got to Port Washington train station at 3:15, locked up my bike, and walked to the bus stop. at 3:22, saw a bus heading toward manorhaven go by. keep in mind, this guy was either 15 min late or 15 min early. 3:31(scheduled arrival of N23 to mineola at port washington station), no bus. buses are usually 5 min late on N23. 3:35, bus to manorhaven passes by. 4:05, still no bus to mineola, keep in mind, now the bus that passed by at 3:35 toward manorhaven must now be late for its return run. 4:20, finally, bus arrives. after talking with several other(about 8 of us now) waiting at the bus stop, we agreed we didn't deserve to have to pay. i got on last, asked the driver wut happened wit the 3:31, he said it broke down. then i asked why he was late, he jus pointed out the window. i told him, "aint no way in hell the traffic made u late. you're comming from manorhaven!!! no more than 10 min away! u passed by goin toward manorhaven on time, and if u had left there on time, u wuda been here, 5 min late at the absolute most. i'm not paying for your inability to tell time." he said, "either pay or get the hell of my bus" i replied by sayin i aint doin either, and just went to the back of the bus, to be greeted by several people who were applauding me.
we pulled into the locusts and i began to get off, walking down the aisle wit my metro card still in my hand. jus before i reached the stairs, i felt my metro card beein tugged outta my hand. i turned to see the driver take my metro card and put it into the fare box, and rite away, 2.00 gone. i yelled at him, "what the F*ck is wrong with!? you dont take someones metrocard, i oughta kick your ass!"(only problem is im only 14).he handed me my metrocard, i got off, and politely gave him the finger and yellin jackass jus as the bus pulled away
it is because of this, i was informed by another driver on my return trip that i had been banned from the buses for the summer. (and yes, i did try to get on a few times after that, no luck). after a month though, most of the drivers allow me back on, but i still have a problem wit that one stuck up driver.
The bus was late, granted. That's public transportation. But it doesn't give you the right to break the law. Nothing gives you the right to break the law.
Bus service isn't run via barter system, nor do you pay for the distance you travel. You pay the flat fare, in full, or you are in violation of the law subject to arrest and conviction.
No, he shouldn't have grabbed your card. Two wrongs don't make a right. You're lucky he grabbed your card and didn't flag a cop instead. I would have had you arrested.
Consider that a warning.
In the vernacular that the kids use these days - he totally dissed the driver.
I don't have to expand on what Brooklyn67 already said (OMG!! we are agreeing again).
Nimby - you should learn to spell, use capital letters when they are supposed to be used and structure your sentences better. You might find that when you communicate better, people might just listen.
He is lucky, having the driver take his MetroCard or even call a cop would have been nothing, some driver might have thrown him off the bus.
And two wrongs don't make a right; NIMBY, you took the law into your own hands....you just can't DO that. I can't stand a rude driver any more than you do, but cussing out the driver and refusing to pay the fare is just making you look even worse. The smart thing to do would be to simply find the driver's supervisor, tell him or her what happened, and THEY will handle it. That is what they get paid for. And do you think for a MINUTE that other riders want to hear a loud mouth going off when they want some peace? NO, we don't!
I just had a situation recently where someone crushed my car with a forklift, and then shot it full of holes just to make me mad. My first thought was to beat him into the ground until he was barely breathing. But I let the police handle it. Why? Because I could have lost everything over an assault charge, which is a CRIME. They took HIM to jail, and not me. So justice was served, and it can be with your situations if you take the right steps in the future.
Learning how to handle things the right way now will keep you from going the wrong way in life. Trust me, I know this by experience. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or concerns.
-Fred
How did he possibly think he would get away with this crime?
This little unbathed twerp was even bold enough to openly admit to the police that he did it, and proceeded to get smart with the cop as well. The property owner (and joint owner of the car) cursed him up one side and down the other, and the police fully understood why. Turns out the cretin and his roommate were in on this together, so they were immediately served warrants, arrested, and taken to jail.
Finally...justice is served. I am so glad I let the authorities handle this, but I was very tempted to take the law into my own hands and not let go. Or did that apply to the the guy's neck? Either way, the little bastard got what he was asking for.
I just had a situation recently where someone crushed my car with a forklift, and then shot it full of holes just to make me mad. My first thought was to beat him into the ground until he was barely breathing. But I let the police handle it. Why? Because I could have lost everything over an assault charge, which is a CRIME. They took HIM to jail, and not me. So justice was served, and it can be with your situations if you take the right steps in the future.
Flxible why would someone do that to your car? It seems like someone had a beef with you or something for no apparent reason. Oh well its good you did NOT take matters into your own hands and get vigialnt by whooping the guy's ass.
So then he asks when I was going to move the parts car, saying that if I don't, he will do it FOR me. I relayed this to the owner, and they said that if he even TOUCHED the car, he would be out on the street. Sure enough, I get a call from a friend that the nose and grile are bent down and that the car was moved; it had been sitting off to the side away from everything, but sure enough, he smashed into it with a Bobcat and left it, pierced and crushed, in the very MIDDLE of the driveway. As I was looking over the damage, he has the nerve to come outside, beer in hand, smiling as he said: "You like what I did to your car?"
I'm not a violent person, but I really wanted to punch his lights out when he said that. But I refrained. Basically, this guy just had a vendetta against my cars. Meanwhile, the property owner has had the same Ford LTD sitting there unused for the past 10 years, and he did nothing to that car at all. Oh well..at least the good car is safe. But I called the police and they took care of this rat for what he and his little cronie did. Even better...I found out the main culprit was not even supposed to be living there and was on no lease.
Maybe this situation has nothing to do with the price of cheese in France, but I conveyed it to show NIMBY a situation where I was wronged and did the right thing by going through the proper channels. How would one of you here feel if you owned a classic bus and someone did that to your vehicle? And how would you handle it?
-F.
http://www.straphangers.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=25;t=000352
aside from that, thank you for welcomming me onto the chat.
no, i've never ever caused trouble on the bus before, and if u dont believe me, ask any of the other N23 drivers. almost all of them kno me as a nice kid, which i am. its wen people are late, and have no resonable excuse is wen i get pissed off. i can tolerate a bus beein 10 min late, but after that it gets excessive, especially wen the bus is commin into port washington station toward mineola.
if any of u knew the N23 route, as well as the traffic patterns in port washington, u'd kno that there was no excuse for him beein 20 min late wen he was on time heading to manorhaven. allow me to explain:
traffic never accumulates between manorhaven and the light at the corner of shore rd and main st. after that, durin rush hr especially, traffic can be hellish. however, not hellish enough to cause him to be over 10 min late had he left manorhaven on time(which he cud easily have done, as he was on time arriving there. i was told that by a friend who had been on that bus goin home to manorhaven). other than the traffic, which still allows for the buses to run on time still btw(and trust me, i;ve timed and studied it, and the latest my bus to mineola has ever been is 5-10 min due to traffic.
i had been waiting there(as well as several other people) since 3:15, and had no bus for over an hour, which caused me to miss my appointment. i did not get home that nite til 8:00(30 min added thx to my bike lock not wanting to unlock wen i got back to the train station).
i wud never injure any driver in anyway unless it was a matter of sell defense. also, had he decided to delay the bus even further to get me off of it, i wud get off. i wud not delay the rest of the bus any further than they were already.
also, i jus realized that i lied wen i said i hadn't been a problem before. again, last yr, i had a confrontation wit the same driver. i was on my way home, i walked to the manorhaven stop at the end of the line. waited for the bus. it arrived on time. keep in mind, i have a broken arm, an extremely heavy back pack, and it was freezing cold. the driver lets one person off, and then closes the doors. i knock on the door, and he motions me to go away. i show him i am wearing a cast, and he knos damn well that its cold out. 5 min later, he opens the door, i get on, pay, and ask him, "why the hell didn't u let me on!? its freezing out there, i've got a broken arm, and have books fallin all over the place cuz i'm down an arm and my back pack is full." he says, "i wudn't care if u had 2 broken arms and were in a wheelchair, i have my 5 minutes to myself, and thats the way it is." i told him that i wudn't have bothered him at all, which was true. he jus said to me, "sit the hell down before i kick u off."
now, come on, u cant tell me this guy was outta line.
Your poor grammar and lack of capitalization is extremely hard on the eyes.
Want to get some respect? Then give some by cleaning up your written presentation.
Where's the PROFF?? :)
A number of people asked if the bus was making the Great Neck RR swing, only to be told it wasn't. One woman, who was obviously familiar with the route, commented that the sign didn't say "NO GREAT NECK RR". Johnny made no attempt to change it, because when getting off at Susquehanna Avenue, I noticed the interior display still said just plain Flushing.
(As to why I got off at Susquehanna: I wanted to get the last morning N57 Great Neck Loop, which leaves the LIRR station at 9:30. I figured that Susquehanna would make a good short cut to Middle Neck and the station- AND I had the schedule that indicated the 8:29 doesn't do the Great Neck swing. Turns out it wasn't any shorter a walk. I would've loved to see the hysterics that surely ensued when the bus failed to turn right off Northern onto Middle Neck.)
I may have had another Johnny Boy moment last August 21, also a Wednesday. Having ridden the N25 from Franklin Square that was due to arrive at Great Neck at 9:14, I wanted to connect with the Glen Cove-bound N21 that stops at Great Neck LIRR at 9:26. Realizing this was a very narrow window -due in part to heavy traffic in the Lake Failure Quad- and in need of a bathroom, I got off at Northern & Lakeville to use the facilities at the Seven Seas Diner. (The mens' room at Great Neck LIRR is very unreliable as far as being unlocked and available- it may come as a shock to hear vagrants DO hang out there!!) This gave me ample time to get the N21, which stops outbound at Northern & Lakeville by that office building at 9:31- five minutes AFTER the station.
Right on time at 9:31, that N21, signed for Glen Cove, approached on Middle Neck and stopped for the light, which gave him plenty of time to see me waving at him- to specify I wanted HIM, and not an N20 or 25. After he turned left on Northern, he whizzed right by in the middle lane, leaving three other people and me right in the stop! I tried to chase him on foot- utterly futile, but a gut reaction at the time- until a policeman sitting in an Village of Lake Failure SUV admonished me not to run in the street. He couldn't care less about the bus not stopping. The next N21 to Glen Cove would be in an hour, so I had to shelve my original plan.
After trying unsuccessfully to call LI BUS' Customer Service line (endless menus, never a live person, disconnected several times), I WENT to the Mitchel facility. The receptionist gave me a card with the same phone number I'd called in the first place. A passing bus driver was willing to listen to my story. She was impressed that I had the bus' number and knew it left Flushing at 8:55. (Well, I DID have the schedules on me.) She said she'd report it for me. I wrote a letter when I got home. Never received a response.
Judging from what you've posted in the past about Johnny Boy, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if THAT was him as well.
"in an Village of Lake Failure SUV admonished me not to run in the street. He couldn't care less about the bus not stopping. The next N21 to Glen Cove would be in an hour, so I had to shelve my original plan. "
Yeah these Village officials could care less about bus riders. I never see them around giving tickets to double parked car carriers that block bus stops in that same area,
And the north shore is a whole failure, I know.
Hicksville buses do seem to run more BTW than Glen Cove buses at many time of the day, I've gone down to Mitchell facility often and complained about breakdowns, buses not stopping, and poor service to Glen Cove. Unlike Hicksville, we do not have many other buses.
Well that's why I call my area S(expletive deleted) Cove.
They do issue "Johnny Boy" violations, but for some reason they cant fire him. If it was NYCT he'd be gone in a heartbeat. But this is Crap Island Bus and S*** Cove, so he stays making us all miserable. Most LI Bus drivers are very good, but this Johnny Boy should not be driving a bus.
I now take the earlier bus in the morning just to avoid him.
Sounds like he has a good union rep working on his behalf. Either that or the CBA and its work rules (including those regarding discipline) at LI Bus are different from NYC Transit.
Say he lets you on during his break. You start up the stairs, but you fall down and hit your head. You sue Long Island Bus. The driver could very well end up in hot water for letting you on the bus. Why? On the break, that bus is not in service. You aren't supposed to take on new revenue passengers when the bus isn't in service. Most operators ignore the risk and do it, but that doesn't necessarily negate the rule.
I asked a favor of a driver today. He would have done it, except that another transit employee was on the bus. I understood and thanked him for even considering the idea. Allowing passengers on the bus during a break is a FAVOR and if a favor is turned down, you shut your mouth. It's not your paycheck on the line...settle your beef with his bosses at Long Island Bus if it's an issue.
TAs have been sued for accidents they didn't even cause. Someone could certainly sue in that scenario.
Listen you old coot, you obviously don't like the general public, so please, do everyone a favor and quit. You're a disgrace to bus drivers. But then again, you seem to fit right in at LI BUS, crap driving crap. In fact, why don't you do us an even bigger favor and bury yourself. You've obviously outgrown this world and it's younger "know-it-alls."
That's another thread. :)
In New York City, I don't know of any routes scheduled to have passengers on during their layovers. We don't use the timed transfer concept on buses, so if layovers are scheduled, they are scheduled with no passengers on board. We also have several undersized bus stops (read: Chelsea Piers) where bus stops were sized for 40 footers even though 60 footers rule the line. Needless to say, there isn't always extra space available.
I think that the sign change thing is a good idea. However, we should all recognize the difference between a RIGHT and a PRIVILEDGE. If a driver lets a passenger on a bus that is not in revenue service, it's a PRIVILEDGE. So are unauthorized stops. So is waiting on a passenger who should be running or expediting the process, but is walking to the bus instead. So is letting your on when you are ten or fifteen cents short. These are not rights and too many people treat priviledges as rights.
Someone put up the Local 100 web site for Triboro Coach that shows some of the unseen crap that drivers have to go through, such as inadequate running times, buses that should not be running and overloading. We must remember that while we are ticked off at a late bus, a driver is equally upset that he/she has missed their third consecutive layover and is losing 20 minutes of a 30 minute lunch because the schedule gives them too little time to make the run. Sometimes, the same things that make us mad makes them mad too. If we expect drivers to be understanding of us, we must also be understanding of why things happen the way they do.
No, I don't get the best of grades, but I have reasons for that. My home life has been bad since day 1. My dad fought in vietnan, and he got very screwed up from it(as did a lot of other people). He became an alcoholic, and also has Hepatitis C. He has been in the hospital for over 6 years. He recieved a liver transplant but is still doing very poorly. Seeing your dad slowly die for your whole life is not easy. That may be why my grades have been poor(no F's thank God) and I have a temper. I ask for your forgiveness, and please understand what I'm going through. I am a railfan and a busfan, and want to be able to enjoy the ride.
For those of you who think I'm a no good punk who smokes and gets high and drunk every night, well, you're wrong. I never drink, and I never smoke. Don't believe me, ask any of my friends, and they'll tell you.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
And I'll say this again for the umpteenth time,I have a split personality.When I'm here,depending on the post,I'll easily get ticked about it and respond rudely or I'll respond with kindness.While I'm not here,I'm the nicest person on the whole planet.You don't believe me then ask those who work with me and Trevor.Just cause I act one way here,doesn't mean I act the same way all the time.As the saying goes: never judge a book by it's cover.So therefore,no I'm not a poor representative of the MTA.
Furthermore, I do not care how you are in real life. I don't interact with you there, I do here however and I do not appreciate being attacked because of your personal opinions. Get over yourself.
~Words of the teenage Basman
I've seen this many times too often, when "Take Next bus" is up, and it's really a route bus in service. GO SEPTA!!!
Chuck Greene
On buses where the driver doesn't change the sign before arriving, the passengers always wait to see what he changes it to, especially at the upper level.
Chuck Greene
At PAT, the company policy is that every bus from the time it leaves the division to the time it pulls back into the division is "in service." Let me officially state for the record that I fully disagree with this policy as I believe that if a bus is not running a trip on a passenger hand schedule, or some other form of organized, scheduled service, it should not be obligated to transport people. Technically if a passenger flags down a bus, even if it is garage bound or deadheading to another location, it is supposed to stop and accommodate the passenger to the best of it's ability. I challenge anyone to come to Pittsburgh and attempt to board an "off-road" PAT bus heading to the garage, as it flies down the road signed up WEST MIFFLIN GARAGE with the lights out! Good luck.
They deleted the old NOT IN SERVICE sign and the DISCHARGE ONLY sign, so now all an operator can do is sign it up to their respective division.
The company doesn't officially recognize operators personal time. In fact, they have gone on the record as telling operators that the dead time at the end of the route is purely for scheduling and headway purposes and NOT for operators leisure. If the bus is at a recovery and a passenger wants on, the operator is to let the person on. Now, we all know that this doesn't always happen, nor should it as I believe that passengers should not have the expectation to sit in a bus during a scheduling lapse. If the bus arrives at a terminal at 4:52p and departs at 5:19p, why on earth would or should anyone expect to board at 5:08? There have been many times I've been hot or cold outside and would have rather sat inside the bus, but, it is important to have respect for the operator, rather than become hostile because you had to wait for the scheduled time. Many times, PAT buses deadhead on or off the line during these times, rather than layover. Their have been instances in which trips that layover downtown at night have actually been forced by supervisors to board people.
As for the sign suggestion, I agree. An operator who is at his or her terminus should adjust the destination sign to reflect the fact that the bus is not going to be immediately bound for whatever it's next destination may be. After all, these aren't the days of the old roll sign where it takes several minutes of cranking and winding to adjust a sign and then several more to adjust it back. It's literally a matter of hitting less than five or six buttons in sequence that takes only five seconds to do! I will say though that people are inquisitive by nature and often will ask ridiculous questions regardless of the sign information. I've been on PAT buses laying over before (with operators that I know particularly well) and despite a ROSS GARAGE reading, people still try to board. I swear people around here don't read signs at all--or just don't care. You could pull up to a downtown stop with HELL VIA SATANS FIRE PIT signed up and still people would get on board fully expecting to arrive exactly where they are trying to go.
Just the other day, I was riding one of the new Gillig Advantage coaches on 12A and when we arrived inbound at the mall and opened the door, the Clever Devices announced, "Twelve A... DOWNTOWN." It was also on the bright Twin Visions LED orange sign, yet people still asked if we were going downtown. The driver when asked told everyone to hold on a minute. He proceeded to shut the door and reopen it causing the bus to once again announce our downtown status. The driver then asked, "any more questions?"
Finally, as for refusing to pay a fare because a bus is late... UGH. Let us not forget that this is mass transit and not a personal limousine service. There is no "on-time guarantee." As enthusiasts we have an obligation to set a good example for all which includes but is not limited to paying your fare, not arguing with operators and obeying the posted and obvious rules of the TA while riding. You pay the set fare regardless of whether the bus is too hot, too cold, early, late, dirty, crowded, smelly, etc. If the bus breaks down, you still pay your fare (although most operators in this circumstance waive the fare). A piece of advice for those younger transit fans out there... Never make an enemy out of a bus operator. You never know when or where that operator will pop up next. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to tell off an operator but I've bit my tongue and sure enough, a few weeks or months down the line, I needed a favor that was granted by that same person... A favor that would have most certainly been denied if I had spouted off; or once I've gotten to know them, they became valued friends and allies. Never forget that an operator is in a position to potentially inconvenience you. Contrary to some options on here, bus operators do not have free reign to do whatever they please, however, their is a proper way to go about dealing with a bad operator via customer service.
Chuck Greene
This is impossible (unless their is a transfer bus from another division) of happening with the Luminator buses as they only have the codes for the division they are assigned at programed in, whereas the Twin Vision signs have the whole system (codes 1100 through around 6300) programmed in.
What the layover is perfect for is signing up the bus with all sorts of whacky stuff (if you have his or her permission). I am sure you will catch all the irregularities pretty quickly!
I was trying to set the P/R sign to "GOOD MORNING" during the layover and then the driver and I realized the sign was malfunctioning (side worked and said GOOD MORNING but the front said ROAD TEST instead) so we left it up so they would fix it later.
And finally:
In short, if the driver wants to be almost guarenteed perfect peace and quiet on his layover, put up NOT IN SERVICE or don't pull into the stop. It is as simple as that!
Hmm, there may be hope yet. Admiting to ones self that you have a mental disorder is the first step towards recovery. Heh.
Peace,
ANDEE
So far, you and Joe are the most arrogant drivers on this site. While you are doing a service, don't forget that there are people that do more important things that drive around a box on wheels. I respect what you do, but I will not respect you. This is BusTalk yes, but I'm sick of certain bus drivers, well just you and Joe, running around with a chip on your shoulders because you DRIVE A FUCKING BUS!!!!! Who cares?! It's NOT THAT SERIOUS.
That is the last from me, on this subject at least.
I wouldn't say that. They may have to accept it, but that's because they wouldn't know what to do. Also, many drivers don't come up to the stop 3 minutes before they are suppose to leave, but may leave the layover point to pick up passengers when they are supposed to be on their way, which leads to late buses and angry passengers, especially if there is traffic. So what if the passengers walk away from it? They know their bus is suppose to come to the stop at a certain time, and if they decide to walk away from the bus just because it is out of service, it's their fault? Plus, I don't know if you have to depend on buses that much, but it's the worse thing in the world when you are just waiting outside in the cold, the rain, the snow, or extremely hot environment, and the driver is sitting in a comfortable bus. Passengers don't know about "rules" and "regulations" except for the no eating/drinking rule that is constantly violated (this is in effect for WMATA and SEPTA, among others), and when someone has to go somewhere, they don't usually think "oh, that driver must be tired, so he's taking a little break". They are generally thinking, "What is he/she doing? I've gotta go somewhere, hurry up! Open the door!" This could probably be prevented by having the sign marked "NOT IN SERVICE" "OFF DUTY" or whatever your NIS sign is. Anyway, point of the matter is...passengers aren't that considerate, and when it comes to getting to work on time, catching the connecting bus/train, etc, etc, the bus is supposed to be there ON TIME, no excuses otherwise. I mean, of course there are, but that's not going through the head of a person waiting for a late bus. I remember on Monday I was furious when a late 95 bus caused me to miss a very punctual 96 bus, causing me to wait an hour for the next 96, making me late for class. Of course I didn't yell at the driver or refuse to pay, but I was still upset.
Say he lets you on during his break. You start up the stairs, but you fall down and hit your head. You sue Long Island Bus. The driver could very well end up in hot water for letting you on the bus. Why? On the break, that bus is not in service. You aren't supposed to take on new revenue passengers when the bus isn't in service. Most operators ignore the risk and do it, but that doesn't necessarily negate the rule.
I can only answer as BO for NYCT. I'm not aware of policy outside MaBSTOA/NYCT.
Rule: Buses are to be made available at a route terminal to intending customers, as long as the bus is in service and in a designated bus stop. Passengers may not board outside a designated bus stop.
Stipulation: The first bus "in" is not necesarily the first bus leaving, hence operator descresion is necessary to prevent boarding of the worng bus which usually includes the layover bus staying further from the bus stop than usual, allowing room for another bus to pull into the stop ahead of it.
Overrule: Any instruction by supervision and/or operator necessity. My having to utilize the restroom, or simply take a "personal break" nullifies the policy of boarding customers at a route terminal. Instruction by supervision negates the rulebook entirely.
Signage: The bus sign should be changed only when ready to board customers for the trip in that direction. Policy dictates signs are to be changed before boarding customers for the return trip to ensure proper revenue statistics (since the advent of Metrocard data). Changing the sign and boarding customers does not necessarily mean the bus is immediately leaving. It means that the inbound trip has been completed and the bus is prepared to board for the outbound trip. "Not In Service" should never be used by a layover bus, rather "Next Bus Please" to display that the bus leaving is another bus, and not the bus you see before you.
Humanity and Compassion Factors: Some of us allow boarding during layovers outside bus stops during inclement weather. When we do this, we are placing our livlihood on the line.
Misc: Buses are indeed "In Service" during layovers. Layovers are part of the daily schedule. However, any bus driver may notify supervision of the need to take a personal break negating the policy of boarding passengers at a terminal layover.
No accident liability will be preferred against a B/O for allowing passengers to board at a route terminal during layover time provided the bus is in service and it is safe to do so.
HTH
You're an arrogant, ignorant and obnoxious chump wannabe who's going to find himself in a helluva lot more trouble than 'misbehaving' on buses with your attitude. You've displayed a blatant disrespect for authority, the law and anyone else around you. You show no common sense, lack the ability to comprehend and ravage the English language in some attempt to show your peers how cool you are. The reality is, you're well on your way to nowhere fast.
Your parents must be very proud.
I've dealt with your kind before. The difference between you and I? I wouldn't have to so-much-as raise the grab bar if you were on my bus. One of my regulars would smack you down and toss your sorry behind off the bus before you had time to say another wanna-be-tough-guy stupid ignorant word.
Just keep it up. You'll see what I mean.
That is, if it hasn't already happened.
It's a good thing that you don't drive the B1, B9, or B64 on a school tripper. Besides sending out mostly the remans and the seven 1985/1986 ex-Queens Village buses (4497 is an ex-Coliseum/Walnut bus), these kids are among the rudest kids ever. If I were you, I would flag down a cop, or get on my radio and request police assistance IMMEDIATELY! Or, if a police cruiser came by, I would flag it down and give the kids a free ride downtown (or to Juvenile Hall in Ocean Hill; I am speaking for Brooklyn). Based on my experiences and what I have heard from B/O's, Brooklyn kids are the WORST! (I can say this first hand because I graduated from high school in 1999. Guess what route I had to take to school!) And one wonders why Ulmer Park sends out what old buses are not on the B6 (this route must have hard seaters only or 4497, 4742, or 4874; and so it has to get the older units) on the B1 during school trippers!
The point is, schoolkids (like NIMBYkiller), have an attitude problem and need a wakeup call. Now that Students have only 3 trips (sometimes 4), this should be acting as a disincentive for kids to be acting rude. Otherwise, NYC schoolkids need a WAKE-UP call, and someone needs to be made an example (through a transfer to adult court and trial under the revised penal law if an attack at a transit driver is made).
The actions of people such as NIMBYkiller make my blood boil, but that would take this off-topic. Better yet, such people after a certain amount of time, should be banned from all MTA surface transit operations.
Last, but not least, how does one enforce such a ban as indicated in the title (albeit, it is a passenger who is at fault, for a driver is not supposed to go after a customer unless the customer attacks the driver)?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Got proof for that stereotype?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
"i want all of u to kno, that there aint no way in hell im gettin into an arguement or even a discussion any further than this about my typing. i kno english, i can read, wirte, and type it just as well as any of you wud expect. however, this aint no 3 page essay, so i aint typin any different. if i wanted to piss you guys off, i cud use a lot more shorthand than this. the grammer conversation is now officialy over. "
Nimby - this is a bulletin board accessible to the public. You're not in a position to tell people what discussion is acceptable and what is not. Only the webmaster has any real say in that.
As for your behavior toward that bus driver - you need to look back on your words 10 years from now. I think you'll find that once you've been in the work force and had to face the kind of problems the driver in question was dealing with that fateful day, you're likely to have a completely different attitude. I'm guessing that over time and with the experience you'd gain in a real job, you'd be alot more sympathetic to the complexities of a blue collar guy (bus drivers in particular) just trying to do their jobs in a world dominated by forces for the most part out of their control.
Have you looked in a mirror lately? I thought you had changed your handle, again. Sounds just like you and your attitude towards cops.
Peace,
ANDEE
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
And welcome to BusTalk NIMBYkiller. We have a few on BusTalk that are from LIBus(No it's not that driver that you yelled at!)
And as for you being banned from the bus - Good, it serves you right. Have fun walking.
Second, your childish and malicious attitude is totally reprehensible, and you owe that bus operator an apology. It is certainly not his fault the bus was late; many things could have happened along the way: sick passenger, accident, road construction, railroad gates that won't go up or down, traffic, etc., etc. You do not have any right to refuse to pay the fare, even if the bus is late. You are not utilizing a private chauffeured limousine or taxi, but a unit of public transportation. If you had the common sense to thoroughly read the timetable, you would have seen that all times are subject to change, and I quote: "LI Bus cannot assume responsibility for any delays. Schedules are subject to change without notice. "
Had I been that driver, I wouldn't have moved the bus, given you one minute to pay the fare, and if you continued to refuse, summoned the police. The Port Washington Police Department is extremely efficient (as is that of Nassau County) and would have pulled you off the bus very quickly and then perhaps either issued you a summons, taken you to the police station or both. You have absolutely no right to inconvenience or delay other passengers, and you would have certainly well-deserved, in my opinion, either the summons or possible incarceration.
It is obvious from your comment that you heard from another driver that you were banned for the summer that you have caused problems before. There are generally a few passengers on each line who exhibit similar ridiculous and very immature attitudes. But they soon learn to behave or they are removed from the bus.
My suggestion: apologize to the driver, grow up and accept the fact that pubic, or any form of transportation is subject to delays, most of which cannot be controlled.
Anyway you did it to yourself and made yourself look like an ass, it was inexcusable to yell at the driver. He DID tell you why he was late and your lucky you weren't arrested by cops. He shouldn't have tugged at your card but you caused the beef so its o you.
Now repeat after me "I gotta get out of this place, if its the last thing I ever do"
Also try to get petitions.
Show some respect for your elders....and the drivers.
Maybe one of these days you'll grow up and realize everything that can go wrong in daily transit operations....and if you were civil and polite to the driver you most likely would have been treated the same way in return.
IMO, there is no premise for respect, regardless of age. Adults can just be as uptight and ignorant.
No, that driver shouldn't have taken ur metrocard and swiping it, but he is responsible for collecting the proper fares. If he had let it go and there was a plainclothes supervisor on board, he could have been written up. If u have a problem with bus service in the future, pay the fare, then file a complaint with LI Bus.
If you have a problem with LI Bus, you write to the MTA. If you get no response, you write to the politicians. You do not beat the fare and you do not question the driver. That isn't your place, particularly when others have said that the buses can't meet the schedule under certain conditions.
There is no need for you to obtain a criminal record for asserting your rights in the wrong manner.
in my 12 years of living in port washington, i've never seen shore rd traffic backed up beyond baxter pond, only a block from main st. yes, that part ties up traffic, but the buses always seem to get to PW station on time(or 5-10 min late). also, i've never seen a police checkpoint in town.
i'm not the kinda person who'd sue for tripping on the bus. beein too lazy to lift my feet up and be careful is my fault, and LIB shudn't have to pay for that.
If you don't like it - WALK.
USE THE F***ING THING ONCE IN A WHILE.
Otherwise I would like to know where you didn't go to school, copy your posts and show the teachers what a poor job educating you they did the next time their union wants a raise.
You really don't care? Well, if you plan to be a regular participant (I hope that word wasn't too long for you) on this board you should pay attention to the comments made by others. You might be better off because of it.
Second of all,a driver does not I repeat,DOES NOT need to give you the full reason as to why he/she was late.If they give you one simple reason like that driver of the bus you were on did,then that's it.Leave it at that and just keep your damn mouth shut.I may hate authority like hell but when it deal's with a bus or train,I alway's know why they were late or assume something happened and never complain like everyone else love's to do because they have no life.
I'll say it again,if I were on that bus,I would've either kicked you out myself or yelled in your face so loud that you would've gone back to your mommy crying.On a bus or train,your type of attitude makes me mad beyond belief but I've never said nor done anything about it but I'm just dying too.I'm waiting for my breaking point to come.
So next time do yourself and everyone else a big favor,get on the bus,pay your fare,and just keep that damn mouth of your's shut.I'm tired of people complaining then taking it out on the driver or a C/R or T/O on a train when it's not their fault one bit.Add that to the fact that I hate it when people complain,they sound like they expect a train or bus to show up when they want it to.Like if they say "Where's the damn bus!?I want that bus to come here right now!" it'll happen.Uh uh.Or like they expect a bus to sprout wing's and fly over traffic or any other situation to where they are.Learn and understand the reason's thing's happen and keep that mouth shut.In public transportation,NOTHING IS PERFECT!!
my friend from phili and i are goin to the hamptons, and we plannin on takin the N23 to mineola, but are still deciden wut to do after that. we cud either take the N40/N41 to freeport and get the train there, or take the N40/N41 to HTC, then get the N72 to Babylon. wut im askin is, which am i better off wit. i'm leavin on the 6:39 from PW station, and need to be in either freeport by 8:50 or babylon by 9:25. which am i better off wit? its more of making the connection wit my montauk train than travel time.
I can't help you with your query though.
The N72 doesn't run as frequently and is a slow ride out to Babylon. You'd probably still make it, but why take the chance.
