"Diamond" that makes the train shine on the ring road "Loop" in Chicago, USA "Diamond" that makes the train shine on the ring road "Loop" in Chicago, USA

"Diamond" that makes the train shine on the ring road "Loop" in Chicago, USA

"Diamond" that makes the train shine on the ring road "Loop" in Chicago, USA Railroad crossing plane "What is this railroad !?" 27th  The loop line "Loop" of the railway in the center of Chicago, a big city in Illinois in the Midwestern United States, is served by various trains like the Osaka Loop Line of JR West, which runs in the center of Osaka City. It is full of attractions and is gaining popularity among tourists, one of which is "Diamond Crossing," where railroad tracks, which are only available in a few places in Japan, intersect at the level.  [Diamond crossing] A place where railroad tracks intersect at a level. The central part is diamond-shaped (diamond-shaped), and it is called because the tracks intersect (crossing). The English character notation is "Diamond crossing". Since it hits a railroad intersection, it is difficult to control the operation of the train. There are few cases in Japan, where the Iyo Railway train "Takahama Line" and the road train "city train" intersect at Otemachi Station in the center of Matsuyama City, and the north and south of the Tosaden Kotsu road train. There is a vicinity of "Harimaya Bridge Stop" (Kochi City) where the pier line that runs on the pier and the Gomen Line / Ino Line that connects the east and west intersect.   Diamond crossing, a ring road specialty of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). Wood is paved Self-responsibility  On a vacation in the summer of 2021 after being vaccinated with the new coronavirus vaccine, he crossed the Americas from Washington, the capital of the United States, to Seattle, Washington, on the west coast, by connecting two night trains from the American Railway Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). The train transfer is at Union Station in Midwest Chicago, and although the train from Washington is delayed by about 1 hour and 45 minutes, the departure time of the train to Seattle is 3 hours and 45 minutes.  Therefore, I decided to leave a large baggage in the waiting room inside the station and go sightseeing. At the entrance of the waiting room, I told the lady at the reception that "I have time to get on the next train, so I want to leave my luggage," and while pointing at the warehouse on the right side of the entrance, I was told "Please go over there." There are shelves in the warehouse, and you can put them wherever you like and go get them, which is completely self-service. There is a risk of theft because many people come and go, but it is probably the responsibility of the person who left the luggage.   The author told a local newspaper reporter I met in Mexico before, "In Japan, there are many well-meaning discoverers who can deliver lost or forgotten items. One foreigner said," By taxi in Tokyo (German luxury camera) Leica. I forgot about it, but I'm back at hand. " The word was introduced in a local newspaper like a saying, and I was also surprised, but the situation in Japan such as Tokyo, which is ranked 5th in the world safe city ranking in 2021 of the English magazine "Economist", is " It can be perceived as "insane."   In fact, in June 2016, when I was stationed at the New York bureau, I used a handbag with the design of the popular game series "Final Fantasy" in the press room of the game exhibition "E3" in western Los Angeles. I had it stolen when I put it in my seat.  Based on the lessons of the past, it would be better not to rely on the warehouse at Chicago Union Station. However, you cannot enjoy sightseeing as you wish while carrying heavy luggage. I decided to carry all my valuables with me, and I decided to attach a tag with my name and contact information to all other luggage and leave it on the shelf in the warehouse.  Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Brown trains that stop at Merchandise Market Station About 10 minutes walk from Union Station, there was Quincy Station on the ring road of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). The total length of the loop line section is about 2.9 km, which is only about one-eighth of the Osaka Loop Line (21.7 km), and there are only nine stations. Since the entire line was opened in 1897 and has a history of more than a century, the viaduct and the station have a profound feeling like a historic building.  At Quincy Station, an elevated railway is laid on Wells Street, which stretches north and south. The platform was a face-to-face type facing each other across the railroad track, and went up the stairs to the outer platform. Since the diamond crossing is located at the end of Washington Street and Wells Street Station, which is north of Quincy Station, I had an intuition at this time that I could head straight to the outside.  There is an automatic ticket vending machine, and I put in a $ 10 bill to buy two $ 3 tickets for the first ride, including my son's. However, when I paid in cash after inserting the banknotes, I noticed that the change did not come out, so I pressed the cancel display on the screen.  