More Bus Moves

[jajuan]

On 6/26/2016 at 10:18 PM, Busjack said:

Yes, at about 1:30. I'm surprised CTA didn't make them take the logos off.

Right. Or at least alter them like they did the logos of the Red Line bridges in Uptown when that portion of the Red Line was filmed as presented as part of Gotham City in Batman vs. Superman. Maybe they figure the final clips will be quick enough that the logos won't be seen. But then again I think there have been other productions that were filmed presenting Chicago as part of the plot with CTA vehicles depicted with logos intact. 

[Busjack]

54 minutes ago, jajuan said:

But then again I think there have been other productions that were filmed presenting Chicago as part of the plot with CTA vehicles depicted with logos intact. 

I'm not sure of that, but at least in the case of dispositions, the logos usually come off. But guess they are still on the car up on the roof.

[Chicagos_D]

On 6/23/2016 at 4:16 PM, Busjack said:

The thing that hit me is that while it mentions 3 CTA routes, it doesn't mention 5 Pace routes, which unlike the CTA ones, run bidirectionally.

It does mention that the mall is apparently doing this, which is also strange, but I guess the case. Looks like you would have to contact Mid America Group instead of asking bus drivers.

I'm wondering as well about not mentioning Pace. I know that Pace has a stop on the outside before entering the mall. Maybe in the future if/when this project is completed Pace might decide to stick to the bus stop instead of the transit center. On the flipside it seems like that will affect their mall ridership though. 

[Chicagos_D]

On 6/24/2016 at 0:14 AM, BusHunter said:

When I was out there on #379 the other week, there was this area roped off with fences and the ground looked to be torn up. I wonder if that's near JCPenney's as I don't know the layout that well. Maybe that's the project right there.

There seems to be tons of buses just laying over wherever. I saw 3 #79's and a #54B laying over way over by Wendy's (south end of the property) The mall probably wants to control that. It's weird to see that cause usually Pace does that (not there though) but not CTA. That seems to be the only spot where they have free reign of the property.

Allegedly neighbors either complained or currently complained about the buses idling over in that area by Wendy's and the transit center is supposed to be the solution to their problem. The area roped off by the AMC sign is either another outparcel store or a restaurant. I actual walked around towards the east side of JC Penney to see if anything has been started but to no avail. I assume either they'll erect it where the old Burger King and KFC used to be or they might use the former JC Penney furniture store as the transit center. 

[BusHunter]

2 minutes ago, Chicagos_D said:

I'm wondering as well about not mentioning Pace. I know that Pace has a stop on the outside before entering the mall. Maybe in the future if/when this project is completed Pace might decide to stick to the bus stop instead of the transit center. On the flipside it seems like that will affect their mall ridership though. 

Probably a simple pass through bay would be sufficient. it would speed the pace routes though if they did stop outside the mall. They probably would have opposition inbound but outbound it's really a no brainer as everyone should be directed to use the #54B. But then we have the boarding passengers outbound to think about.

Probably instead of doing a grandiose terminal inside the mall, they should just build a walkway underground or a bridge to get to Cicero and just have an intermodal type terminal on Cicero on both sides of the street. Either build the CTA a turning loop or suggest to CTA to just let the buses terminate at Midway. Have #79 do the south leg of Cicero and #54B just terminates at Midway. The #67 could serve Midway too. In a way they would be serving the Orange line riders that could have rode to Ford City giving them a one ride connection again to all points south to 79th.  Plus 79th could benefit off all the stores on Cicero nb. Actually doesn't sound like too bad of an idea.

[Busjack]

13 minutes ago, Chicagos_D said:

Maybe in the future if/when this project is completed Pace might decide to stick to the bus stop instead of the transit center.

As has been demonstrated many times lately (Northbrook Court, Glenbrook Hospital, Yorktown) Pace stops where property management says it may.

[Busjack]

1 minute ago, BusHunter said:

They probably would have opposition inbound but outbound it's really a no brainer as everyone should be directed to use the #54B. But then we have the boarding passengers outbound to think about.

