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Unusual Bus Sightings


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It might have been a bus coming off the X98, heading over to Lake Shore drive to operate down the corridor.

If the bus driver was picking people up along Irving Park, then he certainly wasn't just out there "for the hell of it." Most operators with that sort of attitude towards their jobs would find any excuse not to pick anyone up at all.

The X98 is the only North Park route that would be on Irving Park west of Clarendon.

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It might have been a bus coming off the X98, heading over to Lake Shore drive to operate down the corridor.

If the bus driver was picking people up along Irving Park, then he certainly wasn't just out there "for the hell of it." Most operators with that sort of attitude towards their jobs would find any excuse not to pick anyone up at all.

The X98 is the only North Park route that would be on Irving Park west of Clarendon.

Last time I checked, #X98 started at Irving Park and Pulaski, not at Clarendon. Why would #X98 be on Irving Park east of Pulaski?? Highly, highly unlikely...

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Last time I checked, Pulaski was west of Clarendon, therefore my statement that the X98 is the only North Park route that would be on Irving Park west of Clarendon is correct.

The route ends at the Blue Line.

If you read the message, you would note that I said it might be "coming off the X98, heading over to Lake Shore Drive." If you can think of a better way to get from Irving/Pulaski to Lake Shore Drive that doesn't involve traveling along streets in between those two points, please let me know.

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The bus could actually be coming from the garage to start at Irving and the Blue Line, or off another route as an interline. In any event, I often see a NABI turning off Dempster full onto Waukegan between 1:35pm and 1:40pm. That in itself is odd, since the schedule shows the bus scheduled to leave the Blue Line station at 1:35pm. I guess that would mean either it is leaving early or it has one of those load and go schedules when it meets up with something loads and takes off when all are accounted for. But the real question I have to ask is this...is why does the bus operate without a destination sign. There is a run number displayed out of North Park (obviously), but I have never seen any destination displayed, either on the front or side...they are always dark. Now, I know how reliable CTA destination signs are, but in this case, the route definitely runs without a destination illuminated. There is not even one of those famous paper route signs in the window.

Just Curious !!!! :huh: :huh:

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The only comment I can make here is that that is a Archer Nova doing a fill in, because103rd definitely does not have any 6400s.

That would probably explain why I've been seeing various Archer Novas operating morning trips on various 103rd garage Lake Shore Drive corridor routes since about mid-August. Usually as a 26 or X28.

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That would probably explain why I've been seeing various Archer Novas operating morning trips on various 103rd garage Lake Shore Drive corridor routes since about mid-August. Usually as a 26 or X28.

No actually, they are bus transfers. 103rd is short on buses and Archer allows them to "borrow" equipment so 103rd can maintain schedule.

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No actually, they are bus transfers. 103rd is short on buses and Archer allows them to "borrow" equipment so 103rd can maintain schedule.

Why 103rd cant just keep the Archer Novas for good so that 103rd can have Novas to operate?, instead of keep on borrowing them everyday. Archer doesnt really need extra buses because they dont even have old buses anymore.

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Forest Glen is no longer operating any extra service for three-track. Chicago Garage is, but that service is generally limited to routes 11 and 22 in the PM, and 22, 135, and 156 in the AM. Only a couple of trips on the LaSalle routes, at that.

As for Archer Novas at 103rd, those buses are used by Archer Garage in the PM, but Archer has more service in the PM than in the AM. Therefore, those buses are available for service elsewhere in the morning. Lending them to 103rd in the morning is a stop-gap solution to 103rd's equipment problems until more new buses can be delivered and the older, more unreliable buses can be retired.

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Forest Glen is no longer operating any extra service for three-track. Chicago Garage is, but that service is generally limited to routes 11 and 22 in the PM, and 22, 135, and 156 in the AM. Only a couple of trips on the LaSalle routes, at that.

As for Archer Novas at 103rd, those buses are used by Archer Garage in the PM, but Archer has more service in the PM than in the AM. Therefore, those buses are available for service elsewhere in the morning. Lending them to 103rd in the morning is a stop-gap solution to 103rd's equipment problems until more new buses can be delivered and the older, more unreliable buses can be retired.

Thanks to you and operateall94 for explaining that situation with Archer Novas operating on 103rd routes.

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Today, I saw Nova 6552 (pretty sure!) working as 2 Hyde Park Express southbound at State and Congress. I forgot to check the time, but it was around 9:20 - 9:55 AM.

Isn't 6552 an Archer Nova? Is Archer lending/swapping buses with 77th/103rd? (Unless the above explains it all =] )

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Today, I observed at Union Station that 156 is operating with 7553 while I observed 147 is operating with 7641 and 7646 on Michigan Avenue.

What's unusual about that? Let us know when a U of C route is being run with an articulated. That would be unusual.

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The 192 runs with artics all the time.

The old 173 used to, before it was restructured into a northbound-only, PM rush-only route.

OK, let me rephrase it to 170, 171, and 172. Let us know when they are run with artics. Otherwise tell us what is so unusual about 147 and 156.

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OK, let me rephrase it to 170, 171, and 172. Let us know when they are run with artics. Otherwise tell us what is so unusual about 147 and 156.

I think the unusual part of it is that the 156 was with 7553, which should be a North Park bus (not Kedzie) and 147 with 7641 (which should not be unusual, since 7641 I think is a North Park artic that went there in the 3-track high intensity bus transfer) and 7646, which should be a Kedzie bus. Other than that, not unusual to see artics on these routes, in fact quite normal.

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I think the unusual part of it is that the 156 was with 7553, which should be a North Park bus (not Kedzie) and 147 with 7641 (which should not be unusual, since 7641 I think is a North Park artic that went there in the 3-track high intensity bus transfer) and 7646, which should be a Kedzie bus. Other than that, not unusual to see artics on these routes, in fact quite normal.

From what I saw in the original post that's exactly what's unusual about the sighting. That should have been obvious if we've been noticing bus garage assignments as closely as we all like to think.

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Today, I saw Nova 6779 on 29 State going northbound at State and 11th. Does anyone know why a FG Nova is working for a 77th route?

It might be a loaner from Forest Glen. If it's the only sighting so far of an FG bus at 77th, then most likely that's what it is. If there are blocks of any size on a more regular basis, that's when you can consider the possibility of a complete swap. There are bound to be some reassignments soon anyway as more of the Flyers come in. There has to be room made for a total of 1030 new buses after all.

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