History of Chicago Garage

[jesi2282]

Can someone tell me the history of Chicago Garage, also what other bus types have been assigned there.

[RJL6000]

The Chicago Garage has been open only since 1994.

In the 12 years that it has been open, it has seen 4400's (TMC RTS), 5300's (Flxible Metro) and 6400's (NovaBUS LFS) officially assigned there. 4000's (M-A-N Americanas) might also have been assigned there, as well.

And, of course, at least one of the experimental 5900-series New Flyer buses was also assigned to the Chicago Garage.

Currently, 5300's (some early models, some later models) and 6400's are assigned there; however, the Chicago Garage will soon be partially re-equipped with the new 1000-series New Flyers.

[Danielsmusic]

Chicago also had 20 MAN 7100-series articulateds 1994-1996 to be used on the 23 (Lake/Washington Express) during the Green Line rehab.

[Guest]

Can someone tell me the history of Chicago Garage, also what other bus types have been assigned there.

Chicago ave garage was originally to be the rebuilt North ave. garage at North and Cicero aves. which closed in 1986. North ave. garage/carbarn had been in service since 1910. My dad worked at North ave. since 1972, he had the opportunity to drive the Marmon Herrington trolley coaches for a few months before the last trolley coach service ended there on March 25, 1973. When the the first of the 1000 series GMC Fishbowls began to arrive in 1972, #1335-1524 were assigned there replacing the Flxible old look propanes. The narrow 3700 series Flxible New Looks were assigned there as well when the #16 Lake st. Route operated form North ave. When the garage closed in 1986, its 240 buses and routes were transferred to other garages until North ave reopened which never happened. To operate the Pulaski and Cicero Routes, CTA reopened the then closed Lawndale garage at Cermak and Pulaski to provide a temporary replacement. Lawndale had been closed since 1973 and when it was reopened it recieved routes 53, 54, and the 9500 series GMCs then assigned to North ave. Kedzie was assigned Routes 57,65,66,70,72,73,74, Forest Glen was assigned Routes 76,77,86. North aves. buses at the time consisted of GMCs and Flyer D901s. The GMCs were split between Kedzie and Lawndale, Forest Glen had been assigned Flyers #9930-9974 and #1600-1624 buses but then took posession of North aves. Flyers #9850-9929. North aves. operators were of course reassigned to other garages. Chicago's notorious politics caused North ave. garage to be moved to its current Chicago Ave. location. Although for a while there was talk of moving the new garage to Lake /Pulaski but that never came to be. When Chicago ave. finally opened in 1994 It was assigned most of North aves. routes and the new Flxibles Metros were on the property by this time. Routes 76 Diversey, 77 Belmont and 86 Narragansett remained permantly assigned to Forest Glen. But later the Diversey route was turned over to Chicago ave. To this day Routes 77 and 86 continue to operate out of FG. Most of North aves. relief points were at Cicero Ave. The building that now sits at Chicago ave. was to be the "New" North Ave. garage. After North Ave closed my father went to Forest Glen and he remained there until his retirement in 1998. Chicago ave. is also home to the Bus Operators Training Center which previously was at the now demolished Limits Garage located at Clark and Diversey. The old North ave. site is now a shopping area but few remnants of the old garage can still be seen at there. The old light poles that once lit up the back of the old garage are still there today at the NW corner of North and Lamon. Lawndale still has a few of the old light poles still standing although the garage is completely gone.

[trainman8119]

...Chicago's notorious politics caused North ave. garage to be moved to its current location.

I am not too sure about Chicago politics moving the garage, but there was underhanded tactics going on at that time. When North ave closed, it was supposed to be rebuilt on the same location. However, a developer wanted the land and offered the CTA land for a new garage near North and Kilpatrick (or someplace in the area...I don't think it was the location where the current Chicago Garage is), in a land swap. The Feds got involved in the dispute, since they provided the CTA money to demolish the original garage and didn't approve of the transaction and threatened to take their money back. That is part of the reason it took so long for Chicago to be completed, because it took a couple of years to settle the dispute with Uncle Sam. The long and short of it, is the land became what it is today, another strip mall, and the CTA got there new garage, at Chicago and Pulaski.

[Busjack]

I believe that the alleged political chicanery came much later than the events properly related by trainman. Apparently, the developer who promised to develop the property in the 1980s never did, and the CTA eventually ending up turning over the property for vitrually nothing, as part of the Limits garage land deal, which John Kass continues to castigate. That property didn't turn up on the list of appraisals that CTA eventually posted in response to a commentator on Ask Carole.

[jajuan]

The Chicago Garage has been open only since 1994.

In the 12 years that it has been open, it has seen 4400's (TMC RTS), 5300's (Flxible Metro) and 6400's (NovaBUS LFS) officially assigned there. 4000's (M-A-N Americanas) might also have been assigned there, as well.

And, of course, at least one of the experimental 5900-series New Flyer buses was also assigned to the Chicago Garage.

Currently, 5300's (some early models, some later models) and 6400's are assigned there; however, the Chicago Garage will soon be partially re-equipped with the new 1000-series New Flyers.

Americanas were never assigned to this garage but as noted in one of the posts above 20 MAN Artics were assigned here when the 23 Washington Express was reassigned here from Kedzie during the Green Line rehabilitation project of 1994-1996.