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Snow fun
Topic Started: Feb 22 2008, 08:03 AM (595 Views)
rider65
Advanced Transit Fan
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Oh what a fun travel morning.

My 111 bus (5874) fishtailed on State Road in Upper Darby and slightly hit a pole. We had to wait for a supervisor to arrive and get approval to move on. Only about 10 minute wait as we were close to Victory. Minor damage.

Waited forever for a 65 bus in 69th St. NABI 5003 came after about 35 minutes waiting. Callowhill sent an extra block out to cover. Found the problem on 66th St. Three artics (7122, 7156, and 7202) were all stuck on the hill coming up 66th St. to Lansdowne Ave.

I heard R6 Cynwd service was suspeneded.

I would have not been out there but of course Philadelphia schools were the only ones open in the area.

Be careful out there.
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TheOneCalledA1
Too smart for you idiots
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The 18 seemed to be running less frequent this morning. They had a Flyer and a NABI on there, leaving Fox Chase around 7:30. We went pretty slow. I got on at Five Points just after 7:30, got to Ogontz and Olney at 8:20.
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TRANSIT_FREAK
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to Life, Love & LOOT
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Man i had to walk to Olney terminal. Next i took the 6 with struggled on old york a little bit.

School let us out early becuase of the weather me and a couple of my friends threw snowballs at 5903
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Tritransit Area
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Transit Enthusiast
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Dorados are fantastic in the snow. My 90 was running about 15 minutes late, which is understandable. It was a Dorado, but I didn't get the number. (interestingly enough, this run used to regularly use 40ft buses). We drove just about normally, and didn't slip and slide.

My worst part of the trip was the 98 ride. Let's start off that my bus arrived at the mall over 30 minutes late. I would soon figure out why.

First, the driver was driving 5899, a ZFer. As much as I love the ZFers any other time, they are horrendous in the snow. We did a little bit of slipping and fishtailing (although not much, thank goodness). Second, the driver appeared to not have much experience with driving a bus in snow (seemed to be a substitute and/or rookie as I haven't seen her before). We were driving 5 to 15 mph for about 90 percent of the way, going no higher than 2nd gear. At each hill, we would nearly stop and crawl down it, even on roads that were plowed (but not 100% clear). We were holding up traffic, quite a line behind us.... We got to Willow Grove about 45 minutes late, nearly the time the next Willow Grove bus is scheduled to arrive at the mall (and this bus runs hourly out here). It was quite frustrating.

Then, I rode 4502 on the 310, and it was the COMPLETE opposite. The driver was driving the bus as if there was no snow on the ground, and it wasn't like the plows completely made their way through yet, although a good bit of traffic certainly had. We slid a little bit, but the driver certainly had the bus under control. This driver is kinda new to the route, but boy, he must have been driving elsewhere because he maneuvered the bus (around slow moving cars), like a pro, tapping the pedal for more power!

All in all, say what you want about "lawnmowers", but they are among the best (if not the very best) buses to drive in snowy weather. I think the shorter wheelbase as something to do with it.
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TheOneCalledA1
Too smart for you idiots
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Lets start calling them Snowblowers then :P
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redarrow5591
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Light Rail and Railroad Historian
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Tritransit Area
Feb 22 2008, 07:58 PM
Dorados are fantastic in the snow. My 90 was running about 15 minutes late, which is understandable. It was a Dorado, but I didn't get the number. (interestingly enough, this run used to regularly use 40ft buses). We drove just about normally, and didn't slip and slide.

My worst part of the trip was the 98 ride. Let's start off that my bus arrived at the mall over 30 minutes late. I would soon figure out why.

First, the driver was driving 5899, a ZFer. As much as I love the ZFers any other time, they are horrendous in the snow. We did a little bit of slipping and fishtailing (although not much, thank goodness). Second, the driver appeared to not have much experience with driving a bus in snow (seemed to be a substitute and/or rookie as I haven't seen her before). We were driving 5 to 15 mph for about 90 percent of the way, going no higher than 2nd gear. At each hill, we would nearly stop and crawl down it, even on roads that were plowed (but not 100% clear). We were holding up traffic, quite a line behind us.... We got to Willow Grove about 45 minutes late, nearly the time the next Willow Grove bus is scheduled to arrive at the mall (and this bus runs hourly out here). It was quite frustrating.

Then, I rode 4502 on the 310, and it was the COMPLETE opposite. The driver was driving the bus as if there was no snow on the ground, and it wasn't like the plows completely made their way through yet, although a good bit of traffic certainly had. We slid a little bit, but the driver certainly had the bus under control. This driver is kinda new to the route, but boy, he must have been driving elsewhere because he maneuvered the bus (around slow moving cars), like a pro, tapping the pedal for more power!

All in all, say what you want about "lawnmowers", but they are among the best (if not the very best) buses to drive in snowy weather. I think the shorter wheelbase as something to do with it.

The Eldorado Transmark RE "Lawnmower."

The little bus that could.
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CACrafter88bk2504
Transit Historian
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rider65
Feb 22 2008, 09:03 AM
Oh what a fun travel morning.

My 111 bus (5874) fishtailed on State Road in Upper Darby and slightly hit a pole. We had to wait for a supervisor to arrive and get approval to move on. Only about 10 minute wait as we were close to Victory. Minor damage.

Waited forever for a 65 bus in 69th St. NABI 5003 came after about 35 minutes waiting. Callowhill sent an extra block out to cover. Found the problem on 66th St. Three artics (7122, 7156, and 7202) were all stuck on the hill coming up 66th St. to Lansdowne Ave.

I heard R6 Cynwd service was suspeneded.

I would have not been out there but of course Philadelphia schools were the only ones open in the area.

Be careful out there.

66th Street south to Lansdowne Avenue west or Lansdowne Avenue east to 66th Street north. In both directions, this is a bad turn for the 65.

Why don't they re- route the 65 onto 68th Street north, Malvern Avenue east, 66th Street north to regular route instead?

The first runs on the H/XH in the morning are 20 minutes apart. They were obviously no shows yesterday morning.

I wonder how the 52 made out "going up the hill" along Jefferson(turns into 54th & Upland Way, Wynnefield).
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