system very clearly. The seats seen at 12:27 and a frame or two before that are built by American Seating and the seat models we see are the 6468 style seats.
I’m from upper Evanston and I ride the purple line the most frequent. From South Boulevard all around the loop, the purple line makes about a third of the stops. The red line does. So I guess it would be an express throughout the week day.
Back in the 80's when I commuted from Evanston to Chicago, the Evanston Express (pre-colors) did not stop at any station between Merchandise Mart and Howard (and vice versa). It still followed the Ravenswood (Brown Line) and then the Howard (Red Line) until Wilson.
This is an amazing channel. Thank you for your videos. I’m a Chicago native, and the El is in my DNA I think! Great narration, too.
I hope I can say the L is in my dna someday too! The voice making the announcements is definitely a permanent resident in my head. Thanks for the comment!!
Parts of the blue line are also pretty suburban, although maybe not as affluent. I went to dinner near the Belmont station and was walking through a pretty quaint suburban neighborhood.
lol that’s the thing about Chicago, once you’re out of downtown, neighborhoods feel very suburban very quickly. Belmont is still very much in the core of the city, just doesn’t feel that way.
When I was a kid in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember when the Evanston and Skokie trains from Howard would have to raise trolly poles to contact the catenary. There was no third rail, because they had grade crossings (or so I was told, since they changed to third-rail later). But the Evanston Express always had to have trolley poles on its equipment so it could get power when it got to the Evanston line.
The Yellow line had pantographs all the way up until the early 2000s even!
Honestly, there should be express trains for CTA lines as well as local trains and more branch lines.
The sections between Armitage and Chicago Avenue are a good place for Quad tracking same can be said about the highway medians and the subways
And an L over wider streets would be good and grade separate the Brown line as well as the Isabella street crossing on the Purple line by elevating the tracks. The Yellow line can use catenary for certain at-grade portions like in the old days and entrench the Pink line tracks below ground as a way to grade separate the Pink line. Plus demolish the Ashland Green and Pink line station with an Ogden Avenue station and have two tracks diverge from the Blue Line at Wolcott Avenue above Milwaukee Avenue then turn right onto Ashland Avenue then have it go straight down, Ashland Avenue until it hits the green line tracks so there would be an alternative to the demolished Northern section of the Paulina connector
Fascinating! I literally knew nothing that you said in this video, good job, well explained 🙏🏻☺️ Great shots out the front, and beautiful destination at the end 🏖️👍🏻
Haha, I hope my lecturing style is to your satisfaction. Please open your textbook to page… lol
The lack of view out the front is the only major disappointment of European trains. Particularly in Japan there are very large windows so people can enjoy the views!
@@Thom-TRA Sir yes sir 🫡
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned this yet but the southbound Purple Line Express trains sometimes stop at Sheridan to drop off cubs fans riding from Evanston, Skokie, and nearby suburbs. It’s because Sheridan is two island platforms that serve all four tracks, which means they don’t need to switch tracks for Addison, which is usually more crowded than Sheridan, which is half a mile north of Wrigley. I could also tell that Sheridan is one of the worst stations in terms of infrastructure condition, but at least you get good views of the trains rounding the curves.
I also saw one of the system maps at Linden hasn’t been changed since 2008, it still mentioned Richard M. Daley being the Mayor.
Yeah, I remember Sheridan looking abandoned/decaying the first time I recall using it………16 years ago. No rehab since then, I am near certain, so cannot imagine how bad it is now
And it’s not like I hate old-style stations. My favorite CTA station is probably the Purple Line one at Evanston’s Main Street for the VERY FACT that it feels preserved nearly as it and most other stations looked in the early 20th century.
But Sheridan felt almost dangerous even back during the Cubs’ 2007 station. It’s more about the state of repair.
Years and years and years ago when I rode the El with my grandmother they called the Evanston one the Evanston pee wee lol
The pee wee? That’s funny
Wilmette is a great place!
First of all, I love your videos they're both informative and amusing , last year I made it a point to ride all the L lines virtually via TH-cam. It left me very confused 😆 too many colors and too many lines, and I thought the NYC subway was bad. Which by the way is where I 'm originally from 🙂
The loop is a little confusing, but once you figure that out, it’s doable. I love NYC and the subway, hope to move there someday.
