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Route 492
Topic Started: Jul 16 2008, 03:06 PM (1,547 Views)
Jayayess1190
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amgkid874
Jul 18 2008, 11:37 AM
SUPPOSEDLY, the neos are in storage for september when we get the added service, and on sunday evening, i will let you know what i found out. jesse and i are going neo hunting. although, noone is suppose to know that.... so that means... (see below)

"ssssshhhh.....be very, very quiet..we're hunting neos"
I will see if I can find out more about this. :D
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FRONTHILL8150
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I put the wrong sign to i use my old location rt. 91 to graterford that way no will run up to me with a whole lot of questions on what can be a 5 min break sometimes at the end of the line .
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amgkid874
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Thank you for kindly explaining that. That is the # 1 reason why operators do that. When you are sitting there filling out your vehicle condition report, you don't want people asking you a million questions..or when you are trying to eat your lunch for the 3 minutes they give you, you don't want people asking:

What bus is this?
How long is the next bus?
Are you the 66?
Are you a local or express?
Do you make all stops?
Do you go cottman, Welsh, Gregg, Stanwood, the driver's license center, etc, etc.?
Is this the City Line bus?
And then...when you are on the 66 express...

"Ooooooohhhhhhh my god, ths is an express....but, but, I didnt know. Lady, it says express, the bus told you it was an express, i told you it was an express, the driver told you it was an express, the intrerior message screen says express, the bus is looping (Welcome to route 66, express, service to gregg street)..and you still didnt hear it. not my problem. then the driver would say....you should have being paying attention. i dont have this kid talking for his health you know."

Then the lady would get mad, anad upset...then

here's your free emgerency transer to get on the returning local bus.

then the lady would say...thank you, i didnt read the sign

then after she gets off, the driver and i would look at each other ann in unison say: stupid ass woman, or u stupid motherfu*ker. i understand not being able to read the neoplan and nabi sign. but a flyer ot e40lf, with the announcer turn to the max. sometimes its so loud, you can hear it on the other side of the terminal. (5505 being that bus or midvale 5600s)...but that's another story for later!
Edited by amgkid874, Jul 19 2008, 09:26 AM.
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amgkid874
Jul 18 2008, 11:37 AM
On The Neoplan AN-435 and 440s and on the Fords and NABIs and some Neo Artics, you have to know the code number for the P/R message. On the NABIs, and Neo Artics that have not been updated, Happy Holidays is P/R # 30. On the neoplan an-440s, happy holidays was p/r #6. (Destination signs such as 20 via keswick or 40 via pine street, 12 via universty city adn 19 via algon-grant via dungan-grant) were also p/r messages.

On all other vehicles, you select it from a list. by pressing p/r, u scroll up and dwon using the scroll button, then press select for which one you wat. there is no Go Souls P/R, unfortunately...

my favorite p/r is philadelphia. i always ask to put that up. public relation messages are suppose to be authorized by control center, but noone really listens to that....i miss god bless america, but they got rid of that because that had to be poltically correct...since the neo an440s had city and suburban cards, and were rarely updated, they also still have welcome apta, and rt..76- philadelphia zoo.

I checked, and they do not have route 4 to fort washington, or the old route 90, so..the last update was at least 1999 or 2000 with their overhaul. now, the folks at 1234 said they update the city cards because the 1 to philly park, and the new destinations for the 20 and 50 are in there, but i never had my little notebook when on a neoplan, so i couldnt tell you if thats true or not.

SUPPOSEDLY, the neos are in storage for september when we get the added service, and on sunday evening, i will let you know what i found out. jesse and i are going neo hunting. although, noone is suppose to know that.... so that means... (see below)

"ssssshhhh.....be very, very quiet..we're hunting neos"
Um, no. The Neos are being scrapped, sold, or whatever - they are 19 years old! The NABIs are not being retired so that there are enough buses for the updated service (with the hybrids that are due to start coming in next month), which is being staggered between fall and February. For instance, the 113 extension to DE is not starting until February, 2009.



