busfan2 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 @Archon and @See Tea Eh Thanks for the information. I'm going to be looking for that one. I wonder if the sign they are testing has the ability to have multiple colors. I think that would be kind of neat to see destination signs that were green for the flyers, and also to match the MetroEXpress route colors. It's most likely not going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossman Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 It is bus 5318 They are testing a different sign maker on that bus It is a Hanover electronic Sign They are also testing a Hanover Drivers seat on that bus too. Interesting that they'd go through a European company this time, but the Hanover signs do look to be a bit easier to program and use than the Luminators that have always been installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURRENTZ_09 Posted May 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 From RideMCTS.com Summer Route Changes Coming on June 10, 2012 As you may know our route schedules can change up to four times a year, although not all schedules will change each time. We do this to accommodate traffic changes, construction projects and school schedules among other things. Below is a list of which routes will be changing effective Sunday, June 10, 2012. Links to preview the new schedules online will be available on this page after May 31, 2012 so please check back to view the new times before the changes on June 10. 12 - Teutonia-Hampton 21 - North Avenue 27 - 27th Street 30 - Sherman-Wisconsin 35 - 35th Street 44 - National Flyer 51 - Oklahoma Avenue 60 - Burleigh Street 63 - Silver Spring Drive - Port Washington 67 - N. 76th-S. 84th 76 - N. 60th-S. 70th 79 - Menomonee Falls Flyer 80 - 6th Street 143 - Ozaukee County Express Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURRENTZ_09 Posted May 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 One thing im glad about is the advertisement that we see on TV about MCTS. This is a step in the right direction to increase ridership and awareness about transit within our community. The next is hoping that Buslines is not only resourced in print, but also in Video too, possibly airing on PBS channels 10 & 36 or even a local affilate like WISN 12 will pick it up too. Good job on the marketing team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossman Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 I ran across 5318 doing a training run down North Avenue, and I have to say that the Hanover sign really does look much nicer than the Luminators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
See Tea Eh Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Speaking of test signs, does anyone on here remember about 15 years ago, bus 4018 had a test destination sign installed. I never got a close look at the sign to see what kind it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURRENTZ_09 Posted May 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 I ran across 5318 doing a training run down North Avenue, and I have to say that the Hanover sign really does look much nicer than the Luminators. Can someone please describe the difference between the 2 signs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossman Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Can someone please describe the difference between the 2 signs? From what I gathered from Hanover's marketing material, they are a HELL of a lot easier to program than the Luminator systems. The maintenance also seems easier. The biggest visible difference is that they have a higher resolution and can display more lines of text than the Luminators. The way you can program the signs on a PC and then just transfer all of that over to the signs directly actually looks really neat and would cut down on labor wasted programming and troubleshooting. Beyond that, I'm not too sure. http://www.hanoverdisplays.com/index.php/en/products/exterior.html is the product page for the displays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 From what I gathered from Hanover's marketing material, they are a HELL of a lot easier to program than the Luminator systems. Luminators. The way you can program the signs on a PC and then just transfer all of that over to the signs directly actually looks really neat and would cut down on labor wasted programming and troubleshooting. Just about all the sign systems have that. Twinvision calls their system Elyse. Luminator says that they have USB loading. There were discussions on other parts of this forum about how the sign files were loaded (Pace sending them to contractors' tech support; CTA can't load through the bus's LAN). The reasons signs seem crummy in the Chicago area is that apparently the files were made backward compatible to the old 15 character format, although the only place where some of those persist are at Pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossman Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Just about all the sign systems have that. Twinvision calls their system Elyse. Luminator says that they have USB loading. There were discussions on other parts of this forum about how the sign files were loaded (Pace sending them to contractors' tech support; CTA can't load through the bus's LAN). The reasons signs seem crummy in the Chicago area is that apparently the files were made backward compatible to the old 15 character format, although the only place where some of those persist are at Pace. Huh, I didn't know that Luminator had USB loading. I just remember my grandpa talking about how hard it was to program the flip-dot signs on the '96 D40LFs, but I should have realized that times have changed. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Huh, I didn't know that Luminator had USB loading. I just remember my grandpa talking about how hard it was to program the flip-dot signs on the '96 D40LFs, but I should have realized that times have changed. Probably one of the differences was that the controllers went from EPROM to flash memory, but that should have happened long before 1996. Or maybe when it went from laptop memory card port to USB, which would have been more recent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossman Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Probably one of the differences was that the controllers went from EPROM to flash memory, but that should have happened long before 1996. Or maybe when it went from laptop memory card port to USB, which would have been more recent. Okay, that makes sense. Granted, my grandpa started driving for MCTS right about the time it BECAME MCTS and he was used to the old roller curtains. He was an old-fashioned guy, so it was probably just him grumbling. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Okay, that makes sense. Granted, my grandpa started driving for MCTS right about the time it BECAME MCTS and he was used to the old roller curtains. He was an old-fashioned guy, so it was probably just him grumbling. If he was referring to something like the old Transdot signs with the thumb wheels, then that's possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossman Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 If he was referring to something like the old Transdot signs with the thumb wheels, then that's possible. Very likely. He never went into specifics unless he had a really bad experience with a rider. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkebusfan88 Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 I was on bus 5214 on Route 62 this evening. Noticed they added the bus number above the schedule rack which they started doing with the 5300 buses. Hoping they continue to modify this for all buses after 5100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
See Tea Eh Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 I couldn't tell you all of the specifics, but the first set of Luminator signs (on the 96 D40LFs) did not have flash programming capability. I don't know what kind of programming setup they required, but I gather that it's a bit more cumbersome than the more recent ones. I don't recall what the 4200s had for sign programming capability, but by the time the 4300s came, they had flash capability (if you looked at the ODK above the driver closely, you'd notice a horizontal rubber strip below the display; that covered the flash slot which didn't exist on the 4000s/4100s). The newer ODKs in the last few years have had a USB slot, to make them very easy to load data from the PC to the USB drive, and from the drive to the sign controller. However, having spoken with a destination sign fanatic and having briefly used the Luminator software myself, I can tell you that the Luminator software itself is cumbersome and not very intuitive or user-friendly. When you consider that the task of programming signs is often given to someone as an extra assignment, rather than having a specific computer-savvy marketing type person run the software, having complicated programming software isn't the greatest of things to have. The friend of mine who collects signs and software for a living has told me that the Hanover software is indeed considerably easier to learn to use, which would likely cut down on the amount of back-end work required to get signs ready to load onto buses. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossman Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 The friend of mine who collects signs and software for a living has told me that the Hanover software is indeed considerably easier to learn to use, which would likely cut down on the amount of back-end work required to get signs ready to load onto buses. I haven't been on 5318, but I've wanted to get a glimpse at the new ODK if they needed to install one (I assume they do, because I highly doubt Luminator would make their ODK compatible with the competition). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURRENTZ_09 Posted June 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Here are the Schedules for June 10th, 2012, The June Edition of Buslines is out and i found something interesting but expected......... Because of the January 29th, 2012 Service changes, the 23 (Fond Du Lac Ave) was extended to cover part of Route 18 (National-Greenfield) only to S. 70th St. This would make travel between West Allis and Downtown avaliable only through Transfers between the New Route 56 (Greenfield Ave), the GovermentEXpress: MetroEXpress BlueLine (Fond Lac-National) and the Revisied Route 23 (Fond Du Lac-National) at S. 70th-Greenfield. This would become an inconvenience to riders going to State Fair from Downtown while State Fair is in business in early August, so what i am about to address, is something that i knew would happen because of the Route Changes Wisconsin State Fair (August 2 to August 12) Route 23 Extended Service Nrew this year, some Route 23 (Fond Du Lac-National) will be extended during State Fair from Downtown Milwaukee and will stop at the State Fair Transit Center at Gate 4 (on 84th Street near Honey Creek Park Way). Form Downtown, the State Fair bound Route 23 will stop at all regular Route 23 bus stops, from 2nd & Wisconsin to 68th & Greenfield. West of 68th, buses will stop at all Regular Route 56 stops until it reached Gate 4 at the State Fair Transit Center (on 84th Street near Honey Creek Park Way). Look for Route 23 with a State Fair destination sign (possible signage for this special service: 23 Fond Du Lac-National "Flip" to State Fair or 23 Fond Du Lac-National "Flip" to Greenfield-68th "Flip" State Fair) Questions & Concerns Will the MetroEXpress BlueLine also be extended to State Fair too? It would make since to try to get attendees out there quicker from Downtown and try the new MetroEXpress while doing it, my sense is they will do this but keep this in secery, surprising riders when the MetroEXpress approaches at the stop. Will all the Route 23 trips serve the entire route plus the extended service to State Fair or will it turn around Mid-Trip at Plankinton & Wisconsin and terminate at 2nd-Wells, before going out west to State Fair serving only as a Route 23 shuttle between Downtown & State Fair. Also, will 68th-Alder still be served during this extended service? Will there be special timetables (which would be VERY NICE) that outline the extended service to State Fair, detailing customers about scheduled departures at Popular Timepoints? Will Route 56 run more frequent to accommidate the expected large crowds of riders traveling along Greenfield? I'm a little concerned about this and i hope that MCTS will not just throw a boat load of buses that are overloaded on some runs, but light or empty on others (Summerfest). I address this because even though the Route set up we got on January 29th, 2012 got us new Government-MetroEXpress routes, they also made an already put together network just a little bit more complicated and it has just made this observer a little bit more interested on how they are going to pull this out. P.S.: A Special Route 23 State Fair Timetable would be EXCELLENT on detailing how services will be operated. Release it about a week before State Fair (July 26th) either online & (or) at MCTS Brochure racks and Bus racks so riders and visitors are aware of the extended service. That is all, but i just had to have a discussion about this EXCLUSIVE MCTS News!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's been a minute since i had a juicy story to tell!!!!!!!!MCTS June 10th, 2012 Schedules Change.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
