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CTA 5300's - Tired Buses or Tired Drivers?


geneking7320

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I think it is the buses that are tired. I never thought the 5300 series buses moved very well from the start; they always seemed to drag a bit. I usually rode on 5500/5600 series buses out of Forest Glen. It was as if the governors were set low. The pick up was terrible. If I rode a 5400 from Chicago ave, there was a little better pick up on those buses. Watching the 5300's from 103rd, they seemed to move a little better. The 5600 and 5700 from Archer seemed slow.

When Forest Glen and Kedzie did the 5300 for 6000 series swap, it seemed as if some of the governor restriction was lifted and the 5500s and 5600s had a little more zip going through the loop. But now, looking at those same series of buses accelerating from a stop, it looks as though they are either governed down again, the a/c bogs them down, or they have simply seen better days and don't have the giddyup any more.

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Leave it to CTA to put a slow bus on an express route. My crystal ball indicates that the worst 5300s will be gone within a year or so, but in this case, probably replaced by 4400s or 6000s shifted from 74th (77 already has 6400s, which are too small for its routes, and 7500s).

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More than likely, the lower numbered 5300's are spread throughout Chicago and 74th (with Archer, 103rd, and Kedzie splitting the higher numbers), and the new buses will cause a major shift to one or two garages. I would like to see the 4400's be moved from North Park to 74th to accomodate and match the new buses. In the case of the 77th shift, whatever 5300's are there, will be retired, and some shifted from 74th as already mentioned.

My question is, what caused the shift of 6000's from Kedzie to Forest Glen? That was a most certain shock when I found a 6000 on Montrose one day.

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That was back when CTA said that the buses at the "outdoor garages" had to have preheaters (to the extent possible) to end idling in cold weather. At that time, only buses received in 1995 and after and the rehabs had them. North Park got the available 4400 rehabs (and also temporarily a couple of 6000s from 74th), while Forest Glen got the 6000s from Kedzie.

Again, are you confusing 74th with 77th? 74th doesn't have any 5300s. See the Garages page.

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DSorrell24, There Were More Bus Transfers On March 1,2003 And I'll Explain Them The 103rd Garage Got The Remaining 6000s From 77th And It Was A Shock When A I Saw A 6000 Parked At A Popeyes On 103rd On The 106 East 103rd Route In The Spring Of 2003 And 5371-5394 Went To 77th And There Are Still Lots Of 5300's At 103rd Garage And One Broke Down And had To Be Rapaired

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