Does CTA still have the sign at Midway to take any Pace bus to Ford City?

 

On the rest of yours, since Mid America is building this terminal, have you found a funder for yours?

[jajuan]

12 hours ago, Busjack said:

I'm not sure of that, but at least in the case of dispositions, the logos usually come off. But guess they are still on the car up on the roof.

Actually there have been, but mostly back in the days before digitally enhanced video that a person is able to do screen captures from capable of clearly showing them on buses rolling past down the street. And of course it would be before CTA adopted the blue circle logo. The former ABC sitcom Perfect Strangers often showed GM fishbowls and MAN 4000s rolling past in their generic outside Chicago shots with no visible alterations to the livery. CTA is also probably figuring that because Transformers is a sci-fi action movie, the scenes showing the L cars will be moving fast enough that the logos wouldn't be noticeable by the average member of the target audience. Plus I don't think they thought anyone would be snapping pictures of the movie's production team setting up and filming potential scenes.

[jajuan]

36 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Does CTA still have the sign at Midway to take any Pace bus to Ford City?

 

On the rest of yours, since Mid America is building this terminal, have you found a funder for yours?

Yes, let's not suggest that CTA  and Pace for  that matter look a gift horse in the mouth when they basically don't have to lift a finger with the mall's owners building this terminal. I really do think the Pace routes not being mentioned has a lot to do with the Pace buses just passing through the mall lot while the CTA buses sit for 10-20 mins at a time on layovers. 

[Busjack]

3 minutes ago, jajuan said:

I really do think the Pace routes not being mentioned has a lot to do with the Pace buses just passing through the mall lot while the CTA buses sit for 10-20 mins at a time on layovers. 

Or it may be that Mid America's press agent didn't think about it.

[jajuan]

11 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Or it may be that Mid America's press agent didn't think about it.

I concede that may be it as well. Though I do surmise it wasn't an intentional slight for the reasons I hypothesized. 

[Chicagos_D]

From the most recent press release about the recent ground breaking that's visible from Cicero Ave. In this press release, they didn't give any update about the transit center but indirectly explains why they are deciding to build a transit center and why it will be farther away from Cicero and Wendy's. If they still plan on building it. 

[Busjack]

58 minutes ago, Chicagos_D said:

From the most recent press release about the recent ground breaking that's visible from Cicero Ave. In this press release, they didn't give any update about the transit center but indirectly explains why they are deciding to build a transit center and why it will be farther away from Cicero and Wendy's. If they still plan on building it. 

Only thing I see there is a couple of dept. store renovations, and they have to make up their quota of Mattress Firms, unlike other shopping corners that already have 3 or 4. The transit center one did mention they were building on the outlots (in a link at the bottom).

[ajm522]

4360 is on 49 but under a 74th run. Under ID SS-652. 

[ChicagoNova]

10 minutes ago, ajm522 said:

4360 is on 49 but under a 74th run. Under ID SS-652. 

???

[ThirdRailVision]

Stumbled upon a DNAinfo article titled "Unearthed Film Shows Incredible Views From The Earliest Days Of The CTA".

Pretty interesting video to check out--great footage (1948-1970) !!

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160705/downtown/unearthed-video-profiles-incredible-views-from-earliest-days-of-cta

[ajm522]

On July 5, 2016 at 9:45 PM, ChicagoNova said:

???

I was trying to say that 4360 was on the 49 as a 74th run and not a NP run. It was either coming from South Shops or going to Sourh Shops. According to Math22 tracker. 

[Busjack]

31 minutes ago, ajm522 said:

I was trying to say that 4360 was on the 49 as a 74th run and not a NP run. It was either coming from South Shops or going to Sourh Shops. According to Math22 tracker. 

Again, that gets down to what the SS, SR, and SH pullout codes are, but not necessarily South Shops.

[ajm522]

1 hour ago, Busjack said:

Again, that gets down to what the SS, SR, and SH pullout codes are, but not necessarily South Shops.

