Jump to content

And the next garage to get New Flyers is...


rmadisonwi

Recommended Posts

And the 4915s.

Also, 74th doesn't have 5300s so they might get left out until CTA has enough buses to replace the TMCs. Good luck with that.

The 4915s aren't new, and apparently all but one of their runs are now covered by 500s.

And a more general question to the intellects here and in Richard Winston's office at the CTA: If the standard for which garage gets them is which garage is having buses replaced, and the Novas came and most 4000 series MANs were replaced in 2001-2002, and the MANs were pretty much at 74, 103, NP, and K, why didn't any of those garages get Novas? Again, what is the justification for some garages having an average bus age of 3 and two of them having an average age in excess of 12? Or is CTA not letting on that it is planning to exercise Option 3 in the near future, because all of the RTA member agencies are all feigning poverty in their capital budgets to get support for Moving Beyond Congestion?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and the Novas came and most 4000 series MANs were replaced in 2001-2002, and the MANs were pretty much at 74, 103, NP, and K, why didn't any of those garages get Novas?  

My guess in the case of North Park is that they didn't have any Flxibles and had the original New Flyers, which gave them some low floor and at the time the newest buses. With the shuffling of TMC, they were able to replace the MAN's with TMC's. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the Novas took the Flyers and MAN's out of 77th and Forest Glen (centralizing them at Kedzie). 74th was pretty recent with the 6200 Flxibles, so there was no rush to put new buses in there. There were some TMC's at Archer and they were moved out to 103 and North Park. Chicago had mostly 5400 Flxibles and 4600 series TMC's that wound up at 103 when they got their Novas. I contend that there is not much rhyme or reason as to where a new series of buses go, except that for some reason they start out at either Archer or 77th street, and have for a long time. 1000 GMCs (and New Flyers) started at Archer, TMC's came through 77th. The only exceptions I can come up with in my lifetime is that the Flyers (9800's) started at North Ave, Flxibles (5400's) at Forest Glen (6000's at 77th), and the New Flyers (5800) at North Park and I don't know if the Flxibles actually count because they came in essentially the same time as the TMCs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There seem to be a few problems with your chronology (5300s started at 103rd, but then got transferred to 77th, for, what I then predicted was so that 77th could always get new buses, but, in any event you are right that Archer and 77th seem preferred). However, I would rather have an explanation from someone at CTA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're right..I forgot about the actual 5300 series. I just remembered the 5400s at FG and as more came (through 5620 or so) the 5400s were sent to what was then Lawndale.  

And those 5400s went to the Chicago Garage when that garage opened and Lawndale closed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After reading you guys post, it seems as though 103rd is the "go-to" garage.

The buses that are, old and beat up(except for the NABI's,and Optimas), seem to go there. Maybe its me or does it seem like that garage only takes hand me down buses that other garages don't want. Or is 103rd the scrap heap?

BTW looking at Mr.Zolks pics on the photo pages, I saw #1000 operating on the #20. I thought they went to Archer first. Does Chicago garage still operate #1000? Or is that just a test run? <_<

Also Busjack, the 4915 aren't BRAND new, but they are new to the CTA roster. So in a way they are "new".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder if 77th and Vincinnes isn't the "go to" garage.

Some of the buses I've seen on King Drive and Cottage Grove need help!

And I still wonder where the scrapped buses I've seen being towed northbound on State are headed. And also from which garage they are being towed.

As of now, it's one of the "go to" givers. Since the Flexs are getting shifted to 103rd garage. Archer gave them there Flexs until the 1000s arrived. Does that count as a "go to"? But I do agree with you, but since the Flexs(or the remainder of them)are gone, I have seen less breakdowns since the past years.

I hope those TMCs get scrapped soon! They always appear when I want a 1000!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As of now, it's one of the "go to" givers.

Don't discount Chicago Ave as a "go to" garage either. I see many

old 5300, 5500 and 5700's all up at the terminal at Pulaski and Peterson just about evey day when I go by there. They also picked up some Novas from Archer (6550-6565 range). There are also a few scraggling 5500s at Kedzie still breathing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW looking at Mr.Zolks pics on the photo pages, I saw #1000 operating on the #20. I thought they went to Archer first. Does Chicago garage still operate #1000? Or is that just a test run? <_<

That particular #1000 is a prototype, being tested on that route. The first 110 or so buses in the series are actually assigned to Archer Garage.

