sw4400 Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 2017 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Chicago Transit Authority in Chicago, having come into existence in October 1, 1947. The CTA is promising all sorts of special events and promotions, including the Heritage Fleet of trains and buses to make special appearances at a number of public events. Stay tuned and watch for info about events and promotions..... 70 years of the CTA! Doors open on the right at History. http://www.transitchicago.com/cta70/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajuan Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 29 minutes ago, sw4400 said: 2017 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Chicago Transit Authority in Chicago, having come into existence in October 1, 1947. The CTA is promising all sorts of special events and promotions, including the Heritage Fleet of trains and buses to make special appearances at a number of public events. Stay tuned and watch for info about events and promotions..... 70 years of the CTA! Doors open on the right at History. http://www.transitchicago.com/cta70/ I reported this here in a different thread. As I also mentioned in that prior post, Heritage train fleet rides will be given on June 6 as part of combined celebration of this year also being the 125th anniversary of the first L service in Chicago, started on June 6, 1892. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geneking7320 Posted March 11, 2017 Report Share Posted March 11, 2017 How about wrapping a few buses and railcars in historic CTA and CSL colors to celebrate the anniversary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artthouwill Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 6 hours ago, geneking7320 said: How about wrapping a few buses and railcars in historic CTA and CSL colors to celebrate the anniversary? Buses are a good idea. Railcars, not so much given the propensity for taggers to tag raiilcars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 9 hours ago, artthouwill said: Buses are a good idea. Railcars, not so much given the propensity for taggers to tag raiilcars. Wrap doesn't make much difference.It isn't like when they painted 1892-1992 and 22 years later it turned out to be junk. The aesthetics of that though indicated it wasn't such a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 19 hours ago, geneking7320 said: How about wrapping a few buses and railcars in historic CTA and CSL colors to celebrate the anniversary? I don't know if I want to see an Xcelsior green hornet. Lol!! Would be nice though if they could restore a few old buses at least to get them good enough to run in service. #301 And #3706 have a few problems. Too bad there wasn't a grant for this especially considering this is a transit agency. Vintage equipment is what makes places like sf attractive as a tourist destination.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted March 13, 2017 Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 6 hours ago, BusHunter said: Would be nice though if they could restore a few old buses at least to get them good enough to run in service. #301 And #3706 have a few problems. Too bad there wasn't a grant for this especially considering this is a transit agency. Vintage equipment is what makes places like sf attractive as a tourist destination.. They said that proceeds from ctagifts were supposed to pay for this, including the 3 buses.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted March 13, 2017 Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 7 hours ago, BusHunter said: I don't know if I want to see an Xcelsior green hornet. Lol!! If restricted to actual CTA liveries (as opposed to what was inherited from predecessors) it would essentially be that, green and cream, pine and white, pine and lime, and maybe Bicentennial (depending on how different you think it is from 2400). Not really much choice there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 13, 2017 Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 9 hours ago, Busjack said: They said that proceeds from ctagifts were supposed to pay for this, including the 3 buses.. I don't know how they are mechanically, but they had cracked Windows and some parts of the body showed wear so i don't know how it would stand up in service. They are kind of like museum relics now, thinking of car 1, the old wooden l car. Still though with some body service and some tlc I don't see why it couldn't be fully restored. Depends on how people in charge feel but these vehicles are history and should not be forgotten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvwnsd Posted March 16, 2017 Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 On 3/10/2017 at 1:26 PM, sw4400 said: Doors open on the right at History. Cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geneking7320 Posted March 17, 2017 Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 On 3/12/2017 at 1:15 PM, BusHunter said: I don't know if I want to see an Xcelsior green hornet. Lol!! Would be nice though if they could restore a few old buses at least to get them good enough to run in service. #301 And #3706 have a few problems. Too bad there wasn't a grant for this especially considering this is a transit agency. Vintage equipment is what makes places like sf attractive as a tourist destination.. I finally got to ride #700 working route 21 Cermak yesterday. I boarded eastbound at the Green Line station and rode to 26th and King Dr. It would be interesting to Photoshop the Green Hornet colors onto the bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 17, 2017 Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 Yeah I forgot #700 is close to a green hornet just the wrong shade of green!! Lol!! Might be different to see a croyden cream hunter green #5000 though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted March 17, 2017 Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 15 minutes ago, BusHunter said: Might be different to see a croyden cream hunter green #5000 though. The inherent problem of turning a 5000 into a 6000. I suppose it could be done with a wrap, but, asides from the corrugations, sort of like the Pace Orion Is that had a Honda wrap with New Look ovid windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 17, 2017 Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 Well if #3225-26 is any indication they don't seem to have a problem with the wrap itself. If they wanted to go for authenticity, they could explore blacking out the portion of the window that the #5000 uses but the #6000 don't. They might have a few problems with the window divisions but it is what it is. (just a representation) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 The CTA site also has a historic picture gallery. Of interest: 1941: Streetcar trestles. Shows that to maintain service while the Chicago-State subway station was being constructed, the streetcar tracks were on wooden trestles, These days, they just closed the intersection for a couple of years. 