Busjack Posted May 19, 2017 Report Share Posted May 19, 2017 The story about someone shooting an Amtrak conductor has been around for a couple of days, but the unanswered question in this article is why wouldn't they let him leave the train in Naperville? Or was something else going on that was not reported? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pace831 Posted May 20, 2017 Report Share Posted May 20, 2017 22 hours ago, Busjack said: The story about someone shooting an Amtrak conductor has been around for a couple of days, but the unanswered question in this article is why wouldn't they let him leave the train in Naperville? Or was something else going on that was not reported? Sounds like he was obviously mentally ill and the Amtrak conductor just wanted to make sure he got to where he was going. Since he had already created a disturbance in Kansas city, the conductor likely would have been informed of that already and would have wanted to avoid the potential liability of letting him get off in Naperville unescorted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pace831 Posted May 27, 2017 Report Share Posted May 27, 2017 Here is a new Nova bus getting fuel at a truck stop in Menomonie, WI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRSP1900-CTA3200 Posted May 28, 2017 Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 45 minutes ago, Pace831 said: Here is a new Nova bus getting fuel at a truck stop in Menomonie, WI. I saw a bus like that while driving in on the Kennedy Thursday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geneking7320 Posted May 28, 2017 Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 OK, I have to ask. Does anyone know why CTA 7900 Novas have the "hump" on the roof at the front of the bus and this one doesn't? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 28, 2017 Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 25 minutes ago, geneking7320 said: OK, I have to ask. Does anyone know why CTA 7900 Novas have the "hump" on the roof at the front of the bus and this one doesn't? Just curious. I don't know, but looking thru CPTDB, some Canadian TA buses do not have them, even if assembled in Plattsburg. For instance, TTC artics don't appear to have it (embedded from Transit Toronto).. Also I'm not sure who would be getting buses NW of here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted May 28, 2017 Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 14 hours ago, Busjack said: I don't know, but looking thru CPTDB, some Canadian TA buses do not have them, even if assembled in Plattsburg. For instance, TTC artics don't appear to have it (embedded from Transit Toronto).. Also I'm not sure who would be getting buses NW of here. Im guessing no ac. The hopper windows are open in the picture and canadian purchasers typically dont order ac. Even though it appears to have vents for it perhaps thats just for fresh air or a vent feature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted May 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 30 minutes ago, BusHunter said: Im guessing no ac. The hopper windows are open in the picture and canadian purchasers typically dont order ac. Even though it appears to have vents for it perhaps thats just for fresh air or a vent feature. The units you see above are the HVAC A/C units. The 7900-Series Novas were labeled as "Smart Buses". That might explain the hump at the front of the bus... what it's for, I don't know. The fin at the back is the Nova E-Cooling unit for the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 28, 2017 Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 15 hours ago, geneking7320 said: Does anyone know why CTA 7900 Novas have the "hump" on the roof at the front of the bus and this one doesn't? 1 hour ago, BusHunter said: Im guessing no ac. 38 minutes ago, sw4400 said: The 7900-Series Novas were labeled as "Smart Buses". That might explain the hump at the front of the bus. 1. @geneking7320 was referring to the hump integrated with the headsign on the CTA buses, which was not apparent in the picture of the bus in the truck stop. 2. As @sw4400 pointed out, the HVAC is in the roof pod. If that was not obvious enough from the picture I previously embedded, here's another from TransitToronto: The bus in the truck stop also has an HVAC pod. 3. Note that the above bus, and also the bus in the truck stop have the high level engine cooler. And, as I have said before, Nova does not make the Stupid Bus. I don't know where that bus is going, but between the 1704 fleet number and high level engine cooler, it is a new bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 29, 2017 Report Share Posted May 29, 2017 FWiW, NY MTA articulated buses have the hump; 40 foot buses do not (from Your MTA Wiki; images not embeddable): https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/mtanyctransitfanon/images/f/fa/SN853987.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150221165146 https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/mtanyctransitfanon/images/e/e3/LFS_8067.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150223233626 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted May 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2017 2 hours ago, Busjack said: FWiW, NY MTA articulated buses have the hump; 40 foot buses do not (from Your MTA Wiki; images not embeddable): https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/mtanyctransitfanon/images/f/fa/SN853987.