No Two Snowflake Specials Are Alike

Suffering from cabin fever?  Want to go railfanning, but IRM is closed for another month?  There's a solution!  David Fullarton reminds us that the Snowflake Special is coming up soon -- Sunday, March 24.

He writes: This year's big "selling point" is that we will have an eight-car train, the first on any Snowflake Special since the early 1970s (when the norm was eight 4000s). So there will be plenty of elbow room on the train. Additionally, the train will have four types of DC-propulsion cars in the consist - the 2200, 2400, 2600, and 3200 series, with build dates ranging from 1969 to 1993. As far as we know, this is the only time this has ever been done and with the impending retirement of the 2200- and 2400-series cars, such a consist will be impossible in the near future.

Tickets for the trip will be available from two different terminals: Forest Park on the Blue Line, and Midway Airport on the Orange Line. Forest Park tickets are priced at $55. A four car train of 2200s and 2600s will depart from that terminal at about 8:00am, and travel to Midway, where another four cars (2400s and 3200s) will be added. Tickets for Midway departures are priced at $47. After departing Midway at about 9:15, we will travel throughout the CTA system and travel through the "nooks and crannies" of the "L" not often seen by the traveling public. As usual, we will have narration, photo stops, restroom breaks, as well as time allotted for lunch on the loop. Midway riders will arrive back there at about 6:00pm, and Forest Park riders will arrive back there at about 7:15. Like previous Snowflake Specials run by the museum, proceeds from this trip will be put toward the acquisition of retired "L" cars from the CTA - in this case, one pair each of 2200- and 2400-series cars.



It's best to buy your tickets in advance, so go to the link above and order now!