GM #300-449

[Guest]

I know many of us as well as myself have a curiousity over the #100/#300/#800s GM New Looks. I for one remember riding them through Lincoln Park when I was a kid back in the 70s. I never saw a #100 series bus although I do remember seeing #800s on #9 Ashland. The one bus I have etched in my mind to this day is #444, dunno why. I remember some of them were very loud buses, the loud hissing engine sound they carried, the exhaust they emitted from underneath, some of them you could hear a mile away and the old paint scheme. For me as a kid they looked kind of scary with the loud engine sound. I liked them more when CTA placed the updated tailgates on them like #301 for example. But overall that was pretty interesting group of buses because there werent that many of them in the CTA fleet. In Mel Bernero's photo gallery there was one GM fishbowl #414 marked with Chicago Motor Coach emblems. What was the reason behind that?

[cta 5555]

Was that some kind of osa fan trip? And the group put that on.

[Guest]

Was that some kind of osa fan trip? And the group put that on.

Dunno, but the bus looks like its in service.

[Chicago13]

Looking at that website, I noticed the pics of 314 and 348 with what looks like an all green front. I don't recall ever seeing that before. And 315 looks even stranger.

[New Flyer]

Looking at that website, I noticed the pics of 314 and 348 with what looks like an all green front. I don't recall ever seeing that before. And 315 looks even stranger.

The 100s were at Beverly garage on 103rd Vincennes, I use to ride on them when 95th street was one route and went from 83rd South Chicago to Evergreen Plaza.

[artthouwill]

The 100s were at Beverly garage on 103rd Vincennes, I use to ride on them when 95th street was one route and went from 83rd South Chicago to Evergreen Plaza.

I remember 100s at 69th garage. I used to ride them on Ashland, 63rd, and Racine.

I also got to ride bus 804 on 63rd St one night. I thought it was a strange looking bus.

There was a strange looking 8600 bus I saw in the photos, but I used to see a bus similar to that running down Loomis going southbound approaching and passing 63rd St. By that time, the Englewood L terminal was at Ashland, though I used to hear (and saw photos) that the terminal was once at Loomis. Since this bus was always empty and the destination sign always said "CHARTERED", I didn't know what this bus was doing.

[Busjack]

The 100s were at Beverly garage on 103rd Vincennes, I use to ride on them when 95th street was one route and went from 83rd South Chicago to Evergreen Plaza.

Thanks for confirming where I thought most of them were before they showed up on 69th routes in about 1974. There were also a few on 156 at about that time, when that was pretty much a wholly GMC route.

[ibebobo]

Looking at that website, I noticed the pics of 314 and 348 with what looks like an all green front. I don't recall ever seeing that before. And 315 looks even stranger.

A lot of those 200s and 300s look weird as they were loaned to the CTA in the early 90s I think. There is a post somewhere about them.

[Guest]

CTA #388 can be seen in the 1975 movie "Cooley High" The kids in the movie actually jump on the rear of the bus and ride it to Lincoln Park Zoo. Good scene!.

[Busjack]

CTA #388 can be seen in the 1975 movie "Cooley High" The kids in the movie actually jump on the rear of the bus and ride it to Lincoln Park Zoo. Good scene!.

That actually was on this (WCIU DT-4).

[BusHunter]

I know many of us as well as myself have a curiousity over the #100/#300/#800s GM New Looks. I for one remember riding them through Lincoln Park when I was a kid back in the 70s. I never saw a #100 series bus although I do remember seeing #800s on #9 Ashland. The one bus I have etched in my mind to this day is #444, dunno why. I remember some of them were very loud buses, the loud hissing engine sound they carried, the exhaust they emitted from underneath, some of them you could hear a mile away and the old paint scheme. For me as a kid they looked kind of scary with the loud engine sound. I liked them more when CTA placed the updated tailgates on them like #301 for example. But overall that was pretty interesting group of buses because there werent that many of them in the CTA fleet. In Mel Bernero's photo gallery there was one GM fishbowl #414 marked with Chicago Motor Coach emblems. What was the reason behind that?

