Man Americana CTA Bus

[Sam92]

4 hours ago, BusHunter said:

I dont remember it being a race issue. It was more an issue of how the stevenson exit was designed in relation to lsd. The fact that the car was dragged under the bus several feet without it stopping and slamming into a pole, does make one wonder if the drivers reaction time was slow. I wouldve looked at his dtiving hours and seen if maybe he was tired cause the reaction time is slower. I once had a similar issue happen to me had a guy come to a complete stop at the dan ryan skyway split sb. I had to stand on the pedal to get it to stop was doing 45. I had a full load which will push the bus. I got the bus stopped. Sometimes driving can be physical. I believe that you can muscle the bus to stop. If you dont have the foot pressure you will not stop. Now with him having an artic thats more weight yet, so maybe he did all he could and the bus pushed him. You have to figure your reaction time though. Like they tell us where I work. 90 percent of the time the auto is a fault because they dont know that you cant stop on a dime. It was a bad day.

 

How much effect would a hill have in this case because if it’s by soldier field then it’s a pretty moderate downgrade at that point as well. They say the car jumped out in front and I’ll say even though I haven’t driven a bus, being on the road on both car and bike I can tell you the way some people jump over from another lane into your path whether due to impatience or overall bad judgement In allowable space to make the maneuver, some cases take having a psychic on your side to predict. 

[Sam92]

T

4 hours ago, BusHunter said:

I dont remember it being a race issue. It was more an issue of how the stevenson exit was designed in relation to lsd. The fact that the car was dragged under the bus several feet without it stopping and slamming into a pole, does make one wonder if the drivers reaction time was slow. I wouldve looked at his dtiving hours and seen if maybe he was tired cause the reaction time is slower. I once had a similar issue happen to me had a guy come to a complete stop at the dan ryan skyway split sb. I had to stand on the pedal to get it to stop was doing 45. I had a full load which will push the bus. I got the bus stopped. Sometimes driving can be physical. I believe that you can muscle the bus to stop. If you dont have the foot pressure you will not stop. Now with him having an artic thats more weight yet, so maybe he did all he could and the bus pushed him. You have to figure your reaction time though. Like they tell us where I work. 90 percent of the time the auto is a fault because they dont know that you cant stop on a dime. It was a bad day.

 

Then another thing…. Why were 7 people in a Cadillac? I’m sure that doesn’t help visibility 

[artthouwill]

6 hours ago, BusHunter said:

I dont remember it being a race issue. It was more an issue of how the stevenson exit was designed in relation to lsd. The fact that the car was dragged under the bus several feet without it stopping and slamming into a pole, does make one wonder if the drivers reaction time was slow. I wouldve looked at his dtiving hours and seen if maybe he was tired cause the reaction time is slower. I once had a similar issue happen to me had a guy come to a complete stop at the dan ryan skyway split sb. I had to stand on the pedal to get it to stop was doing 45. I had a full load which will push the bus. I got the bus stopped. Sometimes driving can be physical. I believe that you can muscle the bus to stop. If you dont have the foot pressure you will not stop. Now with him having an artic thats more weight yet, so maybe he did all he could and the bus pushed him. You have to figure your reaction time though. Like they tell us where I work. 90 percent of the time the auto is a fault because they dont know that you cant stop on a dime. It was a bad day.

 

I don't know if you remember,  but SB Columbus merged into SB Lake Shore Drive.   As a frequent rider of the 6 and thev14, the bus drivers tried to get across from the right lane to the left lanes as quickly as possible because the right lanes would be backed up with cars trying to exit at the Stevenson ramp.  The middle lane usually had traffic that would merged to thr right exit lanes at the last minute.   The left lanes were free flowing.  There were no traffic signals on SB LSD like there were on NB LSD. 

IMAGINE a fully loaded artic changing lanes and building speed.  I believe the far left lane had traffic turning into Soldier Field parking lot.   Umagune this one car realizing he's in the wrong lane and decides to stop to try to get in that left lane, not realizing that LSD is more like an expressway than a wide suburban road.  With 6 other passengers in the car, he can't see in his rear view mirror a big bus is behind him.  Sad 

But I certainly remember Channel 1 sent out reporters to clock speeds if the bus drivers. 

Remember a few years ago when an officer in the north burns was found dead.  He had reported he was tracking a couple of suspects, I think two were black and one was white?  All the neqa told you was how great a cop and family nan he was.  It took an independent investigation to uncover the this was an orchestrated suicide as a result of an internal investigation of him stealing funds from a police youth group. Point us the media sensationalized things for ratings and can't be trusted. 

[BusHunter]

18 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

I don't know if you remember,  but SB Columbus merged into SB Lake Shore Drive.   As a frequent rider of the 6 and thev14, the bus drivers tried to get across from the right lane to the left lanes as quickly as possible because the right lanes would be backed up with cars trying to exit at the Stevenson ramp.  The middle lane usually had traffic that would merged to thr right exit lanes at the last minute.   The left lanes were free flowing.  There were no traffic signals on SB LSD like there were on NB LSD. 

