More Bus Moves

[jajuan]

#1266 is on #47

#1353 #1679 and #1694 are on #67

#1820 and #1905 remains on #9 while having #1253 and #1272 on that route.

If anybody can check out #49 to see if any NP buses have 74th run numbers, that would be awesome.

If anyone one of them is a loan like 1266 and 1905 appear to be then that would be the case.

[jajuan]

As of this evening, it's still keeping 4326 company at Kedzie. It did appear on BusTracker during the PM rush filling a K run on one of the lakefront routes.

Thanks I thought I saw it on BusTracker but couldn't remember if it was on a Kedzie route or NP one.

[garmon757]

If anyone one of them is a loan like 1266 and 1905 appear to be then that would be the case.

I don't know man because #1388 #1820 and #1905 was on #9 yesterday.

[jajuan]

I don't know man because #1388 #1820 and #1905 was on #9 yesterday.

It wouldn't be the first time loans lasted more than a day.Plus the numbers are too random to be more than a loan even if assignments don't always fit some pattern.

[teck22]

That's correct. It's weird though because when I began taking the Blue Line from Forest Park in 2005 they didn't use the crossover at all. They didn't start using it consistently until around 2008-09 after the new signals were installed between Division/Milwaukee and Forest Park. Now, they use it for a while then stop using it for a while and so on like a pattern. Blue Line trains be backed up because they take their sweet a$$ time to operate the other trains out the station and to the yard. Yeah that really annoys the crap out of me especially late nights because it put me at risk of missing my bus (#317) because it's a 45-60 wait for another one after 8:46pm on weekdays, 6:25pm on Saturdays, and all day on Sundays.

Same issue late at night with the Red line at Howard. They seem to just sometimes leave a train parked at the station or take 10-15mins to pull a train out. Then when there is a red line approaching then tend to give the purple line first clearance at the crossover which has made me miss quite a few purple lines that way.

[garmon757]

It wouldn't be the first time loans lasted more than a day.Plus the numbers are too random to be more than a loan even if assignments don't always fit some pattern.

Indeed you're right. I'll say give it about a week or two if they stick to certain garages. I was thinking if all of them are temporary until the Winter pick. So far, no love for Forest Glen but I have a good feeling that there will be some changes for that garage before the end of the year even if it's minor.

[strictures]

Same issue late at night with the Red line at Howard. They seem to just sometimes leave a train parked at the station or take 10-15mins to pull a train out. Then when there is a red line approaching then tend to give the purple line first clearance at the crossover which has made me miss quite a few purple lines that way.

There are a lot more problems at Howard.

They often have two S/B Red Line trains parked at the S/B platform, which means any Skokie or Evanston trains can't pass through & use the turnback track south of the station.

That inevitably results in those trains being late to go back N/B.

And it's nothing new, it's been going on for decades. It's like the people in the Howard Tower work for a different agency & have their own agenda as to how the CTA should be run.

[jajuan]

Indeed you're right. I'll say give it about a week or two if they stick to certain garages. I was thinking if all of them are temporary until the Winter pick. So far, no love for Forest Glen but I have a good feeling that there will be some changes for that garage before the end of the year even if it's minor.

The NF moves among other garages pretty much had buses from different blocks moved together in numerical sequence. But in this case with 74th, the fact that we see close to ten buses pulled from several different other garages at random along with 74th having probably the most NFs down for rehabbing at South Shops (the last count I think was 11) while stuck with having the second highest 6400s count to fall back on all point to those buses in 74th's case being loans to keep service running and not fall pick fleet reassignments. As for Forest Glen, it's a given that most, if not all, of the 6400s that remain in CTA service are going to be retired within the next year, so Forest Glen will get and have something else besides 6400s. The still unanswered question for now is will it be a mix of 6400s and 7900s, 6400s and 1000s, or in the event CTA exercises the extra option with Nova 7900s and 1000s on FG's roster after those retirements happen.

[garmon757]

The NF moves among other garages pretty much had buses from different blocks moved together in numerical sequence. But in this case with 74th, the fact that we see close to ten buses pulled from several different other garages at random along with 74th having probably the most NFs down for rehabbing at South Shops (the last count I think was 11) while stuck with having the second highest 6400s count to fall back on all point to those buses in 74th's case being loans to keep service running and not fall pick fleet reassignments. As for Forest Glen, it's a given that most, if not all, of the 6400s that remain in CTA service are going to be retired within the next year, so Forest Glen will get and have something else besides 6400s. The still unanswered question for now is will it be a mix of 6400s and 7900s, 6400s and 1000s, or in the event CTA exercises the extra option with Nova 7900s and 1000s on FG's roster after those retirements happen.

Understandable but Kedzie is also stepping up with consistent rehabbing. So, it's questionable about 74th having Kedzie, North Park, and 103rd assistance because of the rehabs. Forest Glen has to get some New Flyers back to make its fleet balanced. As far as 7900s infiltrates out there, I can't determine that unless there's a secondary option for 100-150 more. We have a long way to go reconciling the entire fleet.

[jajuan]

Understandable but Kedzie is also stepping up with consistent rehabbing. So, it's questionable about 74th having Kedzie, North Park, and 103rd assistance because of the rehabs. Forest Glen has to get some New Flyers back to make its fleet balanced. As far as 7900s infiltrates out there, I can't determine that unless there's a secondary option for 100-150 more. We have a long way to go reconciling the entire fleet.