I couldn't help but notice a few things myself that I have questions on like this. There is a bus on the Mel bernaro photobucket site (sorry I can't seem to post the link) that shows CTA 204 that has the numbers 204 on the front and 314 on the rear rt. side. What bus was it 204 or 314? Then there's CTA 397 The only bicentennial #300, that's named Morn Rinker or does it say Mom Rinker? (a bad mother's day joke) Actually that's a very rare photograph. The bus was actually retired when a drunk man I think stole the bus from the limits garage and hit quite a few parked cars with it according to Andre on the Yahoo Chicago Transit forum. Then there's CTA 315 which shows what would be the modern paint scheme for the time (1970's) married to the older scheme. I never thought a #300 was painted that way. very interesting!! Also there's the #429 picture where the addison bus is shown outside a high school. (looks like schurz) There's nothing but girls in the picture. I wonder if the school was all girls back then. Based on what has been said on various forums the picture can be traced to late fall 1963 - spring 1964 at Keeler garage. After that the bus would be at Limits and I don't think Limits has ever done Addison.

[Chicago13]

I couldn't help but notice a few things myself that I have questions on like this. There is a bus on the Mel bernaro photobucket site (sorry I can't seem to post the link) that shows CTA 204 that has the numbers 204 on the front and 314 on the rear rt. side. What bus was it 204 or 314? Then there's CTA 397 The only bicentennial #300, that's named Morn Rinker or does it say Mom Rinker? (a bad mother's day joke) Actually that's a very rare photograph. The bus was actually retired when a drunk man I think stole the bus from the limits garage and hit quite a few parked cars with it according to Andre on the Yahoo Chicago Transit forum. Then there's CTA 315 which shows what would be the modern paint scheme for the time (1970's) married to the older scheme. I never thought a #300 was painted that way. very interesting!! Also there's the #429 picture where the addison bus is shown outside a high school. (looks like schurz) There's nothing but girls in the picture. I wonder if the school was all girls back then. Based on what has been said on various forums the picture can be traced to late fall 1963 - spring 1964 at Keeler garage. After that the bus would be at Limits and I don't think Limits has ever done Addison.

Schurz was never all girls. However that does appear to be Schurz in the background.

I seem to recall back in the late 70's (I think) CTA picked up some used fish bowls from Canada (I seem to recall Winnepeg and Calgary--not sure though). 204, 310 and that odd 315 look to be a 3 of those buses. I remember riding one of those on Addison once back then and it was numbered in the 300's

397 does indeed say "Mom Rinker". Mom Rinker was a Philadelphia tavern keeper who acted as a spy for the American revolutionaries. The image of 348 in the all green front is from 1964 and the one of 314 looks to be from at least 1968 (the Chevy directly behind the bus is the front end of a '67 and the Buick going the other way appears to be a '68 Skylark). Apparently, CTA got some of those series painted that way originally. 429 also sports that all green front too.

[mikeymc77]

But why all the different paint schemes?

[Busjack]

But why all the different paint schemes?

They probably weren't delivered that way, but back then a paint job only lasted a couple of years. I remember (at least in some collar cities) the last date a bus was painted was painted on the bus. At one time, some 8800s had white trim and others yellow, but someone else told me that the yellow was actually cream and the white ones were repainted.

Similarly, on the L, by the time I got here, only Douglas and Skokie trains were turquoise and coral. Actually, the Douglas ones were originally Mercury Green with orange belts, but faded, and were among the last ones to eventually get repainted into a darker green and white. Pictures of older trolley buses show the same.

Therefore, more than likely, the green around the windshield was the original paint scheme for the GMCs, but they sometime got repainted. The photos usually aren't dated.

Nowadays, since a bus is supposed to be corrosion free for 12 years (and the RTSs had fiberglass exteriors), they aren't repainted as much. But there were still people asking why some RTSs had fleet numbers in italics, or the 5800s had narrower fleet numbers. The answer is what we all know: they weren't delivered that way. Even though CTA has stuck with the red white and blue scheme, the blue on some of the RTSs after repainting was not the same as on other buses.

And, as indicated when Bill V. had pictures of 6128, sometimes the shops experiment with a scheme, and then throw it out. Sort of like Jewel and Domincks going through at least 3 interior schemes in the past 5 years.

[andrethebusman]

There was a strange looking 8600 bus I saw in the photos, but I used to see a bus similar to that running down Loomis going southbound approaching and passing 63rd St. By that time, the Englewood L terminal was at Ashland, though I used to hear (and saw photos) that the terminal was once at Loomis. Since this bus was always empty and the destination sign always said "CHARTERED", I didn't know what this bus was doing.

