7900-series Nova LFS - Updates

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

5 minutes ago, NovaBusFan said:

Yeah it possibly does still have low miles on it, all of the rest of the #8325s except #8327 are still on the street which they have around 90k+ miles most likely I can’t really confirm but that is my guess since they are only 2 nearing 3 years old soon. Most likely they are probably still figuring out what is the unknown issue with it.

103rds might have more miles on em than FG's

[Mr.NewFlyer1051]

2 hours ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

103rds might have more miles on em than FG's

also depends on what routes those buses are on during the day cuz i know 103rd has 2-3 long routes with crap ton of miles

[NovaBusFan]

On 10/17/2021 at 12:21 PM, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

103rds might have more miles on em than FG's

Yeah the routes out of 103rd is long. The J14, 26, 28 and the 29 are the only four routes out of 103rd that stretch to Downtown and the Southside. Three of those routes most likely run on Lake Shore Drive. Those buses catch lots miles on them and some end up beat up.

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

8 hours ago, NovaBusFan said:

Yeah the routes out of 103rd is long. The J14, 26, 28 and the 29 are the only four routes out of 103rd that stretch to Downtown and the Southside. Three of those routes most likely run on Lake Shore Drive. Those buses catch lots miles on them and some end up beat up.

28 only runs to downtown in rush hour and 29 is not express at all.

[Sam92]

On 10/17/2021 at 12:21 PM, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

103rds might have more miles on em than FG's

 

On 10/17/2021 at 2:44 PM, Mr.NewFlyer1051 said:

also depends on what routes those buses are on during the day cuz i know 103rd has 2-3 long routes with crap ton of miles

 

9 hours ago, NovaBusFan said:

Yeah the routes out of 103rd is long. The J14, 26, 28 and the 29 are the only four routes out of 103rd that stretch to Downtown and the Southside. Three of those routes most likely run on Lake Shore Drive. Those buses catch lots miles on them and some end up beat up.

You’re all right in some way. FG and 103rd are pretty similar in that they both are relatively local and stay close to home as far as routes. FG only has 56 that goes downtown and deadheads along an expressway. 103rd has 6, 26, 28, 29  some 15’s, mid route pull-in on 112, and 119 all using the expressway to deadhead while FG routes pretty much use central so a lot more of 103rds Novas probably have more highway deadhead mileage.

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

56 minutes ago, Sam92 said:

 

 

You’re all right in some way. FG and 103rd are pretty similar in that they both are relatively local and stay close to home as far as routes. FG only has 56 that goes downtown and deadheads along an expressway. 103rd has 6, 26, 28, 29  some 15’s, mid route pull-in on 112, and 119 all using the expressway to deadhead while FG routes pretty much use central so a lot more of 103rds Novas probably have more highway deadhead mileage.

I’ve seen lots of FG buses travel on Narragansett and Harlem then turn onto forest preserve drive which becomes Montrose where then they turn left on central 

[Sam92]

1 minute ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

I’ve seen lots of FG buses travel on Narragansett and Harlem then turn onto forest preserve drive which becomes Montrose where then they turn left on central 

 point was street deadheads vs expressway 

[NovaBusFan]

7 hours ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

28 only runs to downtown in rush hour and 29 is not express at all.

Well that can still somehow affect mileage on buses but don’t take my word for it lol.

[strictures]

9 hours ago, Sam92 said:

 

 

You’re all right in some way. FG and 103rd are pretty similar in that they both are relatively local and stay close to home as far as routes. FG only has 56 that goes downtown and deadheads along an expressway. 103rd has 6, 26, 28, 29  some 15’s, mid route pull-in on 112, and 119 all using the expressway to deadhead while FG routes pretty much use central so a lot more of 103rds Novas probably have more highway deadhead mileage.

103 also has the J14, about a half dozen of which turn into 192s in the morning, but deadhead back south after that run & I assume deadhead to 59th & Drexel in the afternoon from the garage & then turn into J14s at Madison & Clinton, when finishing the 192 run.

[Sam92]

2 hours ago, strictures said:

103 also has the J14, about a half dozen of which turn into 192s in the morning, but deadhead back south after that run & I assume deadhead to 59th & Drexel in the afternoon from the garage & then turn into J14s at Madison & Clinton, when finishing the 192 run.

Yeah but how often have novas or any 40ft shown up recently on J14 though? 

[Policeman]

1 hour ago, Sam92 said:

Yeah but how often have novas or any 40ft shown up recently on J14 though? 

8340

[Policeman]

[NewFlyerMCI]

3 minutes ago, Policeman said:

8340

 

2 minutes ago, Policeman said:

The point was that novas & 40 fts are not regular occurrences on the J14 and by extension the 8 roundtrips on the 192, so they aren't getting the bulk of their deadhead miles on those routes.

[Sam92]

3 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

 

The point was that novas & 40 fts are not regular occurrences on the J14 and by extension the 8 roundtrips on the 192, so they aren't getting the bulk of their deadhead miles on those routes.

Yeah. Forest glen has some busy routes but with novas ending up on 26 plus deadheading back downtown on that and the other routes using expressways the motors at 103rd probably get taxed more but FG also has some heavy routes so the thing that probably lands so many old buses at FG is that going in and out of service back to the garage gives buses more breathing room especially with the Grand Canyon forming on LSD by soldier field 

[sht6131]

Noticed routes 53 and 54 this past week

were assigned all nova`s, Is this a driver safety standpoint?

[YoungBusLover]

36 minutes ago, sht6131 said:

Noticed routes 53 and 54 this past week

were assigned all nova`s, Is this a driver safety standpoint?

