Passenger Trains > Scary experience on the CTA Blue Line today

I had an interesting experience and a lot of questions about a fire/explosion or something outside my CTA L car today.

Around 7:20 am today my CTA Blue Line train was outbound (headed to O'Hare) on the O'Hare branch. While we were moving in the tunnel in-between Logan Square and Belmont there was a very bright flash (seemed like a small explosion) and a very loud bang that startled me (understatement).

The lights flickered, the train stopped and when the lights came on again I noticed lots of smoke outside the car and smoke also started coming into the car.

The operator eventually moved the train into the Belmont station, but nothing was inspected and it was business as usual. He departed Belmont with still extensive smoke lingering in the second car and no inspection of equipment.

A few stops later we had a delay notification or two but we made it all the way out to Jefferson Park before inbound and outbound trains were shut down due to an "emergency at Belmont" which our train was apparently involved with.

What the hell was that? Could a piece of trash cause that much smoke and an explosion/arc of that magnitude? I've been on the L when we've hit trash or something else and seen smoke, but nothing of the magnitude I saw today. Could some equipment potentially blow up like that?

It seemed like a dangerous situation that the operator wasn't really aware of. It also seems like there are no smoke sensors/detectors on CTA rail cars...is that true?

The train was overcrowded already, with probably 80-90 people aboard each car. What is the protocol for a fire or heavy smoke with an overcrowded rail car in a subway tunnel?

I'm not that familiar with Chicago area trains. Are the CTA cars equipped with any sort of emergency communications that link passengers to talk to the operator? Here on the West Coast BART trains have voice communication that allows passengers to talk to the train's operator in emergency or unusual situations.

If this had occurred on BART I would have used this to inform the train's operator of the explosion followed by smoke. I'm sure that the train would have been stopped or at least slowed until it reached a location that would allow for exterior inspection.

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

This sounds like something I'd call the Chicago Tribune to inquire about if I lived there. I'm sure they'd be happy to talk to a passenger who observed what happened, and they're more likely to get prompt answers from the CTA than individual citizens are....

toledopatch Wrote:
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> This sounds like something I'd call the Chicago
> Tribune to inquire about if I lived there. I'm
> sure they'd be happy to talk to a passenger who
> observed what happened, and they're more likely to
> get prompt answers from the CTA than individual
> citizens are....

Does Colonel McCosmos still own and publish that rag? Many city newspapers have gone out of business!

stone23 Wrote:
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> Does Colonel McCosmos still own and publish that
> rag? Many city newspapers have gone out of
> business!

======================================

You mean Robert R. McCormick, who was known as "Col. McCosmic?"

He died in 1955, back when there were HOW MANY passenger trains serving
Chicago (compared to which the number today is truly paltry)?

Thread back on topic again...



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/12 11:51 by GenePoon.

The Chicago Tribune according to one of my newspaper sources in Culver City (just to be sure) still owns the LA Times.

ken15

If DR04 wants to contact the Sun-Times instead, that's fine with me.

I've read more than one story about the ramshackle state of the Chicago El, and this incident could contribute to further coverage thereof, especially if proper procedure also wasn't followed concerning the involvement of an occupied train in this incident.

This may or may not be related:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/15934580-418/blue-line-trains-briefly-delayed-wednesday-morning.html

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> This may or may not be related:
>
> http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/159345
> 80-418/blue-line-trains-briefly-delayed-wednesday-
> morning.html

Sounds pretty directly related to me. I would think the Sun-Times and/or the Fire Department might benefit from an eyewitness report of a bright flash and a loud bang that preceded the smoke's appearance, too.

John Hilkevitch is one of two transportation writers for the Chicago Tribune. He also has a columm called "Getting Around" published most Mondays which covers Chicago area transportation issues. His columns occasionally include questions from readers and responses to those questions. You may want to foward your inquiry to Mr. Hilkevitch.

Whatever anyone thinks of the Chicago Tribune, I feel that John Hilkevitch is one of the better transportation writers for any newspaper.

Sounds like someone duct taped a homemade M-1000 or whatever to the tracks. The train ran over it and "boom goes the dynamite." That's my take.

blphoto Wrote:
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> Sounds like someone duct taped a homemade M-1000
> or whatever to the tracks. The train ran over it
> and "boom goes the dynamite." That's my take.

===============================================

Any one here remember "Torpedoes?"

And that sinking feeling when you set one out and it was a dud?
A reminder that you ALWAYS set more than the rules required, and
ALWAYS checked when going to work that the ones you have on the
train are within date and haven't gotten wet.

Sounds very much like a torpedo.

Do crews today know anything about them? I believe they have been outlawed for many years...

Winnemucca Wrote:
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> I'm not that familiar with Chicago area trains.
> Are the CTA cars equipped with any sort of
> emergency communications that link passengers to
> talk to the operator?

They are equipped, but with overcrowding it is nearly impossible to 1) locate and 2) get to the communications device. Additionally, I've never seen the system actually operate correctly. I've seen someone try to use it once and the system failed, only sending static and weird noises.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This may or may not be related:
>
> http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/159345
> 80-418/blue-line-trains-briefly-delayed-wednesday-
> morning.html

Yea this was related. I think that after the "incident" occured our car and the tunnel started filling with smoke. But then we kept going and had left. I assume someone at the next station noticed the smoke and probably called 9-1-1 long after we had departed. This led to the Fire Department showing up late and probably finding no fire.

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> John Hilkevitch is one of two transportation
> writers for the Chicago Tribune. He also has a
> columm called "Getting Around" published most
> Mondays which covers Chicago area transportation
> issues. His columns occasionally include
> questions from readers and responses to those
> questions. You may want to foward your inquiry to
> Mr. Hilkevitch.
>
> Whatever anyone thinks of the Chicago Tribune, I
> feel that John Hilkevitch is one of the better
> transportation writers for any newspaper.

Yea a few people have mentioned this, maybe I should forward this to the Times or the Tribune. And I agree - I've always found Hilkevitch's reporting to be thorough and investigative.

Did this Blue Line train have 2200's in the consist ?

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Did this Blue Line train have 2200's in the
> consist ?

That's a great question. I should have paid attention to that and should have also recorded the exact equipment numbers for my car and the car behind me.

I'm not sure if there were 2200s in the consist or not, BUT

I was in the second car and know for a fact that my car was not a 2200 series car - I was in a 2600 series. And it did appear that the explosion/arc occurred either underneath my car or the car behind me. I don't know the series of the car that was behind mine.

I did report the incident to the CTA and gave them the time, location, order of car, and direction of my train.

Last time I saw track torpedoes in actual use (and not as New Years Eve noisemakers) was on the Santa Fe around 1967. I think they were outlawed back in the 1980s or 90s. And yes, they are LOUD--designed to get the attention of the engineer on a large steam locomotive at full speed.