BLUE LINE
photos are by Jeremiah Cox

Rolling Stock

The blue line operates both 2200 series and 2600 series CTA rollingstock, the 2600 series are more "normal" train cars that include normal sliding doors.  The 2200 include the very annoying I find doors called "blinkers" that turn into the car when they open like on a bus. They are the only cars left on the CTA with "blinker" doors. The fallowing photos are of the 2200 seriers:

(blue1.jpg) A blue line strip map just above the doors (10 October, 2003)	(blue2.jpg) The CTA 'L' map just above the doors (10 October, 2003)	(blue3.jpg) The seats on the blue line (13 October, 2003)	(blue4.jpg) The blue line cars were rebuilt in 1990 by NEW YORK RAIL CAR Brooklyn, NY (13 October, 2003)

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The Stations
(O'Hare to Jackson only)

O'Hare Airport is one of the largest airports in the world and the northern terminus of the Blue Line. It has 4 terminals, 3 of which are located in a central circle with people movers connecting them. The rail station is underground in the middle of the people movers. It is a major terminus for all blue line trains. The station has three tracks and two platforms. A recording tells me that the travel time to the loop is approximately 45 minutes

(blue5.jpg) The end of the middle track and platform. Continuing to walk you end up at the people movers to the terminals (13 October, 2003)	(blue6.jpg) A platform sign (13 October, 2003)

Rosemont is next. From here until entering another tunnel just before Belmont, the train runs at a grade in the median of the Kennedy Expressway. Each station has two tracks and an island platform

(blue7.jpg) A sign on the platform (13 October, 2003)

Cumberland is next. It has a very large Park & Ride (1,633 spaces)

(blue8.jpg) A sign on the edge of a track. A large Garage can be scene in the background (13 October, 2003)

Harlem is next, fallowed by Jefferson Park

(blue9.jpg) An overhead sign. (13 October, 2003)	(blue10.jpg) An train entering/leaving (13 October, 2003)

Montrose is next, it has side instead of island platforms.

(blue11.jpg) A wall sign. (13 October, 2003)

Irving Park is fallowed by Addison

(blue12.jpg) A train stopped at Irving Park or Addison (?). (13 October, 2003)

The line now enters a tunnel for two stations Belmont is first

(blue13.jpg) A sign (11 October, 2003)	(blue14.jpg) A small sign (13 October, 2003)

fallowed by Logan Square

(blue15.jpg) A bench with a sign behind it (11 October, 2003)	(blue16.jpg) A sign (13 October, 2003)

The train goes out onto an el on Milwaukee for California, Western

(blue18.jpg) A sign over the elevator at Western (11 October, 2003)

and Damen

(blue17.jpg) A waiting shelter and sign (13 October, 2003)

The train goes into the Dearborn Street Subway for Division, Chicago, Grand, Clark (Transfer to Loop Trains), Washington, (red) Monroe and Jackson (red)

(blue19.jpg) Trains are coming from both directions, the staircase down to the underpass transfer to the red line (State Street Subway) (13 October, 2003)	(blue20.jpg) The entrance to the Blue Line Subway(13 October, 2003)	(jackson) The entrance to the Blue Line Subway at Jackson (23 October, 2004)

Sorry there is no description of the western portion of the line. The Forest Park branch is in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway when it exits the subway. The 54th/Cermark branch (weekdays only) is an el when it branches off the main line rising up in from the median of the Eisenhower Expressway.

(blue21.jpg) The blue line Racine station. Just after the station the 54th/Cermark branch line rises up from the line in the middle of Eisenhower Expressway (Taken on top of Sears Tower, 13 October, 2003)

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