6400-series Nova LFS - Updates & Retirements

[Busjack]

6 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

On the streets I came across two buses that were having issues. #6585's back door was so creaky and loud it sounded like it belonged to the Addams Family. "It's creepy and it's spooky It's all together ookey...."

But did Thing's hand come out of it? "Thank you, Thing."

[BusHunter]

No but they should have programmed into the bell system lurch's "You Rang"

Thing could have been the farebox. Taking all our  money.

[Busjack]

14 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Thing could have been the farebox. Taking all our  money.

True, but Thing would be underutilized in that task.

Maybe they ought to make sure that the AVAS does not speak in French. Especially near LaSalle St. or Beaubien Court. DesPlaines Ave. in Chicago is safe at the moment. (I remember someone asking "Where is deplahn near Chicago?").

 

[busfan2847]

10 hours ago, BusHunter said:

This weeks scan of the #6400's show these buses not in service all week

#6468, #6473, #6482, #6488, #6562, #6669, #6686, #6699, #6752, #6757, #6769, #6771, #6798, #6826, #6866, #6882

 

6468, 6686, 6699, 6882 out today, 6826 was out on Monday.

I have 6473, 6488 not out since mid-July, 6669, 6769 early August, 6482, 6562, 6757, 6771, 6798 from mid August

[artthouwill]

On 8/19/2016 at 5:10 PM, sw4400 said:

I haven't said anything on this subject, I'm just trying to bring peace before garmon asks for civility. It's not Red Alert hostility, more like Yellow Alert hostility. What happened in the locked topic was Red Alert hostility.

Here's my layout of the hostility table:

Red Alert: Conversation is lost due to vulgarity or refusal to listen to Admin/Moderator or Member(s) and the former now has to close topic and possibly put discipline down on member(s) for their actions.

Orange Alert: Conversation is getting off topic and Moderator/Administrator is requesting an end to the squabbling

Yellow Alert: Conversation is friendly, but back & forth squabbling is slightly intensifying. Need closure on squabbling ASAP

Blue Alert: Still friendly conversations, but a little squabbling

Code Green: Friendly, on-topic conversations

What?   No Pink,  Purple,  or Brown Alerts? 

I'M down with Kool DJ Red Alert

[BusHunter]

A look at the 3rd yard reveals almost the same as last week but there are a few new things to report.

#6733 appears gone maybe it has no plates.

A few new arrivals two at the end are #6841 and #6562

Then #8293 has moved to the other side of the third yard!! I swear it was in service on Monday or Tuesday for like an hour or so. I wish maths tracker had the ability to search for specific buses to see when they last appeared.

[busfan2847]

11 hours ago, BusHunter said:

#6733 appears gone maybe it has no plates.

Then #8293 has moved to the other side of the third yard!! I swear it was in service on Monday or Tuesday for like an hour or so. I wish maths tracker had the ability to search for specific buses to see when they last appeared.

according to maths tracker

6733 was in service Friday morning at 8am

6733 56: Milwaukee  56 -413F (Forest Glen)

8293 was in service at 4pm on Friday

8293 77:  Belmont  77 -463F (Forest Glen)

[sw4400]

13 hours ago, BusHunter said:

A look at the 3rd yard reveals almost the same as last week but there are a few new things to report.

#6733 appears gone maybe it has no plates.

A few new arrivals two at the end are #6841 and #6562

Then #8293 has moved to the other side of the third yard!! I swear it was in service on Monday or Tuesday for like an hour or so. I wish maths tracker had the ability to search for specific buses to see when they last appeared.

 

1 hour ago, busfan2847 said:

according to maths tracker

6733 was in service Friday morning at 8am

6733 56: Milwaukee  56 -413F (Forest Glen)

8293 was in service at 4pm on Friday

8293 77:  Belmont  77 -463F (Forest Glen)

It was in service on Thursday on the #80, but the subject of a mechanical issue(broke down at Irving Park and Kedzie EB)

 

[Busjack]

On 8/26/2016 at 1:19 PM, BusHunter said:

No but they should have programmed into the bell system lurch's "You Rang"

Watching today's on 9.3:

Can Uncle Fester light up the LED bulbs?