Then, a female station employee approached me and asked, "Which ticket do you want to buy?" "I want to buy two tickets for the $ 3 section, but I'm in trouble because I can't get any change," the station employee complained, pointing at the sticker on the wall. "Look at that. The one-day ticket is now sold for $ 5. I'll buy the one-day ticket, so give me that $ 10 bill."  A station employee with a good ticket, suitable for the products on sale. Certainly, if it is a one-day pass, I thought it was a good idea because I could get the money by getting off once and getting on again, so I asked him to buy two one-day tickets. When the station staff gave his son a one-day pass, he remembered the humor, saying, "You owe $ 5 to your dad."  "Look, the train is coming now, so go early," he was forced to pass through the automatic ticket gates early, and jumped on the train that slipped into the wooden platform. I waved through the window to the station staff who came out to the platform and confirmed that I was in time.  I thought I was lucky to get on the train that I just entered, but at the next moment I realized that there was a miscalculation. If it is the outer loop of the Osaka Loop Line or the Yamanote Line of Tokyo, it is clockwise, so go straight to the diamond crossing on the north side of Quincy Station.  However, in contrast to Japanese railroads and automobiles, which are on the left side, American railroads and automobiles are on the right side. In other words, the train I got on went counterclockwise on the ring road and backed by the diamond crossing.  This train passes through the sixth Clark Road / Lake Road station from Quincy Station and finally passes through Diamond Crossing. Since I rarely hold the steering wheel of a car, I made a detour with the intuition of Japanese training who was accustomed to passing on the left side.  A train passing through the sharp curve of the loop line "loop" The train is made of stainless steel and has a total length of about 14.7 meters, which is considerably shorter than the JR conventional line, which is generally about 20 meters. The reason is to be able to turn sharp curves. The loop line runs on the Van Buren, Wabash, and Lake streets in addition to the wells streets mentioned above. These roads intersect at right angles at the intersection, and the tracks also draw sharp curves as they move to the intersecting streets. The "L" train is a third rail system that takes in electricity from the third rail on the side of the track.  All the station names on the loop line are named after the streets at that location. Clark Road / Lake Road Station, just before the Diamond Crossing, intersects Clark Road in the section running over Lake Road.  On the other hand, "L" names the train system name by color, and there are five trains on the loop line: brown, purple, pink, orange, and green. Of these, the green runs only half a lap on the loop line, connecting the western and southern parts of Chicago, and the other four systems make one lap before returning to the original direction.  I was on the Brown train, which left Clark Road / Lake Road station, went straight west, and then turned north through the curve of the diamond crossing. The diamond crossing in Kochi City, where the tram of "Tosaden Kotsu" that I visited once passes, has a similar shape, but it is at the intersection of the road. On the other hand, in Chicago, the sleepers laid under the railroad tracks and the surroundings are made of wood.  A green train that passes through the diamond crossing. You can also see the pink train in the back. The watchtower "Tower 18" is on the right. The L-line signaling system has been improved with technological advances. However, because the control of diamond crossing, where trains of various systems frequently come and go, is complicated, the watchtower "Tower 18" on the side of the railroad track continues to be an unsung hero that supports safe operation.  I went out of the loop line and crossed the Chicago River to reach Merchandise Mart Station. This is the closest station to the commercial building "Merchandis Mart," which opened in 1930.  Looking from the south side of the platform, I saw a train leaving Washington Wells station, which was visible ahead, and turning right at the approaching diamond crossing to the next lake station. This service is a pink train. The next train will continue straight to the left from Lake Station on your right and enter the loop line. This operation is either pink or green, and you can see that it is a green system by looking at the electric sign on the side of the train.  In this way, five trains pass by, replacing the diamond crossing. When the train turns, the silvery stainless steel body shines in the sun, which looks like a place pattern or the brilliance of diamonds.  When I was fascinated by such a scene, I remembered that there were other famous places that I could not overlook. About two hours after the departure time of the Amtrak night train, I headed for the next destination.  * What is "What is this about railways !?": The author, who likes railways and travel and is the author of the railway column "Shiodome Railway Club", was surprised and surprised at "What is this !?" A series that introduces topics that seem to be. It started in August 2019 and is delivered almost once a month. Please read it carefully!