You can get all this info and more at the MTA website. See http://mta.info/libus/routes/routes.htm for schedules.
na, i've had late trains, but they always have a decent reason as to why they are late. that thing wit the bus was way outta line, and i still think i shuda never had to pay. either way, that b my only way to the hamptons(unless i feel like spending several hrs on SCT wit about 4 transfers). i did some schedule run throughs last nite, and things aint goin so well.
the 6:39 is the first bus that actually goes all the way to mineola. gets there, like u said at 7:22. the first N40/N41 bus is at 7:25, followed by 7:32. those both get into freeport at 8:00 and 8:09. that means i have 40 min in freeport. i can't take the 2nd N23 bus, cuz i miss the connection in freeport that'd let me still get there by 8:50.
the 7:25 and 7:32 N40/N41 buses get to HTC at 7:37 and 7:44. this allows me over 10 min room for error/delay for the connection of the 7:59 N72 bus. the 7:59 N72 gets in to babylon station at 8:59, leaving over 20 min room for error/delay before my train gets in(montauk train leaves babylon 9:25). wud the N72 really be delayed over 15 min?
as much as i hate keeping the connections tight, my mom and my friends parents wud never want us chillin in freeport for 40 min(they have this thing that freeport is a bad and dangerous town).
Sounds like NIMBY's are the least of your problems.
Why not just walk 2 blocks in Mineola and take the N15 to Rockville Centre?
the name NIMBYkiller is pretty straight forward, but i'll spill. i got the idea after reading things about NIMBY's stopping SMART growth(rail expansion). i figured, well, if there were no NIMBY's, then i guess there would be no problem.
i never thought about the N15 to rockville centre. imma definately look into that, cuz that may be a good idea if i feel sumtin is gonna be fishy wit the N72 en route to babylon. thanks for the idea!
What that means here is you ought to use proper grammer (or something close to it,) proper capitalization and punctuation.
If you don't, your written communications show that you know very little about basic communications. If you don't know basic communications, you're going to fail to make your point effectively.
no more roadway expansion!!!! it jus gonna cause another lane of stalled traffic. wit the one lane u can expand on each side(which u cant btw), throw a rail line in. connect it to the PW line(toward NYC) at manhasset, and run it along 25A to syosset, jus like it was supposed to be done. especially now that we got the roslyn viaduct(25A) beein torn down and rebuilt i think its next yr, its the perfect chance to put a rail line along wit it. (tearin down the bridge is gonna be horrible. all that xtra traffic through the clock tower area in roslyn, all the buses are gonna be a couple hrs late after goin through that mess, UGH!).
as for leavin early, the 6:39 is the earliest i can leave, so i guess the N72 to babylon will have to do(god i hope it aint too late, if it is, dw, i aint gonna take it out on the driver. the only time ill get angry is if we leave late causin us to get there late. there's an example of poor drivers). the freeport idea was tossed out the window by my mom, o well.
He lives with "mommy". This exlains a lot :-)
"After failing to reach yesterday's deadline ... the MTA (& City) are now targeting Jan 1 for a new agreement ..."
As I've said before it's all about money:
"'They will only take this over if it's cost neutral, meaning if it doesn't cost them anything,' the official (from the City) said of the MTA."
"The Jan 1 deadline coincides with the end of an operating agreement between the City and the (private) lines."
Thank You
If the article is right & the City is going to reduce the subsidy, that will heat up things. Meanwhile Mayor Mike may be a one termer. That could change things again.
Remember that top executive salaries make up a few million dollars of the privates budgets not to mention levels of cronnies, dispatchers that are no longer needed etc and you have tons of savings
If NYC was smart(and bloomberg is) the city would agree the phase down the subsidy over a period of 5 years to allow the MTA to purchace and reduce costs of the operations at the privates.
Rolling out an ORBITAL like bus monitoring and tracking system would bring even greater effeciencies
To make a long story short. A phase out of the additioal subsidy needs to be in the contract in order to give incentive for the MTA to make the needed effeciecy improvements. Otherwise they improvements will not happen and riders and taxpayers will be stuck paying the bill
Now the City Council, the City, and the MTA MUST pick up the issue when that happens. Sounds like the easiest way to get rid of weak routes, too.
The Federal Gov. publishes a list of bus operator cost. It clearly shows that the those cost are NOT the issue. Mike is in a bind & is taking a page out of Tom Golotta's book ... when you don't have enough money to pay for all the County's services cut something. NYS wasn't going to let LI Bus stop rolling, Tom knew that, but guess who didn't get re-elected. Years of fiscial missmanagement caught up with him. That's not Mike's problem, but he has to do something or the City will run out of money & the lenders will raise their rates out of sight.
Disclaimer: I'm not the spokesperson for any City or governement agency and am speaking for myself, not my employeer.
NO NEW INFO. The article was written because today is July 1
Maintenance probably removes them at times for what they have to do...
What type of buses are you seeing w/o racks? I've seen some Flxibles without them, perhaps those will be the next buses to go..?
Wayne
#4791,#4868,#7511,#7514,#7515,#7517,#7527.
Hopefully Ulmer Park will get something soon. By the way, seen #9335,#9330 and #9340 repainted, but same coach seats remain.
B64-#9309-NOVABUS(run #006)
B68-#4781-TMCRTS(run #103)
Peace
David
Incognito
M27 #8979 (from MV to MJQ
M98 #9273 (soft seat to hard seat)
M72 #9002 (from MV to MJQ)
M50 #9197 (was this bus came from 126st Depot to MJQ?)
M60 #5049 (from 126 to MV)
M103 #5040 (from 126 to MV)
M42 #8990 (from MV to MJQ)
M72 #9223 (from 126 to MJQ)now have upper destination sign.
M79 #5525
M86 #5519,#5522
Also the highest number for artics is saw is now #5594 @ 126th Street Depot.
Peace
David
BTW: To MDT, were you on Run 120 around 4:30 @ 126th Street Depot today?
Also, I should have posted this earlier, but bus 8992 is also at Quill, as are all of the 5100-5200 series buses from Hudson Pier. Personally, I have been on 5195, 5198, 5201, and 5203. Also, I saw 9654 wearing MHV stickers. These buses may also have been transferred completely (9619-54). I may have made some errors. If so, let me know. Thanks.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
T-Man
It's all about what they give me.Sometime's I could get half of a driver's run(example:on the B38 a couple of Sunday's ago) or I can get the full run which is what happen's next Friday and Saturday on the M15 and B41 with run's 097 and 041 respectively.(097=M15.041=B41)
If there's anything else about my job that you want to know,I'll be glad to answer your question's either here or via email,whichever you think is best for you.
Ozzy Zamora AKA The Kiman
MTA NYCT Traffic Checker
Ultimate fan of Miami Dade Transit
2201-broken down on 11th street, not sure why, might have overheated
A Flxible Metro D with a malfunctioning sign. Had on the front two tier read top-"GA", bottom-"Pet" then the other half read "RVICE", I think it was on the S2 heading towards Federal Triangle.
A 40 footer was on the 84(8881). This route normally sees only 30 footers.
9462 was laying over at Federal Triangle not sure if it was going on a Northern route or not
I also saw 3333 covering a 119 run, but that may have been a one day loaner from Southern until Comly's junk started arriving.
Chapter 11 Choo Choo (Lyrics)
www.railfanwindow.com
Peace,
ANDEE
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Another Q35 from Nostrand shows up and a woman got very upset saying that another 35 showed and no 22. Then after 5 minutes of waiting [for me] 245 shows up and the driver lets us in then we turn on Beach 147 St then onto Newport Av and at first I’m like WTF but then I see that they are doing construction on Rockaway Beach Blvd and we only stop twice btw B147 and B116 St then we turn onto B116 then resume regular route. So we load up and the driver does good speed on RB Blvd and were making stops along the way then by time we reach B73 it was only 20-25 minutes into the trip so I make up some time from waiting for the 35 then we don’t make too many stops along the rest of the route then on Beach Channel Dr we get up to 45mph in one stretch. I was hoping the Q113 was there at B20 but it was not however I saw a Orion on the N32 then I ride it to the last stop. So I wait a couple of minutes to see if perhaps the 113 would show but I started to get impatient and I decided to ride the A instead. I waited a couple of minutes before a R44 pulls into Mott Av station.
We wait 12 minutes before we finally depart Mott Av at 8:22pm and we go through the stops quickly and then we have a little run to Broad Channel then we go through the non stop stretch towards Howard Beach and its real nice especially with the sun setting J. The scenery is just wonderful with the sea gulls, it feels like your not even in NYC but felt different than riding a R38. Anyway we have a crowd at Howard Beach load up and we continue make the stops on the Liberty el and Grant Av then after Euclid Av the Fulton express begins. We do good , saw the C at Broadway/East NY but I continue to ride the express [hey I want to enjoy the express run J] and the C was going rather quickly and when I go downstairs at Nostrand the C was getting ready to pull in but the A left before so C passengers are forced to stay on it.
Rode the R32/R38 mixed consist on the C one stop to Franklin Av so I can catch the B49 from Fulton. So a B49 comes up very quickly and we leave Fulton proceed to go through the turns before running via Bedford and it’s a smooth ride for most of the trip but by Empire Blvd I see two B49’s in front of the one I was on so it’s a good thing I caught or else forget about it ;-). Got caught in some traffic between Parkside Av & Linden Blvd then it’s a smooth run again and ten we pass 8409 and its good until I reach Foster Av where I will get off to catch the B8. I end up waiting 15 minutes and two more 49’s come although one terminated at Foster/Flatbush while waiting for the B8 to come but I hop on the NF with good A/C and I take it home.
NF 935 B8
RTS 8402 B41 LTD
GB RTS 287 Q35
GB RTS 245 Q22
R44 5464 (A)
R38 4043 (C
RTS 8429 B49
NF 949 B8
I went out today during work to Rockville East and saw Patricia doing her 48s...
After work, while waiting for the 47 to Montgomery Mall, I saw two buses I used to get on the 37: 558 and 820.
I got 546 on the 47, again, a fast driver, and took it to Montgomery Mall. Got food before going to my other job. Before walking over there, I saw a 1997 Orion V on which the driver could get the sign to say SILVER SPRING STATION but couldn't get a route to display. I saw that his Clever Device said MONTGOMERY MALL. I also saw 5409 on the 26.
After I finished my duties there, I walked back to Montgomery Mall. I missed a Flxible Metro-E and waited for the next bus, NABI 5221, signed for route "0J-2". Among the people who get on at the Mall were these three ladies with their kids and two strollers. They were consistently yelling at their kids, cursing, and just talking loudly. All of them were in the way back of the bus. I am sitting right behind the articulated joint on the left side so I can spread my legs out in the space between my seat and the seat in the joint. I also open the window all the way so I can get the breeze, the AC isn't very strong. Right after we turn onto Old Georgetown Road, I see the guy sitting behind me closing my window. I ask him why and he says "She has a baby", referring to one of the ladies who apparently asked him to close the window so she wouldn't get a draft. Well, I, not liking having my window shut without being asked, understand she has the baby and reopen the window, leaving it about half way open. Immediately, the woman starts yelling at me, saying "I asked him to close the window!!!" I said, "Well, I'm sitting here, it is my window, I paid my fare to sit here, and you never asked me." "You can move or something." I replied by saying I didn't want to and if she really wanted the window closed, she could have asked me and not the person behind me. I decided not to give her the whole this is public transit so you have to put up with other riders speech. Anyway, she mutters to herself that she was going to "beat my fucking punkass" and went back to yelling at her kids and complaining about stuff she didn't buy in the mall, the window being left halfway open. At Medical Center, she is talking to her friends and they are talking about if it is faster and cheaper to take the Metro from Medical Center to Silver Spring, naturally striking up this conversation after we pass the checkpoint. She decides she is going with her kids on the train around to the other side of town after the driver is about to close up, and demands that the driver now wait for her to get her stroller, kids, and stuff up to the front door and off the bus. Once she is about halfway up, I open the window the rest of the way. Her friend yells up "He opened it again." to which she replied "Well, he better be glad I am getting off!" It was an uneventful ride to Bethesda, where I got off, after asking those left in the back of the bus if they cared to have the window open or shut. They said it didn't matter, so I left it open.
My driver asked the ladies to tell the children to sit down at Democracy and Fernwood and he helped with the strollers. He didn't react when we had our little argument.
Ignore the chump.
Peace
David
This attempt will be cancelled if there is moderate to heavy rain in the morning.
In any case, I will post these observations later on that day.
BTW, I will respond to your e-mail later this week, things have been very busy here.
Doesn't each bus have an official clock on the bus that is synced up with the worthless(outdated job function) of the dispatcher
If not why don't buses have onboard clocks. These clocks could be sysnced up automatically via a simple rf transponder at the depot.
Most cable tv boxes with clocks are set via the cable operator
It would end any he said she said crap
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Late Buses Are 10+ Minutes
2 minites early or less is ok
more then 3 is a Offence for Phoenix Transit and Laidlaw operations only. don't know about forsythe operations.
The b100 has a deticated dispatcher(coffee shop customer) for the B100 at kings highway station weekdays
Another cost saving is canning the guy if the MTA takes over the privates. The diapstcher at KH for command serves no logical purpose
B1-#7526-REMAN RTS
B68-#4859-TMCRTS
http://www.sct-bus.org/schedules/suffolk_clipper.html
http://www.sct-bus.org/maps/suffolk_clipper.html
Today, I saw 2 on the J routes while driving to work and one deadheading on 355. Then, during my lunch break, I saw one leaving Rockville Metro. Looking from the window later, I saw yet another one at the Metro. And finally, on my drive home, I saw 5218 waiting to turn from Old Georgetown to Democracy.
I wonder what things are like over on Georgia Avenue with the 40 footers.
Speaking of BT, you missed the ideal night to come on Tuesday. Hardly any kids so I could have done quite a bit of socializing and gotten away with it. ;-)
Wayne
Wayne
Wayne
From what I've seen the Q32 probably can use some artics.
Just my 2 cents.
Wayne
The Q32, in its early incarnations, was set up mostly to feed the apartment buildings north of Roosevelt Avenue as they opened. The owners of those buildings actually ran advertisements in the papers using that as a selling point for renting or buying there. It ended where it ended (more or less the same terminal point) because there was no place else to go at the time. No one felt that it was necessary to go anyplace to the east, west, or north from Northern and 81st.
One thing to look at might be to extend it northward towards the Bulova Corporate Center, the new stores there, or the shopping center on 31st Avenue. The problem is that virtually any north/south street that could be used north of Northern Boulevard, aside from 83rd Street (where the Q33 travels) has never been used for bus service. They are narrow, and easily jammed. It's not hard to imagine the people who live on those streets not being wild about having a bus on their block.
Duplicates the Q66 route on Northern
Makes the route longer than the average 85-90 minutes daytime or 60 minutes nighttime end to end.
Cannot go to Laguardia either, will make the Q33 obsolete.
Already experiences the worst in Midtown traffic, does NYCT think they want another traffic nightmare at downtown Main St on the same route?
Will customers from Main St want to spend 30 minutes on a fast 7 express train or 2+ hours on a slow bus to Midtown Manhattan? Which mode of transportation would YOU choose, given the same fare structure on both lines?
Artics may come to Q32, but this means more service cuts, longer dwell times at bus stops and increased travel time.
Fleet assignment decisions are made by senior management in NYCT's Department of Buses, not by individual drivers.
- - - - -
[...with a route change from Flushing right down Rossevelt Ave starting at Main Street....]
Route changes/extensions are developed by NYCT's Division of Operations Planning (in consultation with the affected communities), not by individual drivers.
- - - - -
[Anyone else heard this?]
Nobody other than a single crew room rumor-monger.
Usually, someone starts something and scares the daylights out of the seniors who ride the Q32. This prompts a bunch of phone calls to the elected officials, who, in spite of themselves, write letters to NYCT (since they know it's nonsense, having gone through the rumor process dozens of times in the past), who then sends letters back saying none of this was true. There are a couple of other wiseguys who start rumors about the Q79 as well.
There's the C bus which should really be two separate routes: Fern Rock to Broad/Geary and Cheltenham/Ogontz to City Hall. While they both operate along a common segment of Broad St between Rising Sun and City Hall, they really should be two separate routes.
Here's one of the buses you may get on the TZX.(Photo by Carlton Walton)
I've been in contact with Ray from Canada and he tells me that the NEW Orion 07.501 Buses that Toronto Transit Commission is getting....the order has been increased! Orion 07.501 bus #7400 is there already. Now buses #7401-7659 are on order. He got this info from a B/O in Toronto.
Also, MORE GMC "New Look" Buses are being rebuilt! According to Ray from the B/O, these buses are being replaced by the Orion 07.501 buses. NOTE: These buses are NOT Hybrids!
Finally, 1990 New Flyer D40HF buses #6560-6638 are being scrapped due to "The Structure" of the buses. They will not be rebuilt and 20 of the 79 total buses have been scrapped already. However, the older New Flyer buses from 1988 and 1989 have been rebuilt and repainted.
Now, some if not MOST of you may know this info but Ray just wanted me to post it because he has been very busy working, Besides, it gives me something to do...LOL!
Enjoy!
Vince
Yup the last batch of fishbowl rebuilds 8740-8985 are going through the rebuild program and being renumbered into the 2240-2485. Those buses will be around for a while, they are seen running 24/7 all around Toronto. If you come up you'll find Toronto a fishbowl heaven, the interesting ones come out during the weekday rush hours. One of the oldest 8058 (the last 1975 2-speed), the Montrealers 2600-2619 (ex-STCUM), and others.
Also to add if people do not know, other transit properties around Toronto have ex-US equipment, ex-SMMBL bowls in Brampton, Barrie and Niagara Falls, ex-Denver bowls in Oshawa. Also some refurb classics, ex-UTA in Burlington and ex-Detroit in Clarington. And recently Trentway-Wager has received some Orion Vs from Coach USA, they appear to be from New York, I recall seeing a NY Waterways placard/sign in one of the Vs.
Hope I didn't bore anyone,
Allen Dicion
go.to/ttc1001
On my way in the door, I had an original Grumman Flxible ad tucked under my arm, complete with picture frame. Unfortunately, I was carrying enough stuff for three hands, and my elbow dug into the ad so much that it popped the glass in half diagonally. What a shame.
Then, when I got in the door, I realized this; "Wait a minute...I've got a Grumman with a CRACKED FRAME!". LOL!!!
Thought everyone would appreciate this, especially NYC busfans. Our TA used to run Grumman 870s, so this event brought instant deja vu.
-F.
-F.
-F.
The 7/8 is the Montgomery one that was cancelled due to an audit, the new itenerary is still in the works, it will be up probably tomorrow.
But remember,if you miss that 2:50 train for whatever reason then your stranded there until almost 11pm unless you want to take a long trip on the S92 to Riverhead then a transfer to the S58 and a near 2 hour trip to Commack for another transfer to the S54 to WW mall then the N79 to Roosevelt Field to get to any bus you so desire to get into Queens;N22 or N24 or the N43 to Freeport for connection to the N4.Hmmm......that just may prove very exciting for us bus buff's.
-F.
The Merrimack Valley (MA) Regional Transit Authority: all routes are flag stops. The schedules indicate such, and they say the bus will stop only in areas where it is safe to do so. To board the bus, wave at the bus as it approaches. The map on each schedule shows areas where flag stops are not permitted, like in a shopping plaza, the bus only stops at designated areas, in downtown Lawrence and Haverhill near the transit stations for about a block or so that is a no stop area, and on the Route 41 (Lawrence/Lowell) most of Route 110 from Dracut Methuen line to the Lowell Transit center is a no stop zone, except for a designated stop in Dracut at a local function facility where the bus can pull off the road into a large lot safely, as Route 110 is a nasty crash prone road in places.(in fact, MVRTA bus 9906 was clocked head on on this road in May of 2000, driver of the car that hit the bus died).
When I'm out bus fanning anywhere, I do wave to the bus I want to board as it approaches, mostly from habit, but also to let the driver know that I'd like to board!! I've only been on a bus in NJ once, that was back in 1979, road a Transport of NJ GMC "Buffalo Hump" bus (was that a model 4905??) from Port Authority Bus Terminal to near White House Station NJ. I was only 17 at the time, went to visit friends that moved from this area to NJ. I rode a Trailways Eagle from Lowell to NYC to make the conncetion. When I do return to NJ to ride the bus, I'll make sure to wave!!
Mark
As a bus operator in Jersey & Rockland County NY, if you don't have that hand up when I approach you, my foot doesn't even think about the brake pedal!
Regards,
Trevor Logan
By this, do you mean the scrubs who just loiter around at the bus stop and try to make the driver feel dumb for stopping? I HATE those cretins. If they want to be lazy and good for nothing, they can do that at home, where they don't interrupt transit service and working people actually trying to get somewhere. In any city, the next bus you need to transfer to doesn't always wait for the one you're on to show up, no matter WHAT the circumstance.
-F.
Yeah, I know THAT for sure. In the suburbs at the Plymouth Meeting Mall, I could be on a bus that is suppose to connect to another one (basically the city routes L or 27). The connecting bus would be sitting there as we pass by on the main road to the entrance to the mall. Next thing I know, as we turn around the corner and go to the stop, the other bus is LEAVING. Never mind stopping to see if anyone needs to transfer to the bus, which is usually the case with passengers on the 95 coming from Penn Square and 98. That's why I don't trust connections within 5 minutes...it can either be the perfect connection, or a horrible missed one.
When I first started I used to stop even when people didn't wave and found that 75% of the time I wasting my route time stopping and the person didn't even want the bus. So now you better wave or I ride on.
Joisey can be mocked, but I tell you this much you won't find this time saving feature anywhere else.
Regards,
Trevor Logan
Of course it's different on roads only served by one bus route although some kind of indication is still good. And regarding that in NJ buses only stop at stops with the route number displayed on the flag, this applies in the UK too but generally only in busy urban centres where there are many stops.
One different approach is in London which have 'Request' and 'Compulsory' stops. Here a bus will always stop at a 'Compulsory' stop whether there is anyone there or not, or whether anyone wants to get off or not. Request stops are exactly that, request only - i.e. no signal, no stop!
Tim
I had this downtown circulator route in Des Moines and we had the people trained to hold up their parking passes that they used to board the route since there was a lot of overlap with the main routes. I think holding up a farecard or pass is another good way to flag down a bus. It says, "Not only am I flagging down your bus, but I'm also definately a bus passenger and I also likely have a way to pay the fare" all in one motion.
People aren't very public transit savvy in Iowa so it takes a lot more patience as a bus operator. Especially with an interlock on the FRONT door. Grrr....
The only thing with flying by stops with no one flagging you down is that every once in a while you end up really dropping the anchors when you realize that someone in the crowd is holding a blind person's cane! 'No one wants my bus it looks like.....good........OH SHIT!...."Sorry!".....'
Mike
-F.
I've already been written up for not stopping exactly at the signs, so no more courtesy for bus stops.
Regards,
Trevor Logan
Wayne
CG
Local - 9077-9101, 9103, 9108(Fresh From Nova), 9110
Express - 9300, 9303, 9324, 9330, 9336
I know itz more Express Nova With LED Feel Free To Post
#9099 -B1
#9109 -B6
Yes, some of you are probably thinking right now, " Gee, what a blanket statement", but I've always noticed this little trend in B/o's.
On lines that aren't insanely busy, like the Bx10, 14, 22, or 40, where many riders (esp, Bx10, 14) cheerfully and pleasently greet B/o's with things like "Good Morning", "Hi, how are you" "Have a nice night/ safe trip" many B/O's will simply continue to stare at the passenger with a "Who the fuck do you think that you're speaking to, don't talk to me..... vermin" look, while ignoring them, blatently. One would think that the average NYCT B/o would be receptive to their being acknoleged as a person, instead of just a drone.
On the lines that are constantly loaded, and have tight schedules, like the Bx1, 2, 12, and the M15, I've seen the most pleasent, helpful, and extremely personable B/O's, and oddly enough they mostly seem not stressed about anything. Bus operators on these lines ( particularly the Bx12 and M15) seem to enjoy their jobs, and make themselves stand out. Some B/O's turn their buses into rollling, interactive comedy clubs, one B/O sang a song that he wrote, to the passengers and asked for feedback. One asked politely that when an old lady (that was boarding) be given a seat, over the PA, some other B/O's got up and helped some elderly people down the stairs. Others break rules, for the sake of helping out a passenger ( the same "cattle" that other B/O's treat like crap). The average B/O on the these routes returns a greeting/well-wish to passengers.
Any ideas about this difference in B/O behavior? Why do some route's operators just suck for the most part ( the BX22 is by far the worst {exceptions: 12, 36} {*Cough26shouldrotinhellwheeze*), and others have extremely interesting operators like the BX12 {55, and many others}, and still others have operators that you'd kill to be friends with, like the M15 {123 and many others}?
After awhile you get used to getting ticked off by people in general
P.S. Any chance you will return to the 'other' board at all?
No. The Strappies can burn for all I care. They're only a bunch of fucktads that spend most of their time with their head in thier ass, like Belmont, Discodiva, and mr brian. Its only a place for NYPIRG propaganda to be spread, and crap to be spewed. The transit info content over there is ZERO, and I can't believe that I posted there for so long.
Correction: fucktards
~Words of a teenage Basman
Once I get off a train, I sometimes have the kindness to make notice to the C/R that I appreciated the ride or the flavor of the announcements that he or she made. I wave and most of the times, I get a friendly wave back, a nod or a smile. It gives you a good feeling. I get annoyed when they either blindly stare at you or ignore you. It's probably because the C/R position is an extremely stressful one and get them to think about people a certain way. Speaking of which, I was riding a 7 home and every time the C/R had to switch to the cab on the car I was riding, he'd slam it. No need for noise, pal. :-/
As you can see, it's all the matter of perception. Some people see what people do in a certain situation and apply that to other people, unfortunately. Sorry for getting for so philantropic on this subject. :-P
6138-Q44
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I finally got the MTA Long Island Bus Map but I have a question. I would like Joe Saitta to answer this since he works for them but anyone can answer this:
MTA Long Island Orion 05.501 CNG #355 has a destination sign similiar to the MTA Long Island Orion 05.501 #600s. What is that about? Is LI Bus going to overhaul there 600s to become CNGs? Thanks to anyone or everyone in advance!
Vince
I notice that SEPTA correct lots of bugs with the Twinvision signs spelling errors. I notice when i was on 5415 on the 38 the second new flyer i ever rode on the bus was on market. And the interior sign reads out "MARKET & FRAKFORT LINES". And another bug that was on the 44 the gps system must had went haywired becouse starting from 23rd street the annoncer voice said 23 on the right block than keep on going down the line of annocements before we were even near the real street it would say "thank you for riding SEPTA" when we reached 16th street. Seems that SEPTA fixed most of these bugs. Concerning the twinvsion signs. It is not very hard to program them all you need is a laptop computer with compatible cables, Windows NT, and the Twinvision software that makes you change the signs
"Glen Cove Road, transfer to the N27 and the best roast pork around"
If you mean before any of the metrorail stations opened, mostly all of them terminated downtown, or somewhere where a downtown bound bus would go.
Coming home, missed both the Y8 and Q2 heading to Silver Spring. I didn't feel like running and I figured something would come along soon. While waiting for the next Q2 or Y8, saw Flx Metro B's 9347 on the C2 and 9349 on the C4. A few minutes later, Orion V 4369 on the Q2 to Silver Spring pulled up and off I went. Got to Silver Spring just in time to catch Neoplan 5303 on the S2. Took that to 16th and K and walked to Farragut Square where I caught Orion VI 2000 on the 38B. Someone popped a bike on there and took the bus to Georgetown. We got stuck in a ton of traffic there. Police were directing traffic as well.
In a little bit, I'm packing the cooler up and heading off on the 24M to Pentagon, meeting Pam there, then we're going to catch the 13A or B to the Mall area. Metro emailed me the 13 detour since I asked how it was going to be affected by the street closings. I'm staying as clear away from metrorail as possible. After the fireworks, we'll walk up to Farragut Square and take the 38B home. Let everyone else fight to get on the subway, while we just ride a nice, not so crowded bus. I'll post if anything more interesting happens later.....
I did notice a fair number of buses without flags today, did you as well?
Those were all taken on 9/11/02.
BTW, it is spelled R-O-S-S-L-Y-N.
After the fireworks, we walked with the throngs up 14th St., so we could go to Farragut Sq. to catch the 38B. Several 30's buses were blocked in by the pedestrians and were really stuck in the logjam. A bunch of kids in the Hotel Washington opened up their windows and yelled down "Happy 4th of July" and the whole crowd from below roared in a cheer. It was like a team had won the Super Bowl or something! It was pretty fun. Got Orion VI 2001 on the 38B to get home. That route is awesome as its like a roller coaster through parts of Rosslyn/Key Bridge and past Clarendon as it turns onto Washington Blvd.
Hope everyone had a safe 4th!
Orion VI 2006-38B
Orion V 2204-S2
Orion V 2115-Y8
Orion V 4369-Q2
Neoplan 5303-S2
Orion VI 2000-38B
Flxible B 9486-24M
Flxible D 9826-13B
Orion VI 2001-38B
whew!!
In the evening we parked near the Pentagon to watch the fireworks. Of course I miss seeing Macy's light up the sky for 30 plus minutes, but DC puts on a pretty decent show.
Wayne
There is a W line that goes into Charles County, you're right! I keep forgetting about taking a ride on the C18.
Took a minor bus trip to Fair Oaks today to get fitted for my tux. (eek!) Its nice that I have gone down a size in pants since losing over 20 lbs.! Anyway, the bus I had going out there, Flx Metro 9397 didn't say 1C Fair Oaks Mall/Hospital, it said "0104 16th and Sheridan" LOL. The driver couldn't fix it. It was lots of fun watching everyone with puzzled looks asking where the bus was going, especially at 7 Corners where there are many routes that come through there. I saw the bus later as I was coming home and it said "1C Fairfax Hospital" Oh well, Fair Oaks, Fairfax, all the same, right?
I forgot to mention that last night while waiting for the 38B after the fireworks, a ton of people were waiting at Farragut Square for the N6. After about 45 minutes, their bus came, well buses as an Orion II and Orion V pulled up. The Orion II came around the Orion V and picked up everyone. I thought that was pretty funny to see the small bus pick up the whole load while the Orion V was sitting 50 ft. away until he mosey's up to the stop and those waiting to board the little bus ran for the larger one. Some lady put her bike on the front of the Orion II and Pam and I joked that there were so many people getting on that bus that her bike would get the ride and she'd be out of luck. I think she had to stand, not sure as our bus pulled up then, too.
I saw that from my uncle's apartment;-)
(Yes, that was a teaser and a reminder that I will have a recap of my trip to NYC and my two days of MTA Subway railfanning;-)
First time I have ridden Metro on the 4th in many years (since 96 at least). Here are the details of my trip today. For those of you who don't know, Metro operates different routings on the Fourth to move people more efficiently during the day, especially after the fireworks. The routes today were as follows:
Red: Shady Grove to Glenmont or Silver Spring, Silver Spring trains began running at 11 AM
Orange: Vienna to Addison Road or New Carrollton
Blue: Rosslyn (upper level) to Huntington
Yellow: Mount Vernon Square to Franconia-Springfield
Green: Branch Avenue to Greenbelt or Fort Totten, Fort Totten trains began running at 4 PM
Car assignments were rather interesting.
Red: Usual mix of Rohrs and Bredas, no CAFS
Orange: Bredas and Rohrs, no CAFS
Blue: All Bredas, mostly 4000s
Yellow: All Rohrs until about 4 PM, then I saw Bredas and CAFs
Green: Mix of Bredas, CAFs, and amazingly, a few Rohrs
All trains had correct signage though some Orange Line trains to Addison Road had the metal plates on that end of the train showing Blue.
I got on the Metro at about 10:45 AM and took the Red Line (Breda 3139) to Gallery Place. On this run, our operator announced transfers to the Blue and Orange lines at Metro Center (see above and you will know why this is a problem). At Gallery, I saw a train of CAF cars going up to Greenbelt. Took Rohr 1200 on the Yellow Line to Pentagon where I was susposed to meet Tristan (BusStalker). I was late but after waiting almost 30 minutes, I left. I did go through the new bus station there for the first time. Despite the no photography signs, people were taking pictures of the Pentagon and even going up to touch the building. The police that were present did nothing.
Back on the Metro, I took Breda 4038 to Huntington on the "Blue" line. I then went back on the third car of that train, 4042, and went to Eisenhower where I got a picture of a Blue line and the Masonic Temple. Then took 3006, the last car of the next train to King where I missed a Yellow line train. The next train indicator (the old one) at King would light up depending on where the train was actually going. So it showed Yellow to Huntington when a Blue came in and Blue to Springfield when a Yellow came in. I took Rohrs 1216 to Van Dorn where I tried getting a picture of the trains from the corner of Eisenhower and Metro Road. I have yet to download the pictures yet so I don't know if it was worth it but I don't think it was. Got back on the Metro and took Rohrs 1265 back to Pentagon City. I should note that on the Blue Line leaving Huntington, an operator said "Welcome aboard the Yellow Line" before correcting himself and a Yellow Line operator did a similar mistake leaving Van Dorn. While on that train, I made an observation to be announced in a later post. At Pentagon City, I got pictures of trains going the other way until Breda 3111 came in on the Blue Line. I took that to Rosslyn, where a Breda train with door trouble was on the lower level. GOt a bus transfer and ran downstairs, through the malfunctioning door which was ultimately cut, but open at that time. I took that train, Breda 3015, out to East Falls Church.
