Garage Assignments

[trainman8119]

The whole discussion on the new New Flyer assignments has become a bit comical. With all the new "toys" (GPS and LED signage) being put on buses these days, as well as the "need" to balance out who gets what because of "fairness", it really doesn't matter where buses get assigned anymore, because it seems the CTA has a need to constantly shuffle buses from one place to another.

There was a time, for example, when the 1000 series fishbowls started to arrive that buses went to a garage based on need and that is where they stayed put. The first of the 1000's went to Archer, then the 1100's went to Beverly and Forest Glen (with 1200's) then Archer got 1200 and 1300 series, North Ave got 1300 and 1400's and Beverly got 1500's. Then the 7400 and 7500's went to North Park, 7600's to 69th, 7700's to 77th, 7800's to Beverly and Limits and 7900's to Archer and Forest Glen. The 9000 series buses got split up as they came in to. The bottom line is that when they got to there garage (or Depot), they stayed there (like for years and years). There was not the constant moving from garage to garage like there is now. Part of it, I am sure was the pain of changing the curtain signs. The only movement was if a garage was short and a bus or 2 would be moved...or when the garages started getting shuttered and rebuilt there were buses moving all over the place.

With all the movement that goes on now, the CTA could probably save a few thousand $$$ in fuel costs and labor (manpower to move them from place to place) if they just put buses someplace and leave them put.

[Busjack]

I remember the 70s, and that wasn't the case. The initial allocations were (all approximate, but roughly in these ranges):

1972:

• 1000-1090 Archer
  
• 1090s-1120 52nd
  
• 1120-1260 Forest Glen
  
• 1260s to 1300 Lawndale
  
• 1300 to 1390s Kedzie
  
• 1390s to 1470s North Cicero
  
• 1470s to 1524 77th
  

At that time, a number of 3600s were transferred from 52 and other barns to North Cicero (according to Andre, because diesel buses purchased with federal funds couldn't be used to replace "clean" trolley buses).

Then Lawndale closed and its buses went to Kedzie, Keeler closed (either slightly before or after then) and its buses went to North Cicero, 1096 and 1097 became 6 and 7 on Evanston routes, and some in the 1050 to 1090 range went from Archer to 77.

1974:

• 7400 to 7540s North Park
  
• 7540s to mid 7600s 69th
  
• upper 7660s to lower 7700s 77th
  
• 7700s to Limits
  
• upper 7700s, lower 7800s to Beverly
  
• upper 7800s, lower 7900s to Archer
  
• 7935 to 7944 to FG (for 40 O'Hare Express)
  

There were also massive shifts of new looks at this point; 69th lost its 1963 propanes (8800s) and got some 1961 GMCs (100s), for instance. The 800s went from route 40 or Evanston (1 to 4?) to 69th. (Someone said that they were originally purchased for route 111AX, Vincennes Express, but weren't needed for that after the Dan Ryan L opened.)

1975 (massive shifts):

• 9000s 69th (its 7400s were split between NP and 77)
  
• lower 9100s 52 (1090s to FG)
  
• Mid 9100s-9300 Limits (7700s to Beverly)
  
• Lower 9300s to mid 9400s Kedzie (1300s to North Cicero)
  
• Mid 9400-mid 9500s RTA (86 buses in the albino scheme, then to FG)
  
• Remaining 9500s Kedzie
  

As indicated, the garages that received 9000s pretty much lost all of their 1000s and 7400s. However, even though 69th's 7500s went to NP, some would still be seen on 69th's runs, since both shared Western and could interchange buses by running on that route.

1977:

• 9600s and 9700s split among NP, 77 and Archer, in that order.
  

Also, at some point, some 3600s went back to their original garages (such as 52 and Archer) and North Cicero received more 1000s. Since I didn't live on the near north side, I don't know when that happened.

Later note: I concur with Bill V.'s Bus Garage Assignment pages for 1972 and 1974; the last I was around was 1977, and while the 1978 list looks close to that, I can't vouch for all of it, like the transfers of 1200s to Archer.

It could be argued that the 1975 shifts were unnecessary, since (unless there were some mechanical differences hidden to the rider), the 1000s, 7400s, and 9000s were all about the same, and the age difference was only 3 years.

The only thing that seemed to deter shifts in the old days is that the sign rolls were specific to each garage. However, all the roll signs were replaced in 1976. Now it is, at most, only necessary to reprogram the controllers.

The only thing that seems constant is that 69th (now 74th) always is the last to get new equipment. Apparently, first the reason was that it needed to be converted from propane to diesel (explaining the sudden departure of the 8800s) and then that the doors at 69 (an old, unremodeled trolley barn) were too narrow for buses with lifts. Now, I don't know what the reason is, but apparently Archer gets its second group of new buses since 2000, while 69th's newest is 1995 (unless there is a swap with Archer for Novas, at which Zolk and RJL hinted). Similarly, North Shore seemed to be Pace's second hand garage (except for the 7 blue ones received in 2005).