"Diamond" that makes the train shine on the ring road "Loop" in Chicago, USA


Railroad crossing plane "What is this railroad !?" 27th
The loop line "Loop" of the railway in the center of Chicago, a big city in Illinois in the Midwestern United States, is served by various trains like the Osaka Loop Line of JR West, which runs in the center of Osaka City. It is full of attractions and is gaining popularity among tourists, one of which is "Diamond Crossing," where railroad tracks, which are only available in a few places in Japan, intersect at the level.

[Diamond crossing] A place where railroad tracks intersect at a level. The central part is diamond-shaped (diamond-shaped), and it is called because the tracks intersect (crossing). The English character notation is "Diamond crossing". Since it hits a railroad intersection, it is difficult to control the operation of the train. There are few cases in Japan, where the Iyo Railway train "Takahama Line" and the road train "city train" intersect at Otemachi Station in the center of Matsuyama City, and the north and south of the Tosaden Kotsu road train. There is a vicinity of "Harimaya Bridge Stop" (Kochi City) where the pier line that runs on the pier and the Gomen Line / Ino Line that connects the east and west intersect.


Diamond crossing, a ring road specialty of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). Wood is paved
Self-responsibility

On a vacation in the summer of 2021 after being vaccinated with the new coronavirus vaccine, he crossed the Americas from Washington, the capital of the United States, to Seattle, Washington, on the west coast, by connecting two night trains from the American Railway Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). The train transfer is at Union Station in Midwest Chicago, and although the train from Washington is delayed by about 1 hour and 45 minutes, the departure time of the train to Seattle is 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Therefore, I decided to leave a large baggage in the waiting room inside the station and go sightseeing. At the entrance of the waiting room, I told the lady at the reception that "I have time to get on the next train, so I want to leave my luggage," and while pointing at the warehouse on the right side of the entrance, I was told "Please go over there." There are shelves in the warehouse, and you can put them wherever you like and go get them, which is completely self-service. There is a risk of theft because many people come and go, but it is probably the responsibility of the person who left the luggage.


The author told a local newspaper reporter I met in Mexico before, "In Japan, there are many well-meaning discoverers who can deliver lost or forgotten items. One foreigner said," By taxi in Tokyo (German luxury camera) Leica. I forgot about it, but I'm back at hand. " The word was introduced in a local newspaper like a saying, and I was also surprised, but the situation in Japan such as Tokyo, which is ranked 5th in the world safe city ranking in 2021 of the English magazine "Economist", is " It can be perceived as "insane."


In fact, in June 2016, when I was stationed at the New York bureau, I used a handbag with the design of the popular game series "Final Fantasy" in the press room of the game exhibition "E3" in western Los Angeles. I had it stolen when I put it in my seat.

Based on the lessons of the past, it would be better not to rely on the warehouse at Chicago Union Station. However, you cannot enjoy sightseeing as you wish while carrying heavy luggage. I decided to carry all my valuables with me, and I decided to attach a tag with my name and contact information to all other luggage and leave it on the shelf in the warehouse.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Brown trains that stop at Merchandise Market Station
About 10 minutes walk from Union Station, there was Quincy Station on the ring road of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). The total length of the loop line section is about 2.9 km, which is only about one-eighth of the Osaka Loop Line (21.7 km), and there are only nine stations. Since the entire line was opened in 1897 and has a history of more than a century, the viaduct and the station have a profound feeling like a historic building.

At Quincy Station, an elevated railway is laid on Wells Street, which stretches north and south. The platform was a face-to-face type facing each other across the railroad track, and went up the stairs to the outer platform. Since the diamond crossing is located at the end of Washington Street and Wells Street Station, which is north of Quincy Station, I had an intuition at this time that I could head straight to the outside.

There is an automatic ticket vending machine, and I put in a $ 10 bill to buy two $ 3 tickets for the first ride, including my son's. However, when I paid in cash after inserting the banknotes, I noticed that the change did not come out, so I pressed the cancel display on the screen.

