8350-series Nova LFS - Updates

[YoungBusLover]

The following #8350s have yet to be delivered or sighted in revenue service. 

#8552, #8602, #8604, #8605,#8606, #8607, #8608, #8609, #8610, #8611, #8612, #8613, #8614,#8617, #8621, #8624. 

[YoungBusLover]

#8661 and #8668 are at SS.

[jajuan]

On 3/6/2024 at 2:03 PM, YoungBusLover said:

The following #8350s have yet to be delivered or sighted in revenue service. 

#8552, #8602, #8604, #8605,#8606, #8607, #8608, #8609, #8610, #8611, #8612, #8613, #8614,#8617, #8621, #8624. 

Actually 8612 has been in service at C for about a month and a half now, since 01/29 to be exact and debuting on the 53. I personally spotted it in service on the 157 today. 8614 is also in service and assigned to C. It has its first day of service on 02/21.

[YoungBusLover]

19 minutes ago, jajuan said:

Actually 8612 has been in service at C for about a month and a half now, since 01/29 to be exact and debuting on the 53. I personally spotted it in service on the 157 today. 8614 is also in service and assigned to C. It has its first day of service on 02/21.

Yeah that was error on my part. Also #8657 is at SS.

[YoungBusLover]

#8615,#8684 and #8690 have entered service today out of C.

[YoungBusLover]

#8662 is at SS.

[YoungBusLover]

#8610 and #8670 are at SS. I saw two more #8600s parked a few rows in front of these two but I couldn't make out the numbers on them.

[YoungBusLover]

#8650 and #8668 are at SS.

[transiteer23]

They are starting to recruit Operators for Nova training at North Park. CTA must be sending them over soon if they are preparing us.

[Rhys Pate]

The above means Novas at North Park soon (8350s and/or 7900s).

[YoungBusLover]

6 hours ago, transiteer23 said:

They are starting to recruit Operators for Nova training at North Park. CTA must be sending them over soon if they are preparing us.

Where'd you get that information from? 🤔 

[artthouwill]

5 hours ago, transiteer23 said:

They are starting to recruit Operators for Nova training at North Park. CTA must be sending them over soon if they are preparing us.

It makes sense for North Park operators to get trained on the Novas as the CTA fleet is nearly a 50/50 split of Novas and New Flyers and is transitioning to a mostly Nova fleet.  That means the chances of other garages sending Novas as loaners will increase.  I won't dismiss the possibility of North Park receiving any Nivas, but I don't think this is an obvious indicator that NP will actually be receiving Novas .  It still makes more sense to keep NP all New Flyers for the foreseeable future  .

It will be very interesting to see what CTA goes with whenever they decide to purchase the equivalent of 207 artic buses.  New Flyer is the only maker of 60ft electric buses  and the 40ft buses are down to New Flyer, Gillig,  and Proterra 

[Busjack]

57 minutes ago, artthouwill said:

It makes sense for North Park operators to get trained on the Novas as the CTA fleet is nearly a 50/50 split of Novas and New Flyers and is transitioning to a mostly Nova fleet.  That means the chances of other garages sending Novas as loaners will increase.  I won't dismiss the possibility of North Park receiving any Nivas, but I don't think this is an obvious indicator that NP will actually be receiving Novas .  It still makes more sense to keep NP all New Flyers for the foreseeable future  .

 

This just sounds self-contradictory. With 1050 of the projected 1500 40' bus fleet by this time next year being Novas, why saddle the north side (especially routes such as 22, 151 to Devon, and 155; although 22 and 151 seem too heavy with artics now),  with predominantly rusted out stuff? It isn't like what was the situation with 69th being all propane or not being able to accommodate buses with lifts.

I can see the point that NP may need fewer 40' buses with all the artics, but it seems like that since NP is second to the last in priority to go all-electric, you expect 2006-2009 year 1000s to last until 2038?

[Bus1883]

1 hour ago, Busjack said:

This just sounds self-contradictory. With 1050 of the projected 1500 40' bus fleet by this time next year being Novas, why saddle the north side (especially routes such as 22, 151 to Devon, and 155; although 22 and 151 seem too heavy with artics now),  with predominantly rusted out stuff? It isn't like what was the situation with 69th being all propane or not being able to accommodate buses with lifts.

