Fishbowls in 1992

[Danielsmusic]

According to Bill Vandervoort's website, the New Looks' assignments were:

93 - Archer

92 - Glen

64 - Lawndale

39 - NP

138 - 69th

77 - 77th

But what actual buses were assigned to each garage? I'm trying to make Fishbowl paperbuses, but I can't make them accurate unless I know which specific buses were assigned to each garage. Any bits of information would be helpful. Thanks.

[Busjack]

I guess the question is the significance of the 1992 date. I think the reason he is less specific for 1992 is that the distribution of the New Looks then would be the same as the 5300s now--i.e. all over the place because many were scrapped and the few good ones were left. The numbers you give are 503 of 1875, or about 27%.

His earlier lists are probably more useful, although he doesn't have the one I would consider vital--about 1977, when the deliveries of the 9600s occurred. The 1978 one doesn't agree with my recollection of 1977, as the 1258 to 1334 series at Archer must have just been switched from somewhere else (I would guess mostly Forest Glen and North & Cicero).

If you really wanted to be realistic about 1992, there would also be the question which ones were white and which green.

Based on how 69th was treated, it would have had the lower 9000s.

Other than this, I can't help.

[Busjack]

I should also mention that most of us like the busdrawings.com CTA gallery as accurately reflecting the fishbowls. I don't know when the Hunnel pictures were taken, but they reflect that at some point, North Park and 77th exchanged their fleets. All of his 9000s and 9600s were repainted.

[sw4400]

I should also mention that most of us like the busdrawings.com CTA gallery as accurately reflecting the fishbowls. I don't know when the Hunnel pictures were taken, but they reflect that at some point, North Park and 77th exchanged their fleets. All of his 9000s and 9600s were repainted.

Is that link good, Busjack? I click it and my Internet Explorer freezes up.

[Busjack]

Is that link good, Busjack? I click it and my Internet Explorer freezes up.

Works fine for me. Of course, I use Firefox. He does have some blinking icons on the page, which might cause problems.

Also, you could try entering busdrawings.com directly, and then clicking on pictures to get to the CTA gallery

Alternatively, to dig deeper into the 1970s buses galleries:

• 1000s
  
• 7400s
  
• 9000s
  
• 9600s
  

[BusHunter]

I actually have a list I made of remaining Fishbowls complete with their color scheme in the period 1991 - 1995. 69th had the most with 106 noted by me. Fg had 93 mostly low #9600's and #9200's from limits. Lawndale had about 64 mostly #9400's and #9500's including the albinos from FG. NP had about 58 mostly #9300's and a few #7400's. 77th had a few #7400's too (about 11) including #7400 in the red/white/blue livery curiously enough matching a picture of it on the #4 on Busdrawings.com (the paul hunnell answer) Archer had about 50 buses mostly high #9600's and #9700's including a few red and blue museum buses formerly out of North Park. So if you add all that up it comes to about 276 fishbowl buses remaining after the RTS/#5300 deliveries, a few #7400's and mostly #9000's and #9600's. All #1000's had been retired when the RTS/#5300's were delivered in 1991. Most were based out of 77th including #1391 and #1522.

[Guest]

I was looking at the CTA GMC pics in BusDrawings.Com. I couldnt help to think to myself how I wish those buses were still around, how they sounded, the different paint jobs they recieved over the years as well as my personal memories of these buses and how they are so burned into our memory. Im sure every busfan in this website and busfans all over have their own personal memory of a particular model bus as well as the bus they grew up watching. You have to admit that the CTA GMC and Flxible New Looks, in their heyday were very impressive looking buses. But I think as time passed and next generation transit buses such as the TMC RTS and Flxible Metros came online, people may have forgotten the "Fishbowl" and were fixed on all the newer equipment that was coming out. The fishbowls in my opinion I feel werent that appreciated considering they were a fixture in Chicago for over 30 years!. Today it seems just the opposite because of the types of transit buses that are now coming out. The "low Floor" bus has taken over and the attitude that the older, much appreciated equipment is slowly dissappearing and the new models that it will eventually replace are not recieving much fanfare. Dont get me wrong, it is always great when new equipment arrives in Chicago whether CTA, Pace or other bus carriers but we still look back so much to the days when buses that are no longer around, looked menacing and tough. The era of the high floor transit bus is rapidly dissappearing. How will we look at these next generation buses? Will we ever look at a New Flyer or a Nova, and forget NABI! , like we did the GMC fishbowl, Flxible New Looks or any other bus models?. The entire transit bus industry is no doubt changing where it has to be equal to everyone. Bus manufacturers have to build buses that meet certain standards and transit operators have to be able to provide service thats accessible to everyone. I dont know if this thought matters to many but I just thought I would share this thought with my fellow busfans.