Should Mr. CTA be replaced with Cousin Itt?

[BusHunter]

6 hours ago, sw4400 said:

 

It was in service on Thursday on the #80, but the subject of a mechanical issue(broke down at Irving Park and Kedzie EB)

 

Yeah it was thursday that it was out for only an hour.

[BusHunter]

On 8/19/2016 at 10:15 AM, andrethebusman said:

9/1/16 official list (124):

6466~6468, 6470, 6472~6474. 6477, 6488

6553~6554, 6558~6559, 6562, 6564, 6572~6574, 6576~6579, 6581, 6585

6668 ,6671-6672 ,6674-6675, 6677~6679, 6681~6682, 6684, 6686-6687 ,6691-6692, 6694, 6696~6697, 6699

6700~6701, 6704~6706, 6710, 6713~6716, 6722, 6724. 6730, 6733, 6737, 6746~6748, 6751, 6755, 6757~6759, 6761, 6763-6764, 6769~6772, 6776, 6778, 6780, 6784, 6787, 6792~6794, 6799

6802-6803, 6805, 6810, 6814, 6818, 6820, 6824, 6826, 6834~6838, 6841~6844, 6846~6847, 6849, 6854, 6856, 6858~6862, 6865~6871, 6873, 6875, 6877, 6881-6882  

So I checked what #6400's were missing off the street this week. This is what I got missing.

#6468, #6473, #6482, #6488, #6562, #6578, #6724, #6755, #6764, #6769, #6798, #6812, #6814, #6866 and #6881.

Now I remember #6881, #6866, #6562 were all in the 3rd yard last weekend. I'll have to see if there still there. #6733 went back in service. Hopefully, it has a license plate cause my shots last week beg to differ.

I guess I'll remove the roster buses. According to what I have #6473, #6488, #6769 hasn't seen service in 3 weeks now. That would make eligible for removal.

[BusHunter]

This weeks scan of #6400's shows these buses haven't been in service this week.

#6477, #6562, #6576, #6579, #6686, #6700, #6778, #6784, #6805, #6836, #6843, #6866, #6881

The standouts on that list are #6881, #6866 and #6562 which have all been in the 3rd yard for 3 weeks. I need to see if they are still there if not....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVmeeYwEiQw

[andrethebusman]

CTA newsletter says Fresh Moves got two 6400's. I have seen a Fresh Moves Bluebird Pusher, and their "schedule" needs only one bus. Look under growingpower.org news tab for a shot of the Bluebird and where it goes.

[Busjack]

8 hours ago, andrethebusman said:

CTA newsletter says Fresh Moves got two 6400's. I have seen a Fresh Moves Bluebird Pusher, and their "schedule" needs only one bus. Look under growingpower.org news tab for a shot of the Bluebird and where it goes.

Considering that Fresh Moves  couldn't afford to run the 6000s and said they were going to smaller equipment (hence the explanation for the BlueBird), why would they want these? Feds just have money to burn (rhetorical question)?

[garmon757]

12 hours ago, Busjack said:

Considering that Fresh Moves  couldn't afford to run the 6000s and said they were going to smaller equipment (hence the explanation for the BlueBird), why would they want these? Feds just have money to burn (rhetorical question)?

That's because they're much wider than the 6000s. That's my guess. 

[Busjack]

11 hours ago, garmon757 said:

That's because they're much wider than the 6000s. That's my guess. 

Everything CTA had (except the Optimas) is and was 102".

IIRC, Fresh Moves couldn't afford the diesel fuel. It might be $1.50/gal less than it was then, but there still isn't any sense hauling around a losing venture at 3.4 miles per gallon.