[andrethebusman]

When 100's and 8500's were new in 1961, they were split equally between Limits, Keeler, Lawndale, 52nd, and Beverly. In 1963 300's were split between the same barns, but 95 of the 150 were at Limits. Circa 1964 in an effortto simplify assignments, all 100's went to Lawndale and Beverly, all 8500's to Keeler and 52nd, all 300's to Limits.

Years later, in their last days 100's were mostly at 69th, though there were groups at Kedzie and Forest Glen also. After Keeler closed, their 8500's landed at North Av. Many 300's were at Forest Glen starting about 1972.

Also, for a few months circa 1964 about a dozen 100's were at 77th as that garage's first new looks, until replaced by 3300's. Saw them a few times on 79th.

Andre

[BusHunter]

They probably weren't delivered that way, but back then a paint job only lasted a couple of years. I remember (at least in some collar cities) the last date a bus was painted was painted on the bus. At one time, some 8800s had white trim and others yellow, but someone else told me that the yellow was actually cream and the white ones were repainted.

Similarly, on the L, by the time I got here, only Douglas and Skokie trains were turquoise and coral. Actually, the Douglas ones were originally Mercury Green with orange belts, but faded, and were among the last ones to eventually get repainted into a darker green and white. Pictures of older trolley buses show the same.

Therefore, more than likely, the green around the windshield was the original paint scheme for the GMCs, but they sometime got repainted. The photos usually aren't dated.

Nowadays, since a bus is supposed to be corrosion free for 12 years (and the RTSs had fiberglass exteriors), they aren't repainted as much. But there were still people asking why some RTSs had fleet numbers in italics, or the 5800s had narrower fleet numbers. The answer is what we all know: they weren't delivered that way. Even though CTA has stuck with the red white and blue scheme, the blue on some of the RTSs after repainting was not the same as on other buses.

And, as indicated when Bill V. had pictures of 6128, sometimes the shops experiment with a scheme, and then throw it out. Sort of like Jewel and Domincks going through at least 3 interior schemes in the past 5 years.

What do you mean when you say the Douglas was turquoise and coral? Was each line painted differently? From what I remember from reading about this the #6000's came in with the green roofs with mercury green with swamp holly orange belts and croyden cream on the body. These first #6000's, I think the first 200 or so came in this way mostly placed in Garfield Park service. Then the rest came in without the green roofs, eventually being repainted in the mid to late 60's Alpine white and hunter green. Then being repainted in the 80's the charcoal grey color when going through rehab. If you notice the interior changes color here to from green seats and green metal sides (around the windows) to brown. You can see the green interior pretty good in the movie called "The Hunter" with Steve Mcqueen. Also I think the #6101-02 at Fox River Trolley Museum has the green as well. As far as the RTS's, before they were repainted the special reflective blue paint, that's supposed to glow in the dark like on police cars, it was used as an experiment on #5750 and #5751 upon delivery. It was a success and was used in the RTS rehab. I think this was used on every bus thereafter but some of the most recent #6000 rehab's are painted with a darker blue.

[Busjack]

What do you mean when you say the Douglas was turquoise and coral? Was each line painted differently?

Nope. That just was the sequence in which cars were repainted. Maybe I should have said that B trains on the Milwaukee-Douglas runs were mercury green and cream, while A trains on the Milwaukee-Congress were green and white, at some point during 1969. By 1971, everything was green and white, except for a few scragglers on the Skokie Swift, which eventually got the Bicentennial treatment.

In that it appeared to me that there was an A-B breakdown, maybe that's just coincidence. Or maybe it reflected assignments to the Des Plaines Ave. and 54th yards; I don't know. Also, at that time, you were talking about 6600s-6720.

Probably not much different from someone coming to town about 2001 and seeing that the Red Line cars were plain, while the Blue Line ones had window masks and stripes.