1954: Douglas trains passing: Points out that the Pink Line now uses the same route. Silkscreening bus signs:Obviously of north side boulevard routes shortly after CTA took over CMC. What is interesting is that while Addison is 152, Wilson is 53. Aside from the inconsistency, someone didn't figure out resolving the conflict with 53 Pulaski. 1947 Brochure: 1-1/2 cents of the fare goes to improvements. Now only through debt service. Wilson Auxiliary Platform: BusHunter just said it was gone. Ashland-63: During the short period when GMCs were out of 69th barn. MAN at Jefferson Park--Why would an artic be on 88 Higgins? Interlined with a 40? Had an Archer windshield sticker. Shirley Temple rides the L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 What do they mean, the last streetcar ran in 1958 on the median of Congress? (See the sidebar with the yearly timeline) The last streetcar was on clark wasnt it. All the history programs ive watched said there were 4 pcc lines on #20, #4, #49, i think and #22 retiring in that order. Now for a bonus where were the streetcars garaged? I remember a few of them out south and west, but what happened when service ran on the north side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 The artic on #88 was a demonstrator and they didnt know where to send it. Andre said it toured the garages. Its possible it only had that sign displayed because it most likely went out on the ohare express. Probably one of the reasons they wanted to order some. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 7 hours ago, BusHunter said: What do they mean, the last streetcar ran in 1958 on the median of Congress? (See the sidebar with the yearly timeline) The last streetcar was on clark wasnt it. All the history programs ive watched said there were 4 pcc lines on #20, #4, #49, i think and #22 retiring in that order. Now for a bonus where were the streetcars garaged? I remember a few of them out south and west, but what happened when service ran on the north side? The books document that the last streetcar line was 22A Wentworth. For most of the time there was a 22 Clark-Wentworth through route, but Clark was cut off before that. On where they were garaged after all that were left was PCCs, the main barns were 77th and Devon. Devon was at Clark and Arthur (across from the now bus loop) where the police station now is. I still remember the barn (unused) around 1977. Also, for a time after 20 Madison got the Green Hornets, the Blue Geese went to 63 out of 69th Then they went to 4-Cottage Grove. Also surprising, Lind has a reference to that when Western was PCC, while the north end went to Devon, the PCC cars had to use tracks on 69th to get to the 77th barn; 69th barn must have been converted to bus by then. The other big PCC line you missed was 36 Broadway-State, which ran to 119th Morgan from the Arthur loop. The 'median on Congress' must have been a brain phart. The last streetcar was on Wentworth in 1958, while the Congress rapid transit also opened in 1958, but that's a coincidence (except maybe that they had to scrap streetcars to build the 6000 series of rapid transit cars). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 I never knew the #20 got green hornets. Thought they were always blue goose' being they started in 1936 and the green hornets didn't arrive until 1948. Yeah I was thinking of the #36, but I didn't mention it because it was vague in my mind because I haven't really studied PCC's lately. But we only need to remember the PCC accident on State to remember PCC's ran there. Forgot the #4 was blue goose' and the #63 I totally forgot, but my main focus was on the green hornets. I remembered there were 4 final lines, that's what got me to forget the #36. I understand the #22's and #36's ran out of 77th and Devon carhouses, but where did the #4 run out of or #63 for that matter? 77th??? The #20 I believe ran out of Kedzie, but we are talking about something that happened 80 years ago. (Hard to believe has it been that long!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 22 hours ago, BusHunter said: Forgot the #4 was blue goose It was those cars, but by then had been painted green. Again, according to the books, after Cottage Grove, they ended up on Western because too many cars were being converted into Rapid Transit. On page 107, Lind says that "Displaced from the Madison Street lines by the arrival of the postwar PCCs," they went to 63rd in 1948, then Cottage Grove in 1952, then Western in 1956. On the Green Hornets, he has a picture of some sitting in the 69th yard from Western on page 109, and on 69th St going from 77th on page 311. The last car, 7213 is shown on the Wentworth line on June 21,1958 (page 313). What might have happened on your calendar is that the Congress rapid transit opened on June 22, 1958. So, two things happened in about a day. 22 hours ago, BusHunter said: where did the #4 run out of? 77th? There was a car house at 38th and Cottage that Lind's book says closed in 1955. In a picture of it on page 362 of his book, there is a PCC. 22 hours ago, BusHunter said: The #20 I believe ran out of Kedzie There is a picture on page 356 of a couple of Blue Geese inside the Kedzie carhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel bernero Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 The CTA Historical buses will be on display today and tomorrow at Daley Plaza in recognition of the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the CTA. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artthouwill Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 On 7/10/2017 at 5:15 PM, mel bernero said: The CTA Historical buses will be on display today and tomorrow at Daley Plaza in recognition of the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the CTA. Buses 8499, 301, and 3706. And 6472. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted July 13, 2017 Report Share Posted July 13, 2017 Another view of the CTA historical fleet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geneking7320 Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 I got to Daley Plaza Monday after 6pm and checked out the buses. The workers have done a good job on the 8499 restoration. I always thought that the green paint on 8499 was the same shade as that of 301 [I guess not]. I am only 5' 7" tall but I seems the ceiling of 8499 was lower than I'd thought. I wish we could have seats like those in the Old Look and New Look buses vs the current CTA buses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artthouwill Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 6 hours ago, geneking7320 said: I got to Daley Plaza Monday after 6pm and checked out the buses. The workers have done a good job on the 8499 restoration. I always thought that the green paint on 8499 was the same shade as that of 301 [I guess not]. I am only 5' 7" tall but I seems the ceiling of 8499 was lower than I'd thought. I wish we could have seats like those in the Old Look and New Look buses vs the current CTA buses. I believe there were some old look flxbles that had the light shade green but there definitely some with the darker shade like 8499. 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.