At East Falls Church, I waited for GEORGE. He came late and once he did, he had very little A/C and his Clever Device did not work. Also, the ride was very bumpy. The bus was 3954. I got off at West Falls Church and took the third car of an Orange Line, Rohr 1100, the car without the AC label, to East Falls Church, where I have a video of it leaving (and you can hear the AC motors). I then took the next train that would ultimately go to Addison, Breda 3081, to Rosslyn. I wanted photos of the Addison sign for Orange, so that is why I waited. We had to wait 3-5 minutes to get into Rosslyn since a Blue Line was there. Two more Oranges came before the next Blue.
Blue Line trains had a very quick turnaround at Rosslyn for obvious reasons. They went manually on the northbound trip from Arlington Cemetary. When leaving Rosslyn, they went very slowly, less than 15 MPH, to just past the junction with the Orange Line, then normal speed to the switch at Arlington Cemetary, and then crossed over. Of course, only one Blue Line was between Arlington Cemetary and Rosslyn at any given time. I got off Breda 4038 at Arlington Cemetary, then crossed under and photographed 3006 as it finished its wrong-rail move and crossed over. Got on Breda 4000 and took that to Rosslyn where I waited for the next Orange, 4059. I took 4059 to L'Enfant Plaza. We passed the Smithsonian Station, closed because the exits are within the secure area on the Mall, where all the lights are on. We had a typical Orange Line operator who only mumbled. I think he announced at Federal Triangle we wouldn't stop at Smithsonian, but I am not sure.
At L'Enfant, they now have LED things to indicate if the escalator is to be used or not, as well as raised emergency stops. If the escalator is to be used, an green arrow is shown, and otherwise, a do not enter sign is displayed in red and white. I saw a Rohr going to Branch Avenue on the other side but then a train of CAF cars pulled in. I got on the last one, 5096, the one where I had my Addison Road incident after the WMATA bus rodeo, and this time, the interior LEDs worked! They now use all capital letters when displaying the line color (GREEN). They then only display the next station name (ARCHIVES) once the train starts to move and as you arrive at the station, it goes all blank except for three arrows to indicate which doors will open (<<<). I can't say I am very impressed with these signs. Took that to Gallery Place, then crossed over and got Breda 2015. The operator announced that no one should board 2014, which was locked down when I got off at Archives and empty. Then, at Archives, trains on both lines just kept coming and coming and coming to the point that you could see headlights the moment a train pulled out. This is when I started to see Bredas and CAFs on Yellow and the Rohrs on Green.
After 10 minutes and probably more than 10 trains in both directions combined, I went upstairs to get pictures of the buses with the flags. A number of buses did not have flags and some were on detour. Combined with what I did at Friendship Heights before getting on the subway, I got pictures of Orion Vs, Flxible Metro-Ds, Neoplan artics, and NABI artics with flags on the sides. I eventually got back on the Metro at Metro Center and rode 3164 back home.
I plan on getting maps for myself later this evening when I won't get yelled at for taking them. This year, they do not have a year on them so they could be resued if souvineer hunters like me don't take them. I have the July 4 maps from every year they have done special service plans, beginning in 1999.
Happy 4th of July to everyone, I hope that if I am in town next year on the 4th, some of the other DC or SubTalkers from elsewhere join me!
I guess again only on the Fourth one could see people taking pics of the Pentagon. I don't want to mention the Tristan incident, it might give him bad flashbacks ;-)
1. I heard that they got rid of the 28 Day Metrorail pass,Are they taken them up to a certain date?
2. How about other MetroRail passes before it went uo to $1.20? They still takeing them?
I also forgot to mention that 1000/1001 and 1298/1299 were both on Yellow and in the same train (first and last Rohrs).
You know, Basman has some along way. I used to think of him as being naive for having a fancy for such buses as Neoplans and Orions, inferior equipment compared to the lovely RTS. Yet, despite all of the reasonings I could come up with, he never wavered from his position. I respected that. Especially seeing as how he was going against the INDUSTRY STANDARD RTS. I still think nothing beats an RTS, but you won't find me defending it to death anymore. I really have nothing else to say that I haven't said in the last three years.
So thanks Basman. You've proven that age is NOT an accurate measure of maturity.
Anyway, here's the reverse-angle shot I had intended to have in the first shot.
Then again, with SEPTA, who knows...
Would having no bus at all have been better?
I was so shocked when I saw it.Before I spotted it,I was thinking to myself why the heck did they rehab the mall for more office space which is what occupies the former 3rd and 4th floor's and then I turned to my right while standing in front of Suncoast and I was just startled.I just couldn't believe that there was new space where Stern's once was.I asked a worker from the Lids store and she said that it opened around Easter.Damn,that just show's how long I hadn't been there.The last time I was there there were still some people selling minor stuff.Ok enough about that,back to the discussion's on buses.
Ozzy Zamora AKA The Kiman
MTA NYCT Traffic Checker
Ultimate fan of Miami Dade Transit
1. Ton's? The ton's what? The Orion's what? The route's what? If there is no possissive (i.e. ownership) or contraction, then leave out the apostrophe.
2. It might be a matter of driver seniority. Before the MCIs arrived at CS depot, hard-seat Orions were often used on the X51 because some higher-seniority drivers on the Q74 wanted the soft seats for their passengers (who, apparently, also had higher seniority).
With all the buses at CS,there has to be plenty of non-suburban buses so sending one out on the Q32 was not a good idea by the yard dispatcher there who told the driver to take bus #113.This was Tuesday when I saw it at Penn Sta.
At a depot like UP,there is ok because they are short on buses as is so they have to send out whatever they have.At QV,I'm not really too sure.The only route that comes to my mind that has very insignificant ridership is the Q79.And also the Q75.I think route's like the Q43 should not use Orion suburban's like I've seen on that route cause it does get decent ridership.
The point of all this? Simply trying to prevent people from complaining about those suburban's.They complain enough as is,there shouldn't be anything else they should yap about.
Ozzy Zamora AKA The Kiman
MTA NYCT Traffic Checker
Ultimate fan of Miami Dade Transit
#113 - Q32
#9303 - B6 -LTD
I also had a chance to talk to this guy, according to him the talk around the depot is that nobody seems to know when exactly the rest of the hybrids will get here, just that it's sometime between now and september or so. Apparantly 5602H has gone back to NFI for some kind of work, and should arrive back here with all the rest of the hybrids.
Oh well, here's the photos:
My main idea behind going to Southern Depot was to get one last look at the Trackless Trolleys before they became razor blades. There are tons of them lined up against the eastern wall of the depot, I should have thought to count and take down numbers, but it didn't occur to me at the time.
Just after I took these photos I talked to an employee there that said that I was just two days too late for the last run of the trolleybusses. They cut the power on July 1st, IIRC, so there are no more trolleybusses in South Philly, on the 29 or 79. I wonder how the Northeast routes will fair with the southern routes dieselized while they're "Temporarily" dieselized.
Here's the three photos:
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
E800
Chuck Greene
Politically speaking, the City of Philadelphia will be screaming bloody murder if the trackless lines are permanently dieselized. The lone SEPTA Board member who voted against the Operating Budget did so because of the conversion.
Picture one is 659 on the N93 about to drop off people and end it's service for the day.
Picture two is 646 comming to do an trip on the N43 line(3:45 out of Roosevelt Field to Freeport)
BTW was RVC open yesterday?
Incognito
Actually, before Connecticut Transit (Stamford Division) changed from letters to numbers, that route actually was route "I." Maybe the "I" should have become #95?!
Incognito
A month or two ago, I was on an M104 with locked windows whose B/O refused to turn on the HVAC.
David
David
Just curious...
David
David
The roof hatches opened, but that's the only ventilation this bus had.
a) Jam, and cannot be operated
b) Break, and the handle will simply flop around and do nothing
c) completely seperate from the window, leaving a window that slides, with no control mechanism.
Additionally, anytime the system is in use, there is a significant loss of power to the drive train (engine recources and appropriation of power distribution is weakened). Performance is increased with the climate control system off, which is why some have their system off. It helps move the bus better.
It's funny how hypocritical the TA is. The rules dictate that the climate control system must be on at all times for the comfort of their customers, yet when it malfunctions, they couldn't care less about anyone's comfort. The bus stays in service regardless.
I use my own judgement and create my own environment.
Anyone Know?
Wayne
The last time I heard that sound was on the Blitz' 5000's and 5200's when the TA retrofitted them with a/c (which rarely worked).
T-Man
-newburgh-poughkeepsie-vassar college-
or
-monticello-binghamton-ithica-cornell univ-binghamton-elmira then either:
-olean-jamestown-
or
-rochester-buffalo
Travel time between White Plains and Mineola is about one hour and twenty minutes. Adirondack Trailways makes stops in Queens and New Rochelle. Short Line and Greyhound may make stops in other places. It's possible that other companies such as Vermont Transit are also running this route.
The pace or the schedule is leisurely and would only be something like 40 minutes if the run was as follows:
Northern State
Grand Central
Clearview
Throgs Neck
Bruckner
Bronx River
Sprain
Cross Westchester
But buses can't ride the Northern State and need to pick up passengers at other stops to be profitable.
As a sidebar - an older family member has been on the Adirondack Trailways bus several times recently from White Plains towards Mineola and schedules have been way off. Two bus breakdowns in a row caused massive delays and now leave me in a position to have to drive the person in question back to Mineola from here on.
I'm wondering if Short Line or Greyhound are doing any better with this route in terms of reliability. Anyone care to comment?
The Nova LFS. Design flaws cause the tires to warp, which causes the bus to shimmy real bad around 40-50mph. In addition, the retarter on most kick in WAY too hard, and throw passengers forward.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
4926 had written at the front: Rear End Shot when I was last on it.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
1. Who manufatured the buses, and for extra credit, what is the model of the bus?
2. Do Buy America regulations apply here?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Joe Butler
Chuck Greene
And yes, that was my point about the poor transit service to Philadelphia Park.
From the 07/06/2003 SI Advance---
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1057502774252990.xml
Tony M.
NJT Bus Operator
Meadowlands Garage.
Tony M.
Yup, that means South Jersey better start getting used to more junk heading south in the not too distant future...
Jason
SEPTA District Listings: These listings are based if I ran the SEPTA assignments. Compare with the current roster, and you decide which is better.
July 6th, 2003
ALLEGHENY (5xxx) 109 Diesel Buses
2601 Allegheny Av (Between 26 & 27 Sts)
Tioga (North Philadelphia)
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 9 (500x), 27 (505x), 33 (515x), 48 (540x), 54* (550x), 60 (530x), 65* (520x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BM (4): 9711, 9721-9723
1996 NABI (10): 5154, 5156-5164
1999 Neoplan OQ (8): 7101-7108
2000 Neoplan OQ (87): 7109-7195
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 5157 (Verizon DSL).
CALLOWHILL (9xxx) 194 Diesel Buses
Callowhill St between 58 & 59 Sts
West Philadelphia
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 1* (900x), 15 (902x), 21/42 (910x), 30 (916x), 31 (920x), 34 Shuttle (820x, buses from Callowhill, operators from Elmwood), 38 (925x), 40 (930x), 43 (940x), 44/121 (967x), 46 (945x), 52 (950x), 64* (955x), 65* (960x), G* (970x), Market-Frankford Blue OWL* (990x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BP (2): 1406, 1425
1986 Neoplan DK (3): 3058, 3068, 3082 Scrap: 3045, 3122
1987 Neoplan EB (22): 3153-3156, 3158, 3193, 3200, 3233-3245, 3247-3248 Scrap: 3246
1989 Neoplan EZ (19): 3398-3399, 3417-3423, 3425-3434
1996 NABI (88): 5001-5040, 5042-5058, 5066, 5249-5278
2001 New Flyer D40LF (60): 5411-5470
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 5008 (), 5022 (Dockside Apartments), 5024, 5056, 5265 (Verizon DSL), 5038 (Legally Blonde 2), 5047 (Welcome America), 5066 (Northeast Auto Outlet), 5264 (???, partial street-side), 5273 (Tastycake).
COMLY (1xxx) 192 Diesel Buses
Oxford Circle (Northeast Philadelphia)
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 1* (105x), 14/20 (110x), 19/67 (120x), 24 (125x), 28 (130x), 58 (135x), 70* (140x), 73 (145x), 84 (150x), R* (155x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BM (7): 9612, 9701, 9704, 9709, 9714-9715, 9718
1985/2002 Neoplan CD (13): 9741, 9744, 9746-9747, 9760, 9767, 9772, 9775, 9780, 9803, 9807, 9809, 9813
1986 Neoplan DK (0): Scrap: 3073-3075, 3111-3116
1987 Neoplan EB (13): 3135-3138, 3160-3162, 3164, 3166-3167, 3170-3171, 3232 Scrap: 3157, 3169
1988 Neoplan EI (9): 3266-3272, 3282-3283
1989 Neoplan EZ (14): 3400-3408, 3410-3412, 3414-3415**
1996 NABI (92): 5041, 5059-5065, 5067-5133, 5293-5295, 5351-5364
2002 New Flyer D40LF (45): 5541-5585
ELMWOOD (LIGHT RAIL ONLY, 8xxx) 8 PCC Cars, 112 LRVs; 120 Total
Island & Elmwood Avs
Southwest Philadelphia
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 10# (800x), 11# (805x), 13# (810x), 34# (815x), 36# (820x)
1947-48 PCC Car (8/): 2728, 2732, 2785, 2799, 2160, 2168, 2187, 2194 Scrap: 2181
1981 Kawasaki LRV (112): 9000-9111
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 9035 (Verizon DSL).
FRANKFORD (2xxx) 160 Diesel Buses
Bridge& Pratt Sts (Frankford Terminal)
Frankford (Northeast Philadelphia)
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 3* (220x), 5 (225x), 8 (230x), 25* (217x), 26* (222x), 59 (200x), 66 (205x), 75 (210x), 88 (250x), J* (255x), K* (260x), Market-Frankford Blue OWL* (270x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BM (16): 9603, 9654-9655, 9667, 9673-9674, 9685, 9698-9700, 9705-9706, 9710, 9717, 9720, 9724
1985/2002 Neoplan CD (31): 9733, 9735, 9759, 9763, 9766, 9785-9786, 9788-9789, 9795-9798, 9804, 9811-9812, 9824, 9829-9830, 9833-9836, 9839, 9843-9845, 9855, 9861-9863
1986 Neoplan DK (0): Scrap: 3065
1987 Neoplan EB (44): 3132, 3139-3152, 3163, 3172-3186, 3203-3204, 3209, 3216-3219, 3222, 3224, 3230-3231, 3250-3251
1996 NABI (29): 5279-5292, 5336-5350
2002 New Flyer D40LF (40): 5501-5540
MIDVALE (3xxx) 348 Diesel Buses
4401 Wissahickon Av
Nicetown-Tioga
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 2* (340x), 3* (343x), 6 (398x), 7* (345x), 18 (300x), 22 (320x), 23* (310x), 26* (305x), 32 (313x), 35 (357x), 39 (395x), 47* (330x), 53 (349x), 54* (377x), 55 (350x), 56 (360x), 57* (390x), 61 (370x), 70* (365x), 77 (367x), 80 (369x), 89 (342x), C* (390x), H/XH (325x), J* (385x), K* (386x), L (335x), R* (315x), Broad Street Orange OWL* (395x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BM (16): 9602, 9606, 9616-9617, 9622, 9624, 9633, 9637-9638, 9644-9646, 9650, 9656, 9658, 9664
1984/2001-02 Volvo B-10M Artic (17): 7801-7802, 7804-7807, 7811-7812, 7817, 7820, 7823, 7829-7830, 7835, 7847, 7849-7850
1985/2002 Neoplan CD (18): 9737, 9742, 9748-9749, 9752, 9756, 9782, 9827, 9852, 9858-9859, 9865, 9868-9873, 9875
1986 Neoplan DK (47): 3000, 3003-3004, 3006, 3011-3013, 3015, 3017-3018, 3025, 3027-3028, 3030, 3032, 3034-3035, 3037, 3039, 3046, 3051, 3054, 3063, 3081, 3083-3084, 3086-3090, 3092-3093, 3095-3096, 3098-3100, 3103-3104, 3106-3110, 3130-3131
1987 Neoplan EB (1): 3165
1988-90 Flxible (Ex-DART) (25): 3501-3525
1988 Neoplan EI (27): 3284-3290, 3294-3313
1996 NABI (80): 5165-5193, 5195-5197, 5199-5213, 5215-5236, 5238-5248
2000 Neoplan OQ (60): 7196-7255
2001 ElDorado National (11): 4559-4569
2003 New Flyer D40LF (46): 5667-5712
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 9749 (Verizon DSL), 3063 (Sept. 11th Memorial), 3088 (Surrey Services for Seniors, partial street-side), 3510 (SEPTA Bus Rodeo, partial street-side), 5172 (Tastycake), 5173 (Legally Blonde 2).
SOUTHERN (7xxx) 66 ETBs, 189 Diesel Buses
Johnston St between 19 & 20 Sts
South Philadelphia
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 2* (710x), 7* (720x), 12 (725x), 17 (730x), 23* (705x), 25* (715x), 29 (750x), 37 (735x), 47* (790x), 47m (799x), 57* (745x), 63 (739x), 64* (740x), 68 (785x), 79^ (760x), 108* (700x), C* (755x), G* (765x), Broad Street Orange OWL* (795x)
1979 AM General 10240-T ETB (66): 810-830, 832-834, 836-838, 842, 845-846, 848-850, 853, 857-858, 861, 863-864, 866-867, 871, 874, 876, 878-880, 882, 884-888, 890- 892, 895-899, 902-903, 905, 908-909
1984/2002 Neoplan BP (7): 1401-1404, 1408, 1418, 1421
1987 Neoplan EB (32): 3187-3192, 3194-3199, 3201-3202, 3205-3208, 3210-3215, 3220-3221, 3223, 3225-3229
1988 Neoplan EI (32): 3255-3259, 3330-3356
1989 Neoplan EZ (10): 3372-3373, 3384-3389, 3413, 3435
1996 NABI (29): 5198, 5214, 5237, 5375-5400
2001 New Flyer D40LF (30): 5471-5500
2002 New Flyer D40LF (5): 5596-5600
2002 New Flyer DE40LF (2): 5601H-5602H
2003 New Flyer D40LF (44): 5613-5656
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 5385 (KYW News Radio 1060 "Big Blue Bus"***), 5396 (City of Philadelphia, Streets Department/Recycling), 5601H, 5602H (Cleanair).
***This bus is loaned out to Southern on Tuesdays for KYW News Radio's free ride promotion. It may be used on other Southern routes during the rest of the week.
VICTORY/RED ARROW (BUS AND LIGHT RAIL, 4xxx)
Victory Ave 29 LRVs, 26 HRVs, 164 Diesel Buses
Upper Darby Twp, Delaware Co
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 100# (400x), 101#/102# (410x), 103 (420x), 104 (421x), 105 (430x), 106 (433x), 107 (434x), 108* (435x), 109 (440x), 110 (443x), 111 (445x), 112 (447x), 113 (450x), 114 (454x), 115 (456x), 116 (458x), 117/119 (460x), 118* (463x), 120 (465x), 122 (467x), 123 (468x), 124/125* (470x), 305 (480x)
1981 Kawasaki LRV (29): 100-128
1984/2001 Neoplan BP (2): 1420, 1422
1986 Neoplan DK (0): Scrap: 3060, 3062, 3121, 3125, 3127
1988 Neoplan EI (10): 3260-3265, 3291-3293, 3371
1989 Neoplan EZ (58): 3375-3383, 3390-3394, 3409, 3416, 3436-3466, 3468-3473, 3475-3479
1994 ABB N-5 Norristown Cars (26): 130-155
1996 NABI (50): 5296-5335, 5365-5374
2001 ElDorado National (24): 4534-4557
2001 New Flyer D40LF (10): 5401-5410***
2002 New Flyer D40LF (10): 5586-5595
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 3383 (First Trust Bank, partial street-side), 3391 (Ross Stores, partial street-side), 5325 (Philadelphia Phillies, partial street-side), 5373 (Verizon DSL).
FRONTIER (6xxx) 124 Diesel Buses
Alan Wood Rd, north of Ridge Pk
Plymouth Twp, Montgomery Co
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 91 (600x), 92/133 (601x), 93 (603x), 94 (605x), 95/97 (607x), 96 (610x), 98 (612x), 99 (614x), 118* (6155/6), 124/125* (616x), 127 (620x), 128 (622x), 129 (623x), 130 (625x), 131 (626x), 201 (627x), 203 (630x), 206 (632x), 304 (633x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BP (2): 1415, 1417
1986 Neoplan DK (0): Scrap: 3002, 3008, 3016, 3055, 3072, 3077, 3097, 3118
1988 Neoplan EI (40): 3252-3253, 3273-3281, 3314-3318, 3320-3329, 3357-3370
1989 Neoplan EZ (16): 3374, 3395-3397, 3480-3491
1996 NABI (20): 5134-5153
1999 Ford Cutaway Minibus (Breeze IVA) (4): 2052-2055
2001 ElDorado National (31): 4514-4533, 4570-4580
2003 New Flyer D40LF (10): 5657-5666
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 3487 (TH Properties), 5140 (Philadelphia Phillies, partial street-side), 4516, 4531 (Commenwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health; partial street-side).
Just like everything on SEPTA, this roster is SUBJECT TO CHANGE without notice.
Neoplans in bold type have surburban specification soft seats.
*: Route split with another depot.
**: #3414 was retrofitted with a DD50 engine and Alison B5000 transmission in 1994, and seats 38.
***: New Flyer 5401, the prototype for SEPTA's order, was built in 2000.
****: Diesel-electric hybirds; have been sent back to factory for retrofit work; not counted in vehicle count.
Midvale 5194 is expected to be out of service for at least 5 months due to fire damage.
Totals: Volvo B-10M: 17 Neoplan BM: 24 Neoplan BM Suburban: 20 Neoplan BP: 13 Neoplan CD: 48 Neoplan CD Suburban: 14 Neoplan DK: 48 Neoplan DK Suburban: 2 Neoplan EB: 99 Neoplan EB Suburban: 13 Flxible: 25 Neoplan EI: 104 Neoplan EI Suburban: 15 Neoplan EZ: 89 Neoplan EZ Suburban: 28 NABI 416: 398 Breeze: 34 Neoplan OQ: 155 Eldorado National: 80 New Flyer D40LF: 300 New Flyer DE40LF: 2 Total: 1526
THE END
looks like you useing Ctrabs raster format???
{SEPTA has been shutting down most of the trolley lines that Philadelphia was known for (I bet the Subway Surface lines were saved only because they went underground on Market St)}.....
This shutdown was pre-ordained back in the old PTC days. The master plan was to abandon most of the North Philly trolley lines by 1970. But the SEPTA takeover, and their brief idea that the system could be saved, delayed the conversion. But the decline of the population in the area, and the loss of jobs in industrial areas (which contributed to the heavy ridership of these lines) started to make these lines obsolete. Also combined with the deteriorating PCC fleet, and the infrastructure, made these lines eligible to be converted to buses, which are much cheaper to operate than the high-cost trolleys.
{What's up with City Hall station, one of the most used transfer points to the Broad St Line. What a nice sight for riders to Pattison...ugly, run down tiling and lights, with the occasional rat running about.}
The way City Hall was constructed, makes it very hard to maintain. Granted SEPTA and the City of Philadelphia could have done better in keeping up the station, but the construction through the foundation provides major challenges like the width of the platforms, placement of elevators (for ADA access) and reconstruction of the stairs. The redesign and construction of City Hall station will take years and millions of dollars, unlike the mostly easy station rebilds and rehabs done by SEPTA.
{...how about investing in more things that would work, rather than just big impractical projects like the Schuylkill Valley Metro?}
Simply, because basic stuff is not "sexy" to the political and business interests in this city. If SEPTA didn't propose this then it will be even more ignored in the mids of the so-called leaders in this city.
Every other city in America is somehow investing in urban transit, as a way of reasserting themselves as a viable residential and commercial area in the face of greater competition with suburban industrial parks. Light Rail lines are popping up all over, while Commuter rail with the ubiquitous F59PHI and Bombardier Bilevel, as well as BRT play a close second fiddle. Look at Portland, they went from completely transit-less 20 years ago to today having what is arguably one of the best light rail transit systems outside europe.
What does SEPTA do? It kills two viable electric transit lines, threatens to shut down 4 regional rail lines and a dozen bus lines, and then throws millions into a study to make commuting from the exurbs even easier. In otherwords the complete opposite of what common sense would dictate, in addition to flying completely in the face of current urban planning doctrine. Complete and utter BullSh!t.
All of the improvements that SEPTA has made really seem to be suburban regional rail improvements, mostly centering around the center city tunnel and Market East Station, and that was 16 years ago. But really all that did was allow the closing of Reading Terminal and lost the Pottstown and Quakertown diesel lines for us. Other than that they've been shutting down working trolley lines, killing the Trackless, and even driving off passengers from the R6 Cynwyd line with horrifying schedules.
I've argued that SEPTA should electrify all the major cross-town routes, as well as some north-south routes, to provide easy access to and from the depot. Electrifying is an obvious choice for local type busses (not side street vs expressway, but the kind that stop every block vs the kind that can go 5 or more blocks without picking up a passenger) becuase electric motors accelerate better than diesels, which prefer to run at a constant speed, and accelerating diesel bus is one big oxymoron to anyone with a basic knowledge of engines. The 17 seems obvious as a depot feeder, since it runs practically right from Southern, plus it would require the wireing of Market St, which would allow other busses to be ETBed easier. The 2 might also be a good idea, as an alternate to the 17, although Midvale runs would still be diesel, or abandoned for an all-Southern served line. Cross-town, the 29 and 79 already have wires, and it's not hard to expand the electrification to take into account a changing street grid, certainly it's no reason to kill the trackless unless you already have it out for the trackless. Also if the 21 were to be electrified, then the 42 would also make sense, since it runs a similar profile route. The 31 would ccontinue the electrification on Market St west of 19th, as well as getting the overhead near Callowhill, the 30 would be ideal for that. It might be a good idea to look into electrifying the 38, certainly it would make things quieter up at the Art Mueseum. The G, while a long, wandering route, would be good for connecting Southern and Callowhill Depots without having to venture into the city. Of course the 66,75 and 59 would come back, and perhaps the 5 would be a good idea as well, it does draw busses from both Southern and Frankford, but it might not be as effective a connector since it would almost have to be through the city that the connection was made. I'm not real familiar with the Frankford routes, perhaps somebody could suggest some candidates.
If the 42 is electrified there could be issues with the Subway Surface Trolleys, since their diversion route runs along Spruce, the 42's route between 38th and 42nd. I'm sure that could be worked out, IIRC one wire is +600 VDC, the other 0vdc, so just make sure the live one is the one that the Sub-Surface Trolleys always hook onto. Later, should the K-cars be replaced with pantograph-weilding LRVs, then a cantenary could be strung in the middle of the 2 wires, with it's collection wire down slightly lower than the trackless wires. They're all at the same voltage (or should be), so the LRV's pan touching the live ETB wire wouldn't do much, and touching the 0 vdc one would cause a short across the pantograph, shutting down both lines until the operator could get the pan lowered. Another solution would be a small wheel that comes down off the bus on a slightly robotic arm, the small wheel finds the trolley track and holds onto one rail, thereby providing the ground for the bus with one wire, the ground trolley arm on the bus comes down at the end of it's wire and the live arm goes right onto the LRV catenary, perhaps after some sort of insulator. The 3rd axle and live pole act just like the two poles usually do, just that now the power flow is more like how the LRVs do it. At the end of the dual-wireing the trolley track could be run back to some 120 feet, 3 bus lengths, from a stoplight, an approaching bus would signal the traffic light which would turn red, the bus would stop, and the trolley pole could be dropped, the 3rd axle dropped, and the bus procede on it's way, at the other end the same process in reverse, cept now it'll stop on the exsisting trolley track, the 3rd Axle comes up, and then Kiepe retrievers guide the ground pole right up onto the overhead. The whole process could be automated with the driver never even having to leave their seat and the passengers largely clueless as to what went on, although it might look odd to a pedestrian or motorist outside the bus to see it pull down one pole then keep going. Either way, the same could apply to the 5, 40, 30 or G where they run on the same streets as the tracked trolleys.
Of course equipment would be a definite issue, there wouldn't appear to be as many ETB makers left on the market as there are diesel makers, but somehow other cities don't seem to have much of a problem finding. We could follow the example of Seattle, which just rebuild their AM Generals into Gilligs. Because electrical equipment lasts so long (ie. there's no explosion in it several hundred times per second), much longer than the average bus body, they took all the electrical junk out of the AM Generals, updated it slightly (or maybe not at all, I'm not real sure), then just stuck it in the back end of the Gillig body (King County Metro's got a thing for Gilligs), closed the hood, stuck Kiepe poles on the top and called it a new bus. Unless KC Metro said something about the AM General insides, the passengers would have no clue. Or we could do as Boston, Dayton and San Fran did, just buy new ones. San Fransisco and Dayton both just got Skoda high-floor electrics, virtually identical except for that Dayton's have a true rear door, since it's all the way in the back, as seen in Europe. Boston's getting both straight electric rigids (which I think are just low-floor versions of Dayton and San Fran's Skodas), as well as diesel-ETB electric hybrid articulateds, (none of this battery-powered junk) from Neoplan. SEPTA could just strap themselves onto this order and pick up a few of both, use the Duo-modes on the Schuykill Expressway routes, say electric in their starting neighborhoods, then diesel on the Surekill, then electric in the city. Or they could do as Seattle did and put the AM General insides in a New Flyer D40LF body (brand loyalty I guess, plus an ETB D40LF would look cool) and call it an E40LF, heck that could convince New Flyer to market a trolleybus model of their D60 and D40. With all the routes I just said needed electrifying, they'd probably do best to combine methods, rebuild the AM Generals into E40LFs, while at the same time buying new low floor Neoplan ETBs for use on some of the new routes.
I said buy Diesel ETB hybrids, it seems to make sense to me that if all of Market St is going to be wired, and if every other route running on Market St (or in the case of the 9, Chestnut and Walnut) is electrified, then the obvious thing to do would be to electrify the expressway busses as well, so as to take advantage of the wire as much as possible. You can't really run wire down the expressway, the busses with trolley poles would be very likely to tear it down at anything over 50mph, not to mention the problems that might come from the DOT over wires on a highway. I suppose bus lanes could be done, but the surekill is already crowded, it's probably the one highway in the country that needs widening badly. Really a Diesel-ETB hybrid is the way to go, this way the bus can be relatively flexible on the highway while still being quiet in the neighborhoods. At 30th and Market, on the west side of 30th St Station, the parking lot currently used by Drexel office staff could be bought out and used as a terminal type location. The busses could pull in off of JFK, then as they're loading or unloading the wires could be put up, or the diesel started up. The whole thing could be fare controlled with 30th St MFL station, so that a free transfer to the subway or trolleys would be available to those working very far east on market, while people working west of Broad on Market would have an alternative to crowded Subway-Surface cars. Of course an ADA compatible connection to 30th Station would be available, possibly by uprooting the restaurant that sits over the old stairs, sticking an elevator in, then putting an elevator at the other end, to access the bus platforms from inside the fare control on the MFL, along with stairs or escalators for the ambulatory. The routes 9, 44, 121 (on it's return run), 124/125 (moved to Callowhill from Victory) could all be run through this depot. Some of the busses could be short-turned at 30th St, so that bus traffic under the wires on market St didn't get too bad, the riders could just hop off that one and then onto any other bus, trolley or subway that they chose. If the 124 and 125 could not be pulled from Victory to Callowhill, then they'd be prime candidates for this short turning, in fact any diesel might do this, be it a Neoplan artic 9, or a diesel 44, anything like that might work out, of course then you'd have commuters possibly letting the diesel pass them then flagging down the hybrid because they don't want to get off at 30th St station. Also, I know nobody makes a 40 foot dual-mode bus, and I'm not sure that it's possible, so far all dual-mode busses have been artics, ala Seattle KC Metro's Breda Duo-Busses AFAIK, with the rear wheels diesel powered, the middle axle electric powered. It would seem that the DE40LF transmission which combines the battery powered electric and diesel could be adapted, with the diesel just shut off and isolated from the wheels while the electric runs, and the electric off while the diesel moves the bus. If not then make the 44 and 121 artic routes, stick them Allegheny, and leave the 124 and 125 all diesel, short turn them at 30th st with rush hour trips to penns landing with a hybrid electric (although I'm not sure what their most used time is, I've seen some crowded evening rush 125s), and run the 30 as an ETB to 13th and market or so in their place.
