garmon757 Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 #6498 was on #22 this evening. Wasn't an easy shot to take while I was on my bike doing my deliveries!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 #6498 was on #22 this evening. Wasn't an easy shot to take while I was on my bike doing my deliveries!!! Yeah I noticed it up near my place earlier this evening while doing some errands. Pretty good shot for you to have snapped it while you on your bike. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garmon757 Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Yeah I noticed it up near my place earlier this evening while doing some errands. Pretty good shot for our to snapped it while you on your bike. Thanks! Thank goodness for two way bike lanes downtown especially on Clark Street! Otherwise, I wouldn't get a good shot at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Thanks! Thank goodness for two way bike lanes downtown especially on Clark Street! Otherwise, I wouldn't get a good shot at it. I thought you might have been on Dearborn on those two-way bike lanes. I keep forgetting Clark also has them downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garmon757 Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 I thought you might have been on Dearborn on those two-way bike lanes. I keep forgetting Clark also has them downtown. I was on Dearborn but I spotted it while I was on the intersection of Clark and Randolph making me to chase it via Clark/Lake and Lake/Dearborn just to get a good shot at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete6125 Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 6490 is on route 147 and 6501 is on route 151 tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete6125 Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 6501 is on route 155 today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoNova Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 6501 is on route 155 today. 6490 is on route 147 and 6501 is on route 151 tonight.Could something be going on here? Either these are loaners, or North Park might be getting Novas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRSP1900-CTA3200 Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 I'm currently riding the Metra, and I passed a Blue Line set by the Kennedy. Half of its rollsigns were messed up. The first three cars said Forest Park, but the fourth car's sign was blank, the next two cars said Loop (Brown Line), the next car said O'Hare, and the last car said Forest Park. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 Could something be going on here? Either these are loaners, or North Park might be getting Novas. More likely loaners than anything else. Novas from that range of fleet numbers have popped up on North Park routes before occasionally in recent months with similar hypotheses of North Park getting Novas again only to have those Novas return to FG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Here's a little trip back in time... an unpainted CTA prototype for the TMC RTS being built in Roswell, NM in late 1988(4400 perhaps?). Prototype Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 In tonight's evening rush, #6438 was driving around on the #3 with an open roof pod making the roof line about 3 feet higher than normal. I wonder what happened when he got to the St Charles airline viaduct at Michigan Av/16th. Didn't look like he could clear that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted March 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 CTA "L" trains have flux capacitors now... check out the future and past at UIC-Halsted.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordguy Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I just eyeballed BusTracker a short time ago. It looks as if there's been a 19-bus swap between Chicago Ave. and 77th. 1065-1082 as well as 1099 (which had been assigned to C out of sequence) have migrated south in exchange for, I assume, an equal number of 6400s. (6465 is operating on Grand Ave. Also, the lower-numbered 1060s haven't been moved). Based on this latest move, a few assumptions: 1) The Smart Buses will probably be assigned to three barns: 74th, FG, & Chicago 2) 74th's remaining NFs will likely stay in place, at least for now 3) FG will eventually get some NFs back, though maybe not for a while. Even if the 150-bus option kicks in later on, I believe that some of the 6709-6875 range now at FG will get traded to 74th and Chicago for NFs, maybe a few months down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I just eyeballed BusTracker a short time ago. It looks as if there's been a 19-bus swap between Chicago Ave. and 77th. 1065-1082 as well as 1099 (which had been assigned to C out of sequence) have migrated south in exchange for, I assume, an equal number of 6400s. (6465 is operating on Grand Ave. Also, the lower-numbered 1060s haven't been moved). Based on this latest move, a few assumptions: 1) The Smart Buses will probably be assigned to three barns: 74th, FG, & Chicago 2) 74th's remaining NFs will likely stay in place, at least for now 3) FG will eventually get some NFs back, though maybe not for a while. Even if the 150-bus option kicks in later on, I believe that some of the 6709-6875 range now at FG will get traded to 74th and Chicago for NFs, maybe a few months down the road. That's why I didn't see any missing NFs or additional Novas when I did a quick scan of 74th's routes. I was going to say it looked like the exodus of NFs from 74th stopped but I didn't want to post that unless I was completely sure. I think that was you who mentioned that