Why is there a fringe curtain at the Jefferson Park CTA stop?
July 20, 2015 2:06 PM Subscribe
My initial ideas were that it provides shade or shielding, but I don't see any monitors or equipment that it shades, and it only covers a small part of the stop. I haven't noticed fringe at other stops. here is a picture.
This is an "El" stop, here's a view from the other side. Old picture but you get the idea. The station faces out onto the Kennedy Expressway.
If I had to guess, this would be to either keep rainwater from spilling off the top of the car onto the platform or keep something else from blowing over the top of the car onto boarding passengers. The apex of the car's roof seems to match up with the location of that overhang and curtain.
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:43 PM on July 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
If I had to guess, this would be to either keep rainwater from spilling off the top of the car onto the platform or keep something else from blowing over the top of the car onto boarding passengers. The apex of the car's roof seems to match up with the location of that overhang and curtain.
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:43 PM on July 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
My wild guess: Could it be some kind of noise reduction thing for nearby residences? With the L stop and the freeway it’s already pretty loud around there. Maybe trains were causing a whistling noise or something by moving the air in that narrow gap between the station and the cars as they pulled in? And the fringe counteracts it? Then again, I debated posting this comment at all because I really have no idea, although I have been at this L stop.
posted by tepidmonkey at 2:59 PM on July 20, 2015
posted by tepidmonkey at 2:59 PM on July 20, 2015
i have no idea but the unofficial cta faq is amazing. the jefferson park entry on the same site doesn't seem to mention this, but the whole thing is such a labour of love that i bet they'd tell you if you contacted them.
posted by andrewcooke at 3:36 PM on July 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by andrewcooke at 3:36 PM on July 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I'll email the chicago-l.org folks and see what they say.
posted by bleary at 5:14 PM on July 20, 2015
posted by bleary at 5:14 PM on July 20, 2015
Could it be there to keep birds from flying through and pooping on passengers as they get on and off the cars?
posted by jamjam at 5:17 PM on July 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jamjam at 5:17 PM on July 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Oh, here's a better image, from streetview.
I don't think it is a bird deterrent or a snow brush. It's parallel to the train, on the edge of the building, hanging on the side away from the platform. It only covers a part of the platform.
posted by bleary at 5:21 PM on July 20, 2015
I don't think it is a bird deterrent or a snow brush. It's parallel to the train, on the edge of the building, hanging on the side away from the platform. It only covers a part of the platform.
posted by bleary at 5:21 PM on July 20, 2015
My wild guess: is it there to block the sun from a driver's eyes?
posted by Night_owl at 5:39 PM on July 20, 2015
posted by Night_owl at 5:39 PM on July 20, 2015
Looking at the Street View, I wonder if it's not a coincidence that the fringe is located directly beneath the only visible exhaust duct on the roof of the building. Perhaps it's in place to somehow prevent hot or foul exhaust from being sucked into the platform by passing trains?
posted by ejs at 6:05 PM on July 20, 2015
posted by ejs at 6:05 PM on July 20, 2015
You can submit it to Curious City if the L fans can't help!
posted by crush-onastick at 6:06 PM on July 20, 2015
posted by crush-onastick at 6:06 PM on July 20, 2015
Best answer: This image from Oct 2012 Streetview seems to show a monitor behind the curtain, just above the Jefferson Park sign on the white wall. Perhaps it is indeed in place to shade a monitor--perhaps a monitor that is no longer there?
Here is another photo showing fringe curtains shielding a group of four monitors in the Jefferson Park station. That's in another location in the station (the opposite corner of the station; opposite direction of travel) and it is an older photo (note how shiny and new everything looks).
But this more current streetview image shows those same fringe curtains and also shows the reason the curtains are necessary: You can see the sun shining right under the overhang and near the monitors. At certain sun-angles (probably early morning/late evening and/or in winter when the sun in lower in the sky) the sun would shine straight onto those monitors and make it impossible to see anything on them. So the fringe curtains are to shade the monitors from the sun.
I've never been to this location, but from the streetview images it looks like the monitors might show various views along the train/platform. Thus the conductor and/or driver would presumably use them to ensure that people are clear of doors and the train before starting, and it is likely pretty important that they are visible/usable.
FYI the one shown in your photo is on a side of the building facing more or less NNE, so horizontal sunlight early in the morning would be a problem. The ones on the opposite site that I found are facing more or less SSW so horizontal evening sun would definitely be a problem there.
tl;dr: There to shade monitors (historical and/or existing) from the sun in the morning/evening.
posted by flug at 6:48 PM on July 20, 2015 [6 favorites]
Here is another photo showing fringe curtains shielding a group of four monitors in the Jefferson Park station. That's in another location in the station (the opposite corner of the station; opposite direction of travel) and it is an older photo (note how shiny and new everything looks).