[Guest]

I couldn't help but notice a few things myself that I have questions on like this. There is a bus on the Mel bernaro photobucket site (sorry I can't seem to post the link) that shows CTA 204 that has the numbers 204 on the front and 314 on the rear rt. side. What bus was it 204 or 314? Then there's CTA 397 The only bicentennial #300, that's named Morn Rinker or does it say Mom Rinker? (a bad mother's day joke) Actually that's a very rare photograph. The bus was actually retired when a drunk man I think stole the bus from the limits garage and hit quite a few parked cars with it according to Andre on the Yahoo Chicago Transit forum. Then there's CTA 315 which shows what would be the modern paint scheme for the time (1970's) married to the older scheme. I never thought a #300 was painted that way. very interesting!! Also there's the #429 picture where the addison bus is shown outside a high school. (looks like schurz) There's nothing but girls in the picture. I wonder if the school was all girls back then. Based on what has been said on various forums the picture can be traced to late fall 1963 - spring 1964 at Keeler garage. After that the bus would be at Limits and I don't think Limits has ever done Addison.

I never knew that a bicentennial #300 (#397), existed. I grew up in Lincoln Park in the 1970s and Ive never once seen this bus. I thought CTA only used there more newer vehicles for the bicentennial scheme. The one pic I especially like is the the GM #318 taken at Cumberland Station on the #69 route, side by side with a Nortran GMC. #318 looks very updated, looks rehabbed, very clean bus! I like how it looks. The version I remember very well are the pics of GMC #442 and #443. Those are etched in my mind because I remember #444 looking like that. By the way I graduated fron Schurz H.S. in 1989, at no time was it ever all girls.

[BusHunter]

Schurz was never all girls. However that does appear to be Schurz in the background.

I seem to recall back in the late 70's (I think) CTA picked up some used fish bowls from Canada (I seem to recall Winnepeg and Calgary--not sure though). 204, 310 and that odd 315 look to be a 3 of those buses. I remember riding one of those on Addison once back then and it was numbered in the 300's

397 does indeed say "Mom Rinker". Mom Rinker was a Philadelphia tavern keeper who acted as a spy for the American revolutionaries. The image of 348 in the all green front is from 1964 and the one of 314 looks to be from at least 1968 (the Chevy directly behind the bus is the front end of a '67 and the Buick going the other way appears to be a '68 Skylark). Apparently, CTA got some of those series painted that way originally. 429 also sports that all green front too.

Thanks for the "mom rinker" info. I couldn't find anything with either name on google. The #314 picture you speak of if you zoom it up shows the bus route as #82A. I also recognize the area as Wellington/Kimball. Weird that route should be south of Logan as it's the southern extension bus. The shot shows it amazingly clean compared to now. A map of Oct. 1970 shows that kimball is now the long route it is today without the transfer at Logan Square. Before the Jeff Park opening (pre 1970) the route was split at Logan Square, #82 and #82a. So based on that info I'd say that possibly the picture was took possibly just after the opening of the Jeff Pk extension in 1970. There may not have been roll signs yet to reflect a #82 will be traveling to 31st so a #82A roll sign was used in the interim. I'm trying to figure out the White Castle shot with #326 mistakingly put on the site as #316. Is that North/Central. They do have a White Castle there. For some reason the angle of the street keeps throwing me off. The bus looks like it's on an angle street like Milwaukee. I know Central curves there, but would a house being facing east there. That's the part that makes no sense to me.

[BusHunter]

I never knew that a bicentennial #300 (#397), existed. I grew up in Lincoln Park in the 1970s and Ive never once seen this bus. I thought CTA only used there more newer vehicles for the bicentennial scheme. The one pic I especially like is the the GM #318 taken at Cumberland Station on the #69 route, side by side with a Nortran GMC. #318 looks very updated, looks rehabbed, very clean bus! I like how it looks. The version I remember very well are the pics of GMC #442 and #443. Those are etched in my mind because I remember #444 looking like that. By the way I graduated fron Schurz H.S. in 1989, at no time was it ever all girls.

Yeah #397 existed. I don't know exactly when it's retirement happened. Maybe that's why you may not have seen it. But it must have been at least after 1976. #3444 is also bicentennial. It may be the only short bus bicentennial. I wonder if maybe we'll see that picture soon. #318 looks weird at Cumberland terminal. Something so new with an antique traveling it. It's almost like #6000's at O'Hare. I don't know what to say about Schurz being all girls or not. Perhaps the girls were released before the boys. Cool having a picture of a bus outside your high school. There's one also of Lane Tech in 1964. It's of bus #145 with all boys entering it. It's a #152 to Pueblo. Lane was once all boys. That's my school. It's in the Neal Samors book remembering the sixties. It's at Border's or you can take the book out I think at Sulzer Library on the 4500 block of north Lincoln.