[BusHunter]

Since the city is funding this, they might as well use buses with no stairs. Its a whole lot easier to board plus the ac is pretty good on the 6400s. If they used the 7900s all the food would spoil faster. I dont know how they have a market on a bus with no refrigeration 

[Busjack]

10 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Since the city is funding this, they might as well use buses with no stairs. Its a whole lot easier to board plus the ac is pretty good on the 6400s. If they used the 7900s all the food would spoil faster. I dont know how they have a market on a bus with no refrigeration 

This is confused. If anything else, it is a federal program. Maybe having no stairs will help the little boy eat Eve's apple, but, again, if they are getting 2 6400s, they are junk buses.It would be better if they were like the old Italian fruit peddlers and get a panel truck. Jewel started that way (and I still remember Jewel Tea trucks).

Basically, though, I don't see how they have any market, anyway. If the last time proved anything, they didn't have enough markup to meet expenses, even with a federal subsidy and charging more than the price for produce in the average Greek owned market.

[andrethebusman]

Remember, this is a "social program". It is not intended to make money. However, it is totally dependent on outside funding. Outside funding dries up, program dies. Funding is again found, program flowers again. Has nothing to do with anything practical.

[Busjack]

16 minutes ago, andrethebusman said:

Has nothing to do with anything practical.

Except if they are subject to the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, they are trustees for the produce. That's how Joe Caputo's went out of business (their produce was real cheap, but they didn't pay their distributor, so the distributor seized the business. Of course, here,all the distributor can seize is an old bus),

[andrethebusman]

And Bus & Truck did apparently seize at least two of the Flxibles.

[Busjack]

10 minutes ago, andrethebusman said:

And Bus & Truck did apparently seize at least two of the Flxibles.

...which gets back to this topic. I said before that Fresh Moves is getting junk, and if they have to send it to someone to get it overhauled, that makes no economic sense, but someone has to pay the mechanic.

When a couple of buses were sold to Olive-Harvey for $1 for CDL training, at least the college has automotive and diesel shops.

[jajuan]

Well looking at the website, it appears more is being done than driving former transit buses around selling produce. It looks like they're part of a larger group that distributes produce through vendors that use the produce in the vendors' cafeterias and restaurants. The group says it also gets produce to their target recipients through a Farm to City Basket program where they put together baskets with produce from their Milwaukee greenhouses and a network of local family owned Midwest farms that's augmented by a network of African-American owned small farms in Mississippi and Georgia. They've got workshop programs apparently to teach people in Milwaukee and Chicago how to set up their own urban farms, with relevant tips on what to plant, when best to plant and how to tend what's being grown, how to set up a farmer's market, how to sell product and general related retailing tips, etc. They've also got youth programs that teach local Milwaukee and Chicago children and teens the ins and outs of growing produce at community backed urban farms in both cities along with teaching them the different health benefits of what they're being taught to grow. And I've seen ads on CTA buses promoting the group's current program Illinois Link Up I believe it's called through which low income Chicago area residents would effectively get double the produce at local farmers markets with special coupons that they administer. Yes it can be debated whether obtaining former transit buses over trucks makes financial sense, but it looks like the larger group that administers what we call Fresh Moves appears to be better organized than what we saw previously with Fresh Moves locally if the look at the current larger group's other initiatives are any indication.

[BusHunter]

This weeks list of the 6400's not in service this week includes:

#6468, #6474, #6671, #6686, #6734, #6759, #6778, #6787, #6843, #6866, #6881

The standouts just appear to be the buses with papers on the windshield in the 3rd yard. I think i have enough evidence now to remove them off the roster. They've been gone 3 weeks now.  Strangely enough #6562 came back one day last week. I'll have to check and see if it's in the 3rd yard or what.

[Johnny 5]

I saw a few of the 6400s that's heading south on the Dan Ryan this morning when we was on the Red Line. My best guess is it may be en route to 77th garage or 103rd for retirement.