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Posted
4 hours ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

Looks like this bus has done its time

IMG_3991.jpeg

It’s for sure a goner as it’s among 7 Allison’s remaining. It’s bike rack is missing too which is also a sign

Posted
On 2/8/2026 at 9:55 PM, Bus1883 said:

It’s for sure a goner as it’s among 7 Allison’s remaining. It’s bike rack is missing too which is also a sign

They pull the bike rack on very bus that is declared a tow by the mobile truck.  Doesn't mean the bus is done.

Posted
5 hours ago, YoungBusLover said:

They pull the bike rack on very bus that is declared a tow by the mobile truck.  Doesn't mean the bus is done.

Gotcha totally forgotten, thanks

Posted

8593 on the 73 this morning (just after 6 AM), had some kind of minor issue (I think with the rear doors), and they basically turned it off and on again at Humboldt, which seemed to fix it.  Hadn't seen this "Welcome Aboard" screen before.image.thumb.png.73d3857147aed8c3ea5baa0067b5b3f3.png

Posted
16 hours ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

#4015 had to get rescued by a tow truck yesterday morning after a breakdown on the 147 on State & Madison

IMG_4227.jpeg

Retirement? I see they took the rack

Posted
On 2/25/2026 at 10:07 AM, Sam92 said:

Retirement? I see they took the rack

bike rack being taken off doesn’t mean it’s retired, that pic has been taken on the apron at North Park, bus has been towed back to the garage…..once a bus has been declared a tow the bike rack comes off and stored inside the bus, i think we went over this with another forum member about flyer 2006. 

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
On 12/8/2025 at 2:03 PM, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

4144 broke down at the Foster exit ramp on LSD and was about to be picked up by a tow truck right after I took this picture.

IMG_2016.jpeg

4144 back in service today with the old shieldIMG_7220.thumb.jpeg.b289276d505a8ec2c1b2a2f3f4a22b89.jpeg

 

#4135 broke down this afternoon deadheading toward downtown sb on the oak street curve, 3 emergency triangles present behind the bus.

#4356 broke down yesterday on the 151 at Lake Shore/North Blvd. but is back in service today

Posted
30 minutes ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

4144 back in service today with the old shieldIMG_7220.thumb.jpeg.b289276d505a8ec2c1b2a2f3f4a22b89.jpeg

 

#4135 broke down this afternoon deadheading toward downtown sb on the oak street curve, 3 emergency triangles present behind the bus.

#4356 broke down yesterday on the 151 at Lake Shore/North Blvd. but is back in service today

Way this sounds, this series has hit the end of its service life, but the replacements aren't in sight.

Posted

1108 was STRUGGLING on the 73 this afternoon. Engine died three times while idling at stoplights and took its sweet time turning back on. It seemed to improve a bit as it went on and didn't die again after the 3rd time. Very surprised we didn't get kicked off and shuffled to the next bus, but from what I know it was 20 minutes behind this one, and so probably wasn't seen as practical. 

Posted
31 minutes ago, pokemonprime said:

1108 was STRUGGLING on the 73 this afternoon. Engine died three times while idling at stoplights and took its sweet time turning back on. It seemed to improve a bit as it went on and didn't die again after the 3rd time. Very surprised we didn't get kicked off and shuffled to the next bus, but from what I know it was 20 minutes behind this one, and so probably wasn't seen as practical. 

The question is how long waa the bus sitting before it died each time?  The buses are designed to idle for a few minutes before the bus automatically shuts off.  The remedy is if the bus is stuck in a lot of traffic,  stuck at a ing stoplight, or the driver is just sitting, he should put the bus in neutral, apply the parking brake,  and put the bus in fast idle.  The bus won't shut off in this mode.

Part of the reason why the bus shuts off in low idle is to minimize unnecessary idling, especially in areas with high residential density .  There is a law in Chicago that prohibits buses idling for more than 3 minutes.  Beyond 3 minutes the buses are supposed to be shut down.  Seems like this law isn't enforced on CTA buses as much as it is on charter buses.  But the shut down is built into the CTA Bbuses ( and Pace buses also).

Posted
2 hours ago, artthouwill said:

the driver is just sitting, he should put the bus in neutral, apply the parking brake,  and put the bus in fast idle.  The bus won't shut off in this mode.

the flyers have a cut off time of 12 minutes even in fast idle. 

Posted
On 3/23/2026 at 6:23 PM, artthouwill said:

The question is how long waa the bus sitting before it died each time?  The buses are designed to idle for a few minutes before the bus automatically shuts off.  The remedy is if the bus is stuck in a lot of traffic,  stuck at a ing stoplight, or the driver is just sitting, he should put the bus in neutral, apply the parking brake,  and put the bus in fast idle.  The bus won't shut off in this mode.

Part of the reason why the bus shuts off in low idle is to minimize unnecessary idling, especially in areas with high residential density .  There is a law in Chicago that prohibits buses idling for more than 3 minutes.  Beyond 3 minutes the buses are supposed to be shut down.  Seems like this law isn't enforced on CTA buses as much as it is on charter buses.  But the shut down is built into the CTA Bbuses ( and Pace buses also).

My family has nursed along enough dying cars for me to know what a rough idling engine sounds like, trust me 😆. It wasn't a clean shutoff, it was a herky-jerky coughing engine dies sound, followed by a long moment of the driver having to turn the key several times and hold it for the starter to finally "catch" and it to startup again. 

EDIT: also as for time, normal stoplight interval. It wasn't stuck in traffic or anything, and matter of fact it was at the front of the line most of the time.

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