Shout out Evanston/Wilmette area. Great place. Go Cats!
Very good video! Nice catch at 12:15 of the Metra train!
Thanks! Love your content too
One of your very best (and they are all of a high standard to begin with). I enjoyed this because of the clear explanation of a system I knew little of but had heard a lot about. I especially liked your lovely 'kid's story' story at the beginning (😄) and the great use of graphics. That monstrosity of a worship building did seem somewhat out of place in suburbia, but each to their own. I imagine that there is enough patronage from well-off Linden citizens into the city to make it worth running and the express system surely lures people from their cars onto the train - excellent.
I’m hoping to make more videos about the L in the future! What with it being part of my daily commute and all, haha.
I’m glad you appreciate my videos so much! Your feedback is very valuable to me
The Shoppers Special and Evanston Express existed before the Purple Line Express. They also used to make less stops. Also much reconstruction on the Fred/Purple Line
I rode the Howard (Red) line every day through the 1970's before moving away. There was an aerial bridge at Fullerton to cross between north and south bound platforms. I guess it was a shorter walk than heading to ground level, or that that set of stairs was often too congested. I don't recall if there was another such bridge at Belmont. They're gone now, right?
Yes, those bridges don’t exist anymore
Yes, Belmont had an aerial bridge as well, I remember that.
The Philadelphia Market-Frankford line uses the A, B, or AB Designation. (They probably still use it.)
8:01 is that building to the left a bar, if so, I ate there and saw a really long CTA pride train set
The pride train was running this past summer so it could very well be!
Wonderful video!!! Very informative and well done!!! Thank you!!!
Thank you! I always appreciate your enthusiasm and support
6:46 The trains are also PACKED, Ive been on a packed train (PreCovid)
Lollapalooza was this weekend and let me tell you, the red line was a madhouse
Wilson station was built with a terminal yard for the North Shore line which was where the Target store is now, it was also an interchange point between the L and the Milwaukee Railroad and at some point had THREE platforms. At Lindon, the North Shore R. R. turned left and ran over next to the now U. P. North line to Waukegan and up to Milwaukee. The Yellow line only has two stops past Howard and was also part of the North Shore R. R. through the Chain Of Lakes area to Milwaukee. From the north end of the Evanston line you can also hike the North Shore Sanitary and Ship Canal all the way to Wolf Point in the Loop, junction of the North and South Branches of the Chicago River system.
South of the Wilson station, I also recall an outside south-bound track (for freight trains?) that ran down to street level after Montrose, along the wall of the (Graceland) cemetery. My pals and I used to get on that ramp to sneak into the graveyard..... don't remember what for!
@@michaelbrinkers1145 it was the Chicago saint Paul and Pacific Railroad. It also ran east of Wrigley Field, generally ran west of Clyborn
The bridge over the Chicago River is still there south of Division at Halsted and served Montgomery Wards at Chicago and the river.
@@stevesummers2462 Thanks. My recollections were of the late 1950s, just as the North Shore lines were ending at Wilson Av, but with some freight service still operating into the 60s. I remember seeing coal trains in that Montrose yard, going north to Argyle or Berwyn (?).
@@michaelbrinkers1145 coal into Evanston. After so many years it's hard to see the coal dumps along the line, but they're remnants, the most obvious alongside the tracks south of the Main Street station
Great video. Thanks. You did a nice job of highlighting the area around Linden. It's not easy to make it interesting. UP line that the purple line parallels is the north line rather than the northwest line.
Oops. I knew that, they just all sound so similar that I didn’t pick up on it when I was going over the video one last time…
Also, have the purple line skip wellington station and make a branch of the Red line that terminates at Navy Pier
All you need for that would be a billion dollars or so. :) There was a plan back in the 90s to build a street car line that would have connected downtown, Michigan ave, and Navy Pier with Union and Ogilvie stations. The downtown circulator, as it would have called, was cancelled for lack of funding.
If the CTA would restore the two outer tracks on the elevated line north of the Loop, the Evanston Express could be a true express, instead of running behind Brown Line locals.