53/54 has always had a majority of 8100s on it. Nothing new there. It's rare to see any Flyers on the 53/54 dating back to 2021. Every now and then I'll see some 60 footers mixed in on the 53 but hardly any standard 40 footers on the 53/54. I've always wondered why certain garages have strayed away from an all series fleet based on routes. 77th should make 79th nothing but #7900s and #4000s same goes for Cottage Grove/King Drive.

[sht6131]

7 minutes ago, YoungBusLover said:

53/54 has always had a majority of 8100s on it. Nothing new there. It's rare to see any Flyers on the 53/54 dating back to 2021. Every now and then I'll see some 60 footers mixed in on the 53 but hardly any standard 40 footers on the 53/54. I've always wondered why certain garages have strayed away from an all series fleet based on routes. 77th should make 79th nothing but #7900s and #4000s same goes for Cottage Grove/King Drive.

 

8 minutes ago, YoungBusLover said:

53/54 has always had a majority of 8100s on it. Nothing new there. It's rare to see any Flyers on the 53/54 dating back to 2021. Every now and then I'll see some 60 footers mixed in on the 53 but hardly any standard 40 footers on the 53/54. I've always wondered why certain garages have strayed away from an all series fleet based on routes. 77th should make 79th nothing but #7900s and #4000s same goes for Cottage Grove/King Drive.

With all due respect its ALL novas. Nothing mixed in.

[YoungBusLover]

2 hours ago, sht6131 said:

 

With all due respect its ALL novas. Nothing mixed in.

I'm aware but I said on occasion especially Pulaski you'll see some #4000s sprinkled out there.

[Mr.NewFlyer1051]

4 hours ago, YoungBusLover said:

53/54 has always had a majority of 8100s on it. Nothing new there. It's rare to see any Flyers on the 53/54 dating back to 2021. Every now and then I'll see some 60 footers mixed in on the 53 but hardly any standard 40 footers on the 53/54. I've always wondered why certain garages have strayed away from an all series fleet based on routes. 77th should make 79th nothing but #7900s and #4000s same goes for Cottage Grove/King Drive.

personally the 3 looks better wit all flyers

[Javi75]

Is it just me but I notice a difference in how the 7900s brake compared to the 1000s. It’s always a rough stop on the 7900s where as the 1000s stop smoothly. With some drivers I feel like I’m going to fly through windshield lol. 

[YoungBusLover]

59 minutes ago, Javi75 said:

Is it just me but I notice a difference in how the 7900s brake compared to the 1000s. It’s always a rough stop on the 7900s where as the 1000s stop smoothly. With some drivers I feel like I’m going to fly through windshield lol. 

It may be the retarder and abs system on the #7900s that make braking a bit more challenging and uncomfortable. The retarder kicks in when you let off the throttle before applying the brakes, the issues I've experienced is sometimes the bus will jerk even at a slow speed when I'm not applying my foot to the gas pedal let alone the brakes. They key to the #7900s is understanding how the retarder works some are more sensitive per say than others. If you let that bus coast a bit the retarder will do it's job properly and the jerking should be non-existent once coming to a stop. Only a handful of #7900s I've had brake similar to the #1000s but as a whole they're just god awful to operate during slippery conditions. I had #7966 yesterday and the braking system on that bus was fairly decent but could be better. It's all about understanding that retarder and not going to fast before it kicks in properly. Some operators are heavy footed brakers though so no matter what the retarder does the brake pedal will fight against it. 

[Shannoncvpi]

On 9/1/2022 at 9:16 AM, YoungBusLover said:

It may be the retarder and abs system on the #7900s that make braking a bit more challenging and uncomfortable. The retarder kicks in when you let off the throttle before applying the brakes, the issues I've experienced is sometimes the bus will jerk even at a slow speed when I'm not applying my foot to the gas pedal let alone the brakes. They key to the #7900s is understanding how the retarder works some are more sensitive per say than others. If you let that bus coast a bit the retarder will do it's job properly and the jerking should be non-existent once coming to a stop. Only a handful of #7900s I've had brake similar to the #1000s but as a whole they're just god awful to operate during slippery conditions. I had #7966 yesterday and the braking system on that bus was fairly decent but could be better. It's all about understanding that retarder and not going to fast before it kicks in properly. Some operators are heavy footed brakers though so no matter what the retarder does the brake pedal will fight against it. 

Yea I agree with you bro that's just awful that's why I try to adviod the 79's & try to get me a flyer 

[Mr.cta85]

On 9/1/2022 at 8:17 AM, Javi75 said:

Is it just me but I notice a difference in how the 7900s brake compared to the 1000s. It’s always a rough stop on the 7900s where as the 1000s stop smoothly. With some drivers I feel like I’m going to fly through windshield lol. 

You’re absolutely right about the breaking but once you get used to them it’s not bad at all honestly. 7900-8324 have the same breaking system. But 8325 and beyond have breaks similar to the 1000 series.

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

This is really odd but units 8003 and 8005 both have the same transmission as the 8350's now, but have the same engine from 2015. Is there a reason why the transmissions have changed on both of those buses?

[YoungBusLover]

10 hours ago, Erin Mishkin Jr. said:

This is really odd but units 8003 and 8005 both have the same transmission as the 8350's now, but have the same engine from 2015. Is there a reason why the transmissions have changed on both of those buses?

As the years have progressed the transmissions can be updated to different ratios on some series more so than others just to test some things out for future endeavors such as the looming rehabs for the #7900s.