Chicago may get 77th's last Novas to shore up your and my hypothesis that the 7900s would be split between 74th, Chicago and Forest Glen. Looks like this weekend's moves are proving you right. I kept saying I found it hard to believe that they would set 74th up to be three-quarters filled with buses having no shields even if it was temporary, or on the larger view of things set things up for only 74th and Forest Glen to get 7900s. The question now is when things get swapped for spring pick, will FG get more Novas or some NFs since it looks like only 74th and Chicago will have Novas to trade at spring pick start and FG does need to make a net GAIN of buses to take on the 76 with no routes said to be leaving there unless the thought is to turn its Evanston work back over to North Park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 What can I say Jajuan. "This makes no sense" but that's the CTA for you. LOL!! Why trade lower #1100's if your not going to at least trade them all (#1100's). And then they trade high 74th #1100's. Go figure!! They could still conceivably trade the rest of the #1100's but for now it appears the #1500's will stay with 74th. Now in saying that, there is no purpose to make FG all Nova and make all other garages 3/4 NF at least. Cta5750 has been saying on facebook that the NW side is being singled out for the old garbage equipment. I didn't really want to believe that, but I think it's true now. If Chicago keeps the Novas they have except for the 16 that's probably headed to FG, that's going to put well over 300 Novas on the north side. That's way imbalanced with 100-150 on the south side and guess who will probably get new Novas first. History says the south side. Now I can stomach,old buses at FG and you can always say well they don't get the ridership, but adding garbage Novas to downtown I think is a mistake. Now we'll have to see more garbage drive down Madison, Grand, Chicago, Division, the #132. When those could have been at 74th. What does that say about your city? I can't help but think what happens to the NW ridership with all the garbage there. It doesn't really inspire a customer to ride old junk, unless CTA just doesn't care and this is a secret attempt to cut more NW side service. I guess well see what happens in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Looks like perhaps Chicago gained the 6451-6470 group of Novas from 77th. That's if 77th sent whatever Novas to Chicago in exchange for 1065-1082 and 1099 in numerical sequence. So far the only thing I see on Chicago's routes that's ex-77th is 6465 on the 74 Fullerton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artthouwill Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I'm still inclined to believe that FG will be first getting the new Novas, though I know that 74th (which usually is never the 1st garage to get anything new , at least not since the 9000s,) is still a realistic possibility. The oldest buses should go on the lightest routes out there, and FG has more light routes than 74th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 What can I say Jajuan. "This makes no sense" but that's the CTA for you. LOL!! Why trade lower #1100's if your not going to at least trade them all (#1100's). And then they trade high 74th #1100's. Go figure!! They could still conceivably trade the rest of the #1100's but for now it appears the #1500's will stay with 74th. Now in saying that, there is no purpose to make FG all Nova and make all other garages 3/4 NF at least. Cta5750 has been saying on facebook that the NW side is being singled out for the old garbage equipment. I didn't really want to believe that, but I think it's true now. If Chicago keeps the Novas they have except for the 16 that's probably headed to FG, that's going to put well over 300 Novas on the north side. That's way imbalanced with 100-150 on the south side and guess who will probably get new Novas first. History says the south side. Now I can stomach,old buses at FG and you can always say well they don't get the ridership, but adding garbage Novas to downtown I think is a mistake. Now we'll have to see more garbage drive down Madison, Grand, Chicago, Division, the #132. When those could have been at 74th. What does that say about your city? I can't help but think what happens to the NW ridership with all the garbage there. It doesn't really inspire a customer to ride old junk, unless CTA just doesn't care and this is a secret attempt to cut more NW side service. I guess well see what happens in the future. In a way it does make sense in the sense that the upper 10xx's from Chicago are still in numerical sequence with what 1100s did find their way to 77th. Though I agree starting the trade from 74th with 1150s and then going to the lower 1100s to leave 1110s-1140s throws things off some. Then again Kedzie having a set of 1100s and half the lower quarter of 1200s along with FG originally having the 11 highest 1100s and the other half of that top quarter of 1200s wasn't going to have NFs in numerical order anyway. And that's not counting 77th having gotten most of the remaining 1300s that were left at Chicago two or three picks ago that didn't get picked off by North Park and Kedzie. I never bought into the decreasing the number of older buses downtown theory though because of the fact that Chicago was already using its Novas primarily on the 20, 65, 70 and 132. The 66 is mostly artics now so seeing a Nova or 1000 for that matter on this route is rare. As for singling out the Northwest Side for old buses, I still don't buy that entirely because FG got chosen over Kedzie for the current generation of Novas and also took Kedzie's 