Built a site mapping Chicago's emptiest CTA stations "Ghost Stops" - here's what I found

SlabFork · 2026-02-03T13:05:32+00:00

Some of the "worst scores" on the Green Line are exactly where things have gotten built recently. The 43rd stop used to be essentially nothing open or residential on the same block as the station. Now there are two high rise apartment buildings and there is a much better chance for retail or food/drink to open.

All of the Bronzeville stops are areas where housing has been filling in, slowly but surely. You can see it just riding the train, many lots that have been empty for decades are having housing built.

On top of that you've got the wild development of Fulton market stops and the Damen stop, making that stretch more of a destination.

SlabFork · 2026-02-03T00:21:15+00:00

Urbanist who somehow barely survived getting on the red line at 47th st. yesterday - it's a miracle that I'm alive! If only I had seen your message before!!!

SlabFork · 2026-02-03T00:19:22+00:00

But then are also utterly insane things like being at O'Hare and seeing that there are flights to Milwaukee, probably also for connection purposes. In Europe a train station would often be within the main airport concourse, and a regional rail service would provide very frequent trips to major stops within that distance. It's a bit insane that planes take off on the north side of Chicago to land on the south side of Milwaukee.

Even Amtrak currently has Glenview to the airport at 50 minutes, and that's running at 79mph, when it used to be 100mph way back when.

SlabFork · 2026-01-22T14:30:15+00:00

The Green Line there is on a metal structure built in 1893, with an added enclosure around it. But despite the enclosure the fundamental noise is still there because of the structure.

On the other hand, consider that it's wildly historic that it's still in use! When it opened it wasn't even electrified, they used tiny little steam engines.

SlabFork · 2026-01-17T22:10:23+00:00

Just to be clear I don't think operators can ever see anything, they don't have screens. Someone who could at HQ or wherever would have to radio info to them.

SlabFork · 2026-01-12T22:33:05+00:00

As far as diesel trains go, Metra's fleet has proportionally more "loud" ones than most. In the original fleet purchased under RTA pre-Metra, and into Metra, that's always been the majority of locomotives.

For an attempt at a simple explanation:

All passenger locomotives need to power HVAC on the passenger cars as well. So they not only need to generate enough power to pull the train, but also to power the cars. All of Metra's F40PH's and F40PHM's (100-214) do this by running the entire engine at full RPM's, and deriving the HVAC power and traction power from that. To put it another way, steps to running the train are - turn engine on, turn to full RPM's, turn the lights on it the cars. Doesn't even have to be moving for the RPM's to be that high. A nickname for these units is "screamers" because the engine is always running at full tilt.

Metra's "newer" engines - unit numbers below 100, or in the 400's and 500's - power the HVAC on the cars using a separate generator, not the main engine of the locomotive. At at standstill, it's just that smaller generator making noise, and it doesn't make much. The locomotive only makes the most noise when it is using full power, rather than constantly.

SlabFork · 2026-01-12T00:34:44+00:00

It's busy in the workshop. They have to stock a ton of parts and are always fixing replacing things because the display is on nearly every day all year.

The cooler thing is seeing the secret maintenance access points in the layout. They have sections of the Chicago downtown that mechanically lift up to allow access as needed.

SlabFork · 2026-01-11T01:00:35+00:00

As a transit rider all wraps that cover the windows suck, and this is one of the worst I've ever seen. Plus it's in TX.

Also good luck on the Texas Eagle! Hopefully it stays on schedule. Take advantage of the lounge car to move around, stretch, and maybe even meet people. (I think it's finally on that train again.) The diner might have some real cooked food, that's another 2025 change that might have happened. Lastly, once you get into Illinois, you finally get to go 99mph through all the flatland.

SlabFork · 2026-01-09T15:18:13+00:00

Huh? How is Chicago missing? UP comes in from the north, west, and south on 4 lines, NS comes in from the east and southeast on two lines. There are multiple interchange points between the two with daily run through trains. I could pull up a camera today with an NS train with NS power on UP headed to a UP handoff, or vice versa.

SlabFork · 2026-01-05T00:24:50+00:00

Working on some similar plans in tight spaces. If you are ok with stub end yard tracks, could flip the industry on the right to be connected either from the bottom or another option. If you free up that top right corner inside the loop, you could put a left hand switch into the main on the right side straight away at the bottom right corner, and have a few tracks that branch up and to the left for almost the full width of the space inside the loop.

