Numbering

[trainman8119]

How is it determined how equipment will be numbered.

I remember when the 1000 series GM Fishbowls came in in the early 70's and the numbers going up to 1524. When the next series came in and I remember thinking that they would start from 15 something or more likely 1600. Then the first bus I saw of the 7400 series was 7624 on Ashland and I did a double take thinking I read the 7 wrong and that it should have been a 1. Then after 7944, we went to 9000 all the way through the Flyer 9900's, which then went down to 1600 before the option order was scrapped. The MAN's were started at 4000 and a long list of consecutive series came. The Flxibles and TMC's were next, coming in about the same time, and a constant succession of numbers from 4400 up to 5700's. The New Flyers gave us 5800 (actually 5900 with the fuel cells) and then the next Flxibles (6000) and Nova's (6400's).

The "L" car numbering has been consistent. The number series from the Pullman's (2000) through the first Budd's (2200) the Boeings (2400) Budds again (2600) and the New York Cars (3200). But instead of 3500, it appears it will go back to 1000.

So, how do the series numbers get designated ????

[ryanbytes]

A hat and multiple pieces of paper. :P

[Busjack]

I can't give you any official answer, but can pass along the substance of a discussion I had with Andre on another forum, which arose when Pace went from the 2000s to the 6000/6600/6900 system. That seemed strange at the time, as 40 foot NABIs were tacked onto the 6000 series with Orion VIs, and 35 footers were placed in the 6600 series, while the prior practice with regard to 2000s was to classify the 35 and 40 footers together [2000-2084 (35 foot) 2085-2129 (40 foot), 2272-2291 and 2378 (35 foot), 2292 to 2377 (40 foot), 2401-2422 and 2453 (40 foot) and 2423-2452 (35 foot)--note the two misfits at the end of an order].

Basically, Andre's answer was that each piece of equipment has to have its own number regardless of its type (thus you won't see any 3 digit series CTA buses because service trucks have those numbers), the numbers are a way of keeping each piece of equipment straight, and a new series is started when a distinction is to be made. Since it was a trolley group, Andre focused on what made the 3000s and 4000s unique. Now, apparently, it is now important for Pace to distinguish between bus sizes as opposed to manufacturers. (To be completely consistent, I would renumber 2401-2422 and 2453 to 6000s and 2423-2452 as 6600s). You won't see any 5000 series Pace buses because series of various types of paratransit vehicles (5000, 5500, 5800) are there.

Because the AC cars can't train with DC ones, Chicago-L.org surmised that they would be in a different series "beginning either far above or below the current numbers, to separate them from the old DC fleet," but we can't really tell which series at this point. They, or the next series of New Flyer buses, could be 1000s, 3500s, 8000s, or 9000s (except if those numbers are assigned to something else).

Having lived on 55th, I wondered about the 7500s there, and after discovering that the series started at North Park with 7400, thought that it was because they were received in 1974, but Andre said other numbers were taken (and you couldn't start with 1525 and get 545 numbers without bumping into the 2000 series L cars). Likewise, he said that some other equipment with those numbers barred the use of 5000 to 5299, resulting in the 5300 series.

[geneking7320]

Hi All;

Have you noticed that CTA has "recycled" the revenue vehicle numbers over the years? An example, I found that the Marmon-Herrington ETBs originally had 3 digits and later 9000 was added to the numbers,ie 9652. Later CTA had airconditoned GM fishbowls in the 9600s. Notice also there were Flxible new looks in the 3000s and we now have "L" cars in the 3000s. In the 1960s CTA had some GM fishbowls with 3 digit (some were garaged at 52nd & Cottage Grove others at 103rd and Beverly among other places) but as previously noted did not use 3 digit revenue vehicle numbers since.

[trainman8119]

I did find it odd that Pace used any 6000 numbers in their buses, because they matched CTA bus numbers. When I worked in customer service there, it was easy to tell when a complaint should have been sent to the CTA because the numbers of the buses did not match. If someone called in a complaint on bus 4020 on Cermak Road, for example, you know it couldn't be a Pace bus because Pace buses there were either a 2200 series or 8700/8800 series bus. Now, it is conceivable that that same complaint could have someone calling in bus 6020 and it could be either a Pace or CTA bus.

The Orion VI 6000 numbering makes sense, but then you have NABI's in the 6200 and 6600...all in the 6000 numbering.

Again...no real rhyme or reason to this mystery.

[buslist]

Hi All;

Have you noticed that CTA has "recycled" the revenue vehicle numbers over the years? An example, I found that the Marmon-Herrington ETBs originally had 3 digits and later 9000 was added to the numbers,ie 9652. Later CTA had airconditoned GM fishbowls in the 9600s. Notice also there were Flxible new looks in the 3000s and we now have "L" cars in the 3000s. In the 1960s CTA had some GM fishbowls with 3 digit (some were garaged at 52nd & Cottage Grove others at 103rd and Beverly among other places) but as previously noted did not use 3 digit revenue vehicle numbers since.

The prime reason for adding the 9s to the ETB numbers were to avoid conflicts with the acquired CMC buses. Some Twins were also renumbered. No CMC buses changed numbers that I recall.