ACR MLG FREQ CHANGED DELAYED AFTER TKOF FROM ORD MAINT RWY HDG.

Narrative

FO FLYING THE ACFT AUTOTHROTTLES INOPERATIVE FOR TKOF ON RWY 22L. GIVEN TKOF CLRNC; 'COMPANY IDENT RWY 22L; CLRED FOR TKOF.' ACKNOWLEDGED CLRNC; THROTTLES MANUALLY SET FOR TKOF; FO FLYING. ONCE AIRBORNE; BOTH MYSELF AND FO FEEL 'UNCOMFORTABLE' WITH STRAIGHT-OUT DEP ON RWY 22L. VERY EXPERIENCED WITH O'HARE OPS AND NORMALLY 22L DEPS HAVE FAIRLY QUICK TURNS L TO S OR FURTHER L TO E. TWR CTLR QUITE BUSY AND NORMAL HDOF TO DEP CTL WAS NOT MADE. FO AND I HAVE ALREADY COMMENTED WITHIN THE COCKPIT THAT THE ATC HANDLING THIS EVENING SEEMS BELOW PAR FOR O'HARE. (WE HAD JUST FLOWN INTO ORD WITH BELOW AVERAGE ATC SVCS ON APCH AND NOTICED TAXIING BACK OUT FOR THIS TKOF UNUSUAL CONFUSION ON GND CTL AND TWR). WITH THIS 'GUT FEELING' AT APPROX 3 MI ON DEP LEG AT APPROX 3800 FT I CALLED TWR TO ASK FOR A SWITCH TO DEP CTL AND CONFIRM OUR 'RWY HDG.' WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO TURN L TO 090 DEG IMMEDIATELY AND MAINTAIN 4000 FT (PREVIOUSLY CLRED TO 5000 FT). AT THIS POINT WE HAD CLBED TO APPROX 4600 FT; DSNDED BACK DOWN TO 4000 FT WHILE ACCOMPLISHING THE TURN TO 090 DEG. A SUPVR HAD COME ON THE TWR FREQ TO INFORM US WE WERE OVERTAKING A COMMUTER-TYPE ACFT. WE SHOWED AN ACFT ON OUR TCASII AT 1 O'CLOCK AND APPROX 8 MI (CLOSED ACFT DISPLAYED). THEN TOLD TO TURN TO 060 DEG; MAINTAIN 4000 FT; AND CONTACT DEP CTL. WE CONTACTED DEP CTL AND THE REMAINDER OF THE DEP WAS NORMAL. BOTH FO AND MYSELF NEITHER HEARD NOR ACKNOWLEDGED A TURN WITH THE ORIGINAL TKOF CLRNC. FAMILIARITY WITH O'HARE'S 'NORMAL' OPERATING PROCS AND THAT 'UNCOMFORTABLE FEELING' MAY HAVE PREVENTED THIS MINOR INCIDENT FROM BECOMING A SERIOUS EVENT.