Ride the Rails: 13th Street Incline
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- The 13th Street Incline is a little-seen part of the CTA rail system by most customers. For decades, it connected trains between the Red Line subway (State Street Subway) to the Green Line South Elevated tracks prior to 1993, back when what is now the Red Line was called the Howard Line and the Howard Line connected south to the Green Line South Elevated, previously known as the Englewood-Jackson Park Line.
In 1993, the CTA changed the name of its lines to the colors that they are today, and changed the Red Line routing to have the Red Line subway connect south via another connector track to the Red Line South to 95th Street, which is still how the Red Line travels today.
Today, the 13th Street Incline is mainly used only by CTA employees and contractors to transfer CTA maintenance and other equipment, though it is occasionally used for train service reroutes, such as the small number of rerouted Red Line trains to Ashland/63rd on the Green Line in 2017 related to the construction of the new 95th Street Terminal.
![Evolution of CTA Red Line [2012 - 2022]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EcWx9WYzn7g/mqdefault.jpg)
Terrific! Glad to see this. I would always see this on the Orange Line video and wondered where it went.
You can tell how this junction was built with the old North-South and West-South configurations in mind. Under the old configuration, Lake-Dan Ryan and Howard-Englewood/Jackson Park trains passed through the junction but never had to switch tracks at all. Making the West South line into the Lake-Englewood/Cottage Grove line means Green Line trains have to switch tracks at the junction, and Orange Line trains can travel straight through without slowing down. The tracks the West-South trains originally took to go from the South Side Elevated to the Dan Ryan still exist, as an out-of-service connector used to reroute Red Line trains onto the Loop during service disruptions.
You're a genius, grrl. Yeah, never thought about that. The Lake Street trains have to switch to the inner tracks. What an indignity. It must slow them down by about 15 seconds. In my time in Old Chicago, the Lake Street went around the Loop and then south to the Dan Ryan. Before that, just around the Loop, I imagine. The Garfield Park L existed during my lifetime but I missed out on ever riding it. So did the Stockyards-Kenwood line. Never rode that either. Shame the interurbans went down too.
Good observation. Noticed that green line trains have to switch over
Great Video! I really enjoy these videos!!
Nancy Offenhiser 👍
The new 95th terminal is completed and I still see a whole bunch of 5000-series cars on the red line on the green line.
Back when this was a 63rd/Ashland-Cottage Grove/Howard line, I would get on at Cottage Grove because back then this was the only way to get into the Loop using the subway instead of the Red Line today, for trips to Evanston. Those trains used to zoom past stops when there were those AB stops- that was one heck of a rush blazing through the subways with that loud, screaming noise! Glad they posted this; reminds me of the good old days.
No, but I remember the old platform they left standing going over to Dorchester, I believe. But do you remember the old Wentworth and State Street El stops on the way to Englewood? It's crazy how much the old systems changed.
When trains did operate down there McCormick place station didn’t exist yet and there was a 3-mile gap between Roosevelt and 35th. There was also a shorter but still really long gap between A/W and Chinatown since Roosevelt elevated didn’t exist yet.
The Red Line is currently using it for rush hour trips to Ashland/63rd instead of 95th because of construction.
Nice video. Large network you have yourselves there. G’day From Adelaide, Australia.
Fun fact: the incline starting at 1:40 was shown from that classic Running Scared chase scene when they drove on the el.
yep!
At 1:22 the train takes forks to the left but the tracks continue to go straight. Any idea where they go? Was this a possible future extension somewhere?
Is existing from former configuration...trains used to go west/south sides, not like now north/south. Goes to subway downtown
@@mic1240 Huh? That just goes out to 95th, all Red Line trains go that way
Yeah those are the tracks that goes straight out to 95th where 95th bound trains go
I know this is a 5000 series train by the sound it made when pulling away from Roosevelt Road. But the "wheel flat" noise makes this train sound more like one of the 2600 series.
i no right
Roosevelt 0:49
Cermak McCormick Place 5:37
Roosevelt 9:47
Appears very clean and well maintained
Wish these videos could be panoramic 360°. To view the surrounding areas from a Conductors view would be awesome.
the operator would likely prefer not to be filmed. also the operator needs to move between the left and right side of the train to open the doors, and a 360 camera would be in the way.
(:(O) Not sure about that "chimney" at 3.40 .......
fisheye illusion
:59 abandoned crossover? I'll take CTA over SEPTA anyday.
Kevin Howard That track is the southbound track
@@QuarioQuario54321 No, if you watch cta ride the rails red line to Howard, you will see that in fact, red line trains at that time use the middle track. They are parallel, and rejoin.
It looks like the far left track is the NB from the incline and the middle track is the NB from the current red line. I'm guessing before the new red line south tunnel was built, there used to be a cross-over where you see that piece of dead track.
At 1:23, the trains goes left. Where does the right track go or is it a lay up track?
That's the normal Red line route. It comes to the surface between Wentworth and Clark at around 16th or 17th.
Why do the trains just stop......then move again......or slow down to a crawl just to speed up again? A form of CBTC, PTO, ATC? Asking because I'm NYC MTA Train Opr.
ATC. The system has been fully cab signaled since the 70s, and there are automatic and home signals with train stops at interlockings, in the subways, and in the Loop in addition to the cab signals. The cab signals are fixed block, and can enforce speed restrictions of 35, 25, 15, and 0 mph.
awesome
This could be used to go to Chinatown because it would go to Roosevelt and then go onto the Orange line tracks, drop off of the Orange line tracks, and you’d be at Chinatown!
Why is going so nice and sudenly stops abruptly or slows a couple of times? Is there some kind of signaling or other reason?
signalling most likely. if they get too close to the train ahead of them they need to wait for the buffer to get large enough again.
also theyre supposed to coast when passing another train, to avoid overloading the third rail.
can you CTA bus,ride the road?
80% of the video would just be traffic gridlock. :P
Adam Winkelmann u can say that again
No, lol that's weird
Trains are cool
trainsareawesome
I'm a little disappointed that the outbound set of 5000s at the beginning of the video sound almost as bad as the 40 year old 2600s. I guess you just can't avoid those wheel flats can you-Lol.
cta yo!
I wish the "Graffiti Jockey's" would show some respect for private property!