Trivia Corner

[NewFlyerMCI]

So, I wanted to bring a bit of fun to the forum, especially after my long absence. What better way to start than with "GUESS THAT BUS ROUTE!" I shall provide 3-5 clues, every Friday or Saturday, with answers due by the following Sunday or Monday. Here we go!

1) This route's northern terminus starts with "B"

2) This route is a whopping 15.9 miles long

3) This route serves 5 CTA rail stations (this clue should narrow it down a lot)

[Busjack]

So, I wanted to bring a bit of fun to the forum, especially after my long absence. What better way to start than with "GUESS THAT BUS ROUTE!" I shall provide 3-5 clues, every Friday or Saturday, with answers due by the following Sunday or Monday. Here we go!

1) This route's northern terminus starts with "B"

2) This route is a whopping 15.9 miles long

3) This route serves 5 CTA rail stations (this clue should narrow it down a lot)

Western (49). Too easy.

[mikeymc77]

How about this question.The first CTA bus painted in the Bicentennial paint scheme. Hint: It was an "A" bus.

 

[Bridgeportbus]

You wouldn't be talking about the MAN Americana would you?

[Busjack]

How about this question.The first CTA bus painted in the Bicentennial paint scheme. Hint: It was an "A" bus.

 

 

You wouldn't be talking about the MAN Americana would you?

No, the Bicentennial buses were in 1973, and there weren't MAN Americanas until 1983 or thereabouts.

The officially photographed one was a 3700. I don't know, though, if that's where mikey is going. BusDrawings.com has a picture of 7903 on Archer (which may be the reference to A), but I don't think it was the first one. The one to which I am referring was on the dust cover of CERA 115, showing the historically based trio of trains at Tower 18, with the 3700 series Lake bus under it.

Update: I found an online reference to the book.

Edited June 20, 2015 by Busjack

[BusHunter]

He's talking about the MAN demonstrator that was in Chicago in 1976. There was a picture of a bicentennial one at O'Hare under the airplane transfer bridge. I have a question no one can answer. (so far) Who were the bicentennial buses named for and what numbers had them. I had a list i compiled of the ones I know, might have even put it on here. I've investigated this myself scanning through old documents and actually found out two more that were in a parade.

You can find many names of bicentennial buses here under this topic

Reading this brings back alot of memories of what I researched, i believe #1505 and something else was in the parade, but I remember reading through all the employee newsletters from the 70's. They had them online (Northwestern University archived them, I believe they have a transportation library or research center) Was some good reading that's for sure. Don't know if they are still available but I don't see why they would have been taken down.

Edited June 22, 2015 by BusHunter

[Busjack]

He's talking about the MAN demonstrator that was in Chicago in 1976. ...

He might be. Lacking a complete chronology, it is hard to tell, but Krambles's book (page 50) has a green paint job on 7-28-74 and the bicentennial one on 11-28-74. The busdrawings.com picture is also watermarked 1974. I have the dustcover on my CERA book (not in very fine condition), but it isn't dated.

Krambles's book verifies that this one was Baron von Steuben. CERA has a list of the L cars, but I don't know of a list for the buses.

[BusHunter]

i think you put an attachment in the linked topic of the 'L" cars but I haven't found it yet. I don't know the exact timeframe of the demonstrator. i remember there was picture expose of the demonstrator at Sheridan/Diversey by the park but it was the original livery which I vaguely remember was yellow. Thought that was in '77 but I could be wrong on the year.

Now that you got me looking through my research, here's two pictures, the first is the man demo picture from the CTA calender 2006. The second is a picture of the demonstrator in the park that I got off ebay. Great period stuff complete with 70's police car.

 cta jan 2006 calender.pdf

 man demo diversey sheridan.pdf

Edited June 22, 2015 by BusHunter

[Busjack]

i think you put an attachment in the linked topic of the 'L" cars but I haven't found it yet. I don't know the exact timeframe of the demonstrator. i remember there was picture expose of the demonstrator at Sheridan/Diversey by the park but it was the original livery which I vaguely remember was yellow. Thought that was in '77 but I could be wrong on the year.

Now that you got me looking through my research, here's two pictures, the first is the man demo picture from the CTA calender 2006. The second is a picture of the demonstrator in the park that I got off ebay. Great period stuff complete with 70's police car.

 cta jan 2006 calender.pdf

 man demo diversey sheridan.pdf

In the book, the one that looks light green has a 151 Sheridan Howard R.T. Sta split sign and says it is at Hermitage/Rogers. The bus is not as yellow as the sign is, but darker than the lime on the MAN bus on the next page. Probably what is strange for these days is that the picture on the next page has 2 7100s on 95W in 1987.

As a bicentennial bus, the book says it is at Northwest Highway/Foster in front of Habetler Bowl, and has a 40 O'Harexpress sign.

