2008 Woodie Awards
CTA say what?
A guide to CTA jargon
Igor Studenkov
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: Features
Every group has its own in-words and slang terms, and CTA employees and passengers are no exception. The following is a partial list of terms that can be heard while riding L trains and CTA buses. The employee slang was taken from Chicago-L.org's extensive list, and the rest is personal knowledge.
Cattle Guards - automated devices used to block off traffic when the L train travels over the section of the track that crosses a street at ground level.
Charter Train - an L train that can be rented for private use. Comes in several models. Most notably, CTA maintains several early-20th-century trains for this purpose.
Fool Cather - small platform hanging off the side of elevated tracks. It allows whoever is on the track to avoid getting run over by the train - assuming they can reach it in time.
Gang Plank - a wooden board stored near the L cars' rear door. It is used to evacuate the trains when it's not near the station and another train is nearby. In situation like that, the doors are opened and the plank is placed between the doors, allowing the passengers to safely walk across.
Gap Car - an L train car where the exterior, floor, sealing and the walls are covered with Gap advertisements. Plenty of companies advertise on the L, but nobody takes it as far as Gap.
Ghost Station - an L station that was taken out of service without being disassembled. Its street access was either removed or sealed off, but the platforms are still intact and, in some cases, even regularly maintained. Examples include portions of Wilson, Kostner (Blue Line), Laramie (Pink Line) and 58th (Green Line).
Hobo's Corner - a partially enclosed space in the front left corner of some L cars near the motorman's cab. It has two seats (or, in some cases, none at all). When the cab is in use, the Hobo's corner is closed off. Otherwise, it's the closest thing train cars have to private space.
Makeout Car - according to an urban legend, the last car of an L train is the best place for public transit hookups.
Over-the-Top - a term for a situation when a train that normally runs through the subway is rerouted up through the Loop.
Owl Service - bus routes and L lines that operate between midnight and 5:00 a.m.
Recycling - an act of reading a newspaper someone left on the seat of a bus and/or train car. Usually occurs at the tail end of morning and evening rush hours.
Run/Express/Breeze - a term refers to a train or a bus running express past lesser-used stops to make up for lost time. Usually occurs when one or more train/bus is waiting behind it.
Waiting Room - a space within the station house, beyond the fare controls, where customers can wait for trains without being exposed to the elements. Usually located above ground, but there are some ground level examples.
Cattle Guards - automated devices used to block off traffic when the L train travels over the section of the track that crosses a street at ground level.
Charter Train - an L train that can be rented for private use. Comes in several models. Most notably, CTA maintains several early-20th-century trains for this purpose.
Fool Cather - small platform hanging off the side of elevated tracks. It allows whoever is on the track to avoid getting run over by the train - assuming they can reach it in time.
Gang Plank - a wooden board stored near the L cars' rear door. It is used to evacuate the trains when it's not near the station and another train is nearby. In situation like that, the doors are opened and the plank is placed between the doors, allowing the passengers to safely walk across.
Gap Car - an L train car where the exterior, floor, sealing and the walls are covered with Gap advertisements. Plenty of companies advertise on the L, but nobody takes it as far as Gap.
Ghost Station - an L station that was taken out of service without being disassembled. Its street access was either removed or sealed off, but the platforms are still intact and, in some cases, even regularly maintained. Examples include portions of Wilson, Kostner (Blue Line), Laramie (Pink Line) and 58th (Green Line).
Hobo's Corner - a partially enclosed space in the front left corner of some L cars near the motorman's cab. It has two seats (or, in some cases, none at all). When the cab is in use, the Hobo's corner is closed off. Otherwise, it's the closest thing train cars have to private space.
Makeout Car - according to an urban legend, the last car of an L train is the best place for public transit hookups.
Over-the-Top - a term for a situation when a train that normally runs through the subway is rerouted up through the Loop.
Owl Service - bus routes and L lines that operate between midnight and 5:00 a.m.
Recycling - an act of reading a newspaper someone left on the seat of a bus and/or train car. Usually occurs at the tail end of morning and evening rush hours.
Run/Express/Breeze - a term refers to a train or a bus running express past lesser-used stops to make up for lost time. Usually occurs when one or more train/bus is waiting behind it.
Waiting Room - a space within the station house, beyond the fare controls, where customers can wait for trains without being exposed to the elements. Usually located above ground, but there are some ground level examples.
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