Of course I've ignored Midvale. I'm not real familiar with this depot or it's routes, so I just went with a three ETB depot system (four if we do the whole hybrid thing, Allegheny would probably get those, along with some straight electric artics), with only Callowhill completely without ETB servicing equipment. With rush hour crowding on some Southern and Callowhill routes, it might be a good idea to look at making those depots Artic compatible, I think SEPTA might be on their way with Southern, but I've experienced some 42s that are just as crowded, if not worse than some 17s. In that case Callowhill could get the expressway hybrids, although it might be a good idea for Allegheny to get some artic ETBs, to service the 33 and 48, as well as some others, say the 1 bus electrifies Roosevelt Ave (although that too might be a better spot for a hybrid, battery or trolleybus), then the 65 possibly should be electrified as well. If Allegheny goes electric then the 60 certainly would be a candidate for electrification, as would several other routes.
Oh well, just my a lot of my two cents thrown together to form maybe all of a quarter or so. I'm thinking about trying to do my civil engineering senior design project at Drexel around this kind of thing, at least turning that stupid parking lot into something more, for some reason I like the idea of it as a bus terminal or something. Someday I'll put together a small website outlining all the garbage I've spewwed forth here, with nice Streets and Trips maps of the routes, CAD drawings of the overhead, site photos of some places, and other things, like diagrams of my robotic 3rd axle and such. I'd really like to eventually present whatever comes of my crazy idea to somebody high up someday, either SEPTA or city hall, but I'm having problems with the monetary aspects.
Ah, well any thoughts, I know I'm going to get yelled at on some things, and if you think midvale should be up there, then yell at me over that. But please remember that this is a work of fiction, I may want it to be a transit project with millions committed, but right now it doesn't even have space committed on my ftp server. And, of course the opinions contained herein are my opinions and arguing over a matter of opinions rarely changes either person's, if I screwwed up a fact, which I probably did, then by all means, yell away.
The SEPTA riders share equally in the blame too. They complain about the condition of the vehicles, and then they abuse the equipment(graffiti, scratchitti, trash on vehicles), bitch about service, but do things to hamper the delivery of service (like double park on South Philly streets, blocking buses, or disobey parking regulations like parking in bus zones). Then they wonder why management gives us sh%tty service.
Today's Daily News article is a perfect point. Many of these fools bitch about the smell of the subways, but they are the prime culprit in why they stink so much. These fools will pee anywhere. I've seen them go between the subway cars (a dangerous act) and let loose. they have no sense of propriety, since in reality, they would not like it if someone came on their property and took a whiz there, then they should treat the subways as their property since it is THEIR tax money that pays for them.
In a nutshell that`s why SEPTA is a total mess. I find it very ironic that when I look at the Washington Post, I see a lot of people going a lot out of the way to make WMATA aware of even the littlest thing that goes wrong with Metro, and the way WMATA mangagement goes out of their way to address these things. Also it is the way most West Coast Cities transit systems do business. Can we learn from then? Yes we can if we make a massive effort.
Chuck Greene
Are we still on for the July 16 bus trip??? IIRC isn't Wes coordinating this one??? Just asking because I plan to request that day off when I get to the office tomorrow.
Wayne
The meeting place will be the same as it was for SubTalk DC: Inside Union Station at Gate G, across from the Ladies' Room. Our first bus is at 10 AM (D6) so please arrive at Gate G NO LATER THAN 9:45! I am sure a contact number will be posted so you can get instructions on how to catch up with us if you miss us (IIRC, we parallel some rail lines to start).
Trip starts at 10am (meaning we meet at Gate G by 9:45)
10:00am D6 and arrive at Farragut Square at 10:24 am
10:47 am 38B and arrive at Rosslyn at 11:08am
11:15 am 3B and arrive at East Falls Church at 11:38am
12:00pm GEORGE 26A and arrive at West Falls Church 12:21pm
12:34pm 28B and arrive at Tyson's Corner One at 12:50pm
eat lunch at Tyson's One
1:40pm FFX connector 401 and arrive at Springfield sta 2:47pm
3:00 pm FFX connector 204 and arrive at Van Dorn St. 3:50pm
4:09pm DASH AT7 and arrive at Lee Center at 4:39pm
5:00pm DASH AT4 and arrive at the Pentagon at 5:37pm
5:45pm 13B and arrive at 7th and Independence Ave. 5:51pm
last trip would be on the 70 going to Silver Spring
Base Fare $1.00
Pentagon Surcharge 25¢
Children 4 or under with adult Free
(Only 2 children per paying customer)
Transfers upon boarding Free
DASH honors the Regional One Day Bus Pass, the Metrorail-to-bus transfer plus 25¢, Metrobus Flash Passes, combined Metrorail/Metrobus Passes, VRE/MARC rail tickets, and the DASH PASS for DASH's Base fare and the Pentagon Surcharge. Regional Bus Transfers, and Metrobus regular tokens are accepted for the Base fare. Metrobus tickets are accepted at face value. If you are traveling to or from the Pentagon Metrorail station, you must pay the Pentagon Surcharge or show the driver a DASH Pass or other valid pass. Please note that WMATA Student, Senior, and Disabled fare media are not accepted on DASH.
So, it looks like we'd just have to pay an extra $.25 to ride the AT4. Not bad though. If we didn't want to do that, I'm sure we could catch a bus at Southern Towers, like the 7A or 7F and take that to the Pentagon instead.
Peace
David
I would have loved to see artics on the M57 a few years ago, before construction on the new headhouse began -- until then, buses made a u-turn on Broadway at 73rd.
BUT what would be even stranger would be one of the 5 Orion 6 buses on the M60!
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
(How many times does this have to be pointed out?)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
That said, I don't see why the M60 would be a good candidate for artics to begin with. Standard NYCT policy is to increase headways when artics are introduced to a line. Given that M60 passengers are on a tight schedule, wouldn't it make more sense to increase service by decreasing current headways on 40-foot buses than by increasing headways and using 60-foot buses?
Artics are not good for passengers. Sure, they're good if they replace the same number of standard buses, but transit agencies base schedules on passenger capacities, not on raw numbers of vehicles. If the agency is going to assign 120 feet worth of bus over a 15-minute period, it can assign artics at 7.5-minute headways or standard buses at 5-minute headways. The artics yield 50% longer waits and 50% longer dwell times at each stop.
The crosstown ride, including stops, takes much longer now than it did before the artics came to the line.
I've been discovering lately that on many artics the a/c doesn't work in the rear section. In this weather, that means that buses with lower effective capacities than 40-foot buses are running at headways designed for 60-foot buses.
Let's also not forget that the traffic is bad all day long,illegal double parked vechicles,traffic light's taking too long to change.All of that is what makes the ride slow,not the bus itself.It takes 20mins to get from Broadway to Lexington Av;which is where I got off a few times,other times on Madison Av; and that's pretty normal.So you can't say that the M86 is slow because of the type of bus it uses,it's everything around the bus that makes the ride as slow as a snail.
David G, would you agree with all this or do you wish to disprove MDT with some other argument?
Actually, I've noticed that, while waiting on a long line to board at Broadway, the dispatcher often sends an empty bus out, straight to Amsterdam. About two weeks ago this actually worked to my advantage: it was sent out shortly before the bus I was on finished loading, so we only picked up one passenger at Amsterdam, we bypassed Columbus entirely (much to the dismay of a passenger who didn't realize she had to ring if she wanted to get off), and at CPW we stopped, unloaded, loaded, and passed the other bus. Usually the second bus is sent out while there's still a long line waiting to board the first, so both end up picking up crowds at subsequent stops.
If 50 people at one stop have to board a single bus through a single door and have to pay at a single farebox, it takes a while. (That's no exaggeration -- it's not uncommon for the bus to be SRO before leaving Broadway.)
Incidentally, I've found that WB trips are much faster than EB trips, probably because it takes much less time to let people off the bus than to let them on.
Most bus passengers transfer. At very busy stops on artic routes, why can't boarding be allowed through the rear door? Some passengers will get free rides but most will just end up paying at the transfer point.
The issue with buses not passing on 79th Street is this: I was waiting for a bus at Lexington. Two buses came, the first of which was packed. The second one waited across the street and held up westbound traffic. When the first bus left, the second bus pulled in, which I decided to take figuring it would be considerably emptier (which it was). We never passed the first bus. Now, there was no one wanting to get off the second bus at Lexington, it could have gone striaght to Madison to pick up anyone waiting there. Then, the first bus (now behind the second bus) could have picked up the people at 5th. This would have meant the people at Madison would have gotten a bus sooner and the people on the second bus didn't have to make the uncessecary Lexington stop just to pick me up so I could ride the less crowded, slower bus. It would also reduce traffic (when a bus pulls over to wait for the stop to clear, there is only one lane to get by), create a more balanced load on the two buses and a faster trip.
I find the bus speeds up dramatically once it passes the park going westbound since hardly anyone gets on. Eastbound, alot of people stil do get on at 5th, Madison, and Lex, so it isn't as fast.
Chapter 11 Choo Choo (Lyrics)
www.railfanwindow.com
Peace,
ANDEE
Consider this: If I have to come in and clean up the mess, so to speak, do you really think I will spend the time to determine who's right -- or just throw it all out and start over as has happened before?
So why don't you kids just go sit in opposite corners of the playground and cool off.
Peace,
ANDEE
MANHATTAN DIVISION-TA
126th Street Depot(also called Manhattan Depot)
M15-M22-M-27-M29-M31
M27 was later split into two routes M 27 and M 50
M29 later redesignated M66
MANHATTAN MABSTOA DEPOT ASSIGNMENTS
132 ND Street Depot
M3-M4-M5-M20
146th Street Depot
M1-M2-M7-M10-Bx30
100th Street Depot
M-18,M-19,X-23,M101,M102
54th Street Depot
M6-M17-M28-M30-M32-M 103,M106
Hudson Depot
M8-M9-M11-M13-M14-M16-M21-M26
Amsterdam Depot
M35-M100-M104
I will outline the changes in later posts
Thank You
Wayne
Amsterdam did not have the Bx 6 because it was not the current route.
Prior to Spring of 1984 when the Bronx Bus routes were reorganized the current Bx 6 was the Bx 34 and was assigned to West Farms
The only Bronx routes in Manhannat OA depots were the Bx 30(part of todays Bx 19) and the Bx 33.
All other Bronx routes were assigned to the 3 Bronx depots
Kingsbridge
West Farms
Colusieam
Thank You
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
The 54th St Depot was located on 54th St and 9th Av OR on 54th St between 9th and 10th Avs. Also the following was renumbered:
M13 - M8
M18 - M86
M19 - M96
M26 - M23
M28 - M57 (actually I believe the M28 and the OLD M103 were combined to form the M57)
M32 - Q32
That should help!
Vince
Peace
David
Old/current
M13/M8
M26/M23
M32/Q32
M106/M42
M28/M57
M29/M66
M17/M79
M18/M86
M19/M106
M20/M116
M34 created from M16
M50 created from M27
M58 created from M57
M72 created from M30
M96 created from M19
Some crosstowns like the Grand St & 59 St crosstowns were cancelled. 54 St was somewhere around 6 Av or something like that and most of their routes went to HP I believe.
Wayne
54th Street Depot was located on 9th Ave at 54th Street on the south east side of the street.
I believe the TA has built a new Transit Command Center at the site
Thank You
Thank You
It should be pointed out that before late 1984 the TA and OA were seperate operating groups
The TA Surfice Division had 4 divisions
1-Brooklyn
2-Queens
3-Staten Island
4-Manhattan which consisted of 126th Street Depot only
MABSTOA had the following depots and was operated seperatly from the TA with even the buses marked seperatly
132nd Street
146th Street
100th Street
Hudson Pier
Amsterdam
Kingsbridge
West Farms
Colussieam
Thank You
No other major changes took place until the Spring of 1984 when the Javits Center opened. At that time the M-106 was redesignated the M-42 and transferred to Hudson from 54th Street and the M-26 was transferred from Hudson to 54th Street. The reason was that the TA wanted both Javits Center routes in the same depot. At the same time the M-34 was the new designation of the 34th Street Crosstown service which operated from 1st Ave to 12th Ave only. The 1st Ave to W 42nd St Pier service remained the M-16
In late June of 1984 132nd Street Depot was ordered closed due to building structure problems. It was closed 3 days later with the routes relocated as follows: M3 to 146th Street,M4 to Hudson,M5 to Kingsbridge and the M 20 to Amsterdam. The routes were still considered 132nd Street Depot routes and were operated by 132 St Depot drivers. At that time some buses mostly RTS were most likely used on different routes because of the electric signs so it was possible for a Hudson Bus to be used on the M-4 and a 132 Street bus to be used on the M-14.
The following changes were made in the fall of 1984
M3 to Amsterdam
M4 to 146 Street
M5 to Kingsbridge
M6 from 54 St to Hudson
M 10 from 146 St to 54 St
M11 from Hudson to 54 St
M 20 to 146 St
M32 from 54 St to Hudson
M35 from Amsterdam to 146 St
More changes later
Thank You
100 St
M18(I)/M86
M19
M101
M102
Hudson Pier
M6
M9
M13/M8
M14
M16
M21
M22
M23
M34
M42
M32/Q32
126 St
M15
M27
M31
M35
M50
M29/M66
Manhattanville
M3
M4
M5
M10
M11
M18
M30
M28/M57
M72
M98
Amsterdam
M17/M79
M104
M20(I)/M116
146 St/Mother Clara Hale
M1
M2
M7
M60
Also, the M100 was in Kingsbridge at the time. All corrections welcome.
Minivans vs. NJT Route 190 for Paterson/Passaic to NY Service (NJT is winning)
Minivans vs. NJT Route 171 for Route 4 Service (Vans are winning)
Minivans vs. NJT Route 128 for Boulevard East Service (Tied)
Minivans vs. NJT Route 88 for Kennedy Blvd Service (Tied)
Minivans vs. NJT Route 84/86 for Bergenline Service (Tied)
Minivans vs. NJT Route 126 for Hoboken Service (NJT is winning)
Minivans vs. NJT Route 166 for Upper Bergen County East (NJT is winning)
And the biggest war of them all....
Minivans vs. NJT & Rockland Coaches for Fort Lee Bridge Plaza Service (NJT and Rockland is winning)
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Trevor Logan
Rockland Coaches Operator
As for Fort Lee Bridge Plaza, Rockland Coach is actually ahead of the game of NJT. When NJT moved the fare to $1.40 to cross the bridge, everyone ran to Rockland and the Vans which remained at $1 to cross. NJT seen that was hurting them and moved the fare back to $1. However the customers still run for the Rockland Buses over the NJT buses in the bridge terminal. As a FIRST HAND experience-er of this.....my 10:30 14 Trip parallels a 10:30 NJT 178 Trip which we copy each others route up to Englewood. Though my bus is 5 cents more to Englewood, my bus gets flooded and the 178 leaves just about empty handed (He can never keep up with me, teehee, I always leave him in dust, full load or not). About 80% of the passengers are Bridge Plaza passengers. I'm like whoa!
90% of the money the dollar vans make is in Inbound to NY while outbound they are usually empty. This is where we make most of our money. Though I have experienced pulling up to bridge plaza, NY bound at the same time as a Van and people will pick the bus over the van because the vans sit and try to pack the bus up before going across, thus wasting people's time.
Trevor
Tony M.
Seriously, I guess those guys have to eat too. Usually, minibuses and vans can point out certain flaws in the NJT service. Other times it could highlight how SUCCESSFUL a service is. From the 171's schedule, NJT has given up on even trying to compete, whereas the 126's territory runs lots of buses and Academy wants a small slice and the vans have to take scraps.
Tony M.
Meadowlands Garage.
IMMY?
Peace,
ANDEE
Nice poem, BTW. 8-)
Peace,
ANDEE
Peace,
ABDEE
I would like to know if someone can provide me info on the NJT Bus roster. Can someone post the roster depot-by-depot OR e-mail it to me? The roster does not have to be accurate. I wish the roster was like the Transitalk.org's NYCT style rosters!! There is a guy by the name of "Ctrabs74" that has the roster BUT it is not available. Can anybody help me? Thanksin advance!
Vince
http://www.davemackey.com/njt
Steve
#9299 - B6
#9232 - B6 - LTD
#9303 - B1
#9323 - B6
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
#9078 - B4
#9317 - B6 - LTD - NEW Nova On B6 2day
Getting on topic there is a abundance of Nova Suburbans at UP and some of the Remans aren't in service so they have no choice but to do that on the B6.
#9077 - B4
#9102 - B6
Peace,
ANDEE
5619-5699 100th street
5700-5741 MJQ
5742-5769 CS why is Quill getting so many artics and depots that need more buses such as CS or a depot like QV which needs artics because they have lines where buses are jam packed on sunday nights and I've been on routes that Quill uses artics for and the whole damn bus is empty.
David
http://www.busstation.net/screen/screenfms.htm
"No Way To Treat A Lady": George Segal and Lee Remick ride an M15 along various parts of 2nd Avenue.
"Bye Bye Braverman": George Segal rides a bus again, and fantasizes about being a bus driver.
"You're A Big Boy Now" (directed by Francis Ford Coppola): Karen Black rides a bus away from the Times Square area.
Peace,
ANDEE
Catch Me If You Can: Had a scene in the film that had a New Look bus across the street, but with the incorrect signs used in the 60's timeperiod (NYCT never used the Red and Blue signs until the mid 70's)
Coogan's Bluff (1968), The Odd Couple (1968), and Live and Let Die (1973, does list the double decker buses used, and smashed in the film.) all had brief shots of New Look buses in the background.
Peace,
ANDEE
Nighthawks (1979): used a Fishbowl in the climax sequence at Roosevelt Island.
Third Watch: (NBC). Had an episode last year, the bank robbery and hostage episode at Queens Plaza. The female officer portrayed in the series gets off an old RTS bus from the PA era (1983-84?). I saw the filming took place there and the bus parked in the lot, they used a now vacant location from a Chase Bank that was closed previously near the parking lot for the majority of the bank hostage scenes. All they had to do was to install fake signs inside and outside the bank.
Peace,
ANDEE
It also leaves out a 1988 Dan Aykroyd movie called 'The Couch Trip'. There's a scene in the movie where a bunch of transit buses are chartered to take a bunch of people somewhere. I didn't finish the movie, but what I saw of it made it seem like an OK movie.
Peace,
ANDEE
Peace,
ANDEE
In the backward land of Iowa that I live in, the Des Moines MTA still gets away with it.
Prices are quoted on their website: http://www.dmmta.com
It sort of ticks me off that me and the company I work for has to compete with them and the buses they get with federal money. I have no problem with them filling in when there is a massive local transportation need of course, but if any Joe off the street wants a bus they can get one without patronizing the private bus companies in the area.
-Mike
One exception to the no charter rule for transit systems is if the group looking to charter a coach wants a specific type of coach not available at a private carrier, the transit system is allowed to take the charter. The local system where I'm at has had several buses chartered out for use in movies specifically because no local private carrier had current model transit equipment needed for the filming. Also they have done many private charters over the years due to the specific equipment requirements that the private carriers were unable to handle.
Another exception to the regulation is if the charter requires the use of transit infrastructure (such as garage tours/filming or busway running/filming) where the private sector buses are unable to be then the transit system can take the charter.
Yet another exception is if the transit system is one of the sponsors of an event then it can utilize it's equipment for the movement of people related to the event.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=49&PART=604&SECT;ION=9&YEAR=2000&TYPE=TEXT
Also sometime around 1982 we went on a trip to see the cherry blossoms and tour of Wash., DC. From New York we rode Liberty Lines GMC deck-and-a-half (probably a H6H-649) #1101. Once we arrived in DC we boarded a charterd a MetroBus (WMATA) which was a GMC TDH-5304 (I wish I could remember the fleet number) for the actual tour.
At this time I know Liberty Lines had buses (w/ lavs) that regularly did charter work, but did make the occasional line run too.
Wayne
Pelham PArkway Express and New York Bus Service also did a considerable amount of charter work into the 70s and 80s.
As for the Liberty Line Buffalos,(deck and a halfs) they also had some MC8s and used those mostly for charter work along with occasional line runs.
Wayne service.
Do you remember the Pelham Parkway Flxibles with 6V71 and four speed manual transmission?
BTW - If you do remember the Flxibles, did any of them make into service for Liberty Lines after Liberty took over Pelham Parkway Express? What ever happened to those Flxibles anyway? Were they sold off? Scrapped? They couldn't have been that all old at the time.
NJ Transit owned, but privately operated MCIs are allowed to be used for private charters except during peak travel periods. That's why I'd see an occasional D40/4500 in Academy colors down at Vet Stadium after a Phillies or Eagles game to transport teams either to the Airport or to the team hotel (although lately, I've been seeing more E/J series MCIs handling that work).
Peace,
ANDEE
Here are your clues:
The item is forward the white line, not in the passenger area.
The item is easily viewable from anywhere inside the bus.
The item is the only one of it's kind on an RTS at QV.
Colors and textures are irrelevant. Fonts and styles are irrelevent.
You must indicate the item and describe why it is different.
You have 2 weeks to find, ride and report your findings. DO NOT EMAIL! Post your findings here on the board wiuthin this thread.
Good luck!
Is that your final answer?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
If nobody guses correctly, and you want the stuff, you win.
http://mathiasen.com/scantran/
Here's a teaser photo of the Stockholm T-Bana.
Trans-Bridge ticket agents
The heat must've been making me see things. -_-
Wayne
Peace
David
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
The Q44 has a school tripper in the Bronx??? O_o
David
B1,B3,B4,B6,B36,B64,B68*,B74,"F",X25,X27/X37,X28/X38,X29.
The express routes don't count becasue they are covered by the MCI, but Ulmer Park now has the B68(10 runs)-they do need better buses. And more. Hope this happens soon.
B68-#9317-NOVABUS(run #102)
B68-#9339-NOVABUS(Run #108)
Please tell us how many runs or partial runs are not being covered due to "no bus." Please also tell us how many local buses (not including spares) are required to provide full service on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. In addition, please tell us what the local vehicle requirement (not including spares) was in the Spring Pick -- weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
David
B1-#9302-NOVABUS
B3-#9304-NOVABUS
Peak Vehicle Requirements, Spring 2003 (local only, not including spares):
WEEKDAY: 144
SATURDAY: 106
SUNDAY: 85
Peak Vehicle Requirements, Summer 2003 (local only, not including spares):
WEEKDAY: 142
SATURDAY: 140
SUNDAY: 116
Notice that in both Picks, the most buses are required on weekdays (though not by much in the summer, with the large F Beach shuttle in place this year). Notice also that the peak vehicle requirement for local buses is LOWER (again, not by much, but still lower) in the summer than it was in the spring.
By the way, I looked at the operating statistics for the first six days of July this morning. Not one run or partial run, ANYWHERE IN THE SYSTEM, Ulmer Park or otherwise, was blown due to "no bus." So folks, before making "expert" pronouncements such as "Such-and-such Depot is short on buses," please do the research.
David
Peace
David
BTW: Gun Hill Depot already put up the new pick for september & no change routes.
David
Sorry.
2. I comming around the AM Rush Hour and I would like to know where do the LIRR Feeder Bus lets people off? Is it on NYS 110 right by the station?
3. Do they still have any Orion1's?
1 - The HART garage is at 144 E. 2nd Street, corner of Lenox Road, Huntington Station, NY. Telephone # 631 - HARTBUS (631-427 8287).
It is walking distance from the station....Get to the south platform, go toward the east end of the station, walk through or around the garage. When you come to the east end of the garage you'll see Lenox Road. The back of one of the garage buildings will be on your far right hand corner.
2 - The LIRR feeder bus, which is actually HART routes "Commuter Red and Commuter Blue" drop off at the traffic circle on the west end of the south platform.....Not a big deal if you miss it since they use regular HART buses, not any special buses for the Commuter Service.
3 - Based on a casual conversation with a driver about 10 days ago the three Orion I's (301-303) as well as the Gilligs (401 - 404) are gone. They've been replaced with Orion 7's (801-808) in a new livery. You'll have some new and old liveries to photo.
If you're looking just for pics-----stay toward the back of the arriving train. That's where the drop-off point is..... The only Suffolk Transit Bus that passed is the S-1. It goes straight up Rte 110 at the west edge of the station...It hasn't looped into the RR station in many years.
Check HART and ST schedules ot see if any will pass in the 11 Minutes you're at the station....Also you'll probably have to cross from B to A for the PJ train so you lose about 1 minute there.
Let's just say, it's the five-borough bus excursion that was postponed until further notice from June 19, 2003. It was held off due to the fact that the main coordinator of the trip, "MCI 1979/R62A 1979" (Gary C) was unable to attend...July 26th and July 3, 2003 were not available due to the other main coordinator, yours truly, who was unable to attend the trip...so, this is why it's going to be July 10th.
For those who don't know or don't remember the trip itinerary, this excursion is a special one, where we travel throughout the five boroughs of New York City BY NYCT BUS...NO subway, and we reach all five boroughs in a single day, exploring, chasing, inspecting, photographing, and riding the various equipment that NYCT has to offer...we hope to ride one of every bus model, from the ever-so-common RTS to the new Orion VIIs currently running in Brooklyn; the only models we will not eb able to ride are the MCIs (unless when we get to S.I., we all have $4 Pay-Per-Ride Metrocards for the ride on the X1 after visiting S.I. Mall and taking the S79 down to Arthur Kill Rd or the S44 to Port Richmond for the X10) and the Vikings...which are found on the x51...
The trip will begin at Grand Central Terminal, in front of the Transit Museum gift shop, at 9:30am, so I'd suggest getting to the meeting place at around 9am-9:15am. The itinerary will be as follows:
After GCT, we will be taking the following bus to and from the following locations, expecting to ride the following equipment:
1--M102 42nd/3rd to 145th/Lenox (to ride a D60HF, preferrably a 2002 D60HF)
2--Bx19 145th/Lenox to Hunts Point--Westchester/Southern or The HUB--3rd/149th (to ride an Orion V)
3--Bx4 Westchester/Southern to Parkchester (to ride a 2000 D60HF)
4--Q44 Parkchester to Flushing--Main/Roosevelt (to ride an Orion V)
LUNCH STOP
5--Q58 Main/41 Rd to Ridgewood--Myrtle/Wyckoff (to ride an RTS, preferrably one of the Cummins RTS's, #9140-9149)
6--B26 Ridgewood to Tompkins Av/Halsey or B52 Ridgewood to Gates/Tompkins (to ride an RTS, preferrably a Cummins RTS, #9140-9149), whichever line has the more interesting equipment when we get there...
7--B43 Tompinks Av to Prospect Park (to ride a CNG bus, preferrably C40LF or Orion V or VII)
8--B16 Prospect Park to Bay Ridge--86th/4th (to ride a CNG bus (preferrably a C40LF or Orion V or VII)
9--S79 Bay Ridge to S.I. Mall, in front of Yukon Depot (to ride an Orion V)...
END OF TRIP
After that, we can either ride the S79 to Arthur Kill/Richmond for the X1 or the S44 to Port Richmond for the X10 or the S44 or S61 to the S.I. Ferry back to Manhattan...once back in Manhattan, we can do whatever as a group or individually, split and call it a day...
I know this may seem like short notice, but if ANYONE is interested in this trip, please let me know either by replying to this message or by e-mail (carlwal@hotmail.com)
THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL WHO RESPOND!
Incognito
??? Methinks you mean July 10.
Peace,
ANDEE
Wayne
My thinking is that the DC area BusTalkers could even travel to/from NYC together.
Whatever you guys decide to do... I'll try my best to make it.
Perry - If you decide to do BusTalk NYC '03... How do you think Pam would react:-)??? I'm already prepared for Nicole's humor;-).
Wayne
Wayne
Anyway, it's scheduled for July 10th (though I am debating right now whether I should go for it), and may also be scheduled for a day in August...I'd say in advance, the week of August 7, 2003, preferrably August 7th itself...
I will let you know within a few hours...
Thank you...
Incognito
I would have loved to go, though.
You'll have to be willing to ride the "A Train" to the Rockaways, to catch the N33 to Long Beach.
I'll be doing this on a Friday evening, right after work ... maybe the 25th. Once I get a consensus of my core group the trip will be on. Many of you have joined me in the past, it's a fun way to spend a summer's evening.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Michael
Washington, DC
Michael
Less confused in Washington, DC
Meal Period
Time between first and second halves of work.
David
David
Please post the run you indicated includes an 8-hour swing.
Thank you.
Since i do not work for the TA i can not give you an exact run but lets say it works like this
Report at 6AM
Pull Out at 6:10AM
Arrive Terminal at 6:15AM
Leave Terminal at 6:20AM
Arrive Manhattan Terminal at 8:00AM
Run Off from Manhattan Terminal and Arrive Quill-8:15AM
Pull Out from Quill to Manhattan Terminal-4:15PM
Arrive Manhattan Terminal at 4:30PM
Leave Manhattan Terminal for Original Terminal at 4:35PM
Arrive Original Terminal at 6:15PM
Run Off and Pull IN at Home Depot at 6:20PM
Clear at 6:25PM
Span-12:05
Pays-8:10
Swing-8:00(pays 4 hours only)
Veh Time-4:10
Report/Clear Time-15 min.
Can work something like this
Thank You
18/X2838: 11:33 spread, 8:17 swing, 8:00 pay
18/X2737: 11:25 spread, 8:02 swing, 8:00 pay
On the other hand, some runs with 8 hour swings pay much more than 8 hours. These runs tend to be on Staten Island, where the spreads are larger (since Staten Island is farther away from Manhattan than Brooklyn is).
David
David
Barry? David? Either of you familiar with the name of the system? It's NOT padprint or paddlall. It's similar to "NORAD 5" or whatever.
David
-Minimize equipment used: Each run is part of a bigger schedule. You want as few buses doing as much work as possible.
-Humane schedules: Buses don't need as much rest as the driver. In the contract, the union specifies certain minimums since some planners (although very good) have never actually driven a bus. If you are at a private firm that has no such guidelines, just pretend that you had to drive the runs you are constructing. I use a 5 minute turnaround, and a meal break every 4-5 hours of driving time.
-Interlining: Interlining can improve bus utilization without being overly hard on the driver. The X27 --> X25 is a nice interline run, since the driver is closer to their base at the end of each interline.
-Error checking: This depends on route characteristics, but when I runcut to estimate private sector costs, I check for too many long breaks, too few or many buses, and general bus utilization. Some routes cut better than others too...it's partially a gut feeling.
I cut by hand. It takes a LOT longer than software because I cut by bus and then by driver separately. Cutting a route like the Q11 or M101/M103 would probably take me around 2 hours or more. Chopping up NYBS routes took considerably less time due to their highly peaked schedules. It can be tedious, but you eventually get a feel for things.
David
Michael
Washington, DC
Michael
Washington, DC
My preference would be an 8 hour run with one of David's 8 hour swings. The swing would only pay 4 hours... but contractually, I must be paid a minimum of 8 hours. Because the swing is better than 59 minutes, I receive 10 minutes on each end. So with this particular run, I'd report at 6 AM. Pull out at 6:10 AM. Pull in at 6:10 AM. Swing for 8 hours. Return at 2:10 PM. Pull out at 2:10 PM. Pull in at 2:10 PM. Clear at 2:20 PM.
Of course I'm kidding.. there couldn't POSSIBLY be a run like this.. right?
Are you sure?
I'll try and get the latest complete roster of artics as soon as I get a chance.
Peace
David
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
TOTAL NUMBER OF ARTICS - 64
FLEET NUMBERS - 5526, 5528-5555, 5557, 5558, 5560-5563, 5565-5589, 5590, 5591, 5594, 5596.
The 3 50xx's Nova RTS's on the Fleet Status Board with "ENY" written next to them are #'s 5041, 5050, 5053. Once again I don't know if this means the buses were assigned to East New York Depot or were sent to the East New York Base Shop for maintenance.
The following 90xx Nova RTS's are still assigned to 126th Street; 9044, 9049, 9206, 9207, 9209, 9211-9220, 9222, 9224-9227.
The balance of the 126 fleet is comprised of 81xx & 84xx TMC RTS's & 70xx & 75xx RTS Remans.
We didn't :-)
Seriously -- why should articulated buses not be assigned to Michael Quill Depot? Do none of the routes operating out of the depot have loads that justify running articulated buses? Is there something physically wrong with the depot that precludes their being stored or maintained properly at Quill?
David
David
The
Bx19
M7
Q5
Q85
Q44
Q46
Q12
Q27
Q20A
B41
B46
M101
M34
M42
Q17
Q43
Q113
Q65
??Q36??
My comments are given below. In some cases, a listed route is scheduled with another route (for efficiency), so that artics would have to go to both routes or neither.
Bx19 - I've heard that artics might be too heavy for the bridge into Riverbank State Park.
Q5, Q85 - I'm not sure if Jamaica Depot can fit artics.
M34 - scheduled with M16.
M101 - scheduled with M102, M103.
