By Tracy Swartz
RedEye

There's no smoking on the CTA--but an old car may soon be used as a cigar shop.

Jungle Jim's International Market, described as a "theme park of food" that has two locations in Ohio, said it purchased a 2200-series rail car in a December auction of CTA memorabilia.

The market expects the car to be delivered this week, and it will be used at the market's main location in Fairfield, said Stephanie Adams, who works in the market's marketing department.
"We are planning on making it a cigar shop," Adams said. "But that could change any minute."

The purchase all started with a tweet.

A Chicagoan who used to live in Cincinnati tweeted at the market in December that the market should purchase an old CTA rail car being auctioned off. The market, which spans more than six acres, has boasted having an airstream trailer and a fire truck.

The market looked into the auction and submitted a bid. Adams wouldn't say how much the market paid for the car. Two rail cars were for sale in the auction. One went for $13,150. The other for $10,000. There were 59 bids between the two cars.

The CTA said customers placed more than $34,000 worth of bids on 117 items in its first-ever auction.

"I'm sure we'll have a lot of Chicago fans who are excited" about the car, Adams said.