CTA Tattler

This is slightly off-topic (by that I mean off topic), but as the news ticker to the right indicates, Stove Top will be placing heaters along with their ads at certain bus shelters.
I recall Mr. Huberman saying that the shelter system lacks the proper electrical capacity to support heaters. Was that just PR for, "too expensive"?

There was a conductor on the Brown Line on the first day of snow who told us to cheer up, Chicago's not so bad since it's just snow and not a hurricane, tsunami or earthquake.

He also admonished passengers "Don't be afraid of each other" and move in closer to let people in.

I remember last year a few weeks before Christmas a conductor reminding everyone to keep an eye on their bags and packages, since it's the holidays and there are pickpockets and such.

Still love the Red Line guy in afternoon rush hour who inserts items like "Scooby doo!" and "Gobbless!" and who used the PA system on eight cars of Red Line to tell me I should put my hat on instead of carrying it in the cold weather. His nicest addition: "All aboard, folks; let's go home." Amen to that.

"Don't be afraid to make new friends!" - North bound Brown Line, yesterday.

What trains do you ride? I hear conductors all the time.
I was on the same train as the others posting above with the narrator talking about the first day of snow. it was a brown line in the afternoon rush. He was pretty great.
The brown line also has the worst offender in this category. The train that will let you off at Quincy at 8:15 has this awful harpy of a woman. "Let em out, brownlineriders". Every single stop. Ugh. Everytime I'm on her train I feel like pushing the emergency button just so I can ask her to shut up.

A Rastafarian London Underground conductor used to say things like "THE NEXT TRAIN IS COMIN FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION"

Off-topic, but today I noticed the platform signage that says what lines are on each side at the Washington stop in the loop was missing. I can only assume this is because they are getting ready for 3-track to end and having the Purple return to the inner loop, which will be nice. Lets just hope they can increase the intervals once its done, waiting nearly 10 minutes for a full 8-car Brown line train in the morning rush negates any capacity add gained.

I usually only hear inaudible mumbling occasionally. I wish I could hear these cool conductors.

Has anyone ridden the new articulated hybrid bus? Anyone know what routes it is on? I remember seeing one during the trial phase and when it pulled up next to the bus stop you couldn't hear it idling and was near silent. Quite different from a regular bus.

So if they move the purple line to the inner loop, will they move the pink or orange to the outer loop, or will all 3 be on one track and the brown on the other?

What was it like before?

On an early morning Loop-bound Brown a few months ago the train operator pleaded with riders to move away from the doors and into the center of the train with a cheery, "C'mon, y'all, let's do the tighten up." He then sang the chorus from the song.

A Metra conductor cracked me up last spring when an already-delayed Sunday train was further delayed by slow-moving passengers. An exasperated "We're never gonna get there" came over the PA.

At Fullerton my redline conductor the other day said "There is a brown line train waiting patiently on the outside track. Waiting very patiently." Thought it was funny...

And I was also wondering what would happen when the Purple line moves back to the inner loop. Im excited about it, but wouldnt it make sense to have the Pink line go the other way now? That way people coming from the west can have an option of which way they want to go....

I also miss some of the conductors. One morning, after working particularly late the night before, lacking sleep and feeling very groggy and grumpy, the conductor was so cheery and funny that everyone was laughing and at least for that moment, I forgot just how exhausted I felt.

There was also a favorite of mine on the Brown Line, one who had no ability to articulate or ennunciate and when they'd announce the stops we'd all look at each other and make comments (no one could understand this person). It was humorous as long as you knew when your stop was happening, and if you didn't you had to engage another person for a translation.

You remember the "Love Train" conductor??? wow, I think I mentioned him here a while back. It was like riding the train with Venus Flytrap. He was cool. All that was missing were the candles and incense.

But riding the Red Line occasionally now, I never hear a live conductor unless there's an (ahem) unscheduled stop.

I remember on the DC Metro green line a conductor who always sounded very proud and happy to annouce when the next stop was the first stop in the District of Columbia (coming in from Maryland). It wasn't so much what he said, but how he said it, like he was giving a tour.

Hah, I had the "let's make friends" and "Red Line waiting patiently" conductor yesterday on the Purple Express!

I ALSO got the chance to ride a brand-spankin'-new (still SMELLED like a new bus) hybrid articulated yesterday. They randomly threw one in on the 15 last night around 9pm. I got on and realized how new it was and squealed, and the driver made fun of me. Anyway, it was a very nice ride--and definitely quiet, the old artics made so much noise between the bad shocks and bad brakes and loud engine.

Riding home on the loop back when slow zone work sent the red line over the top: "This is a rerouted redline train. Red line to Howard. A rerouted red line train. Rerouted rerouted rerouted rerouted rerouted rerouted rerouted rerouted rerouted red line." :-)

"Watch the doors. The doors are closing."

What happened to the "blessed train" conductor on the redline in the AM, that guy rocked, "this is the best train cause its the blessed train"

My mother used to describe the odd enunciation of the conductors making announcements back in the day (1930s-40s?) on what is now the Red Line: "Berwyn" came out sounding like "Beer-Wine" and "Montrose" as "Rump Roast." Well, guess you had to be there. My brother remembers, from the last years of A-B stops: "Morse is next, change pajamas"--which meant, of course, "change for Jarvis".

It's been awhile since I've heard anything, but this morning the Red Line conductor said at Chicago/State: "If you believe in nonviolence, please let the passengers alight." Made me laugh on a miserably cold morning.