But this more current streetview image shows those same fringe curtains and also shows the reason the curtains are necessary: You can see the sun shining right under the overhang and near the monitors. At certain sun-angles (probably early morning/late evening and/or in winter when the sun in lower in the sky) the sun would shine straight onto those monitors and make it impossible to see anything on them. So the fringe curtains are to shade the monitors from the sun.
I've never been to this location, but from the streetview images it looks like the monitors might show various views along the train/platform. Thus the conductor and/or driver would presumably use them to ensure that people are clear of doors and the train before starting, and it is likely pretty important that they are visible/usable.
FYI the one shown in your photo is on a side of the building facing more or less NNE, so horizontal sunlight early in the morning would be a problem. The ones on the opposite site that I found are facing more or less SSW so horizontal evening sun would definitely be a problem there.
tl;dr: There to shade monitors (historical and/or existing) from the sun in the morning/evening.
posted by flug at 6:48 PM on July 20, 2015 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Flug has it exactly right.
The fringe curtains are there to shade those monitors, as flug notes, and they are there for the exact reason flug guesses -- so the operator can verify that the doors on all 8 cars of the train are clear before closing them.
Because of various things on the platform and a slight bend in the platform, the operator can't just look down the train, so they have a rank of monitors to help them monitor the doors-- though increasingly, they've been replacing the old 4 CRT setup with one large LCD panel with a 4 camera view. You can see that setup at Addison a little further down, Addison needs it because the platform is very curved. Not all the stations have them, if the platform is clear and straight, they can just look out the window along the train.
They didn't need them before because they were set so that a conductor in the middle of the train would be able to see both ends, but when the CTA converted to one person operation, with the train operator also working the doors, some of the stations needed the monitors.
Interesting enough, where they've converted to the LCD, they've also converted to digital cameras, and there's a slight time lag in those -- you can see someone walk off, and then see them appear on the camera about a second later. It's not enough of a lag to cause a problem.
posted by eriko at 5:33 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
The fringe curtains are there to shade those monitors, as flug notes, and they are there for the exact reason flug guesses -- so the operator can verify that the doors on all 8 cars of the train are clear before closing them.
Because of various things on the platform and a slight bend in the platform, the operator can't just look down the train, so they have a rank of monitors to help them monitor the doors-- though increasingly, they've been replacing the old 4 CRT setup with one large LCD panel with a 4 camera view. You can see that setup at Addison a little further down, Addison needs it because the platform is very curved. Not all the stations have them, if the platform is clear and straight, they can just look out the window along the train.
They didn't need them before because they were set so that a conductor in the middle of the train would be able to see both ends, but when the CTA converted to one person operation, with the train operator also working the doors, some of the stations needed the monitors.
Interesting enough, where they've converted to the LCD, they've also converted to digital cameras, and there's a slight time lag in those -- you can see someone walk off, and then see them appear on the camera about a second later. It's not enough of a lag to cause a problem.
posted by eriko at 5:33 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: I got a reply from someone at chicago-l. I'll post it if I get permission.
posted by bleary at 1:10 PM on August 11, 2015
posted by bleary at 1:10 PM on August 11, 2015
does it confirm the monitor explanation?
posted by andrewcooke at 1:27 PM on August 11, 2015
posted by andrewcooke at 1:27 PM on August 11, 2015
Response by poster: Yes, it does. I also found out that they call the fringe "eye lashes". If I get an okay to share the email I will post it.
:)
posted by bleary at 5:47 PM on August 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
:)
posted by bleary at 5:47 PM on August 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Got an okay to share.
The fringe you refer to hanging from the canopy at Jefferson Park station was installed to shade the sun and help the train operators see the picture on the monitor on the platform at the head car.and
When the Blue Line first went to one-person train operation in 1997, the operators could not see to the end of the train to safely close the side doors because of visual obstructions along the platform, as well as the curvature of the platform. So cameras and primitive (and fairly poor quality) monitors were installed to help operators see all the side doors along their train to assist in safely closing the doors. On sunny days, the picture on the monitor was all but washed-out by the sun. So, the fringe was installed were the monitors are to help shield the glare of the sun. At Jefferson Park, the operating employees and instructors (there is a training facility in the back of the station) call the fringe the "eye lashes."
Regards,
Graham Garfield
Site Administrator
http://www.chicago-L.org
Sure, that's OK with me. You can add to the answer that, since the original monitors were installed, most if not all have been replaced with better screens that have less glare (they're also flatter and lighter, as technology has progressed since 1997). So I'm not sure if the "eye lashes" are still needed (I suppose even the most glare-resistsent screen can't block all sun if it's really in direct sunlight) or if they've just never been taken down.posted by bleary at 6:29 AM on August 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by mccxxiii at 2:37 PM on July 20, 2015