Did bus rehabs stop all of a sudden because of the new pick? The fleet numbers are too random to be reassignments. You got too many different garages sending random stray buses down there not to be loans. Anyway it's not too far fetched that the rehabs have 74th short enough for these to be loans. The 6400s now outnumber the NFs at that garage, and a good number of those are the oldest 6400s and therefore the oldest buses in the current CTA fleet. The other NF garages at least have artics and a larger number of 40 foot NFs than 74th has to use while their NFs are out getting rehabbed. Having a lot more older buses that qualify for retirement means that garage needs a higher spare ratio. 74th has already been getting helped out with loaner buses for weeks now. The start of a new pick doesn't change its need for loaners given the rehabs didn't stop with the change of pick.

[garmon757]

Did bus rehabs stop all of a sudden because of the new pick? The fleet numbers are too random to be reassignments. You got too many different garages sending random stray buses down there not to be loans. Anyway it's not too far fetched that the rehabs have 74th short enough for these to be loans. The 6400s now outnumber the NFs at that garage, and a good number of those are the oldest 6400s and therefore the oldest buses in the current CTA fleet. The other NF garages at least have artics and a larger number of 40 foot NFs than 74th has to use while their NFs are out getting rehabbed. Having a lot more older buses that qualify for retirement means that garage needs a higher spare ratio. 74th has already been getting helped out with loaner buses for weeks now. The start of a new pick doesn't change its need for loaners given the rehabs didn't stop with the change of pick.

I'm not saying that the picks are interfering with the rehabs. I'm not gonna lie, I'm confused as hell with these random buses. Maybe Andre knows more about it.

[jajuan]

I'm not saying that the picks are interfering with the rehabs. I'm not gonna lie, I'm confused as hell with these random buses. Maybe Andre knows more about it.

All I'm saying is this particular set of buses at 74th are too randomly picked. All the other buses moved at other garages were moved in some form of numerical order. That's why I'm not yet set to think of these additions as reassignments instead of temporary loans just yet as far as 74th is concerned.

[Kimball401]

Forest Glenn gave up 6757 cause it's riding around Kedzie and Madison with the garage sign on it and Chicago (5) testing paper in the wwindshield

[garmon757]

#1003, #1253, #1272, and #1478 (first time having a 1400s on a 74th route ever) are on #9.

#1529 and #1932 are on #49.

[ArcherRider]

1030 on #20 and #1329 is on #65.

[garmon757]

#1820 remains on #9 for the third consecutive day and WHOA!!!!!! Look who's back at 74th on #9; #1100!!!!

[BusHunter]

Whoa!! #1005 is on the #53.

[BusHunter]

FG finally got something. More novas Lol!! (Shakes head) #6526 is on the #152.

[trainman8119]

Don't know if this the the right place for this or not, but I have noticed that route 79 seems to have lost their artics

over the last week. Have not seen an artic on that route since last Thursday.

[Mr.cta85]

Don't know if this the the right place for this or not, but I have noticed that route 79 seems to have lost their artics

over the last week. Have not seen an artic on that route since last Thursday.

Yea they all got transferred out some went to NP I believe and some went to 103rd. 77th garage only have NF and the New Novas.

[ChicagoNova]

Don't know if this the the right place for this or not, but I have noticed that route 79 seems to have lost their artics

over the last week. Have not seen an artic on that route since last Thursday.

I really do think that CTA should purchase more artics to satisfy Route 79 and a few other routes.

[Busjack]

Don't know if this the the right place for this or not, but I have noticed that route 79 seems to have lost their artics

over the last week. Have not seen an artic on that route since last Thursday.

I really do think that CTA should purchase more artics to satisfy Route 79 and a few other routes.

If one buys what Andre said a couple of weeks ago (various people reminded me that he was the source), the transportation department at 77th didn't want them. If they can control bus allocations throughout the system, there isn't any point.

[jajuan]

Yea they all got transferred out some went to NP I believe and some went to 103rd. 77th garage only have NF and the New Novas.

No, they got split between Kedzie and 103rd. Kedzie got 4196-4207 from them while 103rd got 4177-4195. 4172-4176 had already gotten transferred to 103rd in early August. What NP got in this switching of buses was 4321, 4322, 4324, 4325 and 4328-4332 from Kedzie to help facilitate putting all artics on the 22 during weekdays starting in the PM rush at approximately 4 PM instead of the prior NP practice of waiting till after the weekday PM rush period winds down. So now instead of those artics coming from the 147 at Howard, they go into service on the route at Clark/Harrison after apparently deadheading downtown. As those artics go into service, the 40 foot NFs that were on the 22 leave the route after making a last SB service stop at Dearborn/Van Buren and head over to Franklin/Jackson to become NB 136 buses starting at about 4:30 and NB 135 buses starting about 6 PM.

[wordguy]

If one buys what Andre said a couple of weeks ago (various people reminded me that he was the source), the transportation department at 77th didn't want them. If they can control bus allocations throughout the system, there isn't any point.

I checked Andre's post. (See the 7900s thread, 23 Aug 14, Post #915). He cited what might be a legitimate reason for the department's rejection of the artics at 77th: "excessive delays". Consider this: 79th Street, for most of #79's length, consists of 6 miles of continuous congestion from the Lakefront to Ashland; all solidly retail/commercial. Even Clark Street, with some congested segments, is nothing like that.

In summary, traffic conditions along 79th may have created a "perfect storm" for artics. It might also be safe to assume that artics wouldn't be a good fit for Belmont either; same uninterrupted conditions for many miles.

Which begs another question: Does the CTA really need any more artics?

[wordguy]

It looks as if 15 or 16 Stimulus Artics (4193?-4207) are now based at Kedzie. (Yesterday evening, I eyeballed 4193 eastbound on Belmont at Broadway, signed for the #156. Not sure where 4192 is). Maybe it's too early to jump to conclusions, but based on BusTracker sightings so far, that group of artics doesn't seem to be seeing much service. Even during peak travel periods, I haven't tracked more than four at a time --- including the Lakefront routes as well as #s 12 and 82.

The 40xxs seem to getting more normal use.