Then, a female station employee approached me and asked, "Which ticket do you want to buy?"
"I want to buy two tickets for the $ 3 section, but I'm in trouble because I can't get any change," the station employee complained, pointing at the sticker on the wall. "Look at that. The one-day ticket is now sold for $ 5. I'll buy the one-day ticket, so give me that $ 10 bill."

A station employee with a good ticket, suitable for the products on sale. Certainly, if it is a one-day pass, I thought it was a good idea because I could get the money by getting off once and getting on again, so I asked him to buy two one-day tickets. When the station staff gave his son a one-day pass, he remembered the humor, saying, "You owe $ 5 to your dad."

"Look, the train is coming now, so go early," he was forced to pass through the automatic ticket gates early, and jumped on the train that slipped into the wooden platform. I waved through the window to the station staff who came out to the platform and confirmed that I was in time.

I thought I was lucky to get on the train that I just entered, but at the next moment I realized that there was a miscalculation. If it is the outer loop of the Osaka Loop Line or the Yamanote Line of Tokyo, it is clockwise, so go straight to the diamond crossing on the north side of Quincy Station.

However, in contrast to Japanese railroads and automobiles, which are on the left side, American railroads and automobiles are on the right side. In other words, the train I got on went counterclockwise on the ring road and backed by the diamond crossing.

This train passes through the sixth Clark Road / Lake Road station from Quincy Station and finally passes through Diamond Crossing. Since I rarely hold the steering wheel of a car, I made a detour with the intuition of Japanese training who was accustomed to passing on the left side.

A train passing through the sharp curve of the loop line "loop"
The train is made of stainless steel and has a total length of about 14.7 meters, which is considerably shorter than the JR conventional line, which is generally about 20 meters. The reason is to be able to turn sharp curves. The loop line runs on the Van Buren, Wabash, and Lake streets in addition to the wells streets mentioned above. These roads intersect at right angles at the intersection, and the tracks also draw sharp curves as they move to the intersecting streets. The "L" train is a third rail system that takes in electricity from the third rail on the side of the track.

All the station names on the loop line are named after the streets at that location. Clark Road / Lake Road Station, just before the Diamond Crossing, intersects Clark Road in the section running over Lake Road.

On the other hand, "L" names the train system name by color, and there are five trains on the loop line: brown, purple, pink, orange, and green. Of these, the green runs only half a lap on the loop line, connecting the western and southern parts of Chicago, and the other four systems make one lap before returning to the original direction.

I was on the Brown train, which left Clark Road / Lake Road station, went straight west, and then turned north through the curve of the diamond crossing. The diamond crossing in Kochi City, where the tram of "Tosaden Kotsu" that I visited once passes, has a similar shape, but it is at the intersection of the road. On the other hand, in Chicago, the sleepers laid under the railroad tracks and the surroundings are made of wood.

A green train that passes through the diamond crossing. You can also see the pink train in the back. The watchtower "Tower 18" is on the right.
The L-line signaling system has been improved with technological advances. However, because the control of diamond crossing, where trains of various systems frequently come and go, is complicated, the watchtower "Tower 18" on the side of the railroad track continues to be an unsung hero that supports safe operation.

I went out of the loop line and crossed the Chicago River to reach Merchandise Mart Station. This is the closest station to the commercial building "Merchandis Mart," which opened in 1930.

Looking from the south side of the platform, I saw a train leaving Washington Wells station, which was visible ahead, and turning right at the approaching diamond crossing to the next lake station. This service is a pink train. The next train will continue straight to the left from Lake Station on your right and enter the loop line. This operation is either pink or green, and you can see that it is a green system by looking at the electric sign on the side of the train.

In this way, five trains pass by, replacing the diamond crossing. When the train turns, the silvery stainless steel body shines in the sun, which looks like a place pattern or the brilliance of diamonds.

When I was fascinated by such a scene, I remembered that there were other famous places that I could not overlook. About two hours after the departure time of the Amtrak night train, I headed for the next destination.

* What is "What is this about railways !?": The author, who likes railways and travel and is the author of the railway column "Shiodome Railway Club", was surprised and surprised at "What is this !?" A series that introduces topics that seem to be. It started in August 2019 and is delivered almost once a month. Please read it carefully!

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