Q113 - scheduled with Q111.
Q44 - scheduled with Q20A, Q20B.
Q20A - scheduled with Q20B, Q44.
David
Peace
David
This comes from years of experience as a student on the west side who needed to check out the hot chicks on the east side:)
If a line is crowded, the old fashioned solution -- reduce headways -- is the most passenger-friendly one.
Peace
David
One of the remans was scrapped a few months ago but I don't recall which number.
Hopefully, this is not a trend that will continue. Anyway, I believe the bus was 7535 or 7538.
The Remans date back to 1981/1982. Granted they were remanufactured, but some of them are in terrible shape. If the city was smart, they would simply scrap the buses that are in the worst shape first. Now that would be logical thing to do, but let's not forget that this is New York City we are talking about
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
3160, the first RTS repower for NYCTwas scrapped and I would of thought that would of been saved & preserved.
-AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Tony M.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
I was traveling in Queens and here's my observations:
MTA New York City Transit:
1985 GMC RTS-04 #4019 - Q17 (Looks good on the outside)
1986 GMC RTS-06 #4559 - NIS (on the corner of 89th Av and Merrick. I believe this would have been a Q3)
1986 GMC RTS-06 #4561 - ?
1990 TMC RTS-06 #8355 - ?
1990 TMC RTS-06 #8363 - ?
1990 TMC RTS-06 #8373 - ?
1990 TMC RTS-06 #8374 - Q36
1990 TMC RTS-06 #8392 - Q75
1993 Orion 05.501 #267 - Q76 (FINALLY REPOWERED!)
1993 Orion 05.501 #289 - Q27
1995 Orion 05.501 #525 - Q2
1995 Orion 05.501 #529 - Q43
1995 Orion 05.501 #568 - Q27 (entering Queensborough Community College)
1995 Orion 05.501 #613 - Q2
1995 Orion 05.501 #623 - Q88
1996 NovaBus RTS-06 #8972 - Q3
1996 NovaBus RTS-06 #9051 - Q3
1996 NovaBus RTS-06 #9268 - Q17
1996 NovaBus RTS-06 #9281 - Q17
1996 NovaBus RTS-06 #9287 - Q75 (was sitting on the left side of 89th Av next to the Queens Central Library before becoming the Q75)
1996 NovaBus RTS-06 #9288 - Q43?
1996 NovaBus RTS-06 #9290 - Q75
1996-1998 GMC RTS-04 (Remanufactured) #7014 - Q1
1996-1998 GMC RTS-04 (Remanufactured) #7029 - NIS (On Union Tpke at 188th St...I think it was the Q46)
1998 NovaBus RTS-06 #9354 - Q2
1998 NovaBus RTS-06 #9360 - Q30
1998 NovaBus RTS-06 #9380 - Q36
1998 NovaBus RTS-06 #9556 - Q17
1998 NovaBus RTS-06 #9561 - Q17
1999 NovaBus RTS-06 #4908 - Q30
1999 NovaBus RTS-06 #4911 - Q36
1999 NovaBus RTS-06 #4925 - Q31
1999 NovaBus RTS-06 #5152 - Q3
1999 NovaBus RTS-06 #5156 - Q3 (Bus #9051 was at the Jamaica Bus Terminal picking up passengers OR dropping off passengers. Bus #5156 was picking up passengers on 89th Av....THE STREET! Not inside the terminal on the Q3 slot but next to it. The bus was not near a curb. Is that some sort of violation?)
2002 MCI D4501 #2883 - X68
Jamaica Bus Lines:
1985 GMC RTS-04 #529 - Q110
Green Bus Lines:
1985 GMC RTS-04 #282 - Q8
1985 GMC RTS-04 #281 - Q6
1985 GMC RTS-04 #243 - NIS (sitting on the left side of 171st St just off Hillside Av...weird spot for a bus)
Queens Surface Corporation:
1998 Orion 05.501 CNG #500 - QM1A (sitting idle....Not In Service)
1998 Orion 05.501 CNG #530 - QM1A (sitting idle....Not In Service)
MTA Long Island Bus:
1991 Orion 05.501 #608 - N6
1991 Orion 05.501 #624 - N22
1991 Orion 05.501 #652 - N22 (looked like it was broke down on 165th St near Hillside Av just after it left the terminal in Jamaica. However, this bus was moving as it picked up passengers on Hillside Av near 182nd St....the 179th St Station stop for the N22.)
1991 Orion 05.501 #654 - ?
1996 Orion 05.501 CNG #160 - N6
1996 Orion 05.501 CNG #174 - N6
1996 Orion 05.501 CNG #176 - N22
1996 Orion 05.501 CNG #198 - N24
2000 Orion 05.501 CNG #314 - N22
2000 Orion 05.501 CNG #323 - N6
2000 Orion 05.501 CNG #365 - N6
No NEW traffic lights to report! All of this is legit stuff so compare it to your notes!
Enjoy!
Vince!
1990 TMC RTS-06 #8374 was repowered when I saw it. As for 1996-1998 GMC RTS-04 Remanufactured #7029...it was ON Union Tpke. So maybe it was the Q46. It was not the Q75 because 1996 NovaBus RTS-06 buses #9287 and #9290 passed each other at 188th St and Union Tpke before I got to Union Tpke.
Vince
Wow, I thought that was repowered already! The only non-repowered 1993 Orions I knew of recently was 291 & 310.
I failed to post the Web site for Trans-Bridge Lines.
Thanks.
I have had this idea for quite some time, ever since I started travelling extensively and getting to know the transit agencies in this region, for about 3-5 years now...and this plan seems very doable...I actually carried out part of this plan once, but not to its fullest...
In short, this trip attempts to accomplish riding ONLY TRANSIT BUSES from New York City to Connecticut in a single day...
Here's the itinerary:
We start at Grand Central Terminal in the early AM, maybe 930am, like the 5-boro bus excursion...then as follows:
1--MTA NYCT M101/102/M103 to 125th Street
2--MTA NYCT Bx15 to Third Av/149th
3--MTA NYCT Bx2 to Mosholu/Grand Concourse
4--Bee-Line #20 to White Plains TransCenter ($1.75)
LUNCH STOP possibly here, or Stamford
5--CT Transit I-bus to Stamford ($2.50)
6--CT Transit #41 (former F line) to Norwalk WHEELS Hub (Norwalk Mall)(($1)
7--GBTA Coastal Link (CL-2) to CT Post Mall (about $1, forgot the price)
8--CT Transit O line to downtown New Haven ($1)
(For NYCT travel, I'd suggest an Unlimited-Ride MC)
From New Haven, we will take Metro-North BACK down to GCT (it's about $11.50), while waiting for our train, we can either do some bus sighting or Amtrak watching at New Haven's Union Station...we'll see...
Approximate travel time: 6-8 hours, NOT including the MNR travel down from CT
A date hasn't been set yet, but it's just an idea, if any of you would be interested, please feel free to reply here or e-mail me...
Thank you
Incognito
More later...
Incognito
We also had a little trouble with starting the bus. The bus was submerged under 4 feet of water in a flood back in February, and there is now a short somewhere between the starter switch and the solenoid; we had to use two screwdrivers in order to get it going, but it ran quite well. Does anyone know how to fix this?
Here's a little tip for those of you working on AMGs for the first time: when pulling the lower back seats, there are two brackets underneath on either side. All you have to do is undo the center bolt on each side with a 7/16" wrench, and it comes right out!
-F.
-F.
Regards,
Mark Valera
www.transitalk.org
So my question to you is whether or not NJTransit is rehabbing these buses?
Is it just cosmetic or are they going to redo the mechanics also (total rebuilding)?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Tony M.
Meadowlands Garage.
Chapter 11 Choo Choo (Lyrics)
www.railfanwindow.com
Links:
CNN
Locol News, in Chinese, with photo
Loco News, in Chinese, with photo
See also: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030710/wl_afp/hongkong_accident_030710110829
Thanks for the link. The accident is really a tragedy....>_<
Stephen
PS. A little side story. The bus is a Neoplan Centroliner with Cummins ISM and ZF5HP590 and entered service in Nov 2000 with a fleet number of AP69, JU4667.
A similar bus
Wayne
Michael
Washington, DC
Kind of reminds me of a trip on United Airlines I made back in 1989 from LAX to IDA with a stop a Stapleton in Denver. When we took off from Stapleton the flight crew was larger then the number of people aboard a McDonnell Douglas DC 10.
John
As I recall, the B47 used to run from Lefferts Gardens to the Bridge Plaza until it was retired and replaced by the B43. Now it's back and replacing the B40, which is now retired. When did this change happen?
What this person is talking about is today's B47 which operates from Kings Plaza to Woodhull Hospital via Ralph Ave.
The B47 is nothing more than the merging of the old B40 and B78 routes into one. It happend last September I believe.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
1998 Nova-RTS: 9620, 9624, 9645
1999 Nova-RTS: 5025, 5030, 5045, 5176, 5189, 5194
#9620 - M5
#9645 - M3
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Peace
David
#6350 - M3
incognito
a base fare of $1.75 will not help the average rider. It will hurt the average rider. The only people who pay $2 are occasional riders ie mostly tourists and out of towners. LET THEM PAY. Why? it costs more to sell them their fare
A $10 MetroCard is valid for 6 rides. That's $1.67 per ride, plus free transfers.
Any ruling by the lower court can not be taken seriously as unbiased
2) I know that the BM10 had the highest ridership. Am I correct to assume that the BM15 was second?
Any other information about the operations would be appreciated.
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
We got back to College Park a little after 2 and I fit in a ride to Fair Oaks Mall this afternoon on the 1C when I got home. Nice that I was waiting at the stop and the bus blew right past me. I was like, #$@%$!@#$! and waving frantically. I don't think I could have been closer to the curb to let him know I was waiting there without standing in the right lane. I saw him slow down before the light, so I ran after it. Another WMATA bus driver was getting off and I guess the two of them talking distracted him. The driver apologized to me for passing by and I told him it was no problem and that I needed the excercise. He passed two other stops along the way after people had pulled the cord and yelled at him to stop. Those times were because he was talking to a passenger sitting in the front side seat.
Too bad we all couldn't have stayed all day at the rodeo!
Chuck
It was definitely a good time. Finally had a nice day to enjoy outside. The three and a half hours or so we were there was a good amount of time, though. It looks like it was going to make the local media up there as I saw two TV trucks. On NBC 10 van was on the course.
Chuck
The NJT 45 foot MCI was really sweet looking, along with the low floor NABI from Wilmington and the slopeback SEPTA RTS.
Wayne
Wayne
Incognito
The annual bus roadeo will be held this Saturday, July 12 at the Philadelphia Park Racetrack, located in Bensalem, PA. Come out for the roadeo and support your favorite depot. Enjoy the free food, games and music. Clowns, artists, moonwak and more. SEPTA medical will be there with many healthcare partners for a medical fair. There will also be a large bus display, along with the double decker tour bus which is currently operating through center city.
Sounds good to me! : )
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
Bill "Newkirk"
It is possible that this is one of the ex-Golden Gate Transit fishbowls owned for a short time by Central Jersey Bus.
I have photos of that bus on the 19B...it has orange signs on all three sides...
Incognito
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
B1-#9108-NOVABUS-REPAINTED!!!
The only suburban that would be good for UP that is not already there is 3965, but that bus was dumped in Kingsbridge a week ago (along with 3474). If I ran this system, I would swap all the non-Novas at QV for the UP suburbans (what UP would get is 4429, 4501, 8352, 8355-8396 in exchange for the UP suburbans, with the 8300s from Manhattanville being the other replacements, and 4874 could be scrapped as a result).
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
#9339 - Q36 - How But It
#9379 - B6 - Can'T u see it now
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Brooklyn:
B41
B46
Staten Island:
S61(yes, they had one tested back in 1992-in was a neoplan)
X1
Queens:
Q44
Q113(if the city ever took it over)
Manhattan:
M14
M15
M23
M57
M79
M86
M101/M102/M103
Bronx:
BX12
BX41
BX55
Some of these lines allready have them. Others, like the X1 did have articulated buses tested on the lines. Any one have other choices? remember, you must pick lines that you know the articualted can fit on-and dont pick the Q58,FP can't handle articulated buses nor would they fit through the streets.
I don't see what the width of the streets in Fresh Pond territory has to do with whether or not artics are to be used on that depot's routes.
David
2) Artics have a tighter turning radius than standard 40' buses.
David
David
David
Brooklyn
B41
B44
Manhattan
M7
M14 [swap bus stock with M86]
M42
M96
M101
Queens>
Q17
Q27
Q43
Q44
Q85
Bronx
Bx36
Q12
Q20A
Q5
N6(won't ever happen)
Q6,8,9,41(won't ever happen)
A new Valley bus system set to launch Monday is only missing one thing: new buses. A manufacturing delay has pushed back the arrival of most of the 56 buses purchased by the city of Phoenix for the RAPID transit system.
The service will start with perhaps one or two new buses, which were scheduled to arrive Thursday, said Marie Chappel, Valley Metro spokeswoman. Current Valley Metro buses will run in place of the rest, to fill a total of 14 slots on two routes.
"In an ideal world, all our pieces would come together for RAPID," Chappel said. "The buses are a key point in this but they don't hold us back."
When the two buses do arrive, they may not both be in service Monday because they need to be registered and have radios and fare boxes installed, Chappel said.
The buses have been touted as the main attraction of RAPID, providing comfort and speed, patterned after a rail service. They are being manufactured in Hungary and finished at a plant in Alabama.
Nine buses are currently in Alabama and officials expect two to arrive in Phoenix each week and be added to the mix, Chappel said.
The delay is due to the new technology used by the buses' manufacturers, North American Bus Industries, said Patrick Rona, president and CEO.
"This is an extremely innovative product," Rona said. "With that kind of innovation, there's a learning curve."
Phoenix is the first city to use the buses, which are made of a plasticlike material similar to that of a sailboat. They are 5 feet longer and hold about five more people than current buses, but can still operate on only two axles. This allows the city to generate revenue by spending the same amount on operation and maintenance, Rona said.
The buses travel at freeway speeds with limited stops, making service faster and more efficient. They also feature higher ceilings, reading lights, adjustable armrests, reclining seats and storage racks.
The $50 million project will begin Monday, with or without the buses, because the two new routes are planned out and facilities such as bus stops and park-and-ride lots have been built. About 250 riders on three express bus service routes from Paradise Valley and Scottsdale will switch over to RAPID on Monday. Valley Metro officials have been posting schedules and riding along in the buses to inform commuters of the changes.
They will hold open houses Saturday at the new commuter lots to answer questions for prospective RAPID users. They plan to have the new buses on display. One new lot is at the northwest corner of 40th Street and Pecos Road, beginning the Interstate 10 East route.
The other is at the southwest corner of State Route 51 and Bell Road, beginning the SR-51 route. Parking is covered and each lot has a security guard.
The I-10 East route will have only one pickup and the SR-51 route will have three pickups. Both routes have about eight stops in the downtown area.
The service will run from 5 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m.
Officials predict RAPID will attract commuters who haven't used public transportation before.
"People who don't already ride the bus will ride this service," Chappel said. "We know because of things they told us they would like to get them out of their cars."
For more information, call Valley Metro Transit Information at (602) 253-5000.
http://phoenix.gov/PUBLICTRANSIT/rapid.html
http://www.valleymetro.org/
>"This is an extremely innovative product," Rona said. "With that >kind of innovation, there's a learning curve."
>Phoenix is the first city to use the buses, which are made of a >plasticlike material similar to that of a sailboat. They are 5 feet >longer and hold about five more people than current buses, but can >still operate on only two axles. This allows the city to generate >revenue by spending the same amount on operation and maintenance, >Rona said.
Oh yeah, THIS sounds promising. They shoulda asked about Hungarian buses from the TTC.
Besides being able to create a 45 foot bus on 2 axles at a weight that is allowed on US roads
These buses will be 20% more fuel effecient due to thier light stucture
The composite material is the same material used on all modern airplanes such as the BOEING 777
NYCT should order one or two of these buses for a long term multi-year test. If their frames prove to be durable enough on NYC roads this would result in significant fuel cost savings for NYCT. Combine them with hybrid technology and you can cut fuel costs by about 60%
The spokesperson for valley metro used a poor analogy as to the materials composition
A better comparison would be the Boeing 777 or airbus A320 which uses the same structural materials
http://www.nabiusa.com/buses/product_profile.cfm?bus_type=2&bus_id=13&link_id=46
Commin home, I got the 1:24(or sumtin around that) outta The Locusts. Again, a very nice driver. As soon as I got on, I got a, "hey, how are you?" I replied and then asked him if they take the doller coins(turns out they do). Again, a few minutes early. I didn't bother to check the time that we got to Port Wash BLVD and Main St. cuz I wasn't really in a rush to get to work. Just before I got off, I asked the driver if he drove the N23 on a regular basis. He told me sometimes, which explained the reason why I had rarley seen him(is this a common practice, drivers shifting between routes???) As I got off, he said, "Take care" and I told him the same. So all in all, I had to really great, nice drivers, both a few minutes early(which usually is not a good thing however, but w/e). Does anyone kno this drivers name(the bus was scheduled to arrive at Northern BLVD and Port Wash BLVD at 1:24 PM).
There's another driver who has always been nice to me since day 1. The first day I took LIB was from my school(Campus Dr. stop) to the library. He asked where I was headed and I told him the library. As we got to the library, I pushed the tape, and he had already known to stop there. He said back sayin, "Hey, yea, this is your stop." As I got off, I gave him my now usual, "see ya round, take care." He said you too. Everytime I see him we wind up talkin for a while. Ran into him in town once. Also, once at a red light, my mom pulled up beside his bus and we exchanged a few holiday greetings. Again, another really nice driver. I like most of the drivers on the N23, and even those occasional oddballs. Just 2 drivers I try to avoid though. There's one more who I was afraid of at first, but now every time he sees me he honks his horn and waves.
Basically, what are the names of the N23 regulars???
Started out at 2pm by taking the B8 took that to East 16 street where I get off to take the Q. So I wait a few minutes for the express to arrive at Newkirk Av so I hop on the R40 and I ride it to Dekalb Av then I see 4705 on the B38 so I take it to Fulton Mall/Jay St [saved some walking there] then I was hoping the B51 was there but it wasn’t coming for another 15 minutes so I take the 4 train instead at Borough Hall and I take it a couple of stops to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall where I will get off to catch the M22. I wait about 10 minutes before 9492 pulls up but then I see 8256 was right behind it and since it was on 15 minute headways in the midday maybe the 2:45pm was late anyway we do good and I see lots of bus swaps [buses in new depots; the list is coming up] then we get a W/C at City Hall, so that adds time then we go moderately via East Broadway & Madison St until I get off at Jackson St to catch the M14. So then I wait a few minutes until 8474 arrives and I hop on and we go kind of slow via Grand & Essex/Avenue A but on 14 St we pick up some decent speed until I get off at Union Sq to catch the 4 or 5.
So I head downstairs to wait for the Lexington express and then a 4 train pulls in and I hop on the R62 and its warm inside & a bit uncomfortable but the express run was quick and I stay on until 59 St to get off and catch the Q32. So its 4:15pm & the clouds were turning gray and I was hoping that it doesn’t rain b/c the best had yet to come. So a few minutes later 2 Q32’s pull up at Lex & I hop on 304 and its nice and cool J. Anyway we make the remaining stop on E 59 then we head onto the Queensboro Bridge and it’s a nice run then once were on QB everything slows down due to traffic. So then 4848 bypasses us and we wouldn’t catch up to it so its about a ½ hour ride to 61 St-Woodside where I get off to do the next segment of the trip. Oh BTW I saw 113, 117 & 122 operating on the Q32 as well as New Flyer Viking 997 running on the X51.
The list of buses I saw wearing new depot stickers:
HP: 4795,4805,4818,4822,4842,4848,4851,8173,8207,8208,8209
MV: 5181,5194,9647
Artics I saw on the M15: 5532,5534,5591,5592,5595
All of the 1991’s listed above were non re-powers BTW.
So I’m at 61 St waiting for the Q53 and I get some chips and a drink so I don’t get hungry later on so then the bus arrives a few minutes later and we board 3009 [my first time riding the 53 8-)] then we depart at 5pm. Those seats are so soft, a big plus! We make the stops on Broadway and on Queens Blvd until Rego Park where we begin the REAL express portion down on Woodhaven & Cross Bay Blvd’s. There’s lots of gridlock in the beginning but then around the mid 80’s we get a decent run but then by Rockaway Blvd there’s a whole lot of traffic on Cross Bay and we beat the light at 107 Av but the traffic makes us miss a string of green lights :-\. Anyway we start to build up the speed as the traffic was beginning to lighten up and after 165 Av we hit 50mph on the bridge but got caught by the red light L. When it turns green we’re off and at one point we hit 60mph on the straightaway but got caught again by the second light after 165 Av :-\ L. Then we make a few stops on Broad Channel & on Rockaway Beach Blvd and I miss the Q22 so I decide to take it all the way to B 116 St and wait for the Q22 there. Anyone who never rode the Q53 should ride it, its really worth it, my trip took 65 minutes; we bypassed 2 Q11‘s in the process. There was a small crowd waiting for the bus then a couple of minutes later 238 arrives, we board then we’re off.
I sit in the back and the A/C is pretty good but the interior was so-so, the back sliding window was missing the EXCEL piece so the window cannot close [interesting huh ;-)] and the bell was removed and welded with plastic or whatever it was, minor leaks & the 2nd wheelchair seat was badly imbalanced. Anyway it’s a pretty quick ride since we didn’t make too many stops on the trip then I reach my destination , the last stop where I decide to become “bold” and ride some LI Buses; actually it was only 6:40pm so I said why not I haven’t rode any bus in Nassau in 3 years. I wait at Central & Mott av and a couple of miuntes later a N32 arrives so I hop on it and we hardly make any stops on the trip at all, I say 10, 15 at the most. At first the driver was pretty slow but when we were on Hempstead Av then he started picking it up J. Most of the people that was on went from Far Rockaway to Hempstead, making our trip a bit faster I say. I saw International minibus 2116 running ahead of us [the vehicle was funny looking LOL] but I assume that is their version of Access A Ride. Anyway its drizzling a little bit but nothing serious then we arrive at Hempstead Transit Center around 7:35pm and I wait for the N6 but first I use the bathroom then I pick up some timetables but there’s NO MAPS! :-\. Anyway a long line starts to form for the 6 since its supposed to arrive at 7:41pm and there was a bus in the lane already but no sight of the B/O.
Part 2 is coming up right now.
So I walk to Archer Av and I go downstairs to catch the J and there is a train but it is empty then it turns into a OOS train so I had to wait on the stifling platform :-\. So a next R42 J arrives but the bell rings quickly and then we’re off so at Sutphin Blvd there’s a big crowd and then the T/O is averaging 25mph between stations and at Alabama Av I see the ENY depot on a aerial view & I saw 8696 & 9061 on Jamaica Av along with a few other buses. So we arrive at Broadway/Eastern Pkwy load up and we continue on a quick ride until I get off at Myrtle Av to catch the B46 LTD and as soon as I go downstairs 8030 [non-repower] is at the light signal at Myrtle Av then it arrives and we depart. A SLOW starter but when picking up speed is good and it’s a nice ride via Malcolm X Blvd & Utica Av with some gridlock at Eastern Parkway and a pretty long line when we pull in the bus stop. So after that the trip is quick but the bus started so slow & caused the local 9396 to catch up & pass us but after Church Av then there was police activity at Clarendon Rd and there were flares on the road so that slowed us down. Then when we pass that I get off at Avenue D and there’s about 20 people waiting for the B8 and I suspect people waited a while then 2 buses came at the same time at Utica Av :-\; figures!. Anyway I hop on 979 and its nice & cool and then it’s a nice ride until I reach my sop and go home.
BTW, shuttle buses replace J trains from Eastern Parkway-Cypress Hills this week & next weekend.
Whew, what a story right, its long but I think you found it to be very interesting!!!! All opinions welcome.
NF 909 B8
R40 4263 Q Diamond
RTS 4705 B38
R142 7180 (4)
Orion 304 Q32
TC Orion 3009 Q53
GBL RTS 238 Q22
LI Bus Orion 205 N32
LI Bus Orion 184 N6
Orion 615 Q31
R42 4702 (J)
RTS 8030 B46 LTD
NF 979 B8
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
With the new set up, all busses are local and no one has to wait long before a bus comes along.
Plenty of times the N6 is full right out of the Hempstead Bus Terminal. While Hempstead has a LIRR station, there really is no access to LIRR along the route. The N6 also connects 2 busy destination points. Hempstead and Jamaica 165th st term/ 179th st F train. It leaves Hempstead at 90 percent full and has to pick up all the people along the way, with some drop offs.
Going east, It typically gets 90% full from the Jamaica Bus terminal and 169th streets combined. Then has to stop by 179th st pick up the rest of passengers (if they all can fit). Occasionally pick up from Francis Lewis and Hillside. And usually a group of 5 at Springfield. By the time it gets to Nassau it can hardly pick up passengers.
This is generally after the new 5 min-ish rush our headways end.
(lets not talk about early sunday mornings or workday holidays with sat/sun schedules!)
B68-#9340-NOVABUS
B64-#9337-NOVABUS
Routes 7, 20/21 and 60 are mostly artics. Other routes with artics (sometimes) are 40/41, an occassional 3 express and maybe a 1T or 1W.
First off I saw 8757 on the A12 heading towards Capital Plaza
then,
Saw 2035 leaving Rhode Island Avenue on the 84
then,
spotted 5321 with no bike rack, btw has anyone else noticed that the artics don't have ads on the front part on the left side, but have them on the right front side and the rear left side.
then,
saw 3935 on the G2, which is the first time I have seen a 30 footer on this route, I thought it would be too busy for these.
and last but not least,
2195 doing charter duty on 11th at the hotel across the street from the old convention center.
That was all the fun I had today, other than driving with stupid drivers and being stuck in traffic.
I started off with 2087 on the A12 only after realzing I missed the F14. Took that to Capitol Heights and walked to catch the U8,which was 2435, took that to Minnesota Avenue where I caught the X2, 5237 to downtown. I was just there to take pics and make some observations which I got some good ones.
I first took pics at H and 13th streets, caught 5244 with a bike in its rack and also caught JD2463, not the best because the first attempt people were in the shot and the second attempt, tourists asked me where the MCI Center(#@%&#), so the second shot might not be any good either. 2463 was on the G8 by the way. It seems like this bus is running regular on this run as is a 2460 series on the 83, don't know where the other 3 are running if they are on regular runs or just running at random.
I then went down to 7th Street to get some Neoplan pics, didn't get many, because this street was packed with traffic and construction so much stuff wasn't moving at all. I did get some good ones, and also to my surprise a couple of Flxible pics that were running on the 70 also(8917 and 9814). Also of note didn't see any Neoplans on the S or 50 routes till rush hour.
Here is to show that I haven't been to Union Station on a regular basis. I then took 2367 on the D6 to Union Station to see where the meeting place where we would meet for the Big Bustrip. That took about 10 seconds, but while riding 2367 noticed that the clever devices voice was working but the clever devices sign wasn't. I took 2435 (the same bus I took on the U8 that morning) to near Farragut Square, to take some more pics. Took about one or two and then headed on over to McPherson Square to take some more. Got some CNG pics some NABI artic pics and then on the other side got some most wanted MTA MCI pics. I also saw a cab with the 'N rubbed off so the side of the cab read" WORLD CAB ASS", wish I took a pic of that, that would have been funny.
For my final spot went down to 14th and H streets to take some more pics, some of PRTC pics, which also included one of an RTS surburban, a neoplan pic and a MCI wrap pic. Also here a cab was about to turn onto 13th street going south but apparently cut in front of a ambulance and the ambulance honked its emergency horn, so loudly that the cabbie thought he was being stopped by the police, so instead of turning right he went straight, knocking him off course, LMAO. I was laughing for a good while after that one, and again LMAO!!!!
It was about time to leave and go home so I walked to use the facilities and catch the 30's to connect to the F14 to go home. Waiting for a 34 or 36 to come and saw something weird. A THE BUS type/Startrans type bus pulled up at the Post Office Pavilion and it read Virginia Regional Transit( I think Perry saw this type of transit system) a couple of months ago. I took a pic of it as it pulled off, looks like it was doing a charter service. I saw my 34 coming which was going to be 4352, but as it came by, it didn't stop, so the next bus that was coming was 2338 on the 36 so I walked into the street and waved the bus down, which he stopped. I took that to Naylor Road and caught 2049 home, which had its clever devices on low making, I call it a psychodelic hmmm to it, which would be interruped by the next stop being called. I took this bus as my last one and walked home.
The following unrehabbed 8700s were seen in service;
8720 -M2
8734 -D3 or 6
8739 -30s
8757 -H11
8795 -W13
The following buses had destination signs not working:
4079-front only on the 35
4278-both on the V7
8853-both 30s
8905-had all o's an unknown route
Other observations:
9389 had a rear route number sign stuck on the A2 but was on the 36
4104 had a rear route number sign stuck on the 16S but was on the 13A
8803 was from Landover operating on the 30s
4020 southern was running on the F14 to Naylor Road
4054 had the route number of M60 instead of M6
4230 (FMR) was running on the P6(southern)
It was a good day, and it didn't rain, yea, hope it doesn't rain on the Big Bustrip this Wednesday.
Yeah, I saw a few Virginia Area Transit buses on Rte. 28 near Sterling a few months ago. There was a Gillig and a Thomas SLF. It could be worth checking out sometime. I'm not sure if they interface with FFX Connector or WMATA so that there could be a transfer between the two or not.
See you on Wednesday!!
After lunch, we got 9374 on the J2, we were going to take this to Bethesda to catch the first 70 pull out, but since we might have missed the first 70 at Bethesda, got off at Medical center and then caught the 70, an ex-Balt MTA Flx 5702 to Milestone. On I-270 we were passed by 4396, damn governed bus, running on the J8?. We missed the 90 back to Shady Grove and decided to go to Best Buy and to Wal-Mart, where I will not mention an incident involving a soda machine, so that might be somebody else's job. We then got 5819 on the 90 and didn't realize this route was very long, and WMATA 70itis kicked in when everyone and their mama started getting on as we closed in on Shady Grove. At Shady Grove, Ray, Chris D and I parted ways, with them getting the subway back to White Flint and me opting for the bus on the way home. I got 4005 on the Q2, took it to Randolph and Viers Mill Road.
At Viers Mill and Randolph thought it might be a long wait and wanted to try to catch the 7:45 F14 home, so when Ride On 5713 came on the 10, I grabbed it, but leaving Glenmont, saw the C8 back to College Park so I got off just outside of Glenmont station. After a wait, 2139 on the C8 came up and I was greeted with Z1-Fairland and not C8-College Park. Also the clever devices wasn't working, and almost all of the buses with clever devices wasn't working. I got to College Park, and got the F6, 4263, to New Carrolton. Before I got to New Carrolton I saw Annex 4332, but with L as the first run number, which I am not an expert on run numbers, so I wonder if L is the first run number, would that mean that, that bus now runs from Landover or is is just it was a mistake or even as a loaner they put the home garage run number on it. I got to New Carrolton, missed the 7:45 F14, so walked up to catch the rail to Landover to catch the A12 somewhere near home. I got lead car 4021, riding in car 3092 to Landover. Passing the C.E.T. saw a GM new look, two Gilligs, about six MANNs(can't remember if I saw 5119) and then I think a couple of Flxibles, one second scheme, and one new paint scheme. I got off at Landover, and got 2037(clever devices working all the way) as my last bus for the day.
Buses with no bike racks:
4040, 9376, 9707, 9716, 9758 and 9740(from Monday)
Last but not least saw rehabbed 8793 with a bike rack.
8522 B20 (Fresh Pond with Jackie Gleason stickers)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
The rts had many problems with early models. The orion VII will pay for themselves if NYCT order promts other TA to buy this NY built product
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Putting the Bus on the Map:
How to Get More Out of Our Region's Bus System
with
Edward Thomas, Assistant General Manager, Metro
Chris Zimmerman, Arlington County Board and Metro Board member
Dan Tangherlini, Director, DC Department of Transportation
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
7:00-8:30pm (Refreshments at 6:30pm.)
Martin Luther King Library
901 G St NW (corner of 9th & G)
Room A-5 (Basement Auditorium)
Metrobus is at a crossroads. The bus system can either remain the poor stepsister to Metrorail, or transform into a modern, clean, high-tech foundation of our transportation system. But to do this we need to fix what's wrong with the current system (including better maps & information and safe access to bus stops) as well as expedite major improvements such as signal priority, bus rapid transit, real-time information, and clean fuel buses, to bring out bus system into the 21st century.
Join us for this discussion on the future of Metrobus, sponsored by Sierra Club and Washington Regional Network for Livable Communities.