IMAGINE a fully loaded artic changing lanes and building speed.  I believe the far left lane had traffic turning into Soldier Field parking lot.   Umagune this one car realizing he's in the wrong lane and decides to stop to try to get in that left lane, not realizing that LSD is more like an expressway than a wide suburban road.  With 6 other passengers in the car, he can't see in his rear view mirror a big bus is behind him.  Sad 

But I certainly remember Channel 1 sent out reporters to clock speeds if the bus drivers. 

Remember a few years ago when an officer in the north burns was found dead.  He had reported he was tracking a couple of suspects, I think two were black and one was white?  All the neqa told you was how great a cop and family nan he was.  It took an independent investigation to uncover the this was an orchestrated suicide as a result of an internal investigation of him stealing funds from a police youth group. Point us the media sensationalized things for ratings and can't be trusted. 

In alot of ways, the traffic still has the same problems. Now the nb has a lane that ends on the right. Everyone tries to go around the slow bus. Its aggravating, I find myself changing lanes there. The narrative you point out sounds accurate, add in that the kids are probably all talking, so they are distracted. They are essentially new drivers and dont have the experience the road will teach them. 

The media will sensationalize, thats how they get viewers. They will always make a big deal out of something. Its just like with Rittenhouse. How is that a racial crime. Its white on white crime. They stir the pot in alot of ways and make things worse than they are. I have friends that dont watch the news. Im just glad they seem to be stopping talking about covid. 

[NewFlyerMCI]

A lot of what I’m reading here seems to support that we need more outside cameras on buses. Not like the extra ticket revenue will hurt the city & CTA

[YoungBusLover]

On 11/26/2021 at 2:36 PM, NewFlyerMCI said:

A lot of what I’m reading here seems to support that we need more outside cameras on buses. Not like the extra ticket revenue will hurt the city & CTA

That is a gold mine right now that CTA and the city need to tap back into.

[Master58]

On 11/25/2021 at 9:44 AM, busfan2847 said:

The 7300 were one year older that the 7100s and between 17-19 years old when they moved to cta in 1999-2001. They were not built with, or ever had, air conditioning and were longer than the cta ones (MAN SG310-18-2 rather than 7100 SG310-16.5-2A).

The 7000s were withdrawn before 1994. 7219 was withdrawn in 1985 (2 years old - fire?), the rest of the 7200 between 1995 & 2002 except 7167 withdrawn 2003 and 7143 withdrawn 2004. The 7300 were withdrawn 2003/2004 as the NABI 60-LFW were delivered.

What was the difference between the 7000's and 7100's? 

[Sam92]

15 minutes ago, Master58 said:

What was the difference between the 7000's and 7100's? 

7100 were all done here in the states. 7000s we’re made overseas but finished over here and were test buses from what the site says. Picture wise they look the same

[artthouwill]

35 minutes ago, Master58 said:

What was the difference between the 7000's and 7100's? 

The 7000a had forward facing seats over the front wheel wells while the 7100s and all other high floor buses had aisle facing seats over the front wheels. 

[busfan2847]

On 12/17/2021 at 7:01 AM, Sam92 said:

7100 were all done here in the states. 7000s we’re made overseas but finished over here and were test buses from what the site says. Picture wise they look the same

The 7000s were a result of the 1972 Urban Mass Transportation Administration Superbus project, which examined the use of articulated buses in transit service. MAN and Volvo each sent an articulated bus demonstrator to the United States for evaluation. (The MAN one was used by cta for a period of time between 1974-6). AM General got the contract in 1976 for 398 articulated buses that were delivered to 12 cities in 1978/9. AM General, the only manufacturer to submit a bid, had partnered with MAN to produce the buses. The SG220 were built in West Germany and assembled in the United States.

When the partnership with AM General ended, MAN formed their United States division MAN Truck and Bus Corporation in 1980. They opened their own manufacturing facility in Cleveland, North Carolina and began producing the SG310 (7100 & 7300).

[MRChiCity]

On 11/29/2014 at 10:38 PM, jajuan said:

The Evanston routes that had the MAN 4000s were the former 202 Main/Emerson and 204 Dodge routes. And even though the sound clip is a CNG model of one of the American MAN buses' cousins, this is the sound I remember. This was the standard on most in CTA's fleet. There have been variations to that based on how the maintenance crews adjusted sequence of gear shifts the engines went through during acceleration. After 10 years I still miss that distinctive growl on Chicago's streets.

Make that 20 years now, long live the MANS

[artthouwill]

On 12/18/2021 at 10:52 AM, busfan2847 said:

The 7000s were a result of the 1972 Urban Mass Transportation Administration Superbus project, which examined the use of articulated buses in transit service. MAN and Volvo each sent an articulated bus demonstrator to the United States for evaluation. (The MAN one was used by cta for a period of time between 1974-6). AM General got the contract in 1976 for 398 articulated buses that were delivered to 12 cities in 1978/9. AM General, the only manufacturer to submit a bid, had partnered with MAN to produce the buses. The SG220 were built in West Germany and assembled in the United States.

When the partnership with AM General ended, MAN formed their United States division MAN Truck and Bus Corporation in 1980. They opened their own manufacturing facility in Cleveland, North Carolina and began producing the SG310 (7100 & 7300).