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150221165146 https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/mtanyctransitfanon/images/e/e3/LFS_8067.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150223233626 Well, upon looking at the spec sheet from Nova Bus under Roof-Mounted HVAC, three options exist.... Multiplex-Controlled MCC Heater MCC ECO353 Thermo King Athenia Now actually having been in multiple buses of this model, there are no vents in the bus over the front hump. So unless the hump is one of the other two units connected to the actual vents for the HVAC unit in the center of the bus, I don't know what the purpose is for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 29, 2017 Report Share Posted May 29, 2017 46 minutes ago, sw4400 said: Well, upon looking at the spec sheet from Nova Bus under Roof-Mounted HVAC, three options exist.... Multiplex-Controlled MCC Heater MCC ECO353 Thermo King Athenia Now actually having been in multiple buses of this model, there are no vents in the bus over the front hump. As far as I know, CTA Novas use Thermo King. However, MCC ECO533 isn't conceptually any different. If you look at a bus from above, there are fans in the air conditioning pod. "Profiled roof treatment" is the last option on the spec sheet you posted, so maybe that's all it is, sort of like the wings on the 4300 series hybrids and Pace CNGs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 6 hours ago, garmon757 said: How's the Gillig country working out for you? Actually not much. I was surprised that the I-65 bridge in Louisville was made toll ($4.00 without EZ Pass, sort of like Ill. 390) but figured I could use the US 31 bridge, but I had to circle downtown Louisville a couple of times to find an I-65 S on ramp. Also ended up in the Tampa area, where both HART Line (Hillsborough County) and PSTA (Pinellas County) also use Gilligs. All were the standard low floor model, 35 ft. or less. The big story here is that HART Line is holding open houses for restructured routes, but the print edition finally got to that it was $5.8 million in cuts to cover a $6.2 million deficit. The online version is more gloomy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garmon757 Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 1 hour ago, Busjack said: Actually not much. I was surprised that the I-65 bridge in Louisville was made toll ($4.00 without EZ Pass, sort of like Ill. 390) but figured I could use the US 31 bridge, but I had to circle downtown Louisville a couple of times to find an I-65 S on ramp. Also ended up in the Tampa area, where both HART Line (Hillsborough County) and PSTA (Pinellas County) also use Gilligs. All were the standard low floor model, 35 ft. or less. The big story here is that HART Line is holding open houses for restructured routes, but the print edition finally got to that it was $5.8 million in cuts to cover a $6.2 million deficit. The online version is more gloomy. Well, the bright side that you've made it. The HART Line fiasco got something in common with PORT Authority when it comes to cuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 7, 2017 Report Share Posted October 7, 2017 It turns out that the article I posted yesterday was in today's paper, which explains why I was initially confused. Also, I don't know how typical the woman's case is, but it sounds something like someone like that waiting at Old Orchard for a bus instead of calling paratransit. The website says they have HARTFlex, which sounds like Call & Ride, which may cover some affected areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 12, 2017 Report Share Posted October 12, 2017 On 10/6/2017 at 2:27 PM, Busjack said: Also ended up in the Tampa area, where both HART Line (Hillsborough County) and PSTA (Pinellas County) also use Gilligs. All were the standard low floor model, 35 ft. or less. A correction on this. Leaving town, the HART buses I saw were 40 foot ones. I also saw 40 foot Gilligs at TANK (Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky). They have some hybrids, and surprisingly passengers boarding at the bus stop. I also drove on the Atlanta bypasses, but even though there are large overhead signs on the expressway for MARTA stations, the traffic there is horrendous, Hitting both Atlanta and Chicago at about 6:30 p.m., Chicago expressways are a piece of cake, even with the Byrne Interchange under construction. Atanta's "solution" (and I don't think it is one) is to build express lanes (sort of like on the Kennedy) but with Peach Pass detectors (again sort of like Ill. 390, except you HAVE to have a Peach Pass to use them). The ones under construction in the Northwest side of town looked like a roller coaster. Analogy here is if IDOT built an elevated tollway next to the Edens from the junction to Highland Park only accessible using I-Pass, but nobody around here is stupid enough to suggest that. Again, thank heavens that IDOT and Pace came up with BOS. Tampa is similar, except they want to add Sun Pass express lanes to a tollway that already has either Sun Pass or pay double to mail the toll in. The tollway is relatively new, but again has horrendous traffic jams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted October 13, 2017 Report Share Posted October 13, 2017 Yeah I was surprised how many Gilligs there are