CTA Tattler

"...one of the many turns between Merchandise Mart and Chicago"?
There's one turn to the left, shortly followed by a right. Two in total. Exaggerate much?

"...listening to music on my video iPod..." thanks for the clarification -- I wouldn't like to have thought that you were one of those people with a less-than-premium iPod.

Forgive me if I skip this guy's blog . . .

Maybe you shouldn't skip it, and then you'd get the joke.

Wow, Blooper. Can you settle down a bit, and be a bit less picky? Just read and enjoy, eh?

Actually, the trains travelling along the loop elevated have gotten a bit, shall we say, speedy and out of control sometimes. I realize they have signalling and such however I have noticed most motormen push the envelope of the ACS. In other words, they seem to know the amount of time they can speed before the system forces them to brake and wait. They know how long that beep in their cab gives them to slow down.

Some of the readers might remember the loop crash of 1977. Now, drugs were involved in that crash, but, the same casual attitude towards rules designed for safety seems to be growing among CTA motormen.

They need to slow the hell down in the loop. ESPECIALLY around the curves. I have never been anywhere that was worth dying, in order to get there.

More info on the stupidity of that 1977 crash can be found here: http://www.chicago-l.org/mishaps/loop.html

sometimes i wonder when we`re going around a corner if we`re gonna hit the damn train passing us...

Maybe you should skip it -- it's not very funny after all..

If you don't find this site funny, you are a Chad

Those people know much more about being a trixie/chad than I ever would, leading you to believe that they likely either used to be one, or are close enough that they probably are.

This is what I mean. This is of no importance whatsoever. It caused no service disruption or any other type of news-worthy thing. Why hasn't the fire that has nearly crippled Orange and Green lines been mentioned once?

I maintain that this blog has a thing against the South Side.

Ignoring the South Side is hardly limited to this blog. South of Roosevelt, many maps of Chicago only show the expressways -- the rest of the space is taken up with warnings of "here there be dragons" (with some illustrative dragons, of course).

The beauty of TEH INTERNETZ is this: if you feel something is under served, there is nothing to stop you from using your creative element to supply the need for the demand (real or perceived).

But, I would also like to defend the tattler here...if you look at the about page, you will see, plain as day: This blog will document things seen and heard on the CTA. It does not specify coverage for any real specific areas. Nor does it claim to be a news source. At the very core: this is someone's blog. At the periphery: it's subject to contain things of a news related nature by the taste of the writer, not to some "obligation" to the public.

To Fernando: the green line shutdowns were covered ad nauseam by the local news. I don't think the author of CTA Tattler has a newsroom, or a team of crack CTA news ninja's.

To sum up: this is a blog, not a CTA Newspaper. I think its unfair to complain about a lack of coverage, when the source does not hold itself out to be a newspaper, or official in any capacity. There are places for that: chicagotribune.com, suntimes.com, etc.

Can we get back to the smell map now? =)

There is a south side of the city? Since when?

ha ha....Joe!

I do agree with Fernando, a good portion of the news and happenings on this blog do come from the North Side, then homeless and mental patients, followed by CTA brass, sports, then some news about the west and south side. But I would guess, most of the readers of this blog are from the north side. People are not going to speak about things that do not affect them directly. So if you live on the south and west sides don't complain about northsiders talking about their business.....let people know what's happening in your area!

I do have to give kudos one train operator on the blue line for updating passengers about new transfer connections. On the blue line to O'hare, the train conductor announced at LaSalle that if you want to transfer to the red line the Washington tunnel was closed so transfer at Jackson, and to take Green line or orange line south transfer to the red line at Jackson to Roosevelt. He repeated the same thing at Jackson and stood at the station for probably an extra 30 seconds just for those confused passengers. I did not mind waiting there those extra seconds because of the kindness of the conductor and the circumstances these temporary connections.

Be kind, be safe, and have a happy halloween weekend! DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS SATURDAY NIGHT!!!!!

While we're on the topic...I think the CTA needs to train some conductors a bit better. Anyone else been thrown around a car because a conductor a) brakes WAAAAAY to fast, b) starts speeding up when the front of the train is through the curve but the back isn't?

I'm waiting for the day when someone is standing and gets slammed into a door or seat so hard they're injured. What's the protocol in this case? I dunno that messaging up to the conductor and asking him/her to be more careful would do much. Should we note the train # and call the CTA?

I think anything recounted by a Chad should be discounted as afluence induced psychosis.

cmama needs to learn that's it's motormen that run the trains not conductors.
Conductors were used to open & close the doors before one man operation.

jeff it was Flynn that posted about conductors operating trains, not cmama.

Wow....but you got what I meant. Jeff, if you want to be soo picky, then why don't you capitalize Cmama at the beginning of a sentence.

Ooo...next time I'm on the train, I'll look for that sign that tells me they're motormen, not conductors.

Oh, and "motormen" is a stupid term to use when half the people are women.

BTW, someone should tell Webster:

Conductor \Con*duct"or\ (k[o^]n*d[u^]k"t[~e]r), n. [LL., a carrier, transporter, L., a lessee.]

2. One in charge of a public conveyance, as of a railroad train or a street car. [U. S.]
[1913 Webster]

Uhh, They are Motormen.

That is what the entire railroad industry calls them, that is what CTA calls them, that is how they have been known for more than a century.

why dont we just start calling them wiener-men/women then u can all quit bitching.

Actually, I hate to brake it to all of you, but the train divers are called "operators" by CTA. Back when there were two people on the trains, the ones who were roughly in the middle of the train who opened and closed the doors were "conductors". The ones who drove the trains were "motormen". But when CTA went to one-person operation, the combined job was termed "operator". This is a very minor point and not really the point of the original post, but I thought you guys might like to know. And it's gender-neutral!

Also, a lot of people need to take a pill. Do the operators sometimes brake a little too hard or accelerate too soon? Yeah, they do. They're human and not perfect, but could certainly do a little better sometimes. But if getting rocked around a little is the worst thing that happens to you in a day, you had a pretty good day, ya know what I mean? The train ain't gonna fall off the structure.

Cmama here...just took my pill. Stay away from the blue ones. Just like to go back to the original story....love the graphic of the Chicago/Mart turn!