Between the stations there would be space but at the stations it has all been built up so it wouldn’t really help all that much.
There actually did used to be A and B stops and trains on the lines so you wouldn't have to stop at every station like now.
Yep, I mention that towards the end of the video!
14:07 Squirrel! 😄 Nice travelogue at the end. A former Evanstonian here.
I think it might be another bunny actually!
I had no idea you were an Evanstonian! Any recommendations for things to do or try there?
@@Thom-TRA For some train history, cycle up the Green Bay Trail, which begins in Wilmette, and follows the route of the former North Shore Line interurban, and parallels the UP North line. By the way, the original Linden terminal has been preserved and still stands next to the new and pretty bland-by-comparison station.
NU alum '91. This was my lifeline for 4 years!
Gee, I wonder why no trains ran to O'Hare Airport in 1900? :) .... I'll bet O'Hare wasn't even born yet.
O’Hare Station was opened in the 1980s.
Edward O'Hare was born March 13, 1914. Orchard Field was opened for passengers in February of 1944 and renamed in honor of O'Hare in 1949.
The trains having to cross in front of each other at Clark Junction did not cause delays. If trains in all directions are waiting they can send NB and SB Red & Purple at the same time and make the brown line wait 30seconds
It also didn’t snow today, frozen water just fell from the sky
Lawrence and Berwyn are closed for renovation
Where were you to get the view of the train entering the Loop at 3:20? Is it a locations that's publicly accessible?
It’s a parking lot. It’s somewhat publicly accessible? I wouldn’t loiter but I’ve taken some footage there before
Also, the Linden area was originally known as Lewellen Park
A and B is NYC's version of "Skip Stop Service". But it proved unpopular by riders, so it was discontinued.
Love this!
Thank you!
Whenever I take the red line home from work (from the Loop to Rogers Park), I like to imagine that we're racing the purple line for who gets in front. I know we're not, but long boring ride = time for imagination.
I’ve thought the same at Belmont many times!
Nice relaxing video! And Wilmette is such a beautiful and serene place to visit! 🥰
Now I noticed on the subway car's strip map, there's a short Yellow Line connecting via transfer right where the Red Line ends. Any chance this Line will be extended all the way into the city?
No, the Yellow Line (also known as the Skokie Swift) has been running as a shuttle since 1964. The ridership is much lower, so they use short 2-car sets. The trains into Chicago are 8 cars, which are very necessary but overkill on the yellow line.
th-cam.com/video/MDgfDStUPiQ/w-d-xo.html
@@Thom-TRA Ah, but the CTA can run the long trains during rush hours express to the Loop like with the Purple Line, and 2-car shuttle trains all other times! 🙂
@@edwardmiessner6502 the stations on the Yellow Line can’t accommodate trains longer than 4 cars. There really is no need, during rush hour there is a very easy cross platform transfer to the Purple Line Express.
A question (which I should have included in my commment below): The Evanston train had automatic gates blocking off the right of way, to keep pedestrians away from the ground-level third rail, and I think Maple and Isabella. They were there when I rode in the early 1980's, and I don't think I've been north of Central on the line since then. Are the gates still there? Thanks.
They just had wooden fences, blocking or at least warning people about the third rail, but I don't think I saw any automatic gates...
@@Thom-TRA No more gates.
They were there at Maple some point in the last 12 years I think because I remember them in that time span. Looks like they replaced them with some kind of spikes on the ground to keep you from walking
Looked into this for you. Evidently, they were removed sometime between 2014 and 2019
They are at Maple in this 2014 video th-cam.com/video/I-GkHVNwhY0/w-d-xo.html
But not in this 2019 video
th-cam.com/video/tag-0WOzn7o/w-d-xo.html
@@tylerkochman1007 Many thanks. John
👍👍
I forgot the purple line is a Quiet zone I also forgot there crossings there all I remember is Skokie Swift
Brown and Pink have some too!
I agree GO!!! CUBS!!!
seeing cta trains crossing a railroad crossing feels cursed
And yet it’s quite common
Awesome
Thanks!
Is the yellow line shorter ?
In terms of stations, yes, but in terms of miles it is actually longer. The line has one long stretch with no stations.
