I took this photo in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood near West 111th Street and South Pulaski Road, on a gloomy Saturday afternoon in November of 1989. Many changes were taking place at the Chicago Transit Authority at the time of this photograph. The old 1970's era GMC TDH Series Fishbowl windshield buses, were being repainted into a new White with Red and Blue striped scheme wich would become the official "New" CTA colors after many years of wearing two tone green and off white, as seen on the bus to the right. The bus to the left, is a 1985 M.A.N transit bus from the nation formerly known as West Germany. The GMC's would be retired from the CTA in 1996, and the 1985 M.A.N coaches just recently themselves. The evolution of the CTA fleet in Chicago.Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Chicago Transit Authority's West 111th Street bus terminal near South Pulaski Road. Chicago Illinois USA. November 1989.
I took this photo in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood near West 111th Street and South Pulaski Road, on a gloomy Saturday afternoon in November of 1989. Many changes were taking place at the Chicago Transit Authority at the time of this photograph. The old 1970's era GMC TDH Series Fishbowl windshield buses, were being repainted into a new White with Red and Blue striped scheme wich would become the official "New" CTA colors after many years of wearing two tone green and off white, as seen on the bus to the right. The bus to the left, is a 1985 M.A.N transit bus from the nation formerly known as West Germany. The GMC's would be retired from the CTA in 1996, and the 1985 M.A.N coaches just recently themselves. The evolution of the CTA fleet in Chicago.
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5 comments:
Hi Eddie - nice work!
I used to live along the 110 Marquette Rd CTA bus route, and have been trying to find out about a particular kind of bus they used to have up until the early 70s. They had green sides, yellow or (mostly) white tops, and had windows that were too high for a little person to see out of. They had clips to raise and lower the windows, too. I believe that all of them ran on propane. These buses were used on 63rd street as well. Do you remember them?
Keep up the good work!
Hi there Watcher!
Yes, I do remember those buses well. I was born in 1962, and grew up riding them on the CTA Route # 60 Blue Island -the Route # 82 Homan Kimball Avenue line, the Route # 52 Kedzie California line after the trolley bus wires came down in March of 1969, and a handfull of other CTA Bus Routes.
These buses were originally manufactured by the Fageol Twin Coach Company of Kent Ohio, and later around 1955 after merger, The Flxible Twin Coach Company.
They had two tone green interior colors with a Teel or Dark green below the windows, and a light Acqua green from the wiindows up.
They also had individual incadescent ceiling lights.
In 1973, the CTA was more or less cleaning house, and phased out the old 4000 series rapid transit cars, the Electric Trolley buses, the old 1950's era GM old look TDH series buses, and the propane bus fleet.
I rode the trolley buses and the Flxible Twin coaches in their final years on Chicago city streets. I miss thenm too.
Thank You.
Eddie K.
Hi Watcher.
I spotted Your interesting question about Chicago CTA Propane buses, and I have some good news for You.
Look up www.trolleybuses.net, and You will see a whole section about Chicago's electric trolleybuses, as well as the diesel and propane Twin Coach models with many vintage photographs from the 1950's and 1960's era taken in Chicago.
For baby boomer Chicagoans like Myself, this was a bus ride down memory lane.
Please check it out.
You will love it!
Paul.
Thanks Eddie! I'd forgotten about the incandescent lights - nice detail!
Some routes never seemed to use the old-look twin coaches, such as the 52A and the 53A. Any idea why? I believe they were used on the Archer Express, along with the new-look twin coaches and the new-look GM TDH buses.
Paul - great site! I love the pics of the 52 Kedzie trolleys, especially the shots near 63rd. And some nice shots of the old Mack buses, too. I will spend a lot of time on that site.
Keep up the good work, guys!
Hi Guys - where one type of bus or another was used or not used depended on the garage that provided the buses for that route. I grew up on the NW Side, so I can remember 1700-series Twins and later 8400-series Flxs on the smaller routes, while the big Twins and Flxs ran on the busier routes, though they would wander occasionally. Your comment about not being able to see out those side windows sure struck home - I hated those 8400s when I was a kid for that same reason!
In the 1960s, a GMC "fishbowl" or even a "new look" Flx was exoctic to me - you had to go down to Diversey to see 8500s or 300s, etc.
By the time I was going to high school, Central still had Marmons, but even on Saturdays I can recall riding a Marmon to a football game, however by the time the game let out there were no trolleys on the street, just Macks and whatever else happened to be around. The contrast in peformance between a Marmon and a Mack was about as extreme as it could get!!
After the Kennedy "L" opened to Jeff Park, there was a lot of route realignment of course, but even in that era they would borrow buses between garages. Remember being absolutely amazed one morning when a 600 (ex-CMC) GMC old look showed up on the 68.
The first major holiday that the Kennedy "L" and the feeder routes out of Jeff Park had to handle was Easter, 1970. Can remember watching a Mack take off on an extra on the 40/O'Harexpress route out of Jeff - not exactly the bus for an express trip!
Have fun, Art
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