Chicago Transit Authority 1




Facts and Figures


Current Number1
Railway RepresentedChicago Transit Authority
BuilderSt. Louis Car Company
Built In1960
Builder's order id1804
Currently in (State)Maine
--(Locality)Kennebunkport
Totally out of svc daten/a
(Initial retirement date)
Car Typerapid transit car
-subtypehigh-performance PCC
-designation
Statusdisplayed inoperable
More info
Gauge4'8.5"
Constructionaluminum/steel
Roof typeAR
EndedDE
Length48'0"
Width9'4"
Height
Weight46000
#Seats46
#Wheels/Conf.8
Total HP400
TrucksSt Louis B3
BrakesElectric
Compressorn/a
ControlGE chopper
MotorsGE 1250D1 (4)
Voltage (if not 600DC)
NotesFor sale

Car 1 on display at Seashore in 2016
Flickr
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/146757535@N05/29515915511/

Car 1 in storage at Seashore in 2018
Flickr
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/146757535@N05/41940654070/

Car History by Frank Hicks


General Electric 1
Between 1950 and 1959, the CTA took delivery of 670 rapid transit cars of a type generally known as 6000's. The 6000's used modern PCC trucks and control equipment and nearly all extensively used remanufactured components from scrapped Chicago PCC streetcars, which lent them a distinctive look with their small standee windows. The first 620 cars were numbered 6001-6720 and were arranged in permanently-coupled ("married") pairs, but for the last fifty cars CTA chose a more traditional layout. The final 50 cars, numbered 1-50, were single units with an operating cab at each end and designed for one-man operation. Of these cars, cars 1-4 were fitted with unique high-performance electrical equipment. Capable only of training with other high-performance cars, they were capable of faster acceleration speeds of around 75mph and were given a flashy paint job to separate them from the rest of the fleet. They were used on the Skokie Swift starting in 1964, but as oddball cars they fell out of favor. Car 1 was converted from GE MCM control to chopper control in the early 1970's, and in 1974 was sold to GE for use in testing at the Erie plant. At some point it outlived its usefulness and was put into storage and subsequently sold to Seashore Trolley Museum. It is the only one of the CTA's high-performance fleet to survive.


Ownership History


OwnerCar NumFromToPreservation?Loan?
Chicago Transit Authority (Illinois, Chicago)11960 1974 NO NO
General Electric (Pennsylvania, Erie)11974 2016 NO NO
Seashore Trolley Museum (Maine, Kennebunkport)12016 present YES NO


Additional Media