I suppose if I lived in Chicago, all this would make sense, but I find it totally confusing. Also...when you have a dozen sets of tracks all crisscrossing, how does a train know what track to take? Obviously no one switches the tracks. Is it determined by the train itself (a driver)?
So most railroad switches are actually controlled by computers. The computers know the trains’ schedules, and they have sensors that tell them when a train is coming. The computers are programmed so that they always lead a train onto the right track. The driver is just there to accelerate and brake.
As for the contents of this video, basically this is a short suburban line that runs over the tracks of two other lines to reach the center city, but only during weekday rush hour.
Why would you not have a express train stop at the baseball stadium during games
Except it does
Chicago don't have a traditional express like New York and Philadelphia. Express service is made outside traditional express, while local is in the middle.
New York has a similar junction (Myrtle), which it has yet build a fly junction.
Technically it does - when it was built, the line between Merchandise Mart and Wilson had the express trains on the middle tracks and locals on the outer ones. The outer tracks were torn out between Mart and Armitage once the State Street subway opened, and by that time the northern section had been extended all the way to Linden with the opposite configuration to its southern half, with local stations in the middle and no outer platforms.
Actually, yellow is the shortest line (Skokie / Dempster).
Actually, that’s not true. The yellow line is 4.7 miles long. The Purple Line is 3.9 miles long. The yellow line is almost a mile longer than the purple line.
“Shortest line in the “L” network”
Yellow Line:
The purple line is shorter than the yellow line by distance. Or do you think every station on the CTA network is the exact same distance apart? Just a tiny bit of googling prevents you from looking dumb in the comment section.
I want to go the red line
Have you ride 215 pace bus
I have not yet
purple line used to be the evanston express.
True
I like your channel name
Thank you!
Was that a rat 🐀on the tracks..14:08🤔
There are many rats but in this case I think it was a bunny
It looked like a squirrel.
Metra conductors can be a manace at times. I think they are dealling with it though.......Covid made them lazey and demanding. The ebike craze is going to be an issue on all of this stuff........ Buses work though because the racks only work for specific bike types. Ive seen large motorcylcles on the metra.
The Evanston Express used to be just that, with stops at Loyola and Chicago (Loyola's downtown campus) it dates from what was called the Evanston Shopper's Special. What they have done to the beloved Evanston Express is an abomination. Now it is now just the bastard child of the brown line.
Better than what it was during the rebuild of Belmont and Fullerton, when they swapped its route around the Loop and it basically just was a Brown from Belmont onward.
14:07 not just NYC🐀
That looks like a squirrel, not a rat.
Is there any desire to change the names of the El lines from the baby colors, baby names, to neighborhood names or something less kindergarten-ish? It’s embarrassing nationally, and internationally.
You know colored line names are quite a normal feature? Seems the real child is you, throwing a tantrum over something as trivial as this.
@@Thom-TRA Who the fuck are you? It was a question not a tantrum, bitch. Ever been to London, New York or Paris? There are colors but NOT color names, loser.
Oh dear! A mentally ill person, throwing a major tantrum on the internet. How pathetic yet entertaining.
Wow ! You and I look very alike! (never mind the avatar I tried to change it and I can't seem to do so!) I am also into railways (me only electric railways)! I want to commend you to recognise that we are human beings watching this -- not robots. Thus making yourself visible is a huge plus! Unfortunately the vast majority of YT uploaders seem to 'coucoon' themselves, hiding their name, and not even one selfie! Plus disguising their voice as to totally hide away from their viewers. GREAT JOB I wish I could meet you and do railway vids together. My guide would be the Guinness Book of Records, plus I shall be doing a serious documentary series (as soon as I can get funding) on ALL forms of human electrified transport -- internationally. Thus we must totally get away from fossil fuels IMMEDIATELY -- if not sooner! Thanks!
I agree! Public transport is the answer to many of our environmental and urban planning problems.
I’m glad you like my videos! I try to keep sensitive personal information private but it is fun to have a face on the channel and relate to viewers on a personal level.
Consider subscribing to the channel! In a few weeks I’m doing a video about the electric buses in Boston!