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New Artics Have Arrived!


santran

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Keeshin/Coach USA says it runs the double deckers. Some were labeled Chicago Motor Coach company, but the site of a company with that name doesn't indicate sightseeing.

As far as double deckers, the Alexander Dennis one in Vancouver was reported to be 14 feet tall, and a Los Vegas site similarly states. Most of the UPN-Ravenswood and CTA North Main overpasses (under which any bus going from North Park to LSD would have to traverse) are marked at about 11 foot clearance. There was some conjecture on the Yahoo group whether clearance was reduced from CMC days by paving, or that some of the clearance signs are a bit understated, but, in any event, the bus would not make the clearances here. Also, since CTA can't get riders to go to the back, how is it going to get them to go upstairs?

I get the same conclusion about the low overpasses which makes the CMC ones really strange. How did they get to the garage? The Lawrence to howard segment on the red was built in the 1910's so it did coexist with these. Probably the reason these double deckers are in vegas is because they have no low viaducts or none at all. Maybe these work better on the west coast. As far as the CTA riders, if you put the wheelchairs, strollers, elderly and disabled downstairs. I'd be happy to go upstairs. I just asked about the sightseeing ones because wouldn't they have this same problem now. How would you cross the elevated? Doesn't the double deck tour stick to Michigan avenue and streeterville. I don't recall ever have seeing them pass the elevated. I thought I might have seen these traveling to their garage on Chicago avenue from Michigan avenue, so I assumed the garage was nearby perhaps on Halsted somewhere.

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The elevated (in the sense of the steel structure) seems to have a higher clearance; I haven't noted clearance markers on those*. I checked the ones on the Howard Line from Foster north in response to the Yahoo group conversation.

Krambles says that the CMC "Queen Mary"s were shorter than the NYC ones because of the lower Chicago clearances, but doesn't say how tall they were. Since he has a picture of two going under the L at Sheridan (6400 N), they did it then, but I really doubt that they were anywhere near to the 14 foot Alexander-Dennis ones. People were probably shorter back then, and hence so were the buses.

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*After all, the hybrids can get under the L at Wilson/Broadway, but not under the UP at Wilson/Ravenswood.

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The elevated (in the sense of the steel structure) seems to have a higher clearance; I haven't noted clearance markers on those*. I checked the ones on the Howard Line from Foster north in response to the Yahoo group conversation.

Krambles says that the CMC "Queen Mary"s were shorter than the NYC ones because of the lower Chicago clearances, but doesn't say how tall they were. Since he has a picture of two going under the L at Sheridan (6400 N), they did it then, but I really doubt that they were anywhere near to the 14 foot Alexander-Dennis ones. People were probably shorter back then, and hence so were the buses.

__________

*After all, the hybrids can get under the L at Wilson/Broadway, but not under the UP at Wilson/Ravenswood.

I did take notice yesterday that the double deckers do travel down state around state/lake, but it looks like a very close shave. I wouldn't want anyone standing on the upper level or they might get a rude awakening. I would think maybe this would be an insurance risk, but maybe the buses travel light through that segment.

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Ive FINALLY spotted 4149 in service (I dont know if anyone else has yet). On the 147 tonight. I has the new yellowish white LED lights that most of the new stimulus buses have.

I got to see this bus close up. It does have a few experimental changes to the interior. Everything is virtually the same as the other #4000's up to #4148 if you look from the light bar down. Most of the changes are with the light bar and ad rack. The ad rack is deep grey (as opposed to a light whitish grey on the other ones)and appears to be constructed differently than the rest of the series. The vent holes for the air conditioning are cylindrical (about a inch and a half long) and stacked about 4 holes vertically. These stretch horizontally down the top of the ad rack. Something that looks a bit more modern than the horizontal single hole alignment on the other ones. The light bar runs flush with the ad rack (unlike the other ones)and doesn't give that white blueish glare of an LED light. It gives the bus a more modern look overall. Strangly it almosts looks like the rendering of the #5000's, in respect to the light bar. Maybe this was more an experiment for that. We'll find out soon enough.

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  • 3 weeks later...

We'll see how these low floor artics perform over time framewise, though for the same thing to happen at NF would be unlikely. But it would be interesting to see how there doing in 2020 or the long term effect of low floor artics in general. I was thinking the other month, after hearing about Las Vegas' purchase of some double deck buses and hearing of there existence in Canada and Europe mostly I wonder if the double deck buses will eventually give the artics a run for their money. They seem to be entering the U.S. transit market, but are still quite rare to see in a transit environment versus a sightseeing environment.

I’d be very concerned about the lack of supervision on the upper level if a double-deck bus is operated on routes which pass through high-crime areas.

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I'd be very concerned about the lack of supervision on the upper level if a double-deck bus is operated on routes which pass through high-crime areas.
Cameras would be installed on the bus. For that matter, recording cameras are everywhere.

I don't expect a bus operator to physically attempt to halt a crime in progress, and neither should you. :mellow:

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