Lots of exciting new announcements out of the CTA lately:

http://www.transitchicago.com/news/ctaandpress.wu

Looks like the purple line is schedule to run clockwise around the Loop again like someone thought. And CTA is getting green at some of their garages, with more cost savings along with it. Kudos to them.

Riding busses as much as I can now, I don't really hear conductors or announcements anymore, beyond the driver shouting "MOVE to the REAR."

If the hybrid busses are in the 4000 series, I rode one on my inbound commute yesterday morning. I love orthogonal seating on rail, but didn't like it as much on the bus, because part of the reason to take an express bus is to enjoy the view of the lake, and there aren't many seats from which you can do that on these busses. (And the one woman who was standing just HAD to stand where she blocked my view of the lake.) That said, it was quiet, fast when it had a chance to be on the Drive, and chatting up the driver as we approached my stop, she loved how it handled and felt on the road.

(I actually did take the Red Line to work on Monday, thinking the weather would slow down traffic on LSD. But I loaded up the bus tracker page for my 147 stop on my cellphone, and checked the bus tracker map when I got to work -- the busses were *much* faster. I would've been at my desk 15 to 20 minutes earlier.)

The only talkative conductor I get is the bored-sounding Brown Line guy who explains every single time that we're skipping over the stops that have been closed for almost a year in some cases.

Lot of conductor talkin' going on on the Brown Line these days it seems... Or is it just that most of the people who comment here ride the Brown Line?

Blueline Conductor: Ladies and Gentleman, this is your conductor speaking. It is currently 65 degrees with a slight SW wind. We will be traveling under partially cloudy skies with a slight chance of rainfall. We are running on time today and will be arriving at Clark and Lake at the scheduled 7:52 am. Thank you for choosing the CTA for your travel needs, enjoy the ride.

"Step-up-step-in-step-all-the-way-in-Watch-arms-and-legs-doors-are-closing-If-you-cannot-board-this-northbound-Red-Line-train-I-have-an-immediate-follower"

Yes, good topic. Yesterday on the red line heading north around 8:10pm, the conductor was kind enough to remind us to bundle up because it's cold outside. I relate to this guy because I often feel it's necessary to point out the obvious.

I also appreciated my ride home earlier today around 4:30pm, when the red line stalled at Thorndale because of brake problems. At the next stop (where we probably arrived 15 minutes later) he wished everyone a better day than the one he was having.

Are there any rhyming poet conductors?

Have a blessed train.

I could do without the rent-a-conductor who makes the announcements on the Holiday Train. (and yes, I know there are no longer any conductors)

I've ridden the train three times this year -- once planned and two times just fortuitous timing.

Each time the same guy makes the announcements. He is so repetitive --"next stop Addison - doors opening on the left. At Addison, doors opening on the left. Next stop wil be Addison, doors will open on the left." And this is all before we even left Belmont. It was repeated twice before we opened the doors at Addison. (same at the other stops)

I suppose if you don't like the Christmas music, it's great, because he really does drown out the music. He strikes me as someone who is excited to get a chance to play conductor.

I mentioned how annoying it was to one of the elves, and she nodded and said "imagine listening to it for 5-6 hours straight".

Don't get me wrong, I really like the personal touch some of the operators give the announcements - especially when they are clever or informative- but this guy is just plain grating on my nerves.

Whoops, there is no Montrose station on the Red Line. Did there used to be? Or was my mom referring to the streetcars, or what is now the Brown Line?

Yes, I believe that there once was a Montrose station on the Howard line.

Well, maybe there wasn't one between Buena and Wilson after all now that I check references.

Well, there are lots of odds and ends of abandoned track and concrete right around the cemetery and Wilson, and I'm curious about what used to be there. Must have been something. Was that the fabled North Shore line?

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I could do without the rent-a-conductor who makes the announcements on the Holiday Train. (and yes, I know there are no longer any conductors)
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Me, too.

Love the Holiday Train.
Love, love, love the Holiday Train!

Can't stand the announcer/pseudo-conductor guy!

I almost get the feeling he is a fan showing off how much he knows about the system, rather than trying to give helpful info to customers. And Earphones please was being generous. He cited an example of the announcer repeating the same thing 3 times. I think he often tops 5 repeats. And then he starts it again as soon as the train is in motion. Then when the train approaches the next station. Then when the train enters the station.

I know - doors open on the left (or right). We get it.

Give me some holiday music, please.

But did I say I love the train despite annoying announcerman?

I know this is a little outdated, but wouldn't it be great to find this out about the CTA Announcer Guy:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7113545.stm

http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements/

When I moved to Chicago in 1986 the Red Line had a silver-haired Irish conductor who sounded like Chief O'Hara from the old Batman TV show. I miss him and all the old conductors. The canned voice wouldn't be so bad if they'd TURN THE VOLUME DOWN. Why do half the conductors insist on dialing the volume up to 11? One of these days they'll brake a child's eardrum and the CTA will have yet another lawsuit on its hands. Mr. Hubberman: Why not find a proper volume and tell all conductors to keep it at that level? Would that be so hard to do?

Every so often there's an operator on the Blue Line train from O'Hare that stops at California every morning around about 7:45-7:50 or so who will give the weather report, mention any events going on along the route, and wish everyone a great day. He reminds me of a pilot, lol. I like it a lot!