6400-series Nova LFS - Updates & Retirements

[Rhys Pate]

6770 was towed to the Illinois Railway Museum from Forest Glen Garage yesterday (5/12/2026)! 6770 is now in preservation! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CLfRzcQds/?mibextid=wwXIfr

[pudgym29]

7 hours ago, Rhys Pate said:

6770 was towed to the Illinois Railway Museum from Forest Glen Garage yesterday (5/12/2026)! 6770 is now in preservation! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CLfRzcQds/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Here are my photos of #6770 on route #77 Belmont on 15 August 2020. 

[Rhys Pate]

Have there been any other departures of 6400s from CTA property in 2026 besides 6770 to IRM? If not, then 6770 was the first departure of a 6400 since 6875 to Sims in December 2024 (since there were no 6400 departures in 2025).

[5745-5764]

On 5/15/2026 at 9:07 AM, Rhys Pate said:

Have there been any other departures of 6400s from CTA property in 2026 besides 6770 to IRM? If not, then 6770 was the first departure of a 6400 since 6875 to Sims in December 2024 (since there were no 6400 departures in 2025).

 

Just 6779 and 6163. One of each kindIMG_0585.dngIMG_0582.dng

[Rhys Pate]

On 5/21/2026 at 9:19 AM, 5745-5764 said:

 

Just 6779 and 6163. One of each kindIMG_0585.dngIMG_0582.dng

I meant have any other 6400s left the CTA this year for any reason besides 6770 (departures of 6400s from the CTA for scrapping or any other reason)?

[Rhys Pate]

On 5/13/2026 at 2:41 PM, Rhys Pate said:

6770 was towed to the Illinois Railway Museum from Forest Glen Garage yesterday (5/12/2026)! 6770 is now in preservation! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CLfRzcQds/?mibextid=wwXIfr

6770 arrived at the Illinois Railway Museum on May 15th. The picture taken on May 12th was of 6770 being staged (getting 6770 ready) for the tow to the Illinois Railway Museum.

[Bus1883]

How many 6400s on the property still? 

[Rhys Pate]

The last update on this thread of a 6400 being sent to a junk yard for scrapping was 6875 in December 2024. Has the CTA stopped sending 6400s to junk yards for scrapping because they want the remaining ones to be parts sources for the preserved 6400s (6472 and 6770; the heritage fleet/community bus and the IRM bus), with the CTA and IRM having access to the buses for parts?

[YoungBusLover]

18 hours ago, Rhys Pate said:

The last update on this thread of a 6400 being sent to a junk yard for scrapping was 6875 in December 2024. Has the CTA stopped sending 6400s to junk yards for scrapping because they want the remaining ones to be parts sources for the preserved 6400s (6472 and 6770; the heritage fleet/community bus and the IRM bus), with the CTA and IRM having access to the buses for parts?

Negative, a majority of the 6400s left are just awaiting a scrap hauler to come get them but that process takes a while to source. They're scattered all throughout the boneyard. 

[Rhys Pate]

9 hours ago, YoungBusLover said:

Negative, a majority of the 6400s left are just awaiting a scrap hauler to come get them but that process takes a while to source. They're scattered all throughout the boneyard. 

It seems like the 6400s are scattered throughout South Shops, mixed with rusted out 1630-2029 1000s. That makes sense that scrap haulers can take time to source (perhaps that is why no 6400s have gone to a junkyard for scrapping since December 2024). Perhaps a few will remain as parts units (parts sources) as sources of spare parts for the 6400s in preservation. There have to be parts available for 6472 and 6770 if needed. Maybe more of the remaining 6400s will go to junkyards when the CTA starts sending rusted out 1630-2029 1000s to junkyards.

[Busjack]

19 minutes ago, Rhys Pate said:

It seems like the 6400s are scattered throughout South Shops

There was also a mess of them at FG.

[Rhys Pate]

1 hour ago, Busjack said:

There was also a mess of them at FG.

Are there still any 6400s at Forest Glen?

[Mr.NewFlyer1279]

14 hours ago, Rhys Pate said:

Are there still any 6400s at Forest Glen?

negative, there’s only 1 at the glen behind the salt house been sitting there since spring of 2025

[Rhys Pate]

21 hours ago, Mr.NewFlyer1279 said:

negative, there’s only 1 at the glen behind the salt house been sitting there since spring of 2025

I meant in storage or present in other not in service forms at FG (not in service at FG). Do you know what the number of the bus behind the salt house is?