[trainman8119]

...I couldnt help to think to myself how I wish those buses were still around, how they sounded, the different paint jobs they recieved over the years as well as my personal memories of these buses and how they are so burned into our memory

Your entire statement is very well stated. I would think the younger fans we have there today will probably look at the New Flyers, or even Novas in the same manner. As I grew up, all I knew were Old Look and New Look Flxibles and Trolley Buses. Its funny, I look back at the 3000 series Flxibles now and am astonished that they were new in the late sixties. I never understood why those buses were a bit different than the 8500 and 8700's in color and in how the back end looked. I will always have a soft touch for the 1000 fishbowls as those were the first true new buses I can remember and relate to (not to mention 1431 was a new bus when I drove it around the North ave yard during the day I observed a day of field operator training). Hopefully, the younger fans will relate to the current fleet in the same type of manner some 15-20 years from now.

[Danielsmusic]

I bet that the younger busfans will see the D40LFs the way we saw New Looks.

[Guest]

Thanks Trainman, Thank you for the compliment. We all have our favorite memories that we can hold on to and that no one can take away from that. For me it was very special because I literally spent my entire childhood on a CTA bus. My dad was driver for 26 years. He started at North ave. Sept 21, 1972. He got to drive the trolleys until that dreadful day in March 1973. I always enjoyed riding with him, for me it was a treat. I remember sitting on my front steps of 2836 W Diversey ave. I would take a copy of my dads 76 Diversey running time so I could have reference to where he was on the line. Quite often I would wait in front of my steps and low and behold here comes my dad whether EB or WB, WB preferably, driving a GMC fishbowl or a Flyer D901, one day he had #9844 with the Cummins diesel. He would stop open the doors and tell "come on lets go!" I raced on board not telling my mom but she knew, I would call her later from a pay phone . I usually would try to catch my dad on his last trip so that I could ride with him to the garage, North ave then in 1986 Forest Glen so that i could see the buses parked. Its memories like this, that I really enjoy looking back on. And this past weekend I found out something very interesting. I showed something unbelieveable to my family. I put on the 1975 movie "Cooley High" in the scene when the four kids hop a ride on the back of CTA #388. CTA GMC #1515 passes into the camera view. I played this movie on my sisters 55in. high definition tv. Using the pause and slow motion on the dvd player, turns out the driver of CTA #1515 is my dad! I was able to see him clearly I also broke out a picture of my dad from Dec 1973 where he is posing on the front of GMC#1434. My family was in shock to see this. I still cant believe it!! :)

[BusHunter]

And this past weekend I found out something very interesting. I showed something unbelieveable to my family. I put on the 1975 movie "Cooley High" in the scene when the four kids hop a ride on the back of CTA #388. CTA GMC #1515 passes into the camera view. I played this movie on my sisters 55in. high definition tv. Using the pause and slow motion on the dvd player, turns out the driver of CTA #1515 is my dad! I was able to see him clearly I also broke out a picture of my dad from Dec 1973 where he is posing on the front of GMC#1434. My family was in shock to see this. I still cant believe it!!

See now not only is the bus a hollywood star your dad is!! Something to be proud of. Not many drivers get on tv or a motion picture for that matter. Good for him!! My family was also bitten by unknown fame. Back when CTA had the 50th anniversary celebration under the Quincy/wells station, I had went down there with my mother and my brother. We checked out all the buses and took pictures of them and I climbed in the front seat of #8499 and they took a picture of me driving the bus. My mom also took a picture of herself this way. Then this photographer, a woman, seen what we were doing and asked for us to take her picture driving the bus. We did. Later on we took a ride on #4272 -71, the railcar from the 1920's. My mom was sitting in the first forward facing seat on that end of the railcar I was behind her with my brother. There were people taking pictures all over that railcar. Anyway we had went home and got the sunday paper (the tribune) the next day. It turned out in the Transportation section of that paper was a front page picture of my mom on #4272!! Not a side shot either a dead on shot!! I was sitting behind her but was blocked off so I missed fame by inches I guess. It was a happy occasion for her. You know how they say everyone gets 10 minutes of fame. I guess this was hers.