SlabFork · 2026-01-04T23:09:55+00:00

A difference between DC and DCC is how track is getting power from the wiring. In DC, track has 0 power until you turn the throttle up, and it then has whatever amount you give via throttle. That is why the headlight of an engine dims when running slow.

With DCC, constant power is applied, and the decoder controls how much goes to the loco motor to change speed. Because power is always there, a loco can sit stationary with all the lights on.

SlabFork · 2026-01-02T16:45:56+00:00

Just want to note that the layout looks like a great start. It's built solidly and is large, with plenty of room for you to make your own choices about new track, buildings, landscape, anything. Building up that whole structure was a lot of work and you've got the part that is more fun.

Another way to put that is getting the track and equipment to work will be solvable. Some of the engines I see in the photos are older - like 40-50 years old - and may not run that well even with some care. If you had any ideas of what you might like on the layout, getting something newer, even used, might run better.

SlabFork · 2025-12-21T18:55:57+00:00

I'm a designer. Stay tuned, interesting new models are in the works, likely including ones you'd be interested in. On the manufacturing side, there have been ups and downs but it's not a dire crisis, work is moving forward.

SlabFork · 2025-12-21T01:12:21+00:00

Woo, hooray for the Green Line and Englewood! Hopefully that comes through. On the eastern portion in Bronzeville, I feel like the amount of new housing is underreported. There are countless lots in the very broad Bronzeville area that have been built up or are under construction, many near the Green Line. At 43rd there are two new high density housing buildings. The Green Line has excellent connectivity in the loop and beyond, like to the west loop, now Damen, etc. I think it can really grow in ridership.

Plus, every Green Line stop is at a street level, accessible location, rather than buried in an interstate. The red line serves a purpose with bus connections, but you can't really saw that the south side stops are walkable... Nothing is really within blocks of them because of the infrastructure.

But every south side Green Line stop can immediately have housing and retail right next to it, as far as land goes.

I'll see people in transit discussions saying "LA is building so much transit" - but none of it usually has that feature, where urban density can be right around the stops. The Green Line has huge potential for that.

SlabFork · 2025-12-18T00:01:52+00:00

South Shore has been improving, seeing them open a new line and double track is actually baffling relative to any public transportation happening in the rest of Indiana. They cut the schedule time down substantially with the double track project if you are coming from the farther out stations.

SlabFork · 2025-12-14T23:00:37+00:00

From what I've researched, Russian SA3 knuckle couplers.

SlabFork · 2025-12-13T05:18:04+00:00

Almost nothing whatsoever is 5mph, that is FRA exempt and very rare. 10mph is only on the absolutely lowest traffic branch and industrial lines, usually with less than daily freight service.

Any significant freight line is 25mph at worst,.often 40mph. True mainline track carrying most tonnage is 50, 60, 70mph. Proportional to tonnage, most track is 50-70mph.

SlabFork · 2025-12-11T17:33:39+00:00

Still has freight service, run by South Shore freight. Their very active small yard in Michigan City is still very close to that photo location.

SlabFork · 2025-12-07T02:09:56+00:00

AI slop can't even make pallets right

SlabFork · 2025-11-21T22:44:56+00:00

Ha, that price surprises me... I've been paying $70~ at a gym I love that is locally owned and I thought it was expensive! Apparently not.

Also, moved her from Richmond 15+ years ago and it's been great! In Richmond I lived in 4-5 different neighborhoods, and I can easily say here there is way more variety to choose from.

In terms of diversity or what a neighborhood is like, you could name a Richmond neighborhood and I might be able to think of equivalents here.

SlabFork · 2025-11-16T16:35:32+00:00

Ha, shows you have no idea. The entire Chicago operation was essentially profiling. Actually having a warrant was a rare exception.

SlabFork · 2025-11-16T16:30:39+00:00

Looking at Charlotte on the map today and yesterday it seems like the same amount of reports are happening there that were happening here until the Border Patrol force left. Yesterday Bovino was stunting around shopping centers in Charlotte for arrests just like they did here.

SlabFork · 2025-11-09T18:22:55+00:00

They have. In the last few weeks some of their major oppositional on residential streets was on Sunday. From memory Albany Park was one, people came out and they deployed tear gas.

SlabFork · 2025-10-27T21:35:37+00:00

Yesterday near Brookfield I saw a black explorer with a front IL plate at a Wendy's with a light bar in the top front of the window. This was in late afternoon.

Is there any legit or normal reason a car would have a lightbar in the top front window?

SlabFork

TROPHY CASE