Chicago L

[TrainNut]

I was reading a book this morning (it happens occasionally), and I saw a picture of the Chicago L. The picture was of a corner above the intersection of E Lake St. and N Wabash Ave. in the downtown loop. It appears that when traveling north, the track briefly curves to the right before making a 90 degree curve to the left creating an S curve. My best guess is that they did this because the radius was too tight but it seems like there could have been a better way. Upon looking around, it also appears this is the only curve to have been built this way. Does anybody have more information on this curve and why it was built like this? The operators have got to have a special name for this curve but I have been unable to find any information.
While none of the pictures I was able to find are from the right angle, I did manage to find a few that showed this curve however subtle they are. Simply for the sake of comparison, this is a normal curve...


The next two pictures show the S curve...
one from down low...


...and one from up high...


And just for the sake of interest, I found a couple more that are not related to the curve but interesting shots all the same....

[Trucklover]

Cant provide any info about the S Curve but man that second to last pic is really cool!! But what if a train needs to go from the right side tracks and travel to the top left tracks? All the other directions have ways to transfer except this one lol. Do they have to back up after they pass the left switches?

[TrainNut]

Yeh, crazy stuff ain't it? I'd like to have the job of the guy sitting in the tower there... at least for a week or so anyways!

[TinGoat]

All those morning commuters crammed into the "L" and travelling down the track at speed.

First, they all stumble to the left and then they are whipped to the right.

Their morning cup-o'Joe goes flying in one direction and their Morning papers follow in another....

The newsprint is left to soak up all the spilled coffee.

The "S" is for Starbucks!

All those passengers will be looking for a refill and a fresh paper when they get to their stop.

Not to mention a one-hour dry-cleaner for those that got covered in all that flying coffee.

That's what the S-Curve is for. To bring business to downtown coffee shops, news stands and cleaners.

[TrainNut]

Everything seems to always come to a conspiracy doesn't it?

[eightyeightfan1]

Might of had something to do with the earlier architecture of the building on the corner. I read when they built the "l", they had build it in available space. It may have been at one time, that that building, or one prior to that building, stuck out far enough where they had to make a corner that way. Eventually, the addition was torn down, or the building there now is newer. Anyway, they never adjusted the tracks.
There's also another famous section of Chicago's "L" that snakes in an "S" over a parking lot. Origianlly. the "L" snaked between two buildings. When the buildings were torn down, the tracks were left in an "S". I read that Chicago was going straighten it out.