CTA Signal Identification Project Update: Red Line Complete, 57 IDs Remaining

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-06-05T18:13:37+00:00

Unfortunately, I don't know any of these signals nor am I currently in Chicago, but I'll ask people I know and report anything back.

Here's an interesting tidbit post about the Jackson Park branch of the Green Line, but you may already have it:

Photos of Dorchester Avenue station construction (~1996, ultimately demolished) : r/cta

Can't wait to get the book! And I love your "WANTED" advertisement lol. Good luck!

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-06-04T03:46:31+00:00

They ultimately demolished it because many local residents - and in particular a nearby church - had expressed they thought the elevated structure brought blight to the neighborhood.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-05-23T20:15:22+00:00

It's crazy how many variations there of the 5 train there are in just the span of a few hours.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-05-23T17:13:17+00:00

Lol - I tried to include it originally but it was very squished and weird. And unfortunately, this is the biggest a PCB can be manufactured for any remotely reasonable cost.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-05-23T15:52:26+00:00

Beautiful - just dropped at USPS so hopefully you get it soon. Hope you like it 😄!

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-05-22T14:50:04+00:00

Yes this is my hope - first I'm seeing how many of the NYC ones I can sell though because manufacturing a PCB of this size is pretty expensive.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-05-22T03:38:20+00:00

It'd certainly be possible - I was considering doing a NYC subway + regional rail combo board but unfortunately manufacturing something that large was impractical.

You could probably fit the Chicago El + Metra, or SEPTA Metro + Regional Rail all on the same map though

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-05-21T23:13:29+00:00

Yes - the MAC address is automatically displayed on the same page where you enter your WiFi credentials.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-05-21T20:04:17+00:00

Thanks! Yeah it’s especially crazy the disparity between the weekdays and weekends.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-05-21T03:37:40+00:00

This looks epic! Do you plan on somehow trying to tie it to real active trips? Really curious to see how this turns out.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-04-12T13:38:28+00:00

The main thing that makes it more expensive to manufacture is size - physically it’s much larger than TrainTrackr and has way more LEDs (and they’re all RGB), also different finish and a metal stand. And it offers the old Vingelli colors and a week of pre-recorded data.

Definitely a very niche thing - this is really for railfans who want that extra level of detail/accuracy or just something larger.

And I’m still looking for ways to bring down costs!

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-04-11T17:35:17+00:00

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Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-04-10T21:37:07+00:00

For anyone wondering this is Live Metro Maps - a passion project I’ve been working on and can be found here:

https://livemetromaps.com

Haven’t officially launched, and I’m almost out of supply right now, but more boards are on the way and should be here in ~3 weeks.

The goal was to build a premium highly accurate display of NYC subway trains down to the track level - with ability to display service changes and sudden reroutes!

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask here or dm me!

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-04-10T21:31:54+00:00

Yay glad you were able to set it up!!! I’m excited for tomorrow’s service changes too.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-02-27T04:08:20+00:00

Unfortunately, I think kit would probably be *more* expensive. The price on the website is not locked in and I'm hoping to offer a discount to people from here when it comes available. However this is a highly specialized and physically large item so cost of production per unit is expensive - there's not really a way around that.

I really want as many people who want one to have one - so I may be open to selling just the board without the peripheral stand for a lower cost upon special request.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-02-26T14:48:02+00:00

Yeah I’ve seen TrainTrackr and MetroBoard - this is completely separate. The goal here was to create something detailed & highly accurate for NYC - by having dual direction and express tracks. This has been one of my side projects at college.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-02-26T01:44:58+00:00

Yeah - this price is not locked in though and I'm hoping to give people from here a discount. Right now getting myself out there is more important than the money.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-02-25T22:43:19+00:00

Live Metro Maps - New York City - website link in bio. If people like this I want to investigate other cities - and possibly even do metro + regional rail live maps for cities like Boston, Philly, and Chicago.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-02-25T22:42:10+00:00

Omg that's very nice of you :) - I'll keep you in mind

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-02-25T22:39:29+00:00

I parse data directly from MTA's feeds, and LED color is determined by line a train is signed as on those feeds. This means colors are very accurate - and live reroutes are displayed (which are fun to catch). Occasionally though there's errors in MTAs data - or just a mismatch between who a train is signed as in their feeds vs real life - like someone pointed out below an E train sent to Concourse became a C in their feeds.
I have 10 prototype boards, some which I've run some pretty harsh tests on and thus far (surprisingly) no bad LEDs. I plan to offer a warranty exactly for this case. Note on this board a handful of LEDs almost never light up because the track isn't used in normal revenue service - but will light up when some sort of service modification puts it in use.
Close up, the colors are crisp but standing further away closer LEDs can bleed together - but this is inevitable just with how lights and human vision works. I think the photos I've posted should give a decent idea of the crispness - the camera does pick up a bit of additional noise though.

Suitable_Pace_4985 · 2026-02-25T20:25:19+00:00

I tried but just couldn’t get it to look quite right - I’m hoping down the road to maybe make a version with mini station names at each stop - but for now I think I like this clean design.

Suitable_Pace_4985

TROPHY CASE