Chicago Switching Forum

Chicago Switching => General Discussion => Topic started by: TBurke on November 18, 2013, 08:06:44 PM

Title: CTA L Car In Parking Lot At Canalport and Cermak! Parallel to BNSF Tail Track
Post by: TBurke on November 18, 2013, 08:06:44 PM

I spotted this L car out of place and in the corner of a parking lot today of the building facing Canalport between Cermak and Peoria in the Lumber District.  The tail track for the BNSF to reach Colonial Brick is the other side of the black fence.

Does anyone know the story behind it?  A long extension cord led into the L car from across the parking lot.

Again, low res versions uploaded so they would fit.

BTW Colonial Brick's spur looks very much alive though there were no cars spotted that I could see from Cermak.

Title: Re: CTA L Car In Parking Lot At Canalport and Cermak! Parallel to BNSF Tail Track
Post by: Suedehead on November 18, 2013, 09:01:12 PM

Whoa.  It that car just sitting on the pavement?  I don't see the rails.

Title: Re: CTA L Car In Parking Lot At Canalport and Cermak! Parallel to BNSF Tail Track
Post by: TBurke on November 18, 2013, 09:22:37 PM

I pulled up the original hi-res image and the wheels of the L car are sitting on what appear to be flat, metal plates or sheets of wood on top of the pavement.

Title: Re: CTA L Car In Parking Lot At Canalport and Cermak! Parallel to BNSF Tail Track
Post by: Brianbobcat on November 19, 2013, 02:32:10 AM

I emailed the Chicago-L.org webmaster with several pictures I took a week ago, and this is what he said: "That car was sold to Joe Cacciatore - Catchmo Media. Don't know what their plan is for the car, or if it's location in that lot is permanent. The car left CTA clean, so the graffiti was applied later, whether as an act of intentional art or as vandalism."  My photos show the spray paint intact, and these more recent ones show it being removed, so my guess is vandalism.  The extension cord also wasn't there a week ago.  As for how it got there, I'm guessing truck, but it is interesting that I noticed and my photos show that there are grooves in the metal plates it's on that look like they acted as a shallow rail almost.  The wheels are chalked in place now.

Title: Re: CTA L Car In Parking Lot At Canalport and Cermak! Parallel to BNSF Tail Track
Post by: D. Kaniuk on November 19, 2013, 11:02:04 AM

Nice catch, can either of you send me a picture to use for the static web site
Static web site: http://www.dhke.com/rrus/static/

Title: Re: CTA L Car In Parking Lot At Canalport and Cermak! Parallel to BNSF Tail Track
Post by: chuck on December 12, 2013, 03:38:12 PM

You can buy one too, for $4,000!!

http://ricklevin.com/Auctions/Online-Auctions.aspx
Click on the CTA auction.

Some other cool stuff on there as well... Doors, Switch stands, signs

Title: Re: CTA L Car In Parking Lot At Canalport and Cermak! Parallel to BNSF Tail Track
Post by: cnwnorthline on November 20, 2014, 09:20:02 PM

If they didn't want graffiti before they got it now:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/zol87/15595332576/in/pool-transitchicago

Title: Re: CTA L Car In Parking Lot At Canalport and Cermak! Parallel to BNSF Tail Track
Post by: Brianbobcat on November 21, 2014, 01:37:31 PM

Two updates about the car.  Apparently it's like a giant art mural for the building.  It gets painted, then cleaned off, then painted on purpose.  That explains why everyone snaps a photo of it with a different paint job on it.

Another update is you can actually see video of it in Philip Philip's "Raging Fire" music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXRODrspQpc

Title: Re: CTA L Car In Parking Lot At Canalport and Cermak! Parallel to BNSF Tail Track
Post by: ray gerard on November 24, 2014, 01:12:17 AM

The car popped-up there a couple years ago and immediately felt like it was affiliated with the new art studio in the West end of the adjacent warehouse building on the property.  The C name has been present