See Tea Eh Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 They used to do this a long time ago. Back when route 10 had a 70th & Greenfield branch (but before it was extended to Bayshore), there was a special State Fair timetable showing extended service to 81st & Greenfield. I'll have to dig through my collection to see if I can find a copy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
See Tea Eh Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 Found one. Blast from the past. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURRENTZ_09 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 They used to do this a long time ago. Back when route 10 had a 70th & Greenfield branch (but before it was extended to Bayshore), there was a special State Fair timetable showing extended service to 81st & Greenfield. I'll have to dig through my collection to see if I can find a copy. Great Dig @ See Tea Eh I hope that they do this for the 23, it would be an EXCELLENT Collectors item, i knew MCTS would have did something like this and i was dead on. I am also wondering if they are going to extend the MetroEXpress BlueLine out to State Fair too, but the 23 will be the most likely because it serves the entire route and stops along the route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossman Posted June 4, 2012 Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Great Dig @ See Tea Eh I hope that they do this for the 23, it would be an EXCELLENT Collectors item, i knew MCTS would have did something like this and i was dead on. I am also wondering if they are going to extend the MetroEXpress BlueLine out to State Fair too, but the 23 will be the most likely because it serves the entire route and stops along the route. Unfortunately they won't do the BlueLine to State Fair, at least according to their Festivals page: New this year, SOME Route 23 (Fond du Lac - National) buses will be extended during the Fair from downtown Milwaukee, and will stop at the State Fair Transit Center at Gate 4. From downtown, the State Fair bound Route 23 will stop at all regular Route 23 bus stops, starting from 2nd Street just north of Wisconsin Avenue. West of 68th Street, the bus will stop at regular Route 56 bus stops until it reaches Gate 4 at the State Fair Transit Center. Not all Route 23 buses will serve State Fair, so look for the Route 23 bus with a State Fair destination sign. In keeping with their usual (lately, at least) festival scheduling, they probably won't release new schedules. They'll just pimp the hell out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURRENTZ_09 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Unfortunately they won't do the BlueLine to State Fair, at least according to their Festivals page: In keeping with their usual (lately, at least) festival scheduling, they probably won't release new schedules. They'll just pimp the hell out of it. I think that is true too, but the way that the MetroEXpress BlueLine and the 23 operate, a revised State Fair schedule must be in the works, because you can't operate ALL THOSE 23's and have a MetroEXpress come every 15-20 minutes and the way State Fair bound 18's were, MCTS will have to address this because the terminal for all State Fair Bound 23's will be on 2nd/Wells, not through routing to Calmuet/Granville, so there for a timetable or even a special buslines would have to be in order, but this will be a mystery until State Fair comes closer and more information is available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossman Posted June 4, 2012 Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 I think that is true too, but the way that the MetroEXpress BlueLine and the 23 operate, a revised State Fair schedule must be in the works, because you can't operate ALL THOSE 23's and have a MetroEXpress come every 15-20 minutes and the way State Fair bound 18's were, MCTS will have to address this because the terminal for all State Fair Bound 23's will be on 2nd/Wells, not through routing to Calmuet/Granville, so there for a timetable or even a special buslines would have to be in order, but this will be a mystery until State Fair comes closer and more information is available Since the 23 already goes down Greenfield to 68th and Orchard, I'd bet they'll just send every 3rd run to State Fair (after flipping the sign to read "State Fair via Greenfield" around 2nd and Wells, like you said), go a bit down 84th, and then do a turn-around via the area of the lot they run the flyers and shuttles to/from. Not to discount your theory, though. I'm hardly a route planner, but it seems like the most logical thing to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CURRENTZ_09 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Since the 23 already goes down Greenfield to 68th and Orchard, I'd bet they'll just send every 3rd run to State Fair (after flipping the sign to read "State Fair via Greenfield" around 2nd and Wells, like you said) and do a turn-around via the area of the lot they run the flyers and shuttles to/from. Not to discount your theory, though. I'm hardly a route planner, but it seems like the most logical thing to me. I think that they will run the Regular 23 to 68/Adler and the State Fair 23's operating parallel the regular 23's and BlueLine, i think sending every 3rd run would make it every hour on the hour, making it an unattractive option if you are spending time downtown and going to State Fair, plus the Downtown-National Avenue corridor is Very popular for State Fair travelers, the 18 was packed every day of the fair, so for them to be sending every 3rd bus to State Fair as a local service isn't going to work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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