The 7300s were a year OLDER  than the 7100s and were originally delivered to Seattle.   They were also five feet longer than the CTA'S 7100s.  Supposedly they had less mileage than the 7100s but didn't hold up well here.  

[Busjack]

3 hours ago, artthouwill said:

The 7300s were a year OLDER  than the 7100s and were originally delivered to Seattle.   They were also five feet longer than the CTA'S 7100s.  Supposedly they had less mileage than the 7100s but didn't hold up well here.  

That's correct, except the explanation was that Seattle had milder winters.

[artthouwill]

16 hours ago, Busjack said:

That's correct, except the explanation was that Seattle had milder winters.

Seattle does have milder womters but the 7300s were brutal in the summer here.  The 7500s couldn't get here fast enough  (which might explain why CTA conditionally accepted the 7500s).  The MAN artics were barely running even though they were over 20 years old.  I don't know if any other bus series ran for 23 or 24 years in CTA History other than the 7100s.

[Rail Introvert]

23 hours ago, MRChiCity said:

Make that 20 years now, long live the MANS

Funny I had a dream last night I was seeing a MAN Americana.

[jajuan]

On 7/7/2024 at 9:26 AM, artthouwill said:

Seattle does have milder womters but the 7300s were brutal in the summer here.  The 7500s couldn't get here fast enough  (which might explain why CTA conditionally accepted the 7500s).  The MAN artics were barely running even though they were over 20 years old.  I don't know if any other bus series ran for 23 or 24 years in CTA History other than the 7100s.

I almost said the 3700s that ran on the now dead 16 Lake and MAN 4000s. But the 3700s capped out at 22 years and the 4000s at 19 years. The Nova 6400s also came out just shy of it. So yeah, it looks like the 7100s hold the record.

[andrethebusman]

On 7/7/2024 at 7:26 AM, artthouwill said:

Seattle does have milder womters but the 7300s were brutal in the summer here.  The 7500s couldn't get here fast enough  (which might explain why CTA conditionally accepted the 7500s).  The MAN artics were barely running even though they were over 20 years old.  I don't know if any other bus series ran for 23 or 24 years in CTA History other than the 7100s.

7300s were bought for one basic reason - they had lifts, while 7100s did not. 7100 transmission problems did not help, but that was not the primary issue. 

[Busjack]

8 hours ago, andrethebusman said:

7300s were bought for one basic reason - they had lifts, while 7100s did not. 7100 transmission problems did not help, but that was not the primary issue. 

No, they were basically brought here because the 7000s and 7100s reached the end of their lives. The introduction of 7300s allowed CTA to post 147 as accessible, but the times I rode it, the drivers had to wrestle with the lifts to make them work. IIRC, 6 and 14 were not posted as accessible, maybe because there was one 7100 left, but I sort of doubt that.

CTA was also in no hurry to get rid of the MAN Americanas, even though they were not accessible, keeping some of them on routes like 152 until NABIs arrived.

[Master58]

On 9/23/2024 at 9:23 AM, Busjack said:

No, they were basically brought here because the 7000s and 7100s reached the end of their lives. The introduction of 7300s allowed CTA to post 147 as accessible, but the times I rode it, the drivers had to wrestle with the lifts to make them work. IIRC, 6 and 14 were not posted as accessible, maybe because there was one 7100 left, but I sort of doubt that.

CTA was also in no hurry to get rid of the MAN Americanas, even though they were not accessible, keeping some of them on routes like 152 until NABIs arrived.

I thought there were two 7100s left.  Before all of the MAN artics retired in 2004.

[busfan2847]

17 hours ago, Master58 said:

I thought there were two 7100s left.  Before all of the MAN artics retired in 2004.

Yes 7167 lasted until 2003 and 7143 until 2004. Attached is a photo I took of 7143 at Navy Pier on 2nd Sep 2003.

[Sam92]

1 hour ago, busfan2847 said:

Yes 7167 lasted until 2003 and 7143 until 2004. Attached is a photo I took of 7143 at Navy Pier on 2nd Sep 2003.

Nice pic!  7143 was from Kedzie?

[busfan2847]

4 minutes ago, Sam92 said:

Nice pic!  7143 was from Kedzie?

Thanks! No, from 6/24/2002 to 3/22/2008 the 121 operated from 103rd

[Sam92]

4 minutes ago, busfan2847 said:

Thanks! No, from 6/24/2002 to 3/22/2008 the 121 operated from 103rd

Ahh ok. Forgot what 103rd was doing on those routes before '08. I just remember after that they had PMs on 123 with artics when I started at potbelly on Clinton lol

[Master58]

1 hour ago, busfan2847 said:

Yes 7167 lasted until 2003 and 7143 until 2004. Attached is a photo I took of 7143 at Navy Pier on 2nd Sep 2003.

Nice picture.  I miss the 7100s.  When did the rest of 7100s retire?  

[busfan2847]

16 minutes ago, Master58 said:

Nice picture.  I miss the 7100s.  When did the rest of 7100s retire?  

7219 8/85 - crash Soldier Field; 7120 1991

The rest where withdrawn from ~1995 to 2001