Bus Trip Down Memory Lane

[sw4400]

For those looking for the history of some of our soon to be departed/already departed buses, I thought I'd make this thread just for you...

Let's Start with the Flxible Metro-B's(5300-Series)

5300 was delivered to the CTA in Februrary 1990 as a prototype bus.

5301-5740 were delivered starting in June 1991.

5741-5769 were delivered starting in October 1991.

The list mentions a 5770 also being delivered in October 1991, which probably was a misprint.

Next, we'll look at the TMC RTS-08(4400-Series)

Three un-numbered test/prototype buses were given to the CTA in July and August 1989

4400 was delivered in August 1989

4401 were delivered in March 1989

4402-4414 were delivered in April 1991

4415-4619 were delivered starting in May 1990

9001??? was delivered in December 1990

4620-4848 were delivered starting in March 1990

4849-4874 were delivered in Februrary 1991

4875 was delivered in January 1991

Finishing up here with the Flxible Metro-E(6000-Series)

6000 was delivered as a prototype in July 1994

6001-6074 were delivered in January 1995

6075-6229 were delivered starting in March 1995

6230-6329 were delivered starting in June 1995

All info copyright of Ohio Museum of Transportation.

[busfan4022]

What the hell is a 9001? It's a TMC? :huh:

[Guest]

For those looking for the history of some of our soon to be departed/already departed buses, I thought I'd make this thread just for you...

Let's Start with the Flxible Metro-B's(5300-Series)

5300 was delivered to the CTA in Februrary 1990 as a prototype bus.

5301-5740 were delivered starting in June 1991.

5741-5769 were delivered starting in October 1991.

The list mentions a 5770 also being delivered in October 1991, which probably was a misprint.

Next, we'll look at the TMC RTS-08(4400-Series)

Three un-numbered test/prototype buses were given to the CTA in July and August 1989

4400 was delivered in August 1989

4401 were delivered in March 1989

4402-4414 were delivered in April 1991

4415-4619 were delivered starting in May 1990

9001??? was delivered in December 1990

4620-4848 were delivered starting in March 1990

4849-4874 were delivered in Februrary 1991

4875 was delivered in January 1991

Finishing up here with the Flxible Metro-E(6000-Series)

6000 was delivered as a prototype in July 1994

6001-6074 were delivered in January 1995

6075-6229 were delivered starting in March 1995

6230-6329 were delivered starting in June 1995

All info copyright of Ohio Museum of Transportation.

Here is some history I remember as a kid when I would accompany my dad to work at the old North Ave. Garage/Carhouse in the late 1970s early 1980s. At that time the bus fleet at North Ave. consisted of GMC 5307s 1335-1524. The #3700 series (narrow) Flxibles were assigned for Lake St. operations. Flxible #3701 was painted in a "Clean up Chicago" campaign. When the Flyer D901s arrived in 1983 North Ave were assigned 9850-9929. My favorite GMC at North Ave was #1473. Walking through that garage, I remember the tall firewalls that separated the garage. It was mostly a GMC 5307 fleet there, wall to wall GMCs and Flxibles New Looks. I lived on Armitage ave at the time, I would ride with my dad mostly on the #73 Armitage, 76 Diversey, 77 Belmont routes. In the 80s North Ave. bus fleet consisted of 9100/9500 GMC 5307s, Flyer D901s. When North Ave closed its doors in 1986.....

Routes #57,65,66,70,72,73,74 were reassigned to a then brand new Kedzie Garage.

Routes #53,54 were assigned to the reopened Lawndale Garage, Cermak/Pulaski

Routes 76,77,86 were reassigned to Forest Glen Garage.

Bus fleet 9100/9500s were assigned to Lawndale

9850-9929 were ressigned to Forest Glen to supplement

Flyer #9930-9974,9844/1600-1624 buses.

[Busjack]

What the hell is a 9001? It's a TMC?

I think we discussed with RIPTA about 3 years ago that some Detroit area SMART buses ended up on the Ohio Museum Roster as CTAs.

Doesn't pay to uncritically copy.

Also, at that time, the CTA 9000 New Looks were still around.

[Busjack]

Walking through that garage, I remember the tall firewalls that separated the garage.

For the younger of you there, one should remember that North Ave. was originally a trolley facility, and most of the storage was outdoors. There were rows of brick firewalls south of the main building, and, while by the time I saw it, the streetcars were long gone, there were still buses parked outside between the firewalls. If you can imagine Archer or 77th without any roof or doors, that might give you some idea. There was a building along North Ave., but a comparatively thin one.

Always hit me as strange that the 3 main North Side facilities (North Ave., North Park, and Forest Glen) were outside. Of course, North Park and Forest Glen were always strictly bus (FG having both propanes and trolley buses), having been built by the CTA in the 1950s to consolidate all sorts of small facilities.

Also, obviously, CTA5750's visits were after North Ave. was predominantly a trolley bus station (that ended in 1973).

[trainman8119]

For the younger of you there, one should remember that North Ave. was originally a trolley facility, and most of the storage was outdoors. There were rows of brick firewalls south of the main building, and, while by the time I saw it, the streetcars were long gone, there were still buses parked outside between the firewalls. If you can imagine Archer or 77th without any roof or doors, that might give you some idea. There was a building along North Ave., but a comparatively thin one.

Also, obviously, CTA5750's visits were after North Ave. was predominantly a trolley bus station (that ended in 1973).

North Ave was a fond place for me since other than Keeler, that was the closest garage to me. Also, that is where I was able to tool around in Fishbowl 1431 (under supervision, of course) during a day of driver training in the yard while doing my school report in high school (Easter week 1976), shortly after those buses arrived there (part of the reason I snicker when I was reading the stuff about youngsters in the garages). I found a pic from Tom's Trolley Bus that may give you the flavor of what North Ave was (taken near the end of the road for the Marmon's in 1973):

[Guest]

For the younger of you there, one should remember that North Ave. was originally a trolley facility, and most of the storage was outdoors. There were rows of brick firewalls south of the main building, and, while by the time I saw it, the streetcars were long gone, there were still buses parked outside between the firewalls. If you can imagine Archer or 77th without any roof or doors, that might give you some idea. There was a building along North Ave., but a comparatively thin one.

Always hit me as strange that the 3 main North Side facilities (North Ave., North Park, and Forest Glen) were outside. Of course, North Park and Forest Glen were always strictly bus (FG having both propanes and trolley buses), having been built by the CTA in the 1950s to consolidate all sorts of small facilities.

Also, obviously, CTA5750's visits were after North Ave. was predominantly a trolley bus station (that ended in 1973).

I was only 2 when the trolley coaches left North ave. so I never got the chance to see them. My dad came on the job in Sept. 1972 so he did get to experience driving the Marmons for a brief period. The 9200 Brills were gone by this time. I really enjoyed the stories he would share with me about his experiences on the job. The North ave garage I remember, no longer had the trolley wires but the poles remained for new low sodium lighting that was installed a couple of years later. In fact today you can still see the old trolley wire poles and lighting in front of the Harris Bank on North Av. and Lamon. There are I believe two or three poles still standing. I still remember the old, long transportation building and the two bays, I used to love walking through that facility and seeing all the GMC 5307s in there. The bus storage area outside I recall after the trolley coaches left was changed. The buses were parked on an angle nose in,"tracks" as they were called, not the bumper to bumper method as shown in 8119s trolley coach pic. In the Chicago Surface Lines book theres a pic of North Ave in the streetcar days. The book, "CTA at 45 " has a couple of nice color pics of the 9200 Brills at North Ave. Tom's Trolley bus pix has some great shots of the North Ave garage.