I can see the point that NP may need fewer 40' buses with all the artics, but it seems like that since NP is second to the last in priority to go all-electric, you expect 2006-2009 year 1000s to last until 2038?

Ironally the buses will fall apart themselves before then they’ll be outta here before 2029

[Busjack]

3 minutes ago, Bus1883 said:

Ironally the buses will fall apart themselves before then they’ll be outta here before 2029

Then is what is gonna be CTA's out? Buy some from Pace and Seattle like before (700s, 4915s, and 7300s)? 😆

[strictures]

16 hours ago, Busjack said:

although 22 and 151 seem too heavy with artics now

As at least 80% of my bus rides are on 22, there aren't enough artics, because they are overcrowded at all times of the day, although I rarely ride after dark, so I don't know what the ridership is at those times. 

One of the things I really hate is that in the morning, CTA sends all the 22s straight to the Howard terminal to start their runs north on Western to Touhy & then east to Rogers & into the Howard terminal as non-revenue service.. 

But when the 22's end point was moved from the old streetcar turn around at Clark/Howard, to the Howard L station, they encouraged us living north of Devon to go north to Howard to catch the L.  So what happens now, we have almost no NB 22s in the early morning.  What should be done is send just a few of those early morning rush hour buses is east on Foster to Clark & then start their runs there.

[Rhys Pate]

On 3/23/2024 at 7:22 AM, transiteer23 said:

They are starting to recruit Operators for Nova training at North Park. CTA must be sending them over soon if they are preparing us.

Where does Nova training take place? Is there an 8350 and/or a 7900 at North Park for the training, or are drivers going to other garages or to South Shops for the training?

[Sam92]

34 minutes ago, Rhys Pate said:

Where does Nova training take place? Is there an 8350 and/or a 7900 at North Park for the training, or are drivers going to other garages or to South Shops for the training?

I think they bring the bus to the garage usually

[Rhys Pate]

That makes sense. So there is an 8350 and/or a 7900 at North Park for training before buses are assigned there. I wonder which bus(es) are at North Park for training.

[Rhys Pate]

19 hours ago, Busjack said:

This just sounds self-contradictory. With 1050 of the projected 1500 40' bus fleet by this time next year being Novas, why saddle the north side (especially routes such as 22, 151 to Devon, and 155; although 22 and 151 seem too heavy with artics now),  with predominantly rusted out stuff? It isn't like what was the situation with 69th being all propane or not being able to accommodate buses with lifts.

I can see the point that NP may need fewer 40' buses with all the artics, but it seems like that since NP is second to the last in priority to go all-electric, you expect 2006-2009 year 1000s to last until 2038?

I agree with you. I think there will be Novas at North Park. It is not a matter of if. It is a matter of when. Novas will go to North Park to replace their carbon steel-frame 1000s. North Park has a lot of the carbon steel-frame 1000s.

[transiteer23]

21 hours ago, YoungBusLover said:

Where'd you get that information from? 🤔 

I work out of NP, they posted a schedule for Nova training.

[YoungBusLover]

52 minutes ago, transiteer23 said:

I work out of NP, they posted a schedule for Nova training.

10-4, I guess my assumptions I made a few weeks ago we're right about NP eventually training operators on the Novas. Now the question I still raise is, Which series of Nova will they eventually get? Elderly #7900s or brand new #8350s?

[YoungBusLover]

19 hours ago, Busjack said:

Then is what is gonna be CTA's out? Buy some from Pace and Seattle like before (700s, 4915s, and 7300s)? 😆

They can bring back #6163 and #6472 to help out. 😂

[YoungBusLover]

#8647 has yet to enter revenue serivce as it sits in the boneyard behind new a arrivals that I may have missed, #8648 and #8689. I'm surprised #8647 hasn't hit serivce yet since it's been at SS since early November.

[pudgym29]

On 3/24/2024 at 12:20 PM, YoungBusLover said:

#8647 has yet to enter revenue serivce as it sits in the boneyard behind new a arrivals that I may have missed, #8648 and #8689. I'm surprised #8647 hasn't hit serivce yet since it's been at SS since early November.

In another thread in another rubric, I chastised Maths22 for not updating the collective roster of 8350-series Nova buses. But if you go to his 'run history for individual buses', you can play with bus numbers one-at-a-time to detect which buses are on the property and making runs, including buses numbered higher than 8649.