6000s, which were still close to new condition despite being a hand me down, while sending its 5300s and the 4700s it had out of the TMCs, both of which were much older than the received 6000s, to Kedzie. The only delivery FG missed out on in recent years is the 1000s. And its very possible that it could be first to get 7900s. And even if it's not first, it's almost certain it will get 7900s first hand and not as a hand me down unless do CTA does something more off the wall than starting the 74th trade for Novas with 1150s instead of 1110s or 1120s to keep what NFs 74th sent out in numerical sequence. And if we looked at what 77th has forked off for NFs, it sent it's more dilapidated Novas to 74th and now Chicago. Half of what 6800s it had, it had taken from FG only a few months and in some cases only a few weeks prior to the start of shedding off Novas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Well it's more than just old buses, Jajuan it's the oldest trains too. When they have people begging them on Facebook to put a #3200 series car on the blue line that is 22 years old itself, and this is multiple users (not me) something is wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if Busjack was right and the Orange line will keep the #3200's as spares and keep the garbage on the blue line. Frankly I hope some NF's come back north because I hate these new Novas, but I'm not a Nova fan old or new I'm a NF guy. And these shields are a joke. Why don't they just dress the drivers up in army fatigues. LOL!! If security is that bad on the CTA why put your tank sneeze guards at the safest garage, if anything they should be in the high crime areas as maybe those operators need protecting. Maybe I just need to be thankful that the blue line doesn't have longitudinal seats, but I wouldn't doubt about 2017-18, the blue line will get the #5000's off the Red line. It's just a practice I expect to happen seeing what the CTA has done the last 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Well it's more than just old buses, Jajuan it's the oldest trains too. When they have people begging them on Facebook to put a #3200 series car on the blue line that is 22 years old itself, and this is multiple users (not me) something is wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if Busjack was right and the Orange line will keep the #3200's as spares and keep the garbage on the blue line. Frankly I hope some NF's come back north because I hate these new Novas, but I'm not a Nova fan old or new I'm a NF guy. And these shields are a joke. Why don't they just dress the drivers up in army fatigues. LOL!! If security is that bad on the CTA why put your tank sneeze guards at the safest garage, if anything they should be in the high crime areas as maybe those operators need protecting. Maybe I just need to be thankful that the blue line doesn't have longitudinal seats, but I wouldn't doubt about 2017-18, the blue line will get the #5000's off the Red line. It's just a practice I expect to happen seeing what the CTA has done the last 10 years. I'm a New flyer guy also and hate this decision to pull the NFs out of FG along with decreasing the NF count at Chicago and 74th. But it happened. I still don't buy this Northwest SIde is being singled out idea because the buses and trains serving it aren't operating in a bubble. They still have to pass through the West Side and in some cases Oak Park, in the Blue Line's case especially. And while you make light of and joke over the operator shields' potential usefulness, you ask an operator driving on say the 12, 18, 20, 66, 70, 75. 79 or maybe even the 87 how much of a joke they are who might not have been attacked by some arrogant young punk or crazy who's egged on by the buzz of booze in his system or just an irate passenger in general because the shield deflected that idiot's ability to get off a good enough swing to make a solid punch against that operator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 So then why aren't they protected to the extreme. They seem to care more about the NW side operators safety than the South side. I don't get that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 So then why aren't they protected to the extreme. They seem to care more about the NW side operators safety than the South side. I don't get that. Why don't you ask the CTA that question? Look, I'm not saying operators are driving through war zones, but at the same time like I've said to other members lets get real that a number of them do drive through some rough areas. And the shields while light weight can deflect someone from throwing a punch on the operators. Or do we want to say a would be degenerate has arms like an octopus and reach with no thought about the inflexibility of the bones inside his arm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted March 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Well, it is St. Patty's Day weekend... the river is dyed green, people wear green... why not have the Green Ranger ride the "L"(maybe the Green Line?). I mean, he needs to go fight Rita and Zedd's evil monsters, and if the teleporter and Dragonzord are broken, what better way to save mankind then the CTA? Just hope there's no delays for switching ahead, or we're all screwed... Green Ranger on a 5000-Series Railcar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garmon757 Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Speaking of green guys, have anybody noticed this green light on top of the run number sign box??? Courtesy of #3305. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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