Wolfman

Makes sense, actually. "Gas" buses were often used for the limited services as they were likely to bypass the local service under wire. Also, there are times in scheduling where a limited will go to the terminal, and return as a local enroute to pulling in. In those cases, you would have a "gas" bus routinely working the trolleybus route. "Gas Bus" - anything with an internal combustion engine. Octane or Propane. That includes Diesel.

Then... Just a thought; You are making multiple requests. Could you possibly make better use of punctuation in your posts? Back to the topic. Your best bet is to contact CTA directly for transit guides and brocures. I think the closest thing CTA has to a comprehensive brochure kiosk is at the Water Tower Visitor Center. As a rule, CTA does not stock or keep obsolete system maps. When new editions are published, older ones are destroyed. Your best chance here is to ask on the forums and see if members have duplicates or surplus items they are willing to part with. You can also find older maps and brochures at hobby shops, train shows, and of course, eBay. IMHO, eBay is a rip-off for printed material as there is no actual "cash value" (not now) for obsolete printed matter as transit brochures or maps are concerned. The real money is in training hand outs and operation manuals.

Looked through my collection. No gots. 9532 was a collision rebuild. It was originally a Forest Glen "albino" repainted "Geissenheimer Green". It was repowered with a 6V92TA, had a digital passenger counter, and not only the same electronic signs as the M.A.N. Americanas, but an electronic message board in the teardrop window on the right side (it never worked). It briefly ran out of Limits, then Lawndale, then New Kedzie. It finished it's life out at 69th Street. Electrical problems plagued this bus, and I think that's what put it to pasture. Many times the lights and signs never worked right, and the turbo had problems. As unique as it was, it was never requested for any fan trips, so few have pics of it. By the time 9532 came out of the shops, there were more than a few specailty green buses in the fleet, and the digital flip dot signs really didn't excite many fans. Keep looking though, someone might have shots of that bus.

The majority of bus operators know the route already. Programming that information into the sytem is a waste of bandwidth, and is a hazzard to someone trying to professionally operate a bus. Yes. Those signs are called "wayfinders". The point was to help bus operators navigate out of the shopping plaza parking lot. Old Orchard had them, yes. They were also at Ford City, Scottsdale, Lake Meadows, and O'Hare Airport (as well as Union Station and Northwestern Station for the contra-flow lane). These were turns and entrances/exits that would be difficult to translate on a line map.

What a Line Instructor does is "cubbing" - or on the job training. You have to understand, when you see a newbie operator with a Line Instructor, the newbie operator is actually driving the run that is assigned to the line instructor. Line Instructors are not assigned to ride with newbies once they qualify. Back in the day, the Istruction Department issues operators what are called "line maps". They are detailed street maps of any given route and many show detailed variations and deviations. You know, they say you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink? Well, many new operators have the line maps, few study them as they should. Ask any operator on this forum. Everybody makes mistakes. When you finish your training and 'qualify', supposedly you are ready for the street. Instructors can't be available to hold everyone's hand once they plug the board. You either get it, or you don't.

Nope. It was a "one off". A one-of-a-kind. Back in the mid-to-late 80's, the guys that do major rebuilds at South Shops played around with spare parts and put this together. It started its new life as a community information bus. The bus was laid out as a mobile office/storehouse, and customer service reps staffed it and made appearances around the community. The instruction department had dibs on it for use at the roadeo finals... Oddly, the idea was to build a number of these "Frankenbuses" as work buses, and to test a new automotive paint. CTA got too involved at the time rehabbing Fishbowls and repainting green buses into the white with the blue and red stripes to devote time to build work buses, so 3091 was the only one to come off the drawing board and onto the street (so to speak). 3091 is a 1965 Flxible originally assigned to Archer, but lived most of its life at 77th.

................................................................................................ "Anyone who doesn't make mistakes isn't trying hard enough." --Wess Roberts ................................................................................................ I can only guess the bus operator was thinking he could navigate around the obstacle. Nice try. I'm sure the last thing on his mind was the clearance of the angle irons on the structure... The bus operator will get time off and retraining for hitting a fixed object. The bus will go to the shops and get repaired. The sun will come up tomorrow, and every little thing is gonna be alright. Don't sweat the small stuff... Because, in the end, it's ALL small stuff.