[Bus1883]

On 8/11/2026 at 7:12 PM, Busjack said:

There was also a mess of them at FG.

6783 is the only one up there. Surprised it’s still running after being converted into a WB-2 10 years ago. 

[Bus1883]

On 8/11/2026 at 9:33 AM, YoungBusLover said:

Negative, a majority of the 6400s left are just awaiting a scrap hauler to come get them but that process takes a while to source. They're scattered all throughout the boneyard. 

CTA just wants to make a museum out of retired equipment lol. 6579 is on the back end behind the laundromat and Forman mills. I wonder what they look like on the inside now even though the interior colors are probably dusted and faded

[sw4400]

I remember seeing one of the Nova work buses back in 2019. It was not very good mechanically then, as you can see by the amount of blue smoke being emitted from the tailpipe. This was while idling at a light.

[YoungBusLover]

On 8/27/2026 at 3:06 AM, sw4400 said:

I remember seeing one of the Nova work buses back in 2019. It was not very good mechanically then, as you can see by the amount of blue smoke being emitted from the tailpipe. This was while idling at a light.

Yeah that work bus I believe was #6712. It indeed wasn't in the best shape when I caught it in 2018.

 

[Bus1883]

7 minutes ago, YoungBusLover said:

Yeah that work bus I believe was #6712. It indeed wasn't in the best shape when I caught it in 2018.

 

I remember seeing it around summer 2017 as it shot out blue smoke. The bus sounded like a Peterbilt semi truck. I wonder how 6783 is still holding up

[YoungBusLover]

1 minute ago, Bus1883 said:

I remember seeing it around summer 2017 as it shot out blue smoke. The bus sounded like a Peterbilt semi truck. I wonder how 6783 is still holding up

#6783 should of been hauled off by now. I haven't seen it back there in about a year or two.

[Bus1883]

On 8/13/2026 at 9:19 AM, Rhys Pate said:

I meant in storage or present in other not in service forms at FG (not in service at FG). Do you know what the number of the bus behind the salt house is?

Might be WB-2 or 6472

[Bus1883]

20 hours ago, YoungBusLover said:

#6783 should of been hauled off by now. I haven't seen it back there in about a year or two.

Now there are two elderly 1000s that were converted into work buses. It should be replaced and in the boneyard by now. I think the other one (6712) is gone 

[Mr.NewFlyer1279]

5 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

Might be WB-2 or 6472

6472 (1000) is the community bus currently at FG. 

[Mr.NewFlyer1279]

1 hour ago, Bus1883 said:

Now there are two elderly 1000s that were converted into work buses. It should be replaced and in the boneyard by now. I think the other one (6712) is gone 

both 6400 (WB’s) have been retired and replaced by the new WB-1 WB-2 (1010 1011)

i believe the 64xx (WB-2) is still at the glen i’ll check it out tmrw

[Bus1883]

On 8/11/2026 at 6:52 PM, Rhys Pate said:

It seems like the 6400s are scattered throughout South Shops, mixed with rusted out 1630-2029 1000s. That makes sense that scrap haulers can take time to source (perhaps that is why no 6400s have gone to a junkyard for scrapping since December 2024). Perhaps a few will remain as parts units (parts sources) as sources of spare parts for the 6400s in preservation. There have to be parts available for 6472 and 6770 if needed. Maybe more of the remaining 6400s will go to junkyards when the CTA starts sending rusted out 1630-2029 1000s to junkyards.

I mean it looks like the contract probably ended to send the buses to scrap Metal services LLC, that’s where some of the 6400s and 800s ended up, however there is bidding from time to time it depends but it is a lengthy process. All of the 9 800s were snatched away in early 2024 while I did manage to catch #805 get towed away by the wrecker. #905 is the only DE40LF left on CTA property that’s still back there stripped of everything into a shell. When CTA retired the Flxibles, RTSs, the original D40LFs and the NABIs they were gone almost expeditiously before 2013. There’s around 10 Flxibles still up there rotted up.