[RailBus63]

With all the movement that goes on now, the CTA could probably save a few thousand $$$ in fuel costs and labor (manpower to move them from place to place) if they just put buses someplace and leave them put.

Bus mileage may vary between garages due to route lengths, different service frequencies, etc., so some TA's will transfer high-mileage buses for lower-mileage ones. For example, in 2005 NYC Transit swapped Orions from the same 1999 order between depots in the Bronx and Staten Island to balance out the mileage.

Jim D.

[Busjack]

Looking at busdrawings.com, the first post may reflect how the fishbowls ended up in the 1980s (after the Flyers and MANs were received), but that is not how they started. I was in Chicago from 1968 to 1977 and knew where the buses were assigned then (especially on the south side), and don't know what happened after that until about 1994.

[trainman8119]

When exactly did 52nd street close ???? Is that where the last of the 8500 series (8600's) Flxibles were before retirement.

I know Keeler closed when North Avenue got their first supply of 1000 series buses (around 1972). All of Keeler's 8500 Flxibles went to North Ave. Diversey was then run from North Ave, and Addison was handled by North Park, with help from Forest Glen. Later that would change with Forest Glen doing the Addison route with help from North Park.

Anyway, I thought 52nd closed about the same time as Keeler...but from the list above, it appears that it was around a little bit longer than that. Would that have also been about the time that the mid day storage lot at 14th and State also went away ???

[Busjack]

It was after 1977. Bill V. has it as April 24, 1983, which would make sense, as that was about the time the 7100s were received and placed on Jeffery. 52 was definitely too small to hold them. After the 8600s, it had 3600s and 9100s. Bill also says that the lot was closed in 1986.

52 was well situated for what it served (1, 2, 2X, 5, 5X, 38, 43). Assignment to 77 results in some deadhead for 1 (which is really what is left of 38) and 2. The Jeffrey runs were extended to 103 and Stony.

52 had the YC logo (apparently for Yellow Coach) in the masonary. The last I saw (a couple of years ago), it was just a concrete slab.

[Bus Repairman]

The only thing that seems constant is that 69th (now 74th) always is the last to get new equipment. Apparently, first the reason was that it needed to be converted from propane to diesel (explaining the sudden departure of the 8800s) and then that the doors at 69 (an old, unremodeled trolley barn) were too narrow for buses with lifts.

I have worked at 69th Street from 86 - 87. When I got hired then, I believe CTA already purchased the property at 74th and Woods. (The new location). The doorways did leave little room on each side, but all buses still would fit. 69th was just so outdated and CTA was going to all "inside garages" at the time. Cold weather is murder on Diesel engines, and having to run them day and night in very cold weather posed enviornmental problems for the nearby neigborhood residents living in the area. Brakes freeze, air systems freeze up etc.

Im currently at 103rd and the newest buses we have are the NABI buses. All other buses are from 92 - 93. We have a few ORIONS, but mostly TMC's, 5400's, 5500's, 5300's, and 5400's We always get the older buses that are replaced from other garages that get new ones. From what the are saying soon all 5000 series buses will be gone.

[cta6085]

Are There Any Bus Turnarounds At Bus Garages?

[trainman8119]

Route 85, Central, turns around inside the Forest Glen Depot (in the lot).

I can't speak for 103rd, for sure, but I don't think any of the other garages (Kedzie, Archer, Chicago, North Park, 74th) have routes that use the garage property as a terminal.

[Busjack]

103rd is at least listed on the schedule as the terminal for 14, 15, and 106. Beverly used to be the terminal for 24, but the route was cut back (is it used for 9 Ashland to Beverly-103rd?). 79th and Perry is an offstreet loop for 8A and 24, but it appears separated from the 77th/South Shops operation by the shopping center (although undoubtedly part of the same CTA land).

[Busjack]

Another forum has a discussion about how maintenance was so bad at 77th, its buses were distributed to other garages to "even things out."

[trainman8119]

I can remember the days when the old 3800 Flxibles were around and at North Park. North Park had the rep as having the worst maintained buses in the system at the time....the 3800's were falling apart well before their time. When the 7400's came in, it seemed to turn completely around, and those buses were among the last to go, along with the 9600's that were originally assigned there.

During the time of North Park's dispair, Forest Glen had the rep as having the best maintained and cleanest buses in the system. That was until an article in the Sun Times outlined that, about the time the 5500 Flxibles came to be. Shortly after that, Forest Glen went to pot, as the taggers and etchers (must have read the article) went to work and really destroyed the 5500 series buses (much of the reason the are so beat up now). The punks were getting into the garage lot and doing their handy work. Another Sun Times article shortly afterward followed, and suddenly, Forest Glen had the dirtiest buses in the system. Power of the media, I guess.

I guess things go full circle....looks like 77th has the beat up stuff now. It seems that the last good stuff that garage got was the 4800 and 6000 series buses. Now they run a lot of junk. Beat up 5300's, 5400's and Nova's that seem to be aging a bit before their time.