DIRECTIONS: Metrobus Routes: 13A, 32, 34, 35, 36, 42, 54, 66, 68, 70, 80,
D6, G8, S2, S4, P6, X2. Metrorail: Gallery Place-Chinatown Station (use
Museum exit on 9th Street), or Metro Center Station (use 11th Street exit).
This question comes to mind as I was looking at the NJ Transit's schedule page. I noticed that NJ Transit has routes going up to NJ197 then the next route is NJ302 (Airport Shuttle), then NJ305 and NJ307 and up. So, here's my question. Why did NJ Transit skip the NJ200 route number series? Thanks in advance!
Vince
1) Route 319 leaves from gate 319 at Port Authority NY, though I don't know if other routes leave from the corresponding gates.
2) Routes that are close together in number seem to be related in route.
1-99: North Jersey local/limited stop
100-199: New York interstate routes
300-399: Special routes
400-499: South Jersey routes, including Philadelphia & Wilmington services
500-599: Atlantic City routes
600-699: Central Jersey locals
700-799: Passaic County locals
800-899: Former M-series lines in Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex areas
900-999: WHEELS
300
1-49 Newark area locals
50-59 Union County locals
60-69 suburban routes south and west from Newark/Jersey City
70-79 suburban routes north and west from Newark
80-89 Hudsocn County locals
90-99 Newark area "crosstown" routes
100-109 Essex County-PABT
110-119 Union County-PABT
120-129 Hudson County-PABT
130-139 Ocean/Monmouth/Middlesex counties-PABT or Wall Street
140-169 Bergen County-PABT
170-189 Bergen/Hudson counties-GWB
190-199 Passaic County-PABT
200-299 (not numerically used)
300-399 long distance/special service routes
400-449 south Jersey interstate routes
450-499 south Jersey locals
500-549 Atlantic City locals
550-599 long distance south Jersey
600-649 Mercer County/Trenton locals
650-699 (not numerically used)
700-749 Passaic County locals
750-799 Bergen County locals
800-849 Middlesex (800-829)/Monmouth (830-849) county locals
850-999 WHEELS minibus routes
JONN
My educated guess is that an extension of another route with better headways to replace the B24 would be viewed by NYCT as throwing good money after bad.
David
There's no end-to-end market; the B61 and G train are more frequent, more direct, and faster. The south leg could easily be replaced by extending the B13 west along Metropolitan Avenue to Washington Plaza. The north leg could be replaced by extending the B43 to Sunnyside (making a very long route) or the Q104 to Greenpoint (making a still-short but useless route).
Whatever work goes on there is done for NYCT as a whole rather than for a specific depot. (Contrary to popular opinion, each depot is not a separate and distinct authority.)
David
Peace
David
Peace,
Kevin
Ok, so here's what happened:
Me, Perry, and Chris G drove up to Philadelphia Park for the event, but Perry did the driving in his tight Nissan Altima;-)
We grabbed breakfast at a Roy Rogers on our way to Philly. We all had these tasty tater tots but Perry had to get some burnt pancakes for breakfast.
On the drive to Philly, we talked about the "special ed" member on BTCO.net, Mr Will, made countless jokes about the incompetence of MTA Maryland, the planned takeover of Ride-On's contracted routes by Yellow, bus fires, the EZ Pass, the lack of artics on the Y line, transmissions falling out of cars, our run ins with the law, and the abundance of women on the SEPTA R2 commuter rail line.
At the roadeo we met Chuck Greene who was decked out in a Lexington Avenue Express t-shirt. We also saw tons of buses. We saw ghetto school buses, NABI 40LFW's, 416's, 436's, Neoplan AN440 DK's, 4440LF's, RTS-II slopebacks, Helldorados, D series, G series, J series, Volvos, and moonbounces. If you want details on the buses we saw, please respond to the thread b/c there is just too much detail to put on one page.
Helldorado Transmark
Helldorado interior
AN440 DK
DK interior
NABI 416
416 interior
DART of Deleware NABI 40LFW
Pic #2
When the driver pushed a few buttons on this black box, the bus automatically does the pre-run checkup that a driver would normally do. It will automatically check the kneel function, safety measures, lights, doors, all that stuff, so the driver doesn't have to. the driver only has to do physical checks on the bus.
NFI D40LF. The only thing wrong with this bus is the high mounted rear destination sign.
D40 interior.
Back of D40LF
Greyhound G4500 series. I was actually surprised that Greyhound would show up at a roadeo.
The RTS-II slopeback
Pic #2
Volvo BM-60. I believe Will said it was a piggyback order to NJT.
SEPTA also put out 2 of their classic new looks, a Flx and a GMC fishbowl. Both were restored nicely
The fishbowl interior.
The Flx New Look Interior
While at the roadeo, Chris G and Perry wandered off while I took my time in each bus and looked at what each of them had to offer. After wandering around the buses, I eventually ran into BusTalk/SubTalk poster Will Dobner (wdobner). We chatted for a bit and I introduced him to the rest of the BusTalk/SubTalk gang that was there. I also met two other BusTalkers/SubTalkers, SeptaBusBoy and this other dude whose name escapes me at the moment.
We spent the morning talking and explaining to the non-DC natives about the incompetence of MTA Maryland and what we experience down here. They also explained on what they experience up there in SEPTA land.
We also had conversations with the drivers on various things such as driver training, employment, and other stuff I can't remember at this time. Those who went, fill in the gaps for me please.
We also saw many SEPTA drivers knocking down barrels after barrels on the roadeo course.
After the roadeo, Chris G, Perry, Will, and me went to Southern Depot to check out some dead AMG trackless trolleys.
We also walked around the depot and saw this D40LF back up in reverse like 100 feet and swiftly parallel park at very unsafe speeds.
How's that for parking a bus?
At this point, we had to head back to Maryland so that Chris G could go to work, so we parted ways with Will and headed home. On the return trip we encountered countless speed traps set up by brown paper bags and loose chair sitting in the middle of I-95. We also talked more about the "special ed" poster on BTCO, Mr Will, very rough neighborhoods, college, FUTURE BUS TRIPS, and other various, inapproriate, rated R material;-)
We also stopped at Ikea in College Park so that Perry could do a little shopping. The best thing about that place is the 65 cent hot dogs all the fine honies in there...
If you went to the roadeo, please add to the thread with more details and comments. Thanks to Perry for the ride and it was nice meeting all the transit fans out there.
Incognito
It was definitely a good day and I enjoyed it very much. It was great to meet Wdobner and seeing Chuck again.
I think you pretty much hit the highlights of everything. I wanted to ride in that little bus go-kart that they had set up!
Posting that pic might require David Pirmann to break out the ban stick on me for obvious reasons;-)
b)SEPTA rodeo- request weekend off
c)AAFB shuttle-request weekend off, oh wait I did that, WELL DO THAT AGAIN NEXT YEAR FOOL!!!
Anything else I should remember, oh yea get change for Wednesday's bustrip, lol.
Oops throw in NYCTA bus fest and rodeo, and Ride On rodeo(we will see the Mighty The Bus drivers there next year, you'll see).
Neoplan AN440A-DK #3332
NABI 416.08 #5271
Neoplan AN460A-OQ articulated #7131
2003 New Flyer D40LF #5712
ElDorado National Transmark RE #4536
Ford E350 Phoenix Cutaway #2025
1980 GMC RTS T7J-603 #4462
SEPTA Volvo BM-60 articulated #7011
DART First State NABI 40-LFW #560
More coming soon...stay tuned...
Incognito
Greyhound MCI G4500 #7202
BRAND-SPANKING NEW Krapf's Coaches J4500
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
Incognito
Chuck Greene
And it was very nice to see everyone, to put the faces with the names and so on. I just realized that I didn't do the one thing I meant to do, go inside the Volvo Artic, somehow I stupidly missed that. But the Southern Depot trip was great, thanks again to the DC bustalkers for inviting me, I can never pass up an oppertunity to see the Trackless sitting there :).
BTW: When I left you guys at Southern I caught a 2 bus upto walnut st. I then looked at the CAT generators still powering 1 Liberty Place (it had a power failure like a week ago and they brought in locomotive engines on trailers to power it), photographing some odd SEPTA work equipment on the street at 16th and Market. I went to 19th and Market to find the Subway Surface trolleys on the diversion Route, I wound up riding a 42 out to 42nd St, then a 36 down to Elmwood Depot, where I grabbed some KFC and watched trolleys. I then wound up riding an 11 trolley back up to 42nd and Spruce, where I sat and photographed them turning from 42nd onto Spruce and such. So there will definitely be a small Subtalk cross post with whatever pics I post.
So anyway, I promise tommorow I'll post whatever photos I took, along with a trip report.
Customer Appreciation Day - Ride Free
We have now completed the first two weeks of the wholesale changeover from one bus service contract operator to another. Despite lengthy preparations by both PRTC and the new contractor (First Transit), customers encountered a variety of service problems, most of which were remedied as the second week drew to a close. PRTC and First Transit want to apologize for these early lapses and express our appreciation for your patience, understanding and continued patronage by jointly sponsoring a "FREE RIDE DAY" on all PRTC buses on Wednesday, July 16. (If July 16 turns out to be a Code Red Day when rides are free on transit services region-wide, a second FREE RIDE DAY will be designated.)
Obviously, what customers want most is quality service, an aim shared by PRTC and First Transit. The PRTC and First Transit management team is confident that the early lapses will not be repeated. Indeed, some customers have already noted changes for the better, highlighting in particular the "customer-friendly" attitudes of the operators. Look for more evidence of quality improvements, and please continue to let us know when lapses do occur.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding, and as a token our our appreciation, leave your tokens at home on July 16.
For more information contact customer service at 703-730-6664
Wayne
Then another woman get's on the bus with her dog!!No cage,nothing.Just walked in with the dog,paid the fare and sat right across from me.
Then today on the B41,a old woman sitting next to me had a seizure around Flatbush&Chester Court and we had to go NIS and resume service going NB at Church Av.Other than that,nothing else happened EXCEPT.....spotted 4141 on the B41 with Flatbush sticker's.Next week I'll be at QV on the Q83 and GH on the Bx31.
Ozzy Zamora
MTA NYCT Traffic Checker
Ultimate fan of Miami Dade Transit
David
In any case, 4141 has been at Flatbush for quite a while -- certainly before the posting was made saying it was in Gleason, and ever since.
David
BTW, if you don't know MSBA/Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority was the predecessor of Long Island Bus. Did you guys see the new timetables commemorating their 30th anniversary.....
I don't recollect the Q24 ever going any further east than 168th Street. The Q54 and 56 are the only ones I remember going as far as 171st Street. Many years back, when the Q24 was the B22, it ran only as far as Parsons Blvd. and 89th Avenue.
The B22/Q24 was extended to Jamaica/171st in December 1988, at the same time as the opening of the Archer Avenue subway. The cutback to 168th coincided with the eastbound reroute from Jamaica Avenue to Archer Avenue.
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
BIG AL
P.S. off topic. Anybody know how I can go about getting the Compuserve 7.0 program? It was erased off my computer and my friend who was going to reinstall it can't find his version or any other Compuserve program for that sort. I'm currently using somebody elses AOL account which I am not used to doing.
BTW, I caught the pictures from CleanAirBus's website. Very well done. I'm sure the webmaster posts on here, it's either Carlton or that Incognito stuff.
Jason
I really don't care for the boxy framed windows... I personally think that frameless windows would look sleek, if done right. For example, VanHool's transit buses... everything is smooth and flush.
It's different.
Different is good!!!
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
One of the tits-est transit buses I've ever seen is the Berkhof Jonckheer. I took these pictures in Amsterdam, The Netherlands:
This bus has some style in my opinion. I like how they placed the HVAC unit.
Mike
http://www.berkhof.nl/e/products/public/public/jonckheer.html
That's old news, my friend!
Vince!
how old?
4625,9413,4618,5109,8140,8439,5106,9398,9437.
B4-#4857-TMC
All F Beach work is covered by Work Runs out of Ulmer Park Depot.
David
FYI ridership is dismal on the beach runs at best. CI was empty on the forth of july. Normally it is packed. It was the slowest july 4th I can remember. I was out of town last year
It was the intention all along for the two beach shuttles to each run out of one depot (Ulmer Park and Flatbush, respectively)...as picked work, which couldn't start until the summer schedules took effect at the end of June. Otherwise, enough Bus Operators couldn't be found on overtime to work the shuttles out of one depot (each). But that's an argument we've been through before...
David
It was just annoyoing to hear reports of multiple ulmer park buses operating on the L shuttle while east new york buses were operating on the Q beach shuttle.
This could be avoided by creating a list of driver willing to take on overtime shifts in a central database and assigning the runs to drivers from the closest depot first.
David
All drivers wishing to work overtime on a particular day would need to dial in and request to be put on the list and what hours and days he/she will be available for ovetime work
B36 KINGS PLAZA
Is this a fluke, or it actually was going to Kings plaza and if it was, why didn't anyone announce it here?
Other sign's you don't see at all are:
M9-34St/1Av(code #1094)
B49LTD-Bed Stuy/Fulton St
B49LTD-Manhattan Bch/Oriental Blvd
C shuttle- C train to Rockaway Pk
H shuttle- H train to Rockaway Blvd(code #9114)
SIRT shuttle- SIRT to St.George/Tottenville/Great Kills
S96LTD- West Shore Plz(We all know it ends at Mariners Harbor)
X10-Willowbrook/Canterbury Av
M42/M50-38St Pier
Bx5LTD-Orchard Beach
Bx26-Pelham Bay/Co-op City.
Adding to that the B18,B40 and B78 are still on some destination sign's on the buses including the new artic's at 126St depot.
Signs that I've tried with no luck have been:
S60-St.George Ferry
M12-Abingdon Sq/Grand-FDR
M103LTD-E Harlem 125St/City Hall
M106-Riverside Dr.
Q50-Pelham Bay/Flushing-Main St Sta.(will most likely exsist after the privates are taken over by the TA.Might be the former QBX1.)
Bx13-Yankee Std/St Anns Av
And the list goes on for both.
Incognito
1-The B 1 and B 64 switch terminals in Bay Ridge with the B 1 becoming the B 86 and operating via 86th Street to Mackenzie Street and the B 64 operating to Shore Rd/Bay Ridge Ave(Never impleemented)
2-Extend B 74 to Mackenzie Street from Stillwell Ave(Never implemented)
3-Extend the B-68 to Stillwell Ave Terminal(Implemented in 2002)
4-Extend the B-36 to Kings Plaza(never implemneted)
5-Cut back the B 4 from Narrows Ave to 4th Ave(never implemented)
Thank You
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Thank You
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
(Q101 RIKERS ISLAND PARKING LOT)
Now that's got me mixed up because 1. QSC Runs the Q101,2. Q101 go's to 19 and Hazen,3. The Q101 don't run in Kew Gardens,4. Q101R serves this lot and would have an "R" or Limited in the sign
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
So there’s a pretty big crowd on Fulton St/Van Sinderen so I could see already that too many buses weren’t used on this operation. I see 9297 and its engine door was up so it seems something was wrong so then 5073 pulls in and there’s no way I was getting in that so then I wait for 7528 to pull into the stop I hop on it, the A/C was decent then we were off. The driver does ok on the run via Atlantic Av and I see that the bus was running in both directions via Atlantic and not too many buses out there today so then we turn on Crescent St and head up north to Cypress Hills where I get off to go back to B’way. Heading back to Broadway I get on 8218 and I’m surprised that there was a 126 bus, along with 8239. Pretty slow ride back and its a nice and smooth ride then I decide to take a second round trip since it was a short ride. So I go back to Fulton then I see 9596 pull in and I get on it and the driver takes a slightly different route and goes via Eastern Pkwy; followed by 7512. So then he turns on Atlantic Av then regular route and we get good speed out of it going 40mph at one point. So that is the best ride of the day on the J shuttle and I take it to Cypress once again to wait to head back. I decide to chill out at Crescent & Jamaica at the Q56 bus shed to bus spot and see if I see any B13’s in the process and I see 9581 heading towards Gateway & 5062 towards Williamsburg respectively.
I let 7528 go since I don’t ride the same bus twice whenever I ride a shuttle bus so I wait and I see 8548, that was its first run b/c I didn’t see it before so I hop on it and its nice and cool then we get the train crowd and the bus got filed up pretty quickly then we depart and head back to Broadway/Eastern Pkwy. A cool run until I notice that there was some fire trucks & police cars at Bradford St and Atlantic and there was a car accident and there was moderate damage done to both cars and we run into some gridlock by Pennsylvania Av. Afterwards when we reach Alabama Av we wait there a few minutes since there was something going on then we arrive at the train station & I head home. There’s crowds and I have to run downstairs to catch the R44 A train which as about to close the doors but luckily I got in just in time and we left heading n/b. We go pretty quickly via the Fulton local and we arrive at Franklin in about 7 minutes then I go upstairs to catch the shuttle to head to Prospect Park. A couple of minutes go by then we depart from there and I ride to Prospect Park. Its 8:45pm and I wait for the southbound Q to come so 8 minutes later it arrives then I take it to Newkirk Av then I go home.
The buses I saw:
ENY: 8908,9067
JG: 8545,8548,8678
UP: 7512,7528,9297
FB: 5083,5100,9400
FP: 5073,9596
126: 8218,8239
R32 3496 (F)
R38 4135 (A)
RTS 7528 J SHUTTLE
RTS 8218 J SHUTTLE
RTS 9596 J SHUTTLE
RTS 8548 J SHUTTLE
R44 5406 (A)
R68 2924 Franklin Shuttle
R68 2906 (Q)
On another note,Friday night,while I was on the M100 going home,a strange looking RTS bus passed the bus along 125St.Since it was night time I couldn't quite make it out but I saw what looked to be the rear door wide open,the bus looked to have some kind writing all over it and no bus number either.Another thing that was weird about it was that some kinda jeep,wasn't sure if it was MTA or NYPD was following it very close behind it as if it was escorting it somewhere.That was just plain weird if you ask me.
I saw JBL MCI Classic either 603 or 605 traveling westbound on the Cross Bronx Expressway near Westchester Avenue around 3:00 p.m. yesterday, so it may have been this same bus.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
In celebration of that milestone here's the entire artic fleet roster as of 7/13/03; 5526, 5528-5555, 5557, 5558, 5560-5563, 5565-5597, 5599, 5600-5602.
Casey Stengel:Q12,Q20A,Q27,Q44Limited,Q44Local
Queens Village:Q2,Q30,Q36???,Q46(A must)
Jamaica: All routes except Q42,84,and express routes
Casey Stengel is getting the artics for the Q44 ONLY! Queens Village would not and besides, even if they got artics.......it would be on the Q30 (a stretch), Q43 and Q46. It would be funny on the Q79...LOL! Not the Q2 or Q36 because remember, they go to the terminal....enough said! Jamaica could get artics but a brand NEW DEPOT IS STOPPING THAT IDEA! So, Jamaica is not getting any and the same for QV.
Vince
I heard they bought a new bus
I heard it was a Flyer
And so I came to fear it
And I'd be gone in a while
And there it was
This young bus
Stranger to my eyes
Strumming my pain with these numbers (MJQ)
Ruining my life with this fleet (126th)
Killing me softly, with this bus
Killing me softly....with this bus
Ruining my whole life.....with his fleet
Killing me softly........with this buuuuuuuuuuuuuuus
Caught up in artic fever
Could no longer handle the crowd
Artics on 86th street
And I'm go the scrap yaaaaaaard
I prayed that it was finished
But they just came right in
Strumming my pain with these numbers (MJQ)
Ruining my life with this fleet (126th)
Killing me softly, with this bus
Killing me softly....with this bus
Ruining my whole life.....with his fleet
Killing me softly........with this buuuuuuuuuuuuuuus
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOO-AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHAAAA-HA-AH-AHHH-AHHHH-AH
LALALALALALA WHOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAHHHHHHHH-ALLAHHHHHHHHHHHHH-WHOAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHLA-LAAAAAAAAAA
Strumming my pain with these numbers (MJQ)
Ruining my life with this fleet (126th)
Killing me softly, with this bus
Killing me softly....with this bus
Ruining my whole life.....with his fleet
Killing me softly........with this buuuuuuuuuuuuuuus
-Sung by various RTS Buses
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Incognito
However I was looking at pictures of WMATA buses from some website, and I noticed that there seems to be two different versions of the Orion V. One with regular seats and the "Suburban" that seems to have more comfortable seats?
Can anyone tell me what the surburban version was/is used for?
Sorry for such the novice question LOL.
In any event, the suburban buses are used on express routes such as the B30, 14A, and J9 which are express buses running long distances on the interstate. The seats are much more comfortable for a long ride and there are hardly standees on these routes, so the transit style seating (the other type) isn't as necessary. The other buses have a seating layout optomized for getting people on and off the bus quickly and to be able to accomodate standees. Look at the route maps on wmata.com for those three routes and you will see why the suburban buses run there.
So in general, suburban buses usually run long routes, make very few stops, run only during rush hours, and carry working class people back and forth from a major transit hub to a park and ride lot or other major transit hub.
Hope that helps.
B30 buses are numbered 4390-4395
Others are 4396-4414 I believe.
As New Look said, there are three other 1992 Orion V's that have suburban seats 9618-9620. They used to be housed in Virginia but are now up at the Montgomery Division being used on the J8/9 mainly.
B-
Overall this bus is pretty nice, my only complaint is the ride quality. There is no bounce or glid to help the ease of hitting bumps, they ride very much like the MTA's 1999 Orion 05.501s. Other than that this is a very pretty bus. The engine sounds very much like a Cummins ISM.
Below is the photos from today's ride....
E-mail me @ drivingenuis@aol.com if you'd like a video clip e-mailed to you!
Regards,
Trevor Logan
TransiTALK
Its just a shame that the bus doesn't ride all that great. If only it had the bouncy ride quality of an Orion I...
Trevor
The floor layout, windows, lugguage racks, lighting are just exactly like our Gillig suburbans...
Regards,
Stephen
PS. Could you also send me the video to gp@natransit.com Thanks in advance!
What I'd like to see happen (but may not happen in my lifetime) would be a seasonal bus route connecting Ocean City with Cape May City operating either as an extension of the 507 (Atlantic City to Ocean City via Pleasantville and Somers Point) or as a stand-alone route with connections to the 507. The Ocean City/Cape May City route would operate every 20-30 minutes during daytime hours with hourly OWL service (depending on loads) and would provide far more frequent service to places such as Sea Isle City, Avalon/Stone Harbor, and the Wildwoods.
At present, the only service between the South Jersey shore towns in Cape May County is the limited service along the 315 (Cape May/Wildwood to Camden/Philadelphia via US 322), 316 (Cape May/Wildwood to Center City/South Philly via ACX), and 319 (PABT to Cape May/Wildwood via Atlantic City/Ocean City).
With such a large number of people who go down the shore (even compared to Ocean City, Md., which has very frequent summer service), it amazes me how most of the transit service is limited to Cape May and Wildwood.
Tony M.
AFAIK, Newton Av and Washington Twp have gotten rid of all 9s; I can't confirm the same about Egg Harbor (I haven't been down that way in a long time), but I'd suspect that the same holds true there.
BTW, didn't Wayne still have a few 9s left, or have they all been pulled from service?
Jason
To honor Ride-On's (Montgomery County, MD Transit) Route 27 discontinuation after over 15 years of dutiful service between Friendship Heights and Medical Center via Bethesda, I invite you to partake in our farewell festivities and tributes. Possible events include my posting 27 reasons not to discontinue the service and a possible farewell trip on the 6:00 trip from Friendship Heights on September 5 in an attempt to set an all time ridership record for the route (the highest number of people ever on the bus at a given time in the last ridecheck survey was about 4 or 5, the most over the course of an entire trip was 8, each bus has 23 seats).
Unfortunately, none of my 27 reasons for keeping the service will be released before any other. If you are interested in the farewell trip on September 5, send me an e-mail or reply, it is not definate yet.
Yes, some of this is meant to be humerous but some is serious.
Sincerely,
Oren H.
Loyal Ride-On Route 27 patron
Webmaster of Oren's Transit Page
www.orenstransitpage.com
Rosslyn -orange or blue lines to connect with the 11:15 3B to WFC(East Falls Church)
East Falls Church-orange to connect with GEORGE leaving East Falls Church at 12pm
West Falls Church-orange to connect with the 12:34 28B to Tysons
-if you miss this connection with this bus the following lines also go to Tyson's Corner One 2T, 3T, 28A, 28T or go to Dunn Loring and get the 2C, and FFX connector 401. The 401 to Springfield doesn't leave Tyson's One till 1:40pm
Hope to see yall there(I think I said that before)
Coming home I missed the 4:49 1C because I was on the phone for 20 minutes with one of my agencies in New York. So, thanks to wonderful scheduling, the next 1C wasn't for 40 minutes!! Slowwwww Orion V 9617 pulls up and the bus is packed. As we left Fairfax Hospital we had standees which is the first time I've seen that. As we made our way East on 50, I guess the 1B was coming up behind us where the two lines come together. Actually it was a 1D, but our bus purposely passed two stops where people were waiting to try to get some distance. I've never really seen that happen since it wasn't like the bus was packed. The passengers waiting had a rather confused look as we blew past them. The 1D ended up passing us near 7 Corners. That was Orion V 4293 out of Four Mile Run. The back destination sign looked to be replaced. It didn't have the normal blue rectangular box the others have, but it was black.
On Wilson Blvd. I thought I saw 2158 on the 1B, but upon further inspection, it was 2198! I'm not sure if this was a loaner or is now moved. The 1B seems to use a lot of Four Mile Run buses as well as Arlington division.
As we pulled into Ballston, we were behind a 30 footer Flx Metro B 5156 on the 2B.
I saw another shorty on the G2 that being 3939. 2100 from Royal has no bike rack and 8777 was running on the Shirley Highway this afternoon.
Maybe ridership is down on the G2 in the Summer when Howard and GU aren't at full capacity with students?
When we take the 401 from Tysons, we'll be passing right near my office as we go down Gallows. I will be giving them the one fingered salute! : )
Wayne
NYCT bus routes are as diverse as the population of NYC. It all depends on what neighborhoods and streets the routes travel in, how populated the route itself is, and what time of day or what day of the week you are traveling in.
For example, the M98 in Manhattan offer a good limited run along Lexington and Third Avs. then top speed along the Harlem River Drive into Washington Heights.
Then you have the M1 local during rush hours. God help you with the traffic. If you catch that same M1 local during a Sunday afternoon-less traffic, less people, less stops, moves quicker.
Wayne
Wayne
Manhattan Division caps its pre-5xxx 40-footers at 55 miles. The 5xxx buses can go to 60 miles per hour. Staten Island Division caps all 40-footers at 55 mph. The over-the road MCIs and the three New Flyer Vikings at CS are ungoverned, regardless of depot.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I can think of a few really slow WMATA routes right off the top of my head:
70-Georgia Ave
30-36 Pennsylvania\Wisconsin Aves.
42-Connecticut Ave (especially rush hours)
G2-P St. to/from Georgetown
So as soon as I walk the 2 blocks to St John’s Place, the 45 was right at the light so 5019 was kind of crowded but I get on anyway and I get a seat by the next stop, Nostrand Av. So we make stops via St Johns Pl and at Utica a majority of the people got off to catch the B17, 46 or wherever they were heading. Anyway it only takes a couple of minutes to reach the last stop on Ralph Av to get off to catch the B47 since I haven’t rode it in a while. So then I see two more 45’s behind ours so it was very busy. I’m standing on the corner of Ralph/St Johns and I see a few B15’s in both directions along with Orion VII 7584 then I see 4301 running s/b on the B47. A couple of minutes later my bus comes, 4655 then we’re off. A decent starter we head north and it’s a quick ride to Dekalb Av where I get off to catch the B38 to Catalpa Av and I see 4721 across the street and its heading my way so no waiting time there. I hop on it and the bus is a fast starter and had good A/C. I ride it heading e/b and it’s a smooth ride until I go to the last stop and I walk to Forest Av to catch the Q39, which I never rode before so I was trying it out for the first time. I’m waiting and I fear that I would be waiting 20-25 minutes since it was around 8pm but I only wait for TEN 8-) and I get on Orion 3062 and the B/O does good via Forest Av and it’s a nice, quick ride on the route and we get up to 45mph via Laurel Hill Blvd under the BQE.
So then we turn onto 48 St then turn on 48 Av and no sign of the B24 so I decide to ride it to Greenpoint Av where I get off to catch the 24, another bus I’m riding for the first time. I’m standing on Greenpoint/48 Av and its about a 15 minute wait before the bus pulls into the stop and then we depart and its pretty slow at first but then after going on 48 St things go better for us. Not too many stops afterwards and we head onto the Koszciuscko Bridge via the BQE and we go 40mph until we exit and head onto Meeker Av then continue our trip and at Graham Av I see a parked B13. So we continue until we reach the NEW last stop, which is Williamsburg Bridge Plaza; the route is pretty cool. So then I wait on the B44 LTD to leave the stop at WBP then we depart and at Taylor St I see a B110 [looks like the terminal] and we only make one stop via Lee Av then we don’t make any stops until Myrtle Av and we hit 40mph on the stretch between Flushing & Myrtle Av. A nice run on the B44 LTD and everything is going fine then at Fulton we get a good crowd in the bus and there’s some gridlock along the way then at Empire the B/O shut don the bus momentarily and we continue the trip. After Church Av we get a good stretch but we had slow cars ahead of us :-\ but had the green light the entire stretch to Ave D & I see that they were doing some work hich blocked Nostrand Av for a few blocks so there was a detour. I see my B8 across the street so the bus had to run straight down Av D, pick up people and the bus is frosty cold! So it’s a quick ride until I reach my stop.
RTS 8565 B68
R46 6052 (F)
NF 837 B71
RTS 5019 B45
RTS 4655 B47
RTS 4721 B38
TC Orion 3062 Q39
RTS 4687 B24
RTS 9392 B44 LTD
NF 837 B8
Alright, I'm finally at home, with cable and everything, so here are some selected shots from the Rodeo, as well as a short trip report.
I suppose I should get the start of my trip report out of the way. I started from my apartment at about 6am, walked up to 46th and Market for the el, got my DayPass validated, and managed to get on the platform as a train arrived. I rode in car 1132 to Frankford, where I got off and had to run slightly for the 20, where I had bus 5581. I rode that, winding through Northeast Philadelphia, to Franklin Mills mall, where I arrived at 7:30 or so. The 130 was due to depart at 7:45, so I hopped on a 32xx Neoplan and headed off to the Rodeo. I got to the rodeo at about 8am. So here are my shots:
Bus Lineup All the busses lined up, with the hElDorado (thanks to the DC subtalkers for introducing me to that term! :]) in the foreground.
Volvo B-10 photo, at the top
NJT D4500 down from North Jersey It's not South Jersey will Ever see something like this! :-/
D40LF 5711 doing the reverse challenge-thing Sadly this was just moments before it wiped out a bunch of barrels in the Diminishing Clearance challenge, which I missed :-(
NABI 5271 That block number sign must have changed 3 or 4 times, at the very least.
Neoplan Artic 7131 Later I got a B/O to switch the Destination Sign to read '42 61st - Pine,' my home route!
New Flyer 2003 #5712 With GMC Fishbowl and Flex behind it.
While at the rodeo I met TransitChuckG, NewLookTerrapin, RideOnRules, 1C/Ballston, as well as some AOL busfans. The DC Subtalkers decided to head back, and invited me to Southern, to see the laid up Trolleybusses sitting down there. I gladly accepted, can't pass up a chance to see the Tracklesses! On the way down there I was treated to some very interesting dirt on the Maryland and DC transit systems, all while trying to convince everyone else about SEPTA's suckiness.
Trackless Lineup at Southern
Two random busses that happened to be sticking out the depot building.
After that I headed up into Philly on a 2 bus, I got off at 16th and Chestnut and then walked up to Market, to ride the subway out toward my apartment. There was no Station Attendant at the 16th and Market, even though the gate was open, so I couldn's use my daypass there, I said screw it and walked up to the street, where I got shots of odd SEPTA work equipment and the CAT generators powering the 1 Liberty Place. BTW 1 Liberty Place had a major power outage, an 11kv feeder popped somewhere north of it, and 4 huge generators were brought in to power it.
One of the 4 generators on Market
Septa Truck sitting on Market just outside 16th St MFL entrance
Machine on the back of the SEPTA Truck
Another angle of the equipment on the back of the truck. Near as I could tell the object in the first photo was a Diesel engine powering the object under the blue tarp, either a generator or compressor. Those hoses lead down to into a Manhole, through which I could see the Subway.
After that I walked down to 19th and Market, hoping to catch a subway-surface trolley back to 40th St portal or maybe Elmwood Depot. I discovered that the Sub-Surface was on the diversion route this weekend, so I walked down to Walnut at 19th and caught a 42 Neoplan rigid to 40th St portal. From there I walked past the portal itself, where there was no activity just flashing lights from the diversion route markers. So I walked out to 42nd and Baltimore, where I hopped a 36 Trolley to 73rd and Elmwood depot. There I walked around the depot, but there was little to take photos of, although I did what I thought to be a cool photo of a 10 Trolley about to head out up to 63rd and Malvern.