Don't discount Chicago Ave as a "go to" garage either. I see many

old 5300, 5500 and 5700's all up at the terminal at Pulaski and Peterson just about evey day when I go by there. They also picked up some Novas from Archer (6550-6565 range). There are also a few scraggling 5500s at Kedzie still breathing.

This may be the reason why the Chicago Garage is currently taking delivery of the new buses. The deliveries are now up to about #1350.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They also picked up some Novas from Archer (6550-6565 range).
You mean they overallocated 1000s to Archer instead of just replacing in place like several posters here implied?

{music}Real men of genius ... Mr. Bus Allocation Supervisor .... Knows equitable distribution among neighborhoods ... Mr. Bus Allocation Supervisor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just once, Busjack, don't you wish that someone would come up to you and give you the opportunity of running the operation. I would love to see you in the position of Bus Allocation Administrator (if not Board Chairman or President). Now the aldermen in town are realizing that Frank is a goof and want his head. I know I could honestly do a better job than him, Valerie, the entire Pace Board and executive director as well as the geniuses at Metra. Unfortunately I don't have the political ties...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm waiting for da Mare to call:). The thing that frosts me is that da Mare and Frank expect suburbanites to support their calls for higher taxes, but Frank and his minions don't seem competent to run what they have. While I believe that Joe Moore is bloviating, the Sun-Times article indicates that only da Mare thinks "Kruesi, his longest-serving adviser, is doing a 'good job' under extraordinarily difficult circumstances." Of course, no mention of Carole Brown in any of these reports.

While here I have been complaining about buses not being allocated in accordance with service standards, or in accordance to what the VP of Customer Services professes, it looks, especially from "Ask Carole," that management hasn't found a way to do the Brown Line project without totally decimating ridership on the North Side, or fixing track problems north of Belmont on the North Side main. That certainly would result in a "third world" transit system. Others have speculated where CTA would get or store the cars needed to eventually run 8-car Brown Line trains, but maybe their answer is through attrition on the Red Line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't discount Chicago Ave as a "go to" garage either. I see many

old 5300, 5500 and 5700's all up at the terminal at Pulaski and Peterson just about evey day when I go by there. They also picked up some Novas from Archer (6550-6565 range). There are also a few scraggling 5500s at Kedzie still breathing.

5531 and 5587 Are At 103
Link to comment
Share on other sites

{music}Real men of genius ... Mr. Bus Allocation Supervisor .... Knows equitable distribution among neighborhoods ... Mr. Bus Allocation Supervisor.

Hun? I.....don't...get....it....

Just once, Busjack, don't you wish that someone would come up to you and give you the opportunity of running the operation. I would love to see you in the position of Bus Allocation Administrator (if not Board Chairman or President).  

Agh! No, don't encourage him! It might happen!!! :P

Question. Why are these Flexs still around! CTA has spent billions of dollars on the NewFlyers to get them replaced for nothing! So I'm guessing the buses the cta6085 came from one of these garages up north. If so my guess was correct, the "giver" garages give 1.O.3 buses to use and then scrap. Speaking of which, why are they getting so many buses of junk? 1.O.3 doesn't even need those buses!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hun? I.....don't...get....it....
Parody of a beer advertisement head on Bulls games radio broadcasts and elsewhere. But if you are too young to drive, you are too young to drink.

Speaking of which, why are they getting so many buses of junk? 1.O.3 doesn't even need those buses!
Bus Repairman previously posted that the garage was beefed up to meet supposed demand from the Dan Ryan construction.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Question. Why are these Flexs still around! CTA has spent billions of dollars on the NewFlyers to get them replaced for nothing!

What are you talking about? The Flxibles are being replaced as we speak. CTA is spending millions (not billions) of dollars on buying new buses, but you're not going to get 1000 buses all at once. Considering that there are about 350 New Flyers on the property (some of which are for fleet expansion), and there were over 450 of the 5300-series Flxibles, why wouldn't there still be Flxibles left?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hun? I.....don't...get....it....

Agh! No, don't encourage him! It might happen!!! :P

Question. Why are these Flexs still around! CTA has spent billions of dollars on the NewFlyers to get them replaced for nothing! So I'm guessing the buses the cta6085 came from one of these garages up north. If so my guess was correct, the "giver" garages give 1.O.3 buses to use and then scrap. Speaking of which, why are they getting so many buses of junk? 1.O.3 doesn't even need those buses!              

That's Why The 103rd Garage Has A Bunch Of Raggedy 1991 Flxibles
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...