CTA work buses

[andrethebusman]

This list includes all pre-fishbowl work buses. CTA is believed to have converted more buses for non-revenue use than any other transit system in North America, if not the world. Part of the reason is that until the early 1970's CTA was solely responsible for salting and plowing streets on which bus lines operated, which resulted in an immense fleet of salters/plows (BA series - 195 buses over the years). The BW series consisted of driveable tool/locker vehicles, a job now taken over by CTA's huge fleet of trucks. Towable tool/locker vehicles were originally in the 900's, alter 1300's, and finally BL's. Other series included BT's, which were driver trainers and BR's, which were used to deliver sand to sandboxes at bus turnarounds and terminals. The BS-1 (a former White 798) was a driveable chassis sans a body which was used for mechanic familiarization training, and MEU-1 and MEU-2, which the medical department used to go to the garages to give drivers annual physicals. BV's, which were painted black and white, were a short-lived series started when CTA went to exact fare. At garages with the older Keene fareboxes (Forest Glen, North Park, North Ave??) there weren't any vault islands installed. Instead, buses were parked as before, and a crew using a BV would go up and down the rows swapping full farebox vaults for empty ones, then bring the full ones back to the office for emptying inside. As all the Keenes were replaced with Duncan Acceptafares, the remaining garages got vault islands too.

The BA101-BA105 series were former Motor Coach work buses. No details have ever been discovered as to types, but it is believed three (BA101-BA103) were tow trucks built using 1920's bus chassis, while BA104 and BA105 were 1920's open-top double-deckers used for tree trimming on CMC routes. They would go down a route with several men on top with saws who would cut off any tree branches that came too close so the trees would not damage buses. It is unknown whether CTA ever actually used any of them, or even renumbered them. Ford 437 was converted to the first bus stop sign installation crew bus, and as it was a former CMC vehicle, got number BW106 in the CMC series.

BA134 was numbered such in honor of IBEW local 134.

BA43 (2nd) ex 698 probably never carried that number. It was used at North Park to slowly move around the yard filling bus radiators from a large water tank that had been installed in it. In its last years it is known to not have a radiator itself, but since it never moved more than a few feet at a time anyway, this was not considered a problem. After it was retired, a 4000 MAN (4323?) had the water tank installed and was used for the same purpose.

Seven early work buses were sold for preservation:

BT2 (White 798) restored by CTA as CSL 3407, sold to Illinois Ry Museum

BT4 (GM TDH5103) restored by CTA as CMC 605, sold to Fox River Trolley Museum, later to Illinois Ry Museum

BT6 (GM TDH5103) sold thru Omnibus Society of America to Vince Dawson, now scrapped

BW35 (GM TDH3207) sold thru Omnibus Society of America to John LeBeau, now scrapped

BW47 (GM TDH5103) sold to Midwest Transit Bus Museum/Dave Buzek, now scrapped

BA135 (Brill C-36) sold thru Omnibus Society of America to Dave Buzek, still extant?

BL1308 (Trolleybus) sold thru Midwest Transit Bus Museum to Laddie Vitek, still extant

WORKBUS.txt

[andrethebusman]

A few random notes regarding work buses:

BT9 (9375), BT10 (9400), BT11 (9476), BT12 (9701), BW57 (3449), BW77 (117 Superior), BW85 (3722) are still in existence at South Shops awaiting disposition

BW63 (3549) and BW73 (164 Carpenter) are "missing in action" - might still exist somewhere. Anybody know what is under 61st Yard or at Lower 63rd these days? There is no record of these scrapped, just nobody knows if or where they are.