Here's that shot
After that I walked down 73rd to the 11 trolley on Woodland. I heard a CSX train rolling through Darby, but I was tired and didn't pursue it, even though it might have been very close. I think the 11 trolley was delayed by the CSX rolling through, but finally one came, which I rode up to 42nd and Spruce on the Diversion Route.
I think I'll leave it at that, I did shoot some photos at 42nd and Spruce, so here are the two bus related ones I took there in parting. Enjoy!
Neoplan 40 footer on the 34 Bustituation
New Flyer 5458 on the 42 Wycombe
I'll post the rest of my 42nd and Spruce trolley shots on Subtalk.
Thanks, Will!
Chuck Greene
And the Orion I's are being retired a bit too prematurely in my opinion, just like Ride-On's 1991 Orion I's being displaced by new Orion VII's.
5500-5501 are 1990
5502-5527 are 1991
5528-5538 are 1992
5540-5545 are also 1992 but have "hammerhead" signs
So they do vary by year.
8534 has never entered passenger service in the month it has been at Fresh Pond now. It is currently at the vendor for extensive mechanical repairs. If it were a 4000, it probably would have been scrapped!
4688 and 4727 were just hauled out a few days ago to Carlton yard for storage. 3951 and 3987 are next on the list to be sent to Carlton.
More updates as the transfers happen.
BIG AL
What's up with the TA and the Bx55? Is it me or are they trying to get rid of the Bx55 altogether?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Then again, maybe the passengers just aren't riding correctly. Maybe the mayor should ticket them. Maybe Straphangers should sue them.
Some of you may remember the Bx55 stops used have a small sign attached to the regular bus stop sign that read "BX55 EXPRESS". Although the Bx55 operated between 149th/3rd Ave or 161st/River Ave and Gun Hill Road 24/7... During the day many Bx55 buses operated between Fordham Road and 149th Street & 3rd Ave IRT. I think the beginning of the end started when the 3rd Ave was converted back to two-way traffic and southbound buses moved from Washington Ave to 3rd Avenue. When those streets were one-way the buses really moved along and it was a fun route to ride. Then the TA eliminated the service to 161st/River Ave IND/IRT. More service cuts and we have today's Bx55. I do think it will eventually disappear.
Wayne
Peace
David
Did the Bx15 have the special transfer privileges at night?
It had three areas where you could transfer to/from the subway.
1. Gun Hill Road "2" "5"
2. 149th St-3rd Ave "2" "5"
3. 161st St-Yankee Stadium "C" "D" "4"
Little by little, the TA started chopping away at the Bx55. I don't know exact dates but I can give the order of events.
1. Elimination of free subway transfer at Gun Hill Road
2. Cut part of the service back to Fordham Plaza
3. Severely cut back service on the Yankee Stadium Branch
4. Elimination of free subway transfer at Yankee Stadium (I believe)
5. Elimination of the 161st St-Yankee Stadium Branch altogether
6. Elimination of night service-replaced by Bx15
7. Elimination of night and weekend service north of Fordham Plaza-replaced by Bx15 south of Fordham Plaza, replaced by Bx41 north of Fordham Plaza
By the time the Bx15 took over Bx55 night service, Metrocard was in place, so you could transfer to/from the Bx15 and other bus routes as well as the subway (just like any other route).
Bx18 - Local service from 6:30 - 10:30 weekdays, 7:00 - 8:00 weekends
Bx55 - LIMITED service 24/7 149th Street/Lexington Avenue - Fordham Plaza to Gun Hill Road 7:00 - 8:00 every day
this will give the people on Park(4th) Avenue some bus service, since they have none, plus this would keep the Bx55 alive, it could even go to Yankee Stadium again
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Peace
David
Wayne
Peace!
DaShawn
Does anybody have an UPDATED version of these rosters because they got NEW buses reecently but the websites I went to are not updated like www.natransit.com and www.busweb.com Thanks in advance!
Vince
Actually, I'm still observing how many Van Hools will be in service to provide a more accurate fleet roster.
And AC Transit's official site has a good summary too....:P
http://www.actransit.org/aboutac/ridershipbusfleet.wu
But their info isn't really updated since the Van Hools they listed are only 2 buses...
Hope this helps you...:)
Stephen
PS. Do you mean Riverside in California?..
www.regionaltransitservice.com
Jeez, they're ugly. :-(
There was potential for good speed along the Farmers Boulevard corridor, except that we stopped at virtually every stop to either drop off or pick up. The Q3 must have very frequent AM peak service, because one seemed to pass the other way every few blocks.
Once we got on airport grounds, it was a speedily fascinating trip (blessedly little traffic) along straightaways, under runways and around some very tight cloverleaf loops. It was quite easy to get disoriented even if you're familiar with JFK's layout. A very strange place for an MTA bus, especially with PA signs and lampposts instead of NYC ones.
We ran for so long- a good twenty minutes- that I wasn't sure if there was a definite last stop (just as the M60 does a continuous loop around LaGuardia without layover). But at Terminal 4, we went out of service at what looked like a common terminal siding for the Q10 and B15. For several minutes, a 1996 Nova B15 stood in the middle of the street with people in it, but with the doors closed. I suspect that the circuitous route may mean passengers can board outbound and remain on the bus during the layover.
No matter, a 1985 RTS (roll sign, olive green seats) Q10 went into service first. The unrepowered engine got very loud on the Van Wyck straightaway, service road and around Federal Circle. The run along North Conduit was hampered by lots of people avoiding the traffic on the Belt. At Lefferts & 135th, I just caught a Kew-bound Q37 (1994 RTS, LED sign, red seats) which incongruously runs on some very narrow two-way residential side streets south of Rockaway Boulevard. Some decent speed along 111th between Liberty and Myrtle despite a few extremely long lights.
At Kew, I got an inbound 1985 RTS on the Q60 to Queens Center, where after a long run across the intersection, I just missed my original target, the Glendale-bound Q29. So I crossed back and let a suburban Nova on the Q88 pass (long line sure to lead to fights in the aisles) for a '99 Nova right behind it.
Got off at 108th for LGA-bound Q23, which arrived within ten minutes-not bad, from what I hear. It was another '85 olive-seated RTS with a barely functioning wheelchair lift that caused a long dwell at Roosevelt. The run above Roosevelt is quite interesting: many narrow residential streets, a fast, scenic run along Ditmars. We were unfortuantely bogged down several minutes on 32nd Avenue by an SUV and UPS van double-parked next to each other(!).
After the discharge at Ditmars circle, I walked over the bridge onto LGA grounds. Unsure if and where the Q33 lays over, I made it to a stop midway between the US AIR and main terminals in time for yet another 1985 RTS to arrive. There were already some people on it. Unlike the Q48 with its twists and turns, the 33 runs a pretty conventional route through the airport, taking one interesting detour before the 94th Street bridge. The trip down 82nd Street wasn't too bad until after 37th Avenue. Amazingly, a LOT of people got on after we made the right onto Roosevelt- I assumed they were waiting for the Q32! WHY would people ride a bus along Roosevelt from 82nd to 74th?!! That made no sense at all!
By this time it was close to noon. I hopped the F train back to 179th, got in my car and drove to a pool in Wantagh. The only thing worth noticing was later that afternoon on the Southern State, when I saw THREE LI Buses bumper-to-bumper waiting for a light on the Nassau Road overpass. I know three routes- the N40, 41 and 43- all operate there. But bunching like this would seem unusual on the Hempstead-Freeport corridor.
Wayne
Why is there even a layover there for buses at all? Can a B/O take a break without a bus? As each bus pulls in, the B/O could be relieved by the B/O who came in on the prior bus. Why hold passengers hostage unnecessarily?
Wayne
They did that on the B15 when I rode it to JFK as well. We took the B15 bus in front of us, siince it was the first to leave.
B15#4429
I think they do this on Main street in Flushing. I always see a bunch of ops waiting by the stop at 39th and Main. Apparently Q20/Q44 routes "change" operators there. I see one operator get off, another steps on and changes the number sign in the front of the bus.
Also I've seen this happen in front of Yukon depot on Staten Island with the S79.
CG
Since i know the TA is doing a lot of interling i presumed it may have been a B-6 run with the driver doing a trip on the x27/x28. When i got off at about 6:30M from the L train at Rockaway Parkway i saw a B-6 bus laying over at Rockaway Parkway Station it also indicated that it was a run 70.
There is no way a driver can go from 5th Ave/40th Street in Manhattan to Bay Ridge then dead head to Ulmer Park Depot and do a trip from Bay 38th Street to Rockaway Parkway Station on the B-6
Any speculation
Thank You
David
David
Can you please check if Run 70 on the B-6 does interline with the x-27/x-37
Thank You
Run 70/B6 does not interline with anything, express or otherwise.
David
Now this new route will still take the bus on that street and plus make more people complain about the 52 going to take a left on 59th street street on draxel. Beouse at sometimes of the day all they will hear or buses plus the G buses. So whats your thoughts on this rerouteing plan?
B68-#9324-NOVABUS
B64-#9333-NOVABUS
Peace
David
Peace
David
BIG AL
BIG AL
BIG AL
Peace
David
BTW: what is your work assignment this week & next week?????
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Peace
David
Peace
David
BIG AL
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
B70-#7566-Orion VII
Orion VII 7600 B11
Roadpilot also mentioned that the driver broke an arm and a leg. While we're eulogizing a pile of metal and plastic, how about some compassionate words for the driver as well?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Trevor
Peace
David
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
www.regionaltransitservice.com
www.regionaltransitservice.com
In Chester County, most districts use a third-party contractor to operate and maintain the school bus fleet (usually it's Krapf's, but there are a couple of smaller contractors); only Unionville-Chadds Ford and Kennett Consolidated have in-house pupil transportation.
In Delaware County, however, it's the reverse. All DelCo school districts keep school bus ops in-house, except for the William Penn School District (Darby/Yeadon/Lansdowne area).
FWIW, the School District of Philadelphia operates elementary and middle school routes in-house, but not high school routes (SEPTA handles public high school routes in the city and I think a few middle schools as well) nor transportation to non-district (private or parochial) schools. I think Philadelphia has the largest in-house school bus fleet in the U.S., but don't hold me to it (I don't know how LA handles their bus fleet).
In some of the smaller cities in Pa. (such as Altoona and Erie), the local TA covers most of the school work. Some of the buses in Erie are actually fit with flashing red and yellow lights and stop arms, just as if they were school buses.
*****
In most southern states (including Maryland, Virginia, and Florida, for example), the schools are under county jurisdiction as opposed to the way it's set up in the Northeast. In most cases, the county school boards directly operate school buses (I think Baltimore City contracts out some of its work; Howard County may do the same, but I don't recall off-hand).
In Delaware, the district owned school buses have "STATE OWNED" tags. I don't know how the school district structure works in Delaware, but let's just say it's confusing (the City of Wilmington is split into at least two districts, at least based on what I've seen of some district maps).
*****
I guess the point is school bus operations not only depend on what state you're living in, it can at times depend on what part of the state you live in.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I think where you may have been confused was the reference to buses with red/yellow lights and stop arms. Those buses are used in Erie and Altoona, but not in Philadelphia.
In Houston, each area school district owns it's buses. My district has about 300 or so. The main Houston district has about 1300, 400 of those may have to be scrapped because of defects. Anyway, H.I.S.D. (Houston Independent School District) assigns routes and buses pick up along those routes. They may not get the same buses everyday.
My district sssigns the buses themselves to a certain route. You're supposed to get the same bus everyday but the organization of the transportation system has gone down since 1994 so you can get any bus almost.
Back in 1997 when HISD was having a school bus accident everyday, there were some small talks of Metro taking over, but that was squashed due to legal reasons. I would've killed for an A/C equipped Grumman or RTS to do the school runs. Metro does run school trippers though, just in conjunction with regular bus service.
The School District of Philadelphia does have a yellow school bus fleet; their buses are used exclusively for transporting students attending public elementary or middle schools. The district also does not provide transportation to non-public schools within Philadelphia or outside the city.
On an interesting side note, the high school sports teams are about to join the state sanctioning body for high school athletics. The interesting point is that the SDoP does not allow its yellow bus fleet to travel outside of the City of Philadelphia (I don't know if it's a district policy or a union issue), which would make things very difficult if any team from the city wanted to compete in the various state tourneys.
However, where I currently live (Montgomery County, MD). My school district owns and operates their own fleet of busses (in house). We have over 1,115 busses and our busses are mostly Transit Style Rear Engine Thomas MVPs and HDX busses. Our busses have POWERFUL CAT engines with Allison MT and World transmissions, tinted windows, air suspension, air door, dual stop arms with 8 strobe lights, roof strobe, high backed seats, AM/FM/Cassette/CD/PA radio, etc. (luxury school busses)
Thank you.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
B68-#4778-TMC
B8-#7588-Orion VII
#4788 - B1
#9340 - B6
I meant to say was Every 2 days Sorry :)
BTW, 7514 has been on the defect track (major acident) for a while, and 7530 is in pieces at Nimco Scrap Yard. Looks like the TA went through great pains in rebuilding 50 buses in house (the 7000 series) and even repowering one of them (7004 has a series 50 engine now, only the second pre-1990 bus to get a series 50, the other was the now-gone 3160), while the 60 7500s got a half-@@s job at Midwest Bus. (7541, formerly of 126 is also scrap-stripped.)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
#3160 - B6
#9330 - B6
#2911 - X25
#3160 - B3
#2911 - X25
#3160 - B3
FYI: There was one other CAF set on the Blue Line, I think. I am quite sure the set we saw at F/S was 6 cars, but when I got off at Metro Center to change to the Red Line, a 4 car train pulled in going the other way. Also, there were 4 people including me on the 27 which I barely made (had to run all the way up), two of which including myself got off at the soon to be discontinued stop.
We did get our Orion I ride in on the DASH AT4. Oh boy, much to say about this whole day! We also walked through an old train tunnel that was off of one of the streets we got off the AT7. We ran into Safeway as we were all about to pass out from being thirsty and Tristan took us through it. It was very cool. Its now used as a bike/pedestrian tunnel but you can still see soot on the inside from back in the days of the trains. We then cut through a playground where we got very strange looks from the yuppies and their kids playing there. I don't think it helped that there was a belching contest going on by some of the folks that were drinking their carbonated beverages. LOL
My mind is a big blur from today, but here is what I remember that we took: (Minus Orion VI 2000 on the 38B and NF C40LF 2305 on the D1 that I had getting there this AM). Oh yes, saw the Subtalk Party bus running FFX Connector 311.
New Flyer 2406, D6
Orion VI 2070 38B
Flx Metro B 9396 3B
Orion V 3911 GEORGE 26A (we were robbed of the ride on the Thomas SLF that is supposed to run on this route)
Orion V 4316 28A
Orion V 7885 FFX Connector 401
Orion V 7874 FFX Connector 204
Gillig 38 DASH AT 7
Orion I 26 DASH AT4
Flx Metro B 8775 13B
Neoplan 5309 71 for those that took it and 4071 Metro E for me that bailed!
Had a great time guys. Thanks to WES for setting this up. I'm sure the others will fill in the gaps.
Incognito
Tysons Corner was definitely a very 'pleasing to the eye' place to have lunch! : ) Also watching some of you guys go flying out in the road to take pictures of the buses was pretty funny.
I can't wait for the WMATA bus division world tour.
It was definitely a "thumbs up"!
Yeah, especially me at Tysons Corner, I was almost encountered by a few oncoming cars as I was getting a pic of Fairfax Connector RTS-06 #7841 and Metrobus Flxible Metro-D #9747 (Four Mile Run)...
Is going out in the street to get a bus photo my specialty? Only if that's the only way to get a good pic of a bus...
Incognito
I HAVE SOME COLLEGE PARK OBSERVATIONS:
-Gilligs were doing the U of MD shuttle bus runs from College Park
-I saw something usual, seeing two sets of Rohr cars on the green line
-8850 was doing a Cherry Hill 83 run
-and 63020 still has that freakin dent
Getting there I got first 8806(10 minutes late) on the F14 where I got 8702 on the 97 to Union Station from Capitol Heights. 8702 still had the large rear fleet number and I wish I remembered that, cause I would have taken a pic of the rear. I saw a repower before getting the F14, it looked like it just got out of the repower shop, couldn't see the number. The 21 ODV that I usually take to New Carrolton on my Baltimore Trips that comes at 8am, was running about 15 minutes late. I saw 2057 with its bike rack in use.
I will post my official trip tomorrow, I do need some sleep. Goodnight
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
Looking forward to our next trip.
Wayne
I've been on 5309 a couple of times and I remember it having that loud squeaking. Glad they finally fixed it. It was sure odd to see an artic on the S1 of all buses, this AM. That's probably almost as bad as putting an artic on the J5.
We have a good group of folks down here and its been fun doing all of this exploring of our transit systems around the DC area. There are still routes I haven't tried yet but want to such as the J9, the Ride On 70 (in a Flx of course), the C18 and PRTC. Rideonrules and I were looking at the schedule for that at Franconia-Springfield and we may have to try that.
That's a shame those buses are getting marked up so bad. Bring back the MAN's and let them tear up those buses instead.
Wayne
Here goes...
My trip started Tuesday afternoon...I took an R142 on the 2 (forgot the number) to 42nd St-Times Square...walked to the Port Authority terminal to catch the next Greyhound to Washington, DC. I rode MC-12 #2814...we had a 10-minute rest stop at a rest area in Cecil County, Maryland...after that, we were on our way. I took a 3pm bus, got to DC around 730pm...walked down from the terminal at K st and 1 st NE to meet up with Chris D (New Look Terrapin) and Chris G (rideonrules). Went inside Union Station to take the Metro Red line from Union Station to Silver Spring (rode Rohr #1232) to take the Y8 up to Olney, we got NABI #5212, the only Metrobus NABI to have the large Metrobus logo and thick red stripes...I have photos of various buses at Silver Spring, BTW. Chris D had to get off at Wheaton, and Chris G and I went up to Olney...
Wednesday Morning, Chris G and I missed a Metro-E on another route, but we caught NABI #5225 on the Y7...bad ride indeed, the transmission on that bus was shot, just didn't respond properly to the driver's application of the gas pedal...Chris G and I got off at Wheaton where we waited for Ray (aznboy4305) and Chris D (New Look Terrapin). While we waited, I got shots of Ride-On's cutaways (shot #5156 and 5203) and Orion Is before their retirement (I shot 5540, 5542, and 5545) as well as some Metrobuses (including #5212). After all four of us got together, we went down into the Metro to take the Red line to Union Station to meet up with the Bustalk DC crew...we rode Breda #3144.
W.E.S. was there, as well as Oren, Perry, Nick, and Wayne...we went to the D6 bus stop and waited for a C40LF on the D6...we saw and photographed 2343 on the X8, 5163 on the D1 (?) and 2350 on the D6 in the other direction. We finally got on #2406 and took it to Farragut Square...we saw some unrehabbed Flxes running around, including #9256 on Connecticut Av...can you believe the NextBus technology at that stop was so fauly, it was displaying "the next 38B bus was coming in 32 mins & 87 mins" and I'm sitting here like WTF??????
We then got on the 38B, #2070, which was a nice swift ride, like #2406, and had an OK ride until just before Rosslyn, where the scenery changed and was very picturesque crossing the Potomac River...got off and met Tristan (BusStalker), and that NextBus sign said "the next 3B bus was in 106 minutes" the next 38B bus comes at 5:59 and 6:04pm" and I said "WTF????"
We then got on the 3B to East Falls Church station where we found a 35-foot Flx Metro-B and an Arlington Regional Transit minibus "hot dog wagon." I mean, this bus wasn't even a bus, per se, but it ran as if it's a transit bus...
UNACCEPTABLE!
GEORGE came to visit, a Thomas SLF, but tell me why the driver had no passengers and opened the doors to let whatever people were on the bus (none) just to tell us she's OOS...we wound up with Metrobus 30-foot Orion #3911..but at least I got photos of a GEORGE bus...we took 3911 over to West Falls Church Station, where we found more 35-foot Metro-Bs...and, as our bus came, a PRTC/Omniride Orion V suburban! Got a rear shot of that...then, we took the 28A over to Tysens Corner, what a ride, with those two women near me, one of them with a short skirt and using nail polish remover on the damn bus! You don't do that! Not to mention the scent was strong and unpleasant...and the bus had a standing load.
Before and after we ate, we got photos of buses at the mall, we then took FFX (Fairfax Connector) #7885 over to Franconia-Springfield station where we photographed the two FFX Orion Is there, #7703 and #7706. Nick also unexpectedly and quitely jet out of there, he had to go to work, I guess...then we were on our way. We got an Orion V instead on the 204, #7874, over to the Van Dorn St Metro Station. There was plenty of DASH and FFX equipment to take photos of...I got photos of FFX #7897 (35-foot Orion V) and DASH #32 (Orion I) and #62 (Orion V)...we got on DASH Gillig #38 on the AT7 to Lee Center, but we didn't even get close to it...Tristan apparently didn't know that there wasn't a direct connection to the AT4 nor that the driver wasn't going all the way there...Northern Virginians...pheh...
I loved our conversations about Virginia buses and their frequencies, we joked about how DASH and FFX had routes where there's a bus every hour or a bus every 5-6 hours with holiday service operating like one trip per day...while Maryland has buses coming every 15-30 minutes on many routes, and the MTA up in Fault-imore...I mean, Baltimore! ROFL, of course we were only kidding, it was all in fun, though...
ANYWAY, we walked around a part of Alexandria, VA, that I've never been to before...including the area where an old railroad tunnel was, which we walked over to...after rolling through a park, belching constantly with our sodas (including me with my Sprite and my loud belching with my Detroit Diesel S50G with roof exhaust, passing fart gas later on was my Cummins L10G with floor exhaust!), Chris D kicking over P.G. County THE BUS' HQ within a mushroom, and other babbling and other stuff, we finally boarded an AT4 to the Pentagon, with the ever-so-bouncy Orion I #26. We were FLYING down the highway, we even passed by a Metrobus Metro-B...we were doing like 60, the Flx, only 45, I guess.
We got to the Pentagon Transit Center, looking at the highway gridlock and the various buses at the bus bays...Omniride MCI A3s, FFX Novas, Metrobus Orions, Flxibles, and out 13B bus, Metro-B #8775, unrehabbed, and AC that was hot as hell...the driver tried to restart it and get it working, but then he just gave up...
The ride over the Potomac with the 13B was fabulous, though the gridlock wasn't so pleasant, but it was still enjoyable...the ride into DC was very nice, though I didn't see any Baltimore commuter buses that WEREN'T EYRE or KELLER buses...but we still got a Neoplan on the 70/71, it was a 71 bus, Neo #5309, and we took it all the way up to Silver Spring, after a couple of us broke out, Tristan, Perry, WES, Ray later on...I got some Neoplan photos before I decided to take the 70 back down, but then we all thought that I should take the S4 since a) it was a Neo artic, and b) it's a faster run than that 70, which it was...along 16th St NW, from Silver Spring to around 3636 16th St NW, we were FLYING...then, once we got into DC, it was stop-and-go...I got off at 16th & H to ride the X2, NABI #5245 over to H and 7th Sts...wanted to take the Chinatown buses, but then realized that they don't even run at this time...so I took the next 80 over to Union Station, #2357 over to Massachusetts and 3rd St (?), walked over to Union Station and then went to the ATM for more money. As I was searching for the ATM, I saw some MARC Kawasaki Bilevel cars, and I decided to attempt to photograph it...but I saw Amtrak police and supervision, so I thought the only way to get some photos (which I have been dying to get) was to ride the MARC, which I did...I was in the rear of the train to run out at Baltimore Penn Station to get a cab car photo...rode Kawasaki #7850...I don't remember the entire consist, but it was 6 Bilevels with HHP-8 #4914...MAN, that shit was FLYING up to New Carrollton, I almost thought it was going 100+ MPH! The interior of the cars were GORGEOUS and running that fast with an HHP-8 almost felt like an Acela Express ride, but for a fraction of the price!!!
We got to Baltimore Penn and I took my photos of MARC and rode the LRVs, #5023, I think...rode it to Lexington Market, went to the Greyhound terminal and tried to purchase a ticket, but I missed the bus and decided that since I wasn't gonna wait, I just left and photographed some Baltimore LRVs and NABIs..I got a shot of 2001 NABI #0064 and got a good shot each of #5031, 5047, and 5048 in the old MTA scheme, and #5032 in the new scheme...went back to Penn Station and tried to buy a ticket, but a) the ticket office was closed, and b) I didn't have enough money for it...so what I did was waited on the platform for train 66, the next train en route to Boston via NY Penn. I saw an AEM-7 and the same MARC train I got off of en route to Perryville, laaying up on track 6 and then going off to a siding so that train 66 can come in...Acela Express Train 2106 came in, with Baltimore as a terminal station, went OOS, and then Train 66 came...I explained my situation and the conductor and assistant conductor let me on with whatever money I had...I thanked them so much and I was on my way to NYC...the last part of my trip ended with R142 #6406 on the #2 line home, but not after riding R62A #2421 from 34th St to 96th St so that I am not sitting in 34th St station for too long...there was a foul homeless woman stench on the tracks...also spotted a revenue collection train with two R21/22s and R62A #1988...
Saw no buses from that point on, and I got home at 315am this morning...
Thus concludes my escapade in the District of Columbia
Photos will come soon...
Thank you
Incognito
Cleanairbus
Transit Is My Drug
The baby Flx at Union Station was on the D8
The next bus in 106 min was at Farragut Square, not Rosslyn
Sounds like you had an interesting trip home. Why was an Acela Express terminating at Baltimore though?
30-foot Baby Flxible Metro-B #5163 on the D8 @ Union Station
New Flyer C40LF #2350 on the D6 on Massachusetts Avenue @ Union Station
New Flyer C40LF #2406 on the D6 we rode @ Farragut Square
New Flyer C40LF #2427 on the 80 line @ Farragut Square
35-foot Flxible Metro-B #9491 @ East Falls Church Metro Station
35-foot Flxible Metro-B #9498 @ East Falls Church Metro Station
PART 2 is coming up shortly...
Incognito
Cleanairbus
Transit Is My Drug
Chuck Greene
GEORGE Thomas SLF #3954 @ East Falls Church Metro Station
30-foot Baby Orion V #3911 @ East Falls Church Metro Station
Omniride Orion V suburban #172 @ East Falls Church Station
Fairfax Connector NovaBUS RTS-06 #7841 @ Tysons Corner
Flxible Metro-D #9747 on the 23A to Crystal City @ Tysons Corner
Fairfax Connector Orion I #7703 @ Franconia-Springfield Metro Station
Fairfax Connector Orion I #7706 @ Franconia-Springfield Metro Station
SubTalk DC PARTY BUS! #7797, THE SAME BUS WE RODE, RIGHT WHERE WE CAUGHT IT BACK IN APRIL, @ Franconia-Springfield Metro Station
PART 3 is coming up shortly...
Incognito
Cleanairbus
Transit Is My Drug
Photos, please:
35-foot Fairfax Connector Orion V #7897
DASH (Driving Alexandrians Safely Home) Orion I #32 @ Van Dorn Metro Station
DASH Orion V #62 @ Van Dorn Metro Station
Neoplan AN460 (actually 61- or 62-foot) artic #5315 @ Silver Spring Metro Station
Montgomery County Ride-On Orion I (non-hammerhead) #5510 @ Silver Spring Metro Station
Ride-On ElDorado/International cutaway #5181, operating under contract as a VAN-GO shuttle, @ Silver Spring Metro Station
THUS CONCLUDES THE PICTURE POST...
The pictures I took BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRIP...will come either here or by-email request...
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
Incognito
Cleanairbus
Transit Is My Drug
TWO GENERATIONS OF WMATA ARTICULATED BUSES! Neoplan AN460 #5309 on the 70 line and American Ikarus/North American Bus Industries (NABI) 436.08 #5221 on the Y8 @ Silver Spring Metro Station
THANK YOU!
Incognito
Wayne
Incognito
And S WHAT if I said what I said? You actually thought I was saying that seriously?
Easy, bro!
Incognito
BTW, Tristan, what was that conference that you went to?
A Look Behind
1983 GMC-RTS: 3160
David
Robert
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
The 1993 TMC RTS-06 #8449-8450, #8453, #8455-8456 and #8460 MIGHT be going to Ulmer Park. However, it's only about 6 buses so that's nothing. I would say that when Hudson Pier Depot closes, most of those buses should go to Ulmer Park meaning the 1990 TMC RTS-06 #8200s COULD be in Brooklyn for the first time ever!!! Nah, I did not think so either. I could be wrong and HOPEFULLY I am but it's not likely. The 1994 TMC RTS-06 8600s are staying in East New York. However, anything is possible.
Vince!
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
~a bewildered teenage Basman
You are aware that the current New Flyer Industries is almost completely unrelated to the original canadian Western Auto and Truck Body Limited, right? Even the Flyer that gave us the E800 and such is long gone, swallowed by the dutch bus manufacturer, Den Oudsten, B.V., thus giving us the current New Flyer Industries. There is virtually no chance that NFI even thought about the differing street grids in canada versus the united states, let alone Philadelphia. I'm fairly certain that Toronto has a pretty narrow street grid, with similar short bursts between stops, so why wouldn't they be spec'ed for that kind of operation? IIRC SEPTA's current D40LFs were built in Minnesota, does that mean that they shoud conform to Minneapolis's street grid?
You also forget that the D40LFs in the city provide faster loading and easier access to older and handicapped people. In the city's tight schedules and short headways that means that busses don't bunch up because the older customers do not need to climb 3 or 4 steps to get on a bus. Out in the suburbs, with the longer headways it's easier for a bus to stop for a longer amount of time to board a high floor bus, without screwwing up whole line.
If someone told you they were not built for the city streets than they don't know there buses to well...!
My guest 82 series will go to MQ depot.
The 94-95 still up in the air.
84 series will get sent to the Bronx to Kingsbridge or to Michael Quill depot.
They seem to not send Brooklyn buses from Manhattan. Because hudson or 126 st 5000 series could be used in Brooklyn. Manhattanville has to many buses and alot of 5000 series and some route are getting transfer from there when 100 street opens too. why all these buses at6 manhattanville depot.
4700/4800's-->up in the air
8100/8200's-->MJQ
8400/8500's-->JAM
9400/9500'S-->UP or GH
9600'S-->FP
SEPTA District Listings: These listings are based if I ran the SEPTA assignments. Compare with the current roster, and you decide which is better.
July 16th, 2003
ALLEGHENY (5xxx) 109 Diesel Buses
2601 Allegheny Av (Between 26 & 27 Sts)
Tioga (North Philadelphia)
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 9 (500x), 27 (505x), 33 (515x), 48 (540x), 54* (550x), 60 (530x), 65* (520x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BM (4): 9711, 9721-9723
1996 NABI (10): 5154, 5156-5164
1999 Neoplan OQ (8): 7101-7108
2000 Neoplan OQ (87): 7109-7195
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 5157 (Verizon DSL).
CALLOWHILL (9xxx) 194 Diesel Buses
Callowhill St between 58 & 59 Sts
West Philadelphia
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 1* (900x), 15 (902x), 21/42 (910x), 30 (916x), 31 (920x), 34 Shuttle (820x, buses from Callowhill, operators from Elmwood), 38 (925x), 40 (930x), 43 (940x), 44/121 (967x), 46 (945x), 52 (950x), 64* (955x), 65* (960x), G* (970x), Market-Frankford Blue OWL* (990x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BP (2): 1406, 1425
1986 Neoplan DK (3): 3058, 3068, 3082 Scrap: 3045, 3122
1987 Neoplan EB (22): 3153-3156, 3158, 3193, 3200, 3233-3245, 3247-3248 Scrap: 3246
1989 Neoplan EZ (19): 3398-3399, 3417-3423, 3425-3434
1996 NABI (88): 5001-5040, 5042-5058, 5066, 5249-5278
2001 New Flyer D40LF (60): 5411-5470
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 5008 (), 5022 (Dockside Apartments), 5024, 5056, 5265 (Verizon DSL), 5038 (Legally Blonde 2), 5047 (Welcome America), 5055 (National Constitution Center; partial street-side), 5066 (Northeast Auto Outlet), 5264 (???, partial street-side), 5273 (Tastycake).