[andrethebusman]

The MAN demo was actually here two separate times. First time it was here only a few days while touring the country, and ran at least one day on Sheridan and one on O'Harexpress. Then it came back a couple of months later on a least to CTA for maybe 6 months for use on #40. First time around it was in the colors of whatever city in Germany it was originally intended for (Munich, I heard) of basically a mustard yellow with red trim. Second time it was repainted in CTA bicentennial and numbered 1976. I understand it eventually went back to Germany.

[sw4400]

I'll add a bit of trivia that's probably super easy to figure out, but here goes...

The CTA had another order of these buses set to be delivered but ultimately cancelled them. These leftover CTA shells were used by Winnipeg Transit. Most are retired, however one is said to be preserved and is the only bus preserved that operates that was built for CTA.

[andrethebusman]

D901's. Supposedly they were built on speculation, but after all the problems CTA had with the 9800's cracking by the back door, the option was never taken up.

[sw4400]

Here's another.... probably easy to figure out, but let's see....

• This series of bus debuted on the #3 King Drive route. The cost of this bus was $250,000/each.

[Busjack]

Here's another.... probably easy to figure out, but let's see....

• This series of bus debuted on the #3 King Drive route. The cost of this bus was $250,000/each.

While about everything debuted on #3 King Drive (or Archer), the price indicates a 6400. Pretty much confirmed by the 2001 budget.

By the end of 2001, a total of 309 new Nova buses will be delivered and placed in service, at a total cost of $72.5 million.

Calculator says $234,600 each, but close enough.

Compare that to the $488,000 (now $500,000) a bus, so it has about doubled in about 15 years. As with cars, they say you get more for the money now than you did then, but I wonder if that much more.

 

[trainman8119]

D901's. Supposedly they were built on speculation, but after all the problems CTA had with the 9800's cracking by the back door, the option was never taken up.

IIRC, the option was taken up...sort of. When the cracking started on the 9800s, as I understand it, production was started on the option.

CTA said give us 25 of what would be 1600 series and keep the rest. After that, MAN got the next contract for 4000s and then there was nothing

for a long time until the 5300 Flx and 4400 TMC.

[Busjack]

IIRC, the option was taken up...sort of. When the cracking started on the 9800s, as I understand it, production was started on the option.

CTA said give us 25 of what would be 1600 series and keep the rest. After that, MAN got the next contract for 4000s and then there was nothing

for a long time until the 5300 Flx and 4400 TMC.

Depends what the rationale was on the 1600s. I thought it was just that they had the 2x1 seating. In any event, that was the end of them.

[NewFlyerMCI]

Alright! Just got back from Chicago, since I attended the FBLA conference there. I even got to ride along the McCormick Place Busway 3 times. I have bus photos, which I will post separatly, but here is the new question. Since I apparently need to work on the complexity, I will try to post a bit more frequently.

1) This route is approx. 13.5 miles long

2) A portion of this route runs along a diagonal street

3) This route serves 2 Metra Electric Stations (this will probably be the revealing one)

[Brandon93]

Alright! Just got back from Chicago, since I attended the FBLA conference there. I even got to ride along the McCormick Place Busway 3 times. I have bus photos, which I will post separatly, but here is the new question. Since I apparently need to work on the complexity, I will try to post a bit more frequently.

1) This route is approx. 13.5 miles long

2) A portion of this route runs along a diagonal street

3) This route serves 2 Metra Electric Stations (this will probably be the revealing one)

My guess is the 30 South Chicago

[TripleTransit1]

Alright! Just got back from Chicago, since I attended the FBLA conference there. I even got to ride along the McCormick Place Busway 3 times. I have bus photos, which I will post separatly, but here is the new question. Since I apparently need to work on the complexity, I will try to post a bit more frequently.

1) This route is approx. 13.5 miles long

2) A portion of this route runs along a diagonal street

3) This route serves 2 Metra Electric Stations (this will probably be the revealing one)

Route #30 South Chicago.

[garmon757]

I got one. There was an exit that existed many many years ago at North/Clybourn Red Line. What was the name of that exit? Clue: It was located on the southbound side of the station's stairway.

[mikeymc77]

I got one. There was an exit that existed many many years ago at North/Clybourn Red Line. What was the name of that exit? Clue: It was located on the southbound side of the station's stairway.

Cabrini Green ?

 

[garmon757]

Cabrini Green ?

 

Nope. It's an actual street name.

[Rahm's denim shirt]

Nope. It's an actual street name.

Dayton?

[garmon757]

Weed? Dayton?

Weed is wrong but Dayton is correct! Here's a shot I took where the exit was located at.

[artthouwill]

 

th 30  services the  South 

How about this question.The first CTA bus painted in the Bicentennial paint scheme. Hint: It was an "A" bus.

 

The 30 only serves one ME station and that is the South Chicago station at the end of the ME South Chicago branch.   The Hegewisch station is a South Shore Metra station (the SS is a NICTD operated line).

The 26 South Shore serves 83rd and the 9 3rd stations on the South Chicago branch of the ME. 

Edited July 7, 2015 by artthouwill