I thought SS - South Shops (Unless there's another unknown storage location), SR. - Storage Randolph, SH - Storage Halsted. Also there is SN - Storage Navy Pier. 

Could be wrong. 

[Busjack]

4 minutes ago, ajm522 said:

I thought SS - South Shops (Unless there's another unknown storage location), SR. - Storage Randolph, SH - Storage Halsted. Also there is SN - Storage Navy Pier. 

Could be wrong. 

Makes more sense than anything else.

[ChicagoNova]

8 hours ago, ajm522 said:

I was trying to say that 4360 was on the 49 as a 74th run and not a NP run. It was either coming from South Shops or going to Sourh Shops. According to Math22 tracker. 

Last I checked 74th didn't have any artics.

[ajm522]

3 hours ago, ChicagoNova said:

Last I checked 74th didn't have any artics.

Same thing I asked myself, This is what I saw on Math22 tracker on Tuesday. 

[andrethebusman]

Something is messed up here. 74th has two buses going to SS (6483 and 6664) both off #55 WB at Ashland. Returns are 6272 going to #62 at Kinzie/State and 6486 going to #X49 at Western/79th.

North Park has two (P275 and P662) off #148 at Congress/State, P763 going to #135 at Jackson/Franklin, P166 going to #136 at Jackson/Franklin 

As information, here are the other South Shops runs:

103rd - 1851 and 1507 from #28 at Union Station, 1278 and 1951 to #29 at Navy Pier

Forest Glen - F482, F833 from #56 at Madison/Wabash, F762, F481 to #56 at Madison/Wabash

Chicago - 5731, 5542 from #65 at Navy Pier, 5733, 5544 to #65 at Navy Pier

Kedzie - K031, K434 from #143 at Michigan/Congress, K145, K144 to #126 at Congress Plaza

[BusHunter]

On 7/8/2016 at 2:16 AM, andrethebusman said:

Something is messed up here. 74th has two buses going to SS (6483 and 6664) both off #55 WB at Ashland. Returns are 6272 going to #62 at Kinzie/State and 6486 going to #X49 at Western/79th.

North Park has two (P275 and P662) off #148 at Congress/State, P763 going to #135 at Jackson/Franklin, P166 going to #136 at Jackson/Franklin 

As information, here are the other South Shops runs:

103rd - 1851 and 1507 from #28 at Union Station, 1278 and 1951 to #29 at Navy Pier

Forest Glen - F482, F833 from #56 at Madison/Wabash, F762, F481 to #56 at Madison/Wabash

Chicago - 5731, 5542 from #65 at Navy Pier, 5733, 5544 to #65 at Navy Pier

Kedzie - K031, K434 from #143 at Michigan/Congress, K145, K144 to #126 at Congress Plaza

I had an operator tell me that FG has regular runs that pull out from SS but it's only of Friday's. So I assume this happens every week. Probably a way to clear the shop. So what the hell a FG operator has to go to SS and pullout the bus? Why don't they use a hiker? They could at least have everyone pullout from halsted storage. Seems kind of nutty to ask someone to go cross town to pull out a bus. I wonder if they get paid for that? If so it might not be so bad for the operator, but seems cheaper to just have the hiker do it. 

[andrethebusman]

All the runs listed above do this 5 days a week - Mon to Fri. CTA (and CSL before) have been doing this since the 1930's at least. Basically they have a couple of buses from each garage delivered to S Shops every morning. If there is a campaign on to do some modification, they do that during the day, otherwise they do "heavy inspections". Sometimes they do nothing - the bus just sits there a few hours until the PM driver shows up to take it home. But this has been the pattern since streetcar days. In the past, there have been other examples, like during the 1980's when they were putting radios in all the buses, the work was being done at Lawndale Garage, and there were a couple of runs from each garage schedule to and from Lawndale every day. Note these are part-time runs in every case, so this keeps the costs down. Just pay the driver the allotted time to get to SS and get back to garage. If you used hikers (aka mechanics) this would be using personnel who are being paid 8 hours of which now about 4 would be used to make this move.