COMLY (1xxx) 191 Diesel Buses
Oxford Circle (Northeast Philadelphia)
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 1* (105x), 14/20 (110x), 19/67 (120x), 24 (125x), 28 (130x), 58 (135x), 70* (140x), 73 (145x), 84 (150x), R* (155x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BM (7): 9612, 9701, 9704, 9709, 9714-9715, 9718
1985/2002 Neoplan CD (13): 9741, 9744, 9746-9747, 9760, 9767, 9772, 9775, 9780, 9803, 9807, 9809, 9813
1986 Neoplan DK (0): Scrap: 3073-3075, 3111-3116
1987 Neoplan EB (13): 3135-3138, 3160-3162, 3164, 3166-3167, 3170-3171, 3232 Scrap: 3157, 3169
1988 Neoplan EI (9): 3266-3272, 3282-3283
1989 Neoplan EZ (12): 3397, 3400, 3402-3405, 3408, 3410-3412, 3414-3415**
1996 NABI (92): 5041, 5059-5065, 5067-5133, 5293-5295, 5351-5364
2002 New Flyer D40LF (45): 5541-5585
ELMWOOD (LIGHT RAIL ONLY, 8xxx) 8 PCC Cars, 112 LRVs; 120 Total
Island & Elmwood Avs
Southwest Philadelphia
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 10# (805x), 11# (810x), 13# (815x), 34# (820x), 36# (825x)
1947-48 PCC Car (8/): 2728, 2732, 2785, 2799, 2160, 2168, 2187, 2194 Scrap: 2181
1981 Kawasaki LRV (112): 9000-9111
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 9035 (Verizon DSL).
FRANKFORD (2xxx) 160 Diesel Buses
Bridge& Pratt Sts (Frankford Terminal)
Frankford (Northeast Philadelphia)
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 3* (220x), 5 (225x), 8 (230x), 25* (217x), 26* (222x), 59 (200x), 66 (205x), 75 (210x), 88 (250x), J* (255x), K* (260x), Market-Frankford Blue OWL* (270x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BM (16): 9603, 9654-9655, 9667, 9673-9674, 9685, 9698-9700, 9705-9706, 9710, 9717, 9720, 9724
1985/2002 Neoplan CD (31): 9733, 9735, 9759, 9763, 9766, 9785-9786, 9788-9789, 9795-9798, 9804, 9811-9812, 9824, 9829-9830, 9833-9836, 9839, 9843-9845, 9855, 9861-9863
1986 Neoplan DK (0): Scrap: 3065
1987 Neoplan EB (44): 3132, 3139-3152, 3163, 3172-3186, 3203-3204, 3209, 3216-3219, 3222, 3224, 3230-3231, 3250-3251
1996 NABI (29): 5279-5292, 5336-5350
2002 New Flyer D40LF (40): 5501-5540
MIDVALE (3xxx) 345 Diesel Buses
4401 Wissahickon Av
Nicetown-Tioga
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 2* (340x), 3* (343x), 6 (398x), 7* (345x), 18 (300x), 22 (320x), 23* (310x), 26* (305x), 32 (313x), 35 (357x), 39 (395x), 47* (330x), 53 (349x), 54* (377x), 55 (350x), 56 (360x), 57* (390x), 61 (370x), 70* (365x), 77 (367x), 80 (369x), 89 (342x), C* (390x), H/XH (325x), J* (385x), K* (386x), L (335x), R* (315x), Broad Street Orange OWL* (395x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BM (16): 9602, 9606, 9616-9617, 9622, 9624, 9633, 9637-9638, 9644-9646, 9650, 9656, 9658, 9664
1984/2001-02 Volvo B-10M Artic (17): 7801-7802, 7804-7807, 7811-7812, 7817, 7820, 7823, 7829-7830, 7835, 7847, 7849-7850
1985/2002 Neoplan CD (18): 9737, 9742, 9748-9749, 9752, 9756, 9782, 9827, 9852, 9858-9859, 9865, 9868-9873, 9875
1986 Neoplan DK (44): 3000, 3003-3004, 3006, 3011-3013, 3015, 3017-3018, 3025, 3027-3028, 3030, 3032, 3034-3035, 3037, 3039, 3046, 3051, 3054, 3063, 3081, 3083-3084, 3086, 3089-3090, 3092, 3095-3096, 3098-3100, 3103-3104, 3106-3110, 3130-3131
1987 Neoplan EB (1): 3165
1988-90 Flxible (Ex-DART) (25): 3501-3525
1988 Neoplan EI (27): 3284-3290, 3294-3313
1996 NABI (80): 5165-5193, 5195-5197, 5199-5213, 5215-5236, 5238-5248
2000 Neoplan OQ (60): 7196-7255
2001 ElDorado National (11): 4559-4569
2003 New Flyer D40LF (46): 5667-5712
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 9749 (Verizon DSL), 3063 (Sept. 11th Memorial), 5172 (Tastycake), 5173 (Legally Blonde 2).
SOUTHERN (7xxx) 66 ETBs, 188 Diesel Buses
Johnston St between 19 & 20 Sts
South Philadelphia
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 2* (710x), 7* (720x), 12 (725x), 17 (730x), 23* (705x), 25* (715x), 29 (750x), 37 (735x), 47* (790x), 47m (799x), 57* (745x), 63 (739x), 64* (740x), 68 (785x), 79^ (760x), 108* (700x), C* (755x), G* (765x), Broad Street Orange OWL* (795x)
1979 AM General 10240-T ETB (66): 810-830, 832-834, 836-838, 842, 845-846, 848-850, 853, 857-858, 861, 863-864, 866-867, 871, 874, 876, 878-880, 882, 884-888, 890- 892, 895-899, 902-903, 905, 908-909
1984/2002 Neoplan BP (7): 1401-1404, 1408, 1418, 1421
1987 Neoplan EB (32): 3187-3192, 3194-3199, 3201-3202, 3205-3208, 3210-3215, 3220-3221, 3223, 3225-3229
1988 Neoplan EI (31): 3256-3259, 3330-3356
1989 Neoplan EZ (10): 3372-3373, 3384-3389, 3413, 3435
1996 NABI (29): 5198, 5214, 5237, 5375-5400
2001 New Flyer D40LF (30): 5471-5500
2002 New Flyer D40LF (5): 5596-5600
2002 New Flyer DE40LF (2): 5601H-5602H
2003 New Flyer D40LF (44): 5613-5656
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 53?? (Verizon DSL), 5385 (KYW News Radio 1060 "Big Blue Bus"***), 5396 (City of Philadelphia, Streets Department/Recycling), 5601H, 5602H (Cleanair).
***This bus is loaned out to Southern on Tuesdays for KYW News Radio's free ride promotion. It may be used on other Southern routes during the rest of the week.
VICTORY/RED ARROW (BUS AND LIGHT RAIL, 4xxx)
Victory Ave 29 LRVs, 26 HRVs, 167 Diesel Buses
Upper Darby Twp, Delaware Co
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 100# (400x), 101#/102# (410x), 103 (420x), 104 (421x), 105 (430x), 106 (433x), 107 (434x), 108* (435x), 109 (440x), 110 (443x), 111 (445x), 112 (447x), 113 (450x), 114 (454x), 115 (456x), 116 (458x), 117/119 (460x), 118* (463x), 120 (465x), 122 (467x), 123 (468x), 124/125* (470x), 305 (480x)
1981 Kawasaki LRV (29): 100-128
1984/2001 Neoplan BP (2): 1420, 1422
1986 Neoplan DK (0): Scrap: 3060, 3062, 3121, 3125, 3127
1988 Neoplan EI (10): 3260-3265, 3291-3293, 3371
1989 Neoplan EZ (61): 3375-3383, 3390-3394, 3401, 3406-3407, 3409, 3416, 3436-3466, 3468-3473, 3475-3479
1994 ABB N-5 Norristown Cars (26): 130-155
1996 NABI (50): 5296-5335, 5365-5374
2001 ElDorado National (24): 4534-4557
2001 New Flyer D40LF (10): 5401-5410***
2002 New Flyer D40LF (10): 5586-5595
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 3379, 3391, 3439 (Ross Stores, partial street-side), 3383 (First Trust Bank, partial street-side), 5325 (Philadelphia Phillies, partial street-side), 5373 (Verizon DSL).
FRONTIER (6xxx) 124 Diesel Buses
Alan Wood Rd, north of Ridge Pk
Plymouth Twp, Montgomery Co
ROUTES ASSIGNED: 91 (600x), 92/133 (601x), 93 (603x), 94 (605x), 95### (607x), 96 (608x), 97### (610x), 98 (612x), 99 (614x), 118* (6155/6), 124/125* (616x), 127 (620x), 128 (622x), 129 (623x), 130 (625x), 131 (626x), 201 (627x), 203 (630x), 206 (632x), 304 (633x)
1984/2002 Neoplan BP (2): 1415, 1417
1986 Neoplan DK (0): Scrap: 3002, 3008, 3016, 3055, 3072, 3077, 3097, 3118
1988 Neoplan EI (42): 3252-3255, 3273-3281, 3314-3318, 3320-3329, 3357-3370
1989 Neoplan EZ (15): 3374, 3395-3396, 3480-3491
1996 NABI (20): 5134-5153
1999 Ford Cutaway Minibus (Breeze IVA) (4): 2052-2055
2001 ElDorado National (31): 4514-4533, 4570-4580
2003 New Flyer D40LF (10): 5657-5666
###: Most 95 runs are cross routed with the 97. A 95 run with a 607x block is most likely a short turn between Gulph Mills P&W and Conshahocken Railroad Station.
CURRENT FULL WRAPS: 3487 (TH Properties), 5140 (Philadelphia Phillies, partial street-side), 4516, 4522, 4531 (Commenwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health; partial street-side).
Just like everything on SEPTA, this roster is SUBJECT TO CHANGE without notice.
Neoplans in bold type have surburban specification soft seats.
*: Route split with another depot.
**: #3414 was retrofitted with a DD50 engine and Alison B5000 transmission in 1994, and seats 38.
***: New Flyer 5401, the prototype for SEPTA's order, was built in 2000; have been sent back to factory for retrofit work.
****: Diesel-electric hybirds, testing underway, remainder due in Spring 2003.
Midvale 5194 is expected to be out of service for at least 5 months due to fire damage.
Totals: Volvo B-10M: 17 Neoplan BM: 24 Neoplan BM Suburban: 20 Neoplan BP: 13 Neoplan CD: 48 Neoplan CD Suburban: 14 Neoplan DK: 45 Neoplan DK Suburban: 2 Neoplan EB: 99 Neoplan EB Suburban: 13 Flxible: 25 Neoplan EI: 104 Neoplan EI Suburban: 15 Neoplan EZ: 89 Neoplan EZ Suburban: 28 NABI 416: 398 Breeze: 34 Neoplan OQ: 155 Eldorado National: 80 New Flyer D40LF: 300 New Flyer DE40LF: 2 Total: 1523
THE END
thank you
Patkylekenny
What type of bus is that for Arlington Transit?
Wayne
Gorgeous pictures by the way. You did a nice job.
Yankee Shirt: Wayne
Yankee Hat + C3020: Carlton
Grey Shirt: Perry
Middle finger guy: Chris D.
Red Burgandy Shirt: WES
Yellow bumblebee friend: Tristan (inside joke)
White Shirt: Chris G.
Neon Green shirt: Ray
Aqua Blue shirt: Nick
Personally, I think my explanation was clear enough. Keep in mind Far Rockaway never complained ;-)
Yes, I'm the bee didn't catch Tristan - It was pretty big.
Wayne
*********************
Let's see, Oren, Wes, and Tristan were actually taking notes of what we rode so I don't know the fleet numbers of the buses, but here's what I remember as far as details:
The day started when i was held up bu gridlock on southbound Route 29 as I was heading towards Wheaton >:-( After I got to Wheaton, where Chris G (rideonrules), Ray (aznboy4305), and Carl (Cleanairbus) ragged on me for being SLIGHTLY late, we got down to Wheaton station where we caught a Red line Breda to Union Station.
At Union Station, we met up with Oren, Wayne, Nick (rideonrules' brother), and Wes. Here we joked about how if a single connection was missed in Northern VA, we should all pack up our bags and head for the subway because the trip is over;-) We departed shortly after and joked about how to turn Orion II's into ice cream trucks while we waited for the D6 to Stadium Armory.
We got a NFI C40LF on the D6. We then rode this bus to Farragus Square where we we going to board a 38B to Rosslyn. While at the bus stop, we noticed two interesting things:
1. The 38B has something called NextBus technology which enables a passenger to track the 38B in real time on the PC and on an LED sign at 38B bus stops. Well, we were greeted by this message from the NextBus sign. Apparently it said that our next 38B was going to arrive in 106 minutes:-0
2. We also spotted PG County's The Bus doing charters all around the Farragut Square area
We eventually got on the 38B and we started "rating the scenery" around the 38B route as it travelled through Georgetown. We gave a thumbs up or down depending on how "pleasing" the scenery was;-)
We then got to Rosslyn where Tristan (BusStalker) met up with us. From there we boarded a Flx Metro-B on the 3B. We rode this to East Falls Church where we saw a ART Arlington Transit Diamond minibus, which appeared to be pure crap. We also had fun spinning the rotating schedule cylinder on the ART bus stop and watching Tristan get chased around by a bee.
We then saw a "George" City of Falls Chrurch Circulator Bus running a Thomas SLF pull into the station. It was an empty bus with the sign reading 26A EASTEN FALLS CHURCH (the route we wanted), and then proceeded to go NOT IN SERVICE and deadheaded somewhere. Then, we saw our 26A George route again, this time being run on a blecch Orion V 30 footer instead of an SLF. We got on this bus and Oren took some group shots of the gang.
We rode the 26A to West Falls Church and from there we took a 28A to Tyson's Corner Center, where we saw an embarassing ricer with a two foot tall spoiler stapled onto the back of the car. But, on the way to Tysons, we stopped somewhere along the route for a routine bus stop. AFTER the bus closes the doors and starts accelerating, two idiots in the back stood up and yelled HOLD THE BUS!
At lunch at Tysons, we "rated the scenery" again within the mall over a hearty lunch;-)
After lunch, we headed back to the bus bays where we saw a Metro-D with a blown airbag and an Orion VI with back doors that slammed shut and swung upen due to the force of the doors clsing;-)
We boarded a 401 to Franconia-Springfield, where we chatted about pimping out buses with LED's on the wiper fluid shooters, low rider suspensions, hydraulics, and 30" spinning dubs. We also talked about bleeding, broken arm victims who actually use the bus to get to the hospital as the bus entered INOVA Fairfax Hospital.
Halfway into the route, we saw these idiot kids who ran to try and get on the bus which held the bus up, only to find out that they didnt have enough money to board the bus after fumbling for their change.
As we arrived at Franconia Springfield, some of us took pics of some FFX Orion I's laying over. We then got on a 204 to Van Dorn St. At Van Dorn St. Oren left the group to usher at Big Train Baseball. We saw many DASH Orion I's pass us by, only to have a Gillig Phantom run on the AT7, which was our bus.
We took the AT7 to a Safeway, which was not planned, but we were just so tired and dehydrated from the heat so we stopped inside to buy sodas. We then walked to our bus stop for the AT4, which had us walking through an old train tunnel (see "BusTalk DC Trip Report Prolouge" for details) and through a playground (see same post).
We then boarded an AT4 Orion I near the Lee Center and rode this all the way to the Pentagon Transit Center, where we watched as plenty of bus types and TA's passed through. We then boarded a 13B, which was running a Metro-B with an A/C that was blowing hot air.
We rode the 13B to 7th and Constitution where we parted with Perry as he went home. We then boarded a 71 to Silver Spring which was running Neo AN460. As noted in the earlier thread about BusTalk DC, the bus was in bad shape. At Silver Spring, Wayne went home and me and Cleanairbus went aorund the station taking some more pics before Cleanairbus had to go back home to NYC.
Ray also went home on a Q2 where he called me up and asked me to watch this Ride-On Gillig Phantom being towed away:-( Me and Chris G waited for the Y8 and as noted by Chris in the earlier BusTalk DC thread, the bus had some strange oddities.
Wes and Tristan, you'll probably want to fill in some details because I'm doing this all from emmory and without any notes.
2406
2070
9396
3911
4316
7885
7874
From the reports I have heard, the Neoplan on the 71 was 5309. Someone else will have to fill in the rest.
7797, the "SubTalk DC Party Bus" was sighted twice. The first time was from the 401. Then, at Franconia-Springfield, we saw it again and were able to photograph it (see my post with pictures).
The rest of the buses were:
38 (DASH)
26 (DASH)
8775 (WMATA)
While on the AT7, we saw an old mack daddy Huggy Bear pimp decked in white in Old Town.
Oren tried to stuff pennies into the new SmarTrip fareboxes on the 26A. These fareboxes do not accept pennies, as they are spit out by the farebox and they also beep loudly when one tries to insert pennies into the farebox.
a) It would basically replicate the B46
b) All possibility of doing so was eliminated when the B24 was shortened to WBP and there's no extra lane [sharing is not a wise move neither].
BTW, the B6/82 parallels each other more than the B7/82.
Looking at it,they just removed the 0 and 8 from the old routes and put the 4 and 7 together and slapped a B next to it.And it isn't confusing whatsoever.People have gotten used to the B43 that confusion is just about non-exsistant at this point.
B40 + B78 = B47. It saves the trouble of doing an explaination ;-).
#3959 appeared to be in Training!
#4117 appeared to be in Training also!
#8518 appeared to be in Service! Almost dropped the camera on this one!
Some other side shot from the day...
#668, Fried to a Blooming "Onion" Perfection
Regards,
Trevor Logan
Robert
Peace
David
If you do have a ballast or know where to find one, please contact myself or our museum president, Mr. Bev Fitzpatrick, at btfitzjr@issuesmgmtgroup.com. Thanks!
Fred Donaher
Curator Of Buses
Commonwealth Coach and Trolley Museum
www.commonwealthcoach.com
www.regionaltransitservice.com
You should see the old ballast from our bus; it is literally fried. Crispy black all over the outside like a piece of burnt chicken...and BOY did it make a mess in the light housing! These are all single-tube light fixtures as opposed to double. I'll see what we have.
-Fred
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
David
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Peace
David
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
#4777 - B6
#9335 - B6 - LTD
I think they will also take atics from kb for use on routes like the bx 9, 36, and 41 as for other equipment i'd say the amsterdam's orions would also go there as well as some of the older mch orions.
Incognito (Cleanairbus)
BTW, my Bustalk DC photos will be posted soon...
Wayne
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Cada ruta operará fuera de la estación o las estaciones que el Departamento de Autobuses lo asigna a.
Chaque route opérera du dépôt ou des dépôt que le Service d'Autobus l'assigne à.
Jede Route wird aus dem Depot oder den Depots die die Abteilung von Bussen Rechtsnachfolgern es zu bedienen.
Ogni strada opererà fuori del magazzino o di magazzini che il Dipartimento di Autobus l'assegna a.
Elk route zal uit het depot of depots dat het Departement van Bussen cessionarissen het te bedienen.
Cada rota operará para fora do depósito ou depósitos que o Departamento de ônibus designa ele a.
Hver rute driver ut av depotet eller depoter som Department av Buses tildeler det til.
Get it now?
Of course, there is the possibility he doesn't understand any of it.
www.regionaltransitservice.com
www.regionaltransitservice.com
Decided to take a trip on the B6 LTD since I hadn't rode it in a while. Left around 7:30pm and started out by taking the B8. Got on 8550, a slow starter and we go smoothly then at Nostrand Av the bus is nearly packed. So I rode that all the way to the last stop, Rockaway Av but I was going to get of at Remsen Av but I missed the East 80 St B17 since I wanted to ride that so I could get off at RP station to catch the 6. Anyway I see 7590 on the B8 and when I arrive at Rockaway Av I bus spot while waiting for the B60. I see 585 on the B35 with the new engine and a paint job [it looked very nice :-)]. I see 7569 as well on the 35. Had to wait 15 minutes before 4971 finally came and its a quick ride to RP but we get bypassed by 5227 at Farragut Rd. Anyway I see the LTD but it was leaving the station so I had run down to Flatlands Av. So then I get 4874 8-) I take the front seat and we're off. A nice ride on the B6 LTD, a good starter and most of the seats are in GOOD condition! A quick ride to CI Av where I get off to catch the B68. I wait a few minutes for 818 to come then I take it to my stop and I walk home.
A very short trip I took last night, only about 2 hours total.
RTS 8550 B8
RTS 4971 B60
RTS 4874 B6 LTD
NF 818 B68
If the painting facility closed, is it being rebuilt for bus parking & if so, when will it open.
If the painting facility is still at East New York CMF, will the entire CMF be closed when Maspeth CMF II opens.
Finally, will the B82 remain at East New York when the SEptember 2003 pick begins.
#4995 - B82
#9099 - B6 - LTD
#9299 - B6 - LTD
#9318 - B6 - LTD
Does anyone know if & when Jackie Gleason will have Bus Parking expansion.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
BIG AL
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Jason
BTW, I was under the impression that some of the smaller private carriers had D4000s for use on their 1 or 2 lines (Carefree and Nate's come to mind).
Tony M.
Heading to MJQ Depot
M8,M9,M14,M16/34,M21,M22 & other routes
Leaving from MJQ Depot
M96 to MV
M101/102/103 to New 100th Street DEPOT
other routes don't remember
BTW: M86 is staying @ MJQ Depot until the next winter pick to 100th Street Depot.
Peace
David
Ozzy Zamora
MTA NYCT Traffic Checker
Ultimate fan of Miami Dade Transit
BIG AL
1. Are the Orchard Beach bound buses limited?
2. Is some Sedgwick Ave bound buses limited?
3. Is some 207St bound buses local?
4. Where does the Orchard beach originate from?
5. How many terminals does the Bx12 have on the western end of the route? Theres three I know of: PBP, Bay Plaza, Orchard Bch(summer).
I like the Bx12(favorite Bx route), so thanx to all those that answer these questions.
Bx12#5468
LIMITED meaning Express... ?
Bx12 to ORCHARD BEACH
I have boarded at West 225th as well as along FORDHAM so I'd
guess a buck it originates from 207, too.
(but this was et. 1986, back when we had fishbowls on the 12)
BTW-Pelham Bay, Bay Plaza and Orchard Beach are eastern terminals. Sedgwick and 207th are western terminals.
Wayne
When the LTD runs:
Local-> Sedgiwck Av-Pelham Bay Park or Orchard Beach
Limited-> 207 St-Bay Plaza
The two western terminals are 207 St & Sedgwick Av/Fordham Rd.
The 207 St bound buses are local is after 7pm weekdays AND when the LTD service is about to end; and also on weekends.
1. No, only buses to Bay Plaa are limited (on weekdays only).
2. No, only 207th St buses are ever limited.
3. Evenings and weekends only.
4. Sedgwick Avenue or Pelham Bay.
5. You got all of the terminals.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Peace
David
Three units one after the other.... car numbers in the high 8800's...
one said DRIVER TRAINING on the bulkhead...
TRAINING in WESTCHESTER??
(Sorry I don't know jip about bus car model-types).
Robert
David
I do realize this topic has been spoken of,,,involving the 3 or so new routes,,
I am requesting assistance onthe routing details of the 4 (?) new routes---detailed as possible
Thank you
steve
thanks
Thank yuo
steve
1. The N65/N66 doesn't go to the railroad station in East Rockaway, however it goes to the Lynbrook railroad station, which is served by the same branch-Long Beach.
2. The N8 does serve the hospital. I am assuming you are talking about Franklin Hospital Medical Center.
any help you can give or offer would be appreciated
steve
Around 8:00 AM, I got off the F from Queens at 57th/6th and came upstairs to miss a 2000 Artic pulling out on the Yorkville-bound M31-a route I've NEVER seen an Artic run on. Right behind it was another 31, a 1996 Nova hard-seater. It leapfrogged the Artic all the way to where I got off at York & 86th.
The traffic along York wasn't at all bad, especially for a two-way street. It's unexpectedly tranquil on Sutton between 57th and 59th. (Four years ago when I rode the M31 downtown on a Saturday, it took forever to get past all the hospitals due largely to empty double-parked ambulances and alternate FDR traffic.) We were bogged down at least twice by young mothers with strollers who would ride three or four blocks. Why BOTHER?! There were huge crowds waiting at most downtown stops along York, evidence of a huge far East Side populace that works in west and central upper midtown.
At 86th, after missing the light and two 1997 Artics, I got brand-new Artic 5525. It didn't seem all that different from older models, except that there seemed to be more center-facing seats for wheelchairs in the front than before. Brighter lights and cleaner ceiling, also. There was the usual horrible crowding with 90% of the people getting off at Lex. (Why MUST people ride a crosstown bus from 2nd to Lex- while complaining how slow and crowded it is?!) A man in a wheelchair on the sidewalk kept pace with us all the way from 1st to 5th. The usual fast run through the park followed.
At Broadway, grabbed a 9 train up to 181st. On street level, several shuttles with Manhattanville stickers discharged passengers displaced by the closing of 191st station. There was also a 4300-series BX13 headed for the Bronx- didn't know Kingsbridge had 'em that old. Just missed a '99 Nova on the downtown M3, but another one arrived immediately. I'd never seen Saint Nicholas Avenue on street level below 155th. It turned out to be a delightful ride, with little traffic, lots of well-kept brownstones, two beautiful parks and an interesting 135th B/C downtown entrance built right into the hillside. Morningside Park even had a waterfall!
At 110th/CPW, I got a '96 Nova on the M10 to 96th, then another '96 Nova on the M96 to Madison. Road work on the transverse badly slowed a usually speedy run. At Mad, got a '99 Nova on the M4 to Broadway & 110th. Unusual traffic circle at 5th & 110th, with downtown 5th going right through the middle. Central Park North looks like it's gentrifying a bit, with refurbished brownstones and some new looking high-rise co-ops.
After this, I ran out of gas and took the subway back to Queens. Several trends I noticed:
-A huge increase in '99 Novas on Manhattanville routes. I recall it as having only a few of those and lots of '96 Novas. Didn't see too many of those, or ANY 1987 RTS (until recently, very plentiful- especially on the M5). But there's still a lot of '90-'91 RTS. The previous day, I saw three different '99 Novas on the M60, a route I'd never seen anything but '96s.
-Did Quill transfer its '98 hard-seated Novas? For several years whenever I rode the M96, that's the model I got. Just about every Quill bus I saw on the 10, 72 and 96 was a '96 Nova- usually the 8600-series. For that matter, all the '99 Novas seem to have left Quill as well.
-Did 126 transfer ITS '99 Novas to make room for the Artics? There were never that many to begin with, but I haven't seen any on the M15 lately. Every M31 I saw go the other way was a '90-'91 RTS or '96 Nova, but no 7000-series remains. They seem to have been banished to the M66.
-Is seeing an Artic on the 31 an isolated incident? Or are they just used for peak service? I saw no other Artic pass the other way on the 31, or the 57.
-While crossing Lexington at 57th and 86th, I saw a hard-seated '96 Nova and I THINK a '99 Nova on the M98. Doesn't that route, as an unofficial 'express', just run Suburban Novas and/or Orions? The 98 is a Quill route, isn't it?
Unfortunately, I can't seem to get Trevor's site lately, where I frequently check the bus rosters by depot. Is this happening to anyone else?
Certain M31 runs interline with the M15 and thus, can run artics.
The M98, which is technically a local route (not a limited), does run Suburbans from what I have read from time to time. It runs from Quill with some AM runs from MCH.
You're right about the M98 having only one version, however is and has been considered a limited route from day one. It's pretty much like the Bx55 that's designated a limited and since it started in 1973 has only made the stops of the old 3rd ave el.
Wayne
Wayne
And NYCDOT doesn't always know what it's doing.
Case in point: the sign at 87th and Riverside (NB) lists only the M5 local, even though the limited makes all stops on Riverside. It also gives a destination of Riverbank State Park. That's not the M5 I know!
Peace
David
Michael
Wash, DC
That implies that a bus might do some M15 runs, pull in for a swing, and then the same run goes out on the M31, or vice versa. That, as far as I am concerned, is an interline.
That doesn't stop Ulmer Park, Yukon or all three Queens depots from putting suburbans on some of THEIR routes. Besides, isn't the M98 basically patterned as an express route: i.e. people basically all get on in one area and off in another. Some local routes with suburban, especially Ulmer's B1 and 3, get very crowded AND have frequent passenger turnover. As has been posted by many, this leads to much congestion in the narrow aisles, not to mention conflict.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
b1-#4867-TMC(ice cold bus this morning-loved it)
After a nearly 15-minute wait, a 1987 RTS (with the normal hard two-by-one seating, thank God) came. At first empty it got very crowded with KCC students coming off the F train at Shell Road, then absolutely packed at Brighton and Coney from the Q. (See why I didn't want a Suburban?) At least Brighton Avenue under the el was very clear, unlike on weekends when it's clogged with triple-parkers. I THOUGHT I saw a Suburban Nova pass the other way signed as Gleason's B68. Supposedly, Ulmer does provide some peak service.
At Oriental & West End, got a '98 Nova on the B49 all the way to Ocean & J. After the serpentine routing around Sheepshead station, we had a chance for good speed on Ocean Avenue but for people getting on and off at virtually every block.
The next bus was the dreaded 3986 on the Canarsie-bound 6. (At EVERY stop, the driver had to repeat several times to waiting passengers he was NOT going to New Lots and to wait for a bus signed as such. Guess 'ROCK PKY STA' is too cryptic for most folks.) It was the first time this century I'd seen anything in the 3000s outside of QV or FP. The engine and pickup weren't half bad, but the seats were horribly chipped. We picked up a huge crowd at Flatbush, unusual for the morning. This killed any chance for speed along Glenwood or H.
At Flatlands & Ralph, waited ten minutes amongst huge crowd (and horrible stench from nearby EPA sewage transfer station) for the mall-bound B47, a route I avoid on weekend afternoons due to crowding. It was no better Thursday at 10:30 AM: the '98 Nova that came was packed. We did achieve some decent speed on Ralph and the curve onto Mill. It did feel strange to ride such a relatively new bus (Kings' Plush seats, black inside bulkhead) along the stretch of Avenue U shared with Ulmer's B3.
Got a newly-in-service 1991 Nova on the B41 LTD. The driver had to get transfers from a nearby dispatcher before we could leave. The decent spacing of Limited stops allowed for some good speed except for five blocks on either side of the Junction and then after Church. It took a good fifteen minutes of stop-and-go on the usually fast stretch from Empire to Grand Army, even though there was no construction or accident (both very common at the Plaza).
Originally planning to ride all the way downtown, I got fed up with the long delay and got off as soon as I could to use the library rest room. By then it was noon, and in view of the dreary weather, decided to ride more buses. (On summer vacations I usually spend the morning riding buses or trains and then drive to the Island to a pool or beach.) I crossed the plaza just in time to miss a brand new Orion (never ridden one) on the Slope-bound B69. By then I was starving and in the mood for White Castles, so I grabbed the 2 train to Atlantic where I switched for the W to Fort Hamilton.
After the Castle, I walked up Fort Ham to 39th and got a New Flyer B35 to McDonald, then another New Flyer B67 towards downtown. Many people who think McDonald Avenue exists only under the el would be surprised to see it's also a wide, residential street running up a very steep hill alongside a cemetery in an almost suburban ambience. The bucolic nature lasts past Bishop Ford HS and up 7th Avenue until 9th Street where the gentrified Slope abruptly begins.
There appeared to be heavy traffic on 7th past Methodist, so I bailed at 9th Street in time to grab a downtown-bound B75, also a New Flyer. This is always a worthy route for the extremely long, gradual downhill, great view (marred by the rain in this case), fast ride over the canal drawbridge and up the steep hill past the portals. Smith Street is fairly tranquil traffic-wise midday, with no congestion until past Atlantic.
I got off at Schermerhorn, walked over to Barnes & Noble on Court to use the restroom, then back to Fulton & Jay to get the Queens-bound B61, yet another New Flyer. Once we cleared downtown, it was an enjoyably speedy run along Park Avenue under the elevated BQE, especially the curve approaching Flushing Avenue. An interesting tour of Williamsburg followed, then a nice run along Bedford Avenue through McCarren Park, much congestion through downtown Greenpoint, and then a VERY fast crossing of the Pulaski Bridge. I was surprised to see it took a whole 40 minutes from where I got on to Citicorp, where I bailed in favor of the subway.
I fell asleep on the 7 all the way to Flushing.
Maybe I'm nuts, but I could've sworn a saw a B41 pass the other way around Cortelyou numbered 4141, but with the two-line destination sign used on all RTS newer than 1994! Is this a remain, like the 7000s? Is it new to Flatbush from another depot, or a Suburban? Or did I just see 9441 and mistake it for 4141? With Trevor's site, and bus rosters, apparently unavailable, I can't look it up.
With all the Gleason routes I rode, not one new Orion. From what I can see, the inside doesn't look all that different from a New Flyer. The engine SOUNDS very similar to that of the Flyer, with no CNG 'stuttering' as heard all over Nassau County.
Do you mean 3969? 3986 is retired-stored at Carlton.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
also, #3986 DOES NOT RUN OUT OF ULMER PARK!! Ulmer Park has #3962,#3969 and #3970. Unless they got #3986 and nobody said anything here.