[Guest]

Yeah #397 existed. I don't know exactly when it's retirement happened. Maybe that's why you may not have seen it. But it must have been at least after 1976. #3444 is also bicentennial. It may be the only short bus bicentennial. I wonder if maybe we'll see that picture soon. #318 looks weird at Cumberland terminal. Something so new with an antique traveling it. It's almost like #6000's at O'Hare. I don't know what to say about Schurz being all girls or not. Perhaps the girls were released before the boys. Cool having a picture of a bus outside your high school. There's one also of Lane Tech in 1964. It's of bus #145 with all boys entering it. It's a #152 to Pueblo. Lane was once all boys. That's my school. It's in the Neal Samors book remembering the sixties. It's at Border's or you can take the book out I think at Sulzer Library on the 4500 block of north Lincoln.

I love the picture gallery of the #100/300/800 series buses. The #300s are the ones I remember very well. Its hard to forget that loud engine sound some of those buses made. I remember a couple of bicentennial buses assigned at North ave. Some #1400s and 3700s were repainted and I think GMC #1505 was repainted as well. By the way which bus picture has Schurz High School in the shot?

[BusHunter]

I love the picture gallery of the #100/300/800 series buses. The #300s are the ones I remember very well. Its hard to forget that loud engine sound some of those buses made. I remember a couple of bicentennial buses assigned at North ave. Some #1400s and 3700s were repainted and I think GMC #1505 was repainted as well. By the way which bus picture has Schurz High School in the shot?

That's the picture of #429 with the all green front with a group of girls entering the #152 that says it's going to Downtown. I kind of like the #100's over the #300's. I rode a couple of them out of FG when I was little once on the #56 and maybe on the #81. The tailgate on the #100's gives it that vintage classic feel like a '57 Chevy. Also with the metal over the front door by the top clearance lights that helps to give it that look. Tailgate shots of #100's are really hard to find. The only ones I can find are in that Neal Samors book I mentioned a few posts above. As a kid I used to see at least 3 or 4 bicentennials running the #53. Mostly #3600's or #3700's. Too bad I can't get a hold of a bicentennial list.

[Guest]

That's the picture of #429 with the all green front with a group of girls entering the #152 that says it's going to Downtown. I kind of like the #100's over the #300's. I rode a couple of them out of FG when I was little once on the #56 and maybe on the #81. The tailgate on the #100's gives it that vintage classic feel like a '57 Chevy. Also with the metal over the front door by the top clearance lights that helps to give it that look. Tailgate shots of #100's are really hard to find. The only ones I can find are in that Neal Samors book I mentioned a few posts above. As a kid I used to see at least 3 or 4 bicentennials running the #53. Mostly #3600's or #3700's. Too bad I can't get a hold of a bicentennial list.

Now I remember! Theres a door entrance on the eastern side of the school. Now im sure this explains why there are only girls boarding at this point. The bus is loading just outside the east entrance. This no longer existed by the time I went there. But Im sure this explains why that is. Anyway I do remember at Schurz back in the 80s when we were getting out at 2:45PM, by the time we got to the SB Milwaukee bus stop, there was always a lashup of GMCs and Flyers lined up to take us. Some were going all the way downtown and then you had the trippers only to Logan Sq. I remember on several occasions seeing the leased GMCs as well as GMC #301 on a tripper. I would always wait for the old GMC to pull up. I always enjoyed seeing that bus on the school tripper. That was a fun time because not only did we have GMC #301 but we also had the leased and very colorful GM buses too as well as Flyer #9844 with the Cummins engine. I remember riding with my dad once on a #56 Milwaukee tripper driving #301. Not only did I get to ride the old bus but I also got a free ride home!. :)

[trainman8119]

Based on what has been said on various forums the picture can be traced to late fall 1963 - spring 1964 at Keeler garage. After that the bus would be at Limits and I don't think Limits has ever done Addison.

If you could pin down when the 400's came in you would be able to date the pic. If you look real close, there is no license plate on the front. All that is there is a "license pending" tag. This would imply that the bus was real new at the time and probably a Keeler bus at the time. I agree that the 400's spent a lot of time at Limits, but who knows what was happening back in '63.