I say give the young lady credit. If she is assigned to North Park, she had several routes to learn. Some lines you need time on more than others. I would imagine she's had several weeks of line instruction, and even so, the first day behind the wheel alone is very nerve racking. Kudos to you and the others for being patient and willing to help. Over the years, there have been a LOT of new bus operators that have quit the job on their first day because they made an error and got lost and rather than help the poor soul, the passengers on the bus took advantage and the whole damn thing became a nightmare... Wrong route to be on first day? Nah. The window clerk doesn't care. When you are a newbie, you work the extra board. You work what you are assigned, or you go see the manager (who doesn't want to hear excuses). What would be the RIGHT route to be on the first day? Devon? Lunt? North Kedzie? Easy lines, sure. But, as they say, if you can't run with the big dogs, then stay on the porch. You have to learn the difficult routes sometime, otherwise newbie bus operators become a liability. Call me lucky - my first assignment was the 43rd Street nightcar out of 52nd Street...and, that was back when we did the shift change at the Stock Yards, AND The Ampitheater was still in operation. It might seem like an "easy street", but I guarantee you, it wasn't. That next day saw me on a "tripper" on the old 5B Yates/Colfax, with the afternoon portion on the old 5 Jeffery Local. Every other bus went via 95th Street to Yates. Anyway, give the person credit. They finished training, qualified, got their CDL, and (hopefully) starting a new career. Some of us are quick learners. Others need more time. ................................................................................................................................................... "He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance, one cannot fly into flying." --Friedrich Nietzche ....................................................................................................................................................

My best guess is that the planning department had been trying to officially number some of the old motor coach express routes along the North Lake Shore for some time. A careful study of the North Park 7400 signs would tell you that the destination listings were done by comittee, rather than one person, or a replication of any previous sign. The proof (as many rollsign graphics scholars here point out) is the perpetual redundancy in readings even though there are differnt formats. Then came the replacement signs of 1975. Perhaps a new generation of planners? When the new signs were installed, gradually many route numbers were changed, and in the case of Lincoln Park, The Gold Coast, and The North Shore, new versions of old routes were established, and EVERYTHING got a route number (many expresses were simply bundled onto the existing main line - limiteds were done away with). 120s - Downtown 130s - La Salle 140s - North Michigan/North Lake Shore That's just my best guess.

Very good point. Back in the day (30 years ago), we used to have the 80A Irving Park Express. In the evening rush hour, that ran from the Pulaski Blue Line west out to Cumberland. Problem was, in the evenings, we had a number of passengers that "played dumb" and boarded at the turnaround at Avondale and would ride to their non-expres stop street. Yes, they knew it was the express. They also knew it was a faster ride, and if we wouldn't let them off, they simply pulled the emergency on the back doors causing the bus to "stonewall", and they'd get out like nothing happened. Make a case out of it, and they's report you to your bosses (who never had your back). Thing was, they were back on the bus the next day, and the one after that. Yup. For BRT to work, you have to make it identifiable. You also want "curb appeal". Sorry, the 4000s have very little "curb appeal".

Yup. Toronto (and many other Canadian cities) opted for 2/1 seating. Been putting in specs for buses that way for a long, long time. I think even the Flyer E 700s had 2/1 seats. It made sense. It makes for a wider aisle, and the buses accomodate more riders when they cary crush loads. Some orders had half "bowling alley" seats (logitudinal). Same reason. CTA experiemented with 2/1 seating on one of the 9000s. 9537 in fact. It ran out of Forest Glen and Limits perpetually to great success. The seating plan was used with the last 25 Flyer D-901s (1600-1624). You would have thought the next bus order (M.A.N. 4000s) would have a similar seating arrangement. Not to be. When it was mandated that all following orders be ADA compliant (lifts), CTA had to swallow it and do 2/1 seats for the "Timmies" (4400s).

The 5000 series (and prior) Twin Coaches had treadle operated rear doors. The treadle operation (then) was a poor and primitave design. Many times, the treadle did not work. This was a major concern especailly after the PCC stretcar wreck at State & 63rd. New city ordinances mandated that future bus orders have the 'push door' option as well as 'cherries' at each door and an optional emergency exit.

These badges were issued by the CTA way back. My educated guess was 1949/50. The supervisors' badges were pretty much copied from the old CSL supervisors badges, with the obvious changes with the "CTA Coin". If your great grandfather was issued 557, I'm thinking he was a rail employee (as opposed to surface). He could have been a supervisor, or a rail instructor. Supervisors and instuctors wore the same badges until 1979. The protocol at CTA has always been that you have to be a supervisor to qualify to be an instructor, so in any case, your great grandfather came up through the ranks, and was at the very least a supervisor. Quite possible he could have gone much further. Maybe even superintendant! They don't take your badges away once you get that far in the orginization.

SURPRISE! SURPRISE! I looked through my stash tonight, and found that I had CSL streetcar side signs from Old Kedzie, and Cottage Grove Depots! These are WAY older than PCC signs. Both signs have long-gone through routes on them. While Kedzie DID have PCCs, their PCCs were exclusive to the 20 Madison. This sign doesn't even have Madison on it. Freaky! I also have a very rare trolley bus side sign that appears to be from the '30s. Thinking North Avenue. It's too large to be from the late 40s or 50s, and too small to be anything but a side route sign. I also unearthed not one, but TWO side signs from Chicago and West Towns Railways motorbuses. They're from the late 40's/early 50s.