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New Flyer at FG...


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I said it would happen, some chose not to believe it, but the New Flyers are coming to Forest Glen. I recieved a text from a FG bus operator today, he confirms to me that FGlen will begin shipping out the Flxs for the New Flyers.

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I said it would happen, some chose not to believe it, but the New Flyers are coming to Forest Glen. I recieved a text from a FG bus operator today, he confirms to me that FGlen will begin shipping out the Flxs for the New Flyers.

where will the flxs go? will they go 74, 77 or 103?

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where will the flxs go? will they go 74, 77 or 103?

Not sure where they (6000s) will be going. Im guessing Kedzie will get a few since they are giving up some of their NF. Also, I was told today by another busfan that this may very well speed up the retirement of the 6000s. Some could possibly go to other garages while others may be scrapped. RMadison may have more info on this.

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Not sure where they (6000s) will be going. Im guessing Kedzie will get a few since they are giving up some of their NF. Also, I was told today by another busfan that this may very well speed up the retirement of the 6000s. Some could possibly go to other garages while others may be scrapped. RMadison may have more info on this.

no! we dont want the flx retirement to come faster!those are some darn good buses. but if thats what cta wants we have to deal with it

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no! we dont want the flx retirement to come faster!those are some darn good buses. but if thats what cta wants we have to deal with it

I doubt that any more than a few 6000s will be retired anytime soon, with the possible exception of the 11 remaining Cummins Flxes. The NABI disaster left the CTA with a system-wide shortage of over 200 buses.

So, the 4000s, which originally were scheduled to replace most of the 6000s, are replacing the NABIs instead. My impression from recent news reports, whether right or wrong, is that none of the options for more NF artics (beyond 4150-4207) are going to be exercised in the near future.

My hunch is that, barring service cuts in 2010, the Flxes are gonna be hanging around for at least another year, maybe two. Given that possibility, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see further redistribution of the 6000s, possibly among all eight garages --- even North Park.

This is all just speculation on my part, but I'm also predicting a return of some Novas to Chicago Avenue, involving swaps of New Flyers with both Archer and Forest Glen.

One way or another, I believe that The Dance of the Buses is about to resume after a few months of relative quiet. Sometimes I'm wrong, sometimes I'm right. We'll see! As CTA5750 stated, folks associated with the CTA such as RMadison would know more.

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I doubt that any more than a few 6000s will be retired anytime soon, ...

This is all just speculation on my part, ...

One way or another, I believe that The Dance of the Buses is about to resume after a few months of relative quiet. ...

I sort of agree with you, but there is also BusHunter's point that if you put 3 4000s on say route 136, you free up 3 or 4 1000s that can go somewhere else to retire 3 or 4 6000s.

Also, since the capital bills have been signed, and CTA has announced that wants to spend $172 million out of the first on hyrbrid articulated buses, it may come sooner than you think. But that depends on Quinn doing the paperwork on the bonds, and then someone wanting to buy them. You have to wonder if video poker is going to get off the ground, but you know that people will be paying the extra $20 for car license plate renewal stickers, the increased car title fee, the tax on iced tea (which some stores collect already), etc., so I suppose that despite the downgrade on the state's debt rating, someone will buy the bonds.

The one constant is, of course, bus shuffling. The issue would be that since the only routes out of FG that would justify artics (even if we get only to exercising the base order and first option, which would still be a large number of artics, as sw pointed out) might be 77, X80, and 81, FG is now consigned to 1000s that got broken in somewhere else. Maybe really broken in if from 77 (I lost track about 3 swaps ago).

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Send them to 77th since it has none and the other two do.

With the certainty that the 6000s will end their service lives on south/west side streets, they will sorely be missed on the northwest side. Theyve been such a fixture up this way for several years, I myself spent a lot of time behind the wheel of those #6000 buses, I will certainly miss seeing them up here.

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With the certainty that the 6000s will end their service lives on south/west side streets, they will sorely be missed on the northwest side. Theyve been such a fixture up this way for several years, I myself spent a lot of time behind the wheel of those #6000 buses, I will certainly miss seeing them up here.

I'm not so sure that Forest Glen will lose its entire fleet of 6000s. My guess is that between 30 and 35 might remain. I'm basing this assumption, whether right or wrong, on 103rd Street's recent receipt of 32 Flxes. Their fleet is roughly the same size as FG's.

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I'm still hoping for Forest Glen to ship out some of its Novas for New Flyers. I'm even hoping for FG to get more Flxibles. :lol:

I'm just not trusting the garage banter about the Flxibles yet.

Of course, with the latter.

However, as to getting more Flxibles, there is the issue that CTA said buses at outside garages would have to be retrofitted with capacitors. I don't know if the 1200s have been, but it is unlikely that additional work would be put into buses that would be the next to be retired. Again, just speculating.

I also wonder if about 5 1200s constitutes a firm trend.

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I also wonder if about 5 1200s constitutes a firm trend.

I have to agree with you, Busjack. Unless these are "training" buses, so to speak, as FG will be getting about 100 or so New Flyer DE60LF's with the new order? That, or as more DE60LF's come into NP and 77th, some of their D40LF's will move to FG, possibly making these garages more articulated than anything else....

Only time will tell... :unsure:

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I'm not so sure that Forest Glen will lose its entire fleet of 6000s. My guess is that between 30 and 35 might remain. I'm basing this assumption, whether right or wrong, on 103rd Street's recent receipt of 32 Flxes. Their fleet is roughly the same size as FG's.

That could be a possibility, Im only stating the message that I was given. My buddy from FG tells me theyre shipping out the Flxs for New Flyers. He didnt elaborate on it, if theyre losing all of them of some of them. But that would be nice if Fg hangs on to a few.

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I have to agree with you, Busjack. Unless these are "training" buses, so to speak, as FG will be getting about 100 or so New Flyer DE60LF's with the new order? That, or as more DE60LF's come into NP and 77th, some of their D40LF's will move to FG, possibly making these garages more articulated than anything else....

Only time will tell... :unsure:

There is absolutely no room for 60 footers at FG. Its so overcrowded, like Kedzie theyre parking them wherever they can find the room. FG dosent have the room! They probably would not be able to make the 360 degree turn required after pulling out of the washer.

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There is absolutely no room for 60 footers at FG. Its so overcrowded, like Kedzie theyre [sic] parking them wherever they can find the room. FG dosent have the room! They probably would not be able to make the 360 degree turn required after pulling out of the washer.

Yeah, but after they move 60 40 footers out, they could get 40 60 footers in. And, of course, with regard to turning radius, an artic is almost two 30 footers.

Although I still agree with those that say that if CTA is going to buy as many artics as it says, it will have to do something about garage capacity.

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Guest ctafan630

There is absolutely no room for 60 footers at FG. Its so overcrowded, like Kedzie theyre parking them wherever they can find the room. FG dosent have the room! They probably would not be able to make the 360 degree turn required after pulling out of the washer.

Does any one know how many MAN artics were at FG when Route #40 existed before the Blue line was extended to O'hare?

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There is absolutely no room for 60 footers at FG. Its so overcrowded, like Kedzie theyre parking them wherever they can find the room. FG dosent have the room! They probably would not be able to make the 360 degree turn required after pulling out of the washer.

I wonder if FG will get some of the 40-foot hybrids from Kedzie. Those would be well-suited for many FG routes such as #56.

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