Busjack Posted November 24, 2013 Report Share Posted November 24, 2013 So has anyone seen these buses in person? Are they exactly the same as the 2013 models? How many Orion vii's were ordered in the first year of that contract may shed some light on how many buses they are getting. If the 2014 budget says 43 buses, it's not yet 2014, so I would think that they are not counting those yet. Are we missing any buses off the 2013 budget? As I noted above, there are 87 buses still remaining from the 2012 budget. The 2013 budget is essentially for the CNGs (91 are in the base order of the approved contract). Also, as I mentioned before, 88 buses were received in 2000, although there really wasn't any cutoff between the base order and first option, as far as what SW got. 3 of them have been scrapped (6040, 6047, and 6061). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Meanwhile, 6323 is still at NW: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artthouwill Posted November 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Meanwhile, 6323 is still at NW: 6323.jpg I suppose we won't see this bus on any West routes for a long time, if ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 I suppose we won't see this bus on any West routes for a long time, if ever. I think it will go eventually to the next garage to get these buses. Could be SW if South is getting CNG's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman8119 Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Is 6323 a prototype. I noticed today (or at least I got a real good close up look, anyway) that the numbers are larger, much larger, than those on the rest of what has come in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Is 6323 a prototype. I noticed today (or at least I got a real good close up look, anyway) that the numbers are larger, much larger, than those on the rest of what has come in. I didn't have anything around NW to compare it with, but the numbers are big. Also, it certainly was a prototype in that it went on some sort of tour, and appeared to have been put into service (at least when jesi reported it at West) last. However, I doubt that it is the kind of number swapping prototype that CTA seems to collect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman8119 Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 I didn't have anything around NW to compare it with, but the numbers are big. Also, it certainly was a prototype in that it went on some sort of tour, and appeared to have been put into service (at least when jesi reported it at West) last.Here are a couple of pics off flickr:http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/9002098516_b57d6cf8f5_b.jpghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/22257239@N03/9000918751 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesi2282 Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Here are two up close shots of 6323, basically identical except for the tinted windows and fat fleet number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Here are a couple of pics off flickr:http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/9002098516_b57d6cf8f5_b.jpghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/22257239@N03/9000918751 Here are two up close shots of 6323, basically identical except for the tinted windows and fat fleet number. The font might be a bit wider, but not enough to tell from pictures. Anyway, the numbers are just decals off a sheet. Supposedly, the big reason it was a demonstrator was the Qstraint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Here are a couple of pics off flickr:http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/9002098516_b57d6cf8f5_b.jpghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/22257239@N03/9000918751 A tour of West Division based on the Flickr captions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 A tour of West Division based on the Flickr captions. Now if I can only figure out what they are doing with a box of Gillig Parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Now if I can only figure out what they are doing with a box of Gillig Parts? So you spotted that too I see. Whatever kind of tour it was they appeared to be putting different models of buses on display including a Nortran GM fishbowl and a GM bus from it decades before the introduction of that particular model of GM fishbowl was first used in the Chicago area. From what I say they had the displayed buses in pristine condition. New coats of fresh paint along with the rims on each bus's rims cleaned and repainted like new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Now if I can only figure out what they are doing with a box of Gillig Parts? So you spotted that too I see. Whatever kind of tour it was they appeared to be putting different models of buses on display including a Nortran GM fishbowl and a GM bus from it decades before the introduction of that particular model of GM fishbowl was first used in the Chicago area. From what I say they had the displayed buses in pristine condition. New coats of fresh paint along with the rims on each bus's rims cleaned and repainted like new. It took me a while to figure this out, but clicking on the flickr link and then the photos finally resulted in a slide show. I assume the picture to which you are referring is here. As the caption indicates "they sell parts for other buses." As we went through with CTA taking its lawsuit settlement in parts from NABI (now New Flyer), most of a bus consists of generic parts, like Cummins or DD engines, Vapor doors, etc. Gillig has a wholesale parts operation, too. You just have to keep up with the Pace contract awards page. The Nortran and West Towns buses are from Pace's "historical collection." The only thing that seems to be different is that they were at West instead of in the garage at South Holland. To get into twy territory, they are also on Pace's Facebook page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 It took me a while to figure this out, but clicking on the flickr link and then the photos finally resulted in a slide show. I assume the picture to which you are referring is here. As the caption indicates "they sell parts for other buses." As we went through with CTA taking its lawsuit settlement in parts from NABI (now New Flyer), most of a bus consists of generic parts, like Cummins or DD engines, Vapor doors, etc. Gillig has a wholesale parts operation, too. You just have to keep up with the Pace contract awards page. The Nortran and West Towns buses are from Pace's "historical collection." The only thing that seems to be different is that they were at West instead of in the garage at South Holland. To get into twy territory, they are also on Pace's Facebook page. The thought that came to mind when I spotted the Gillig box is that the parts are perhaps for the new Eldos as they have some similarities to those Gillig buses I often see in my neighborhood and are used by Free Enterprise to operate shuttle service for Northwestern University. