Metra cab controll car details. Chicago Illinois USA. August 2007.

I took this underside detail photo at the Metra Forest Glen commuter rail flagstop depot. The solonoid operated stationary bell, gives this commuter coach's identity away, as being a cab controll car. Cab controll cars, are the cars You see leading the inbound Metra commuter trains to downtown Chicago. They have an engineers / operators compartment with a locomotive controll stand. The controll stand is hooked up to cable , and air brake line connections that run through the lenght of the commuter coaches, all the way to the locomotive that pushes the train on the rear end of the arriving train to Chicago. In past decades, locomotives had to be turned or run around the commuter trains at the terminal destinations. Cab controll Bi leval cars were introduced in Chicago during the mid 1950's. The Chicago & NorthWestern RR had the 1st ones.