in small town USA. Gillig is making some money. My trip through Grand Rapids, Michigan revealed them running there. i even took some pictures. I filmed some in Minnesota while I was there. I even think I saw some in Green Bay. The highway system in Green Bay is very new, but Milwaukee wasn't too bad either. Milwaukee has the really high spaghetti turn off I-94 onto I-394 right there by Miller Park. I got to check out Lambeau Field, where the Bears were playing that week. I didn't know it was that modern. Minneapolis' highway system is really confusing, there's like expressways everywhere running in like a square grid and you can get lost fast. One thing that totally bites is the entrance ramps up there just merge really fast into traffic, there no shoulder to speed up or anything. I don't know who was the traffic coordinator up there but they must have tons of entrance ramp accidents. Now the public transit system I'm quite impressed with. Everything links and seems perfect. You know at Target Field, they have the light rail, heavy rail (metra like service) all linking up with buses too. Downtown links the light rail with Mall Of America. The airport links with the light rail. Where the Vikings play it links with the light rail. Chicago has some links, but there are areas where you have to walk to get to like Soldier's Field. I left very impressed with the Minneapolis transit system. Other cities where I swear I saw Gilligs were Madison, Wisconsin and I believe Petrosky, Michigan where I can't seem to locate a transit system. It's really beautiful up there with Lake Michigan and all and the resort community. Makes me wonder what Traverse City is like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 13, 2017 Report Share Posted October 13, 2017 12 hours ago, BusHunter said: One thing that totally bites is the entrance ramps up there just merge really fast into traffic, there no shoulder to speed up or anything. Which reminds me that our Minnesota people discussed that they run their BOS on the right shoulder. That becomes relevant to the Edens one, in that from what I saw the other day, the Edens is being repaved full width, but the dimensions don't seem to have changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west towns Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 If traffic is going 35 mph or less pretty hard for vehicles to come flying down the on ramps maybe thats why its worked for over 20 yrs in msp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 2 hours ago, west towns said: If traffic is going 35 mph or less pretty hard for vehicles to come flying down the on ramps maybe thats why its worked for over 20 yrs in msp Usually, I think it is the opposite, that they fly down the ramp and get stuck in the merge lane---except--there are metering red lights on the Edens expressway ramps to prevent that. I had previously speculated that one thing that might be done on the Edens is install TSP, so that the light on the ramp is turned red when a bus approaches. I don't know if that is contemplated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 Basically you have to decide are you going to jump ahead of someone or not but it's more dangerous cause you don't have the space to pick up speed in msp. They really need yield signs if they were going to do that. Msp transit has service on the expressway. How do you pull an artic out on that? I guess it could be worse up in green bay they have 3 roundabouts running consecutively over by the expressway outside lambeau. Think that's US 41. I thought that was nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted October 29, 2017 Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 4 hours ago, jajuan said: Which gets to the point that LA and other major cities in the western parts of the US have historically had higher air quality concerns than in the rest of the country. Hence LACMTA having an all CNG bus fleet, SF Muni having a sizable electric trolleybus fleet and replacing its diesel fleet with hybrid portion of its bus fleet... The issue of smog in the LA basin isn't new but the response by the transit authority in the pasr 20 years is. Your mentioning SF reminds me that the company where I used to work used to have a SF branch. The employees there complained that they were being gassed, and it turned out that there was a bus layover on an incline in front of the building's HVAC intake. (BTW, part of the explanation for trolley buses was that gasoline or diesel buses didn't have the torque to get up the hills.) Your west coast comment also reminds me that while I was in a traffic jam in Tampa, I noted that it smelled real bad. I attributed it to the lack of reformulated gasoline, and, as noted above, HART downsizing. Rahm may have made driving in Chicago impossible, but maybe Martha Stewart would say that's a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pace831 Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 Daily Herald: Old streetcar tracks uncovered in Elgin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted January 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Ye Olde Overheat.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geneking7320 Posted January 17, 2019 Report Share Posted January 17, 2019 This video gives me another chance to say that I wish we had 45ft transit buses here in Chicago. 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.