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 The thought that came to mind when I spotted the Gillig box is that the parts are perhaps for the new Eldos as they have some similarities to those Gillig buses I often see in my neighborhood and are used by Free Enterprise to operate shuttle service for Northwestern University. Undoubtedly the same air filters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesi2282 Posted December 3, 2013 Report Share Posted December 3, 2013 It seems the rear destination sign is no longer unique to the suburbans, other than that no difference with the Northwest Eldorados and the West Eldorados... heres a bad pic of 6396 at NWTC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 It seems the rear destination sign is no longer unique to the suburbans, other than that no difference with the Northwest Eldorados and the West Eldorados... heres a bad pic of 6396 at NWTC. So does #6396 appear on the tracker. I looked for it on the #208 or #606, #600 yesterday but couldn't find it. I just seem to find #6393, but it keeps pulling in on me. (still no pictures) I wonder why they went with the express rear destination style. Those seem harder to read from a distance, something people will be doing on local service. Maybe now they can retire at least some of NW Orions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 So does #6396 appear on the tracker. I looked for it on the #208 or #606, #600 yesterday but couldn't find it. I just seem to find #6393, but it keeps pulling in on me. (still no pictures) I wonder why they went with the express rear destination style. Those seem harder to read from a distance, something people will be doing on local service. Maybe now they can retire at least some of NW Orions. I didn't see it yesterday, but 6394 was at NWTC yesterday and 270 today on Web Watch. I figure that "not in service" doesn't register. As far as the rear destination sign, prior minutes indicated that passengers wanted it and ElDorado National was able to accommodate the request, so it doesn't seem like an Express feature, per se. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesi2282 Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 Well while I was speaking with the driver, I noticed he was manually logged on to his IBS, which makes the bus untrackable... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 It just seems like a matter of reading a rear destination route or a route and description. Though the second is nicer, it's not really useful information unless you are at Golf Mill and you want to know what #270 you missed. (might be as many as five different destinations) So i guess it's a matter of information versus vision/sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 It just seems like a matter of reading a rear destination route or a route and description. Though the second is nicer, it's not really useful information unless you are at Golf Mill and you want to know what #270 you missed. (might be as many as five different destinations) So i guess it's a matter of information versus vision/sight. When you put it that way, it is equivalent to the 208 Eastbound and 208 Westbound signs, as that bus could be going in either direction at a common bus stop at Oakton Community College, Golf Mill, or Old Orchard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Railwaymodeler Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 It just seems like a matter of reading a rear destination route or a route and description. Though the second is nicer, it's not really useful information unless you are at Golf Mill and you want to know what #270 you missed. (might be as many as five different destinations) So i guess it's a matter of information versus vision/sight. Washington and Sheridan pulse point in Waukegan could use these. When buses line up, if you come in on a bus thats third or fourth in line at least, looking for your bus could be handier with full signs on the back. A lot of people I've talked to don't really trust the rear numberboard anymore, and drivers often do tell passengers that the back signs aren't very reliable (Though this was more back with the 2400 series NABIs). In theory a person knows their route number, but in pracitice, having the destination names is also helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesi2282 Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 6398 is currently on #290. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geneking7320 Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 The #290 goes past my building on Rogers and all I've seen are Orion VIs and 30' El Dorados. I'll be looking out for new buses on the #290. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroShadow Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 My only complaint about the rear destination signs is that if the bus is dirty, you're going to have to squint to see it. Otherwise, the change is a good thing. It's worked in places like San Fran and in areas where you have a pulse point, best to know what bus is ahead (or near). The #290 goes past my building on Rogers and all I've seen are Orion VIs and 30' El Dorados. I'll be looking out for new buses on the #290. They've seem to be running on the 208, 223, and 606 as of the last few days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.