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Van2006ko
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Yea pretty much!!
As it may be a conformation bias to some given to the fact there were some photos of a Neoplan on a lift. The Neoplans are indeed retired from service when it comes to operating on behalf of SEPTA.
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philabob1
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Septa3371CSX1
Jul 17 2008, 09:35 PM
philabob1
Jul 17 2008, 10:38 AM
amgkid874
Jul 16 2008, 06:01 PM
The 400 series are not used during the summer, unless some special operation is called for it. Also, it might have been a destination sign error or just an operator putting up a funny destination sign. I do it all the time. For example, when leaving FKD I'll put in 20602- 206 Great Valley Corporate Center, then put up P/R # 10- OFF DUTY or 50202- R2 Marcus Hook or 50105- WAYNE JCT. I also like to put up 00802- 8 Olney Terminal Express on Saturdays and Sundays and like watching the people chase after the bus while going through the trackless yard....If you're going to be on the system, you gotta have fun! :)
I often see out of service artics heading back to Allegheny with the 91 GRATERFORD sign up. I always wondered if the out of service/off duty message code was close enough to the 91 code that it was merely a mistake. Having seen it quite a bit, I wonder if this is also some inside operator joke. ?
Myself and Nolan (RedArrow5591) can easily explain the artics with the 91 sign. I bet you they were all driven by the same old head driver. 91 GRATERFORD is his favourite sign for some odd reason.
I don't mind the wrong sign up for not in service runs or ops laying over, etc, but one of my pet peeves is the op who doesn't bother to change his/her sign at the end of a run (it's only the push of a button!). I've had more ops get upset when I tell them they have the wrong sign up. On some routes, it's not a big deal, but on many it is (especially stops with multiple routes and routes with alternate destinations). I see this quite a bit on 33 for some reason where the outbounds tend to keep the Penns Landing sign up.
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amgkid874
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Did you ever stop to think that the DR500C Annunicator/Orbital system did not work? That the destination sign might be malfunctioning....(motors can wear out you know..that why a NABI, such as 5298 can read 75 Wayne Jcerminal).

What about the fact that the operator might be SO late that they did not have time to do it?

What about the fact that the DR500C Annuincator/Orbital system keeps shutting down and rebooting.

And for those certain lines, in which people know the ones I'm talking about..the operator wants you to use your brain!? For a line like the 6, 8, 29 or 79 or 46, there is a 99% chance that there are no cuts in regular service, unless something is seriously wrong. (29 and 79 are bus routes. There are no 23rd street cutbacks ot pull ins anymore, and now have new rules and directions for chartering in.)

Remember, SEPTA's motto is We're Getting There for a reason. They are still in first gear.
Edited by amgkid874, Jul 20 2008, 11:03 PM.
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philabob1
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amgkid874
Jul 20 2008, 11:00 PM
Did you ever stop to think that the DR500C Annunicator/Orbital system did not work? That the destination sign might be malfunctioning....(motors can wear out you know..that why a NABI, such as 5298 can read 75 Wayne Jcerminal).

What about the fact that the operator might be SO late that they did not have time to do it?

What about the fact that the DR500C Annuincator/Orbital system keeps shutting down and rebooting.

And for those certain lines, in which people know the ones I'm talking about..the operator wants you to use your brain!? For a line like the 6, 8, 29 or 79 or 46, there is a 99% chance that there are no cuts in regular service, unless something is seriously wrong. (29 and 79 are bus routes. There are no 23rd street cutbacks ot pull ins anymore, and now have new rules and directions for chartering in.)

Remember, SEPTA's motto is We're Getting There for a reason. They are still in first gear.
Yes to all of your notes - I realize things break, malfunction, etc, but too often the sign is incorrect because the op didn't change it. Again, the op has a duty to have the correct sign in place. He/she has to hit a button - no matter how late a run is, how long does it take to hit a button?

Yes, on many routes, this info is not all that essential (e.g. the 33's carrying Penns Landing signs outbound - most riders will figure it out). However, in many places there are multiple routes calling at the same stop, and the right sign is definitely needed. I would argue that 29 fits this - it's one of four routes at Pier 70 so at the very least a correct route number needs to be shown.

I have related this story before, but I'll say it again. A few months ago I was at the Wissahickon train station bus stop (Ridge & Cresson) inbound waiting for a 9. A not in service (per the sign) bus pulls up and stops to discharge. I ask the op what bus he is (I already know as it's a Callowhill LF, but I play dumb). The op tells me, "not the one you want". How does he know this (other than he profiled me that I wasn't looking for a 65)? Aside from that, isn't the easy answer "65"? At that time of day, 3 regular routes (9, 27, 65) and a handful of 400-series lines make that stop, and some of the 65's only go to 54th St. If the sign is broken, then put a piece of cardboard in the windshield, something.

SEPTA's getting there, but some of the ops need to remember the basics.
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amgkid874
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If your destination sign does not work, then you are suppose to write it up and call Control Center. Paper (Cardboard) signs are write ups. They are techincally not allowed anymore.

These are not Neoplan AN440s. Its no longer just a button. Its a computerized system, which requires more than just a button. It's actually several button, and good memorization.

On a Neo, you can press Dest. A and put in 496- 75 wayne jct
then press dest b and put in 497 arrott term.

as long as you don't change it, even if you shut the bus off, the destination codes stored will stay the same.

on the dr500c annunicator, you got to wait for the orbital system to load..
then you have to wait for the vehicle to register with the cad
then you have to wait for the route databade to load (that takes forever...but its ok)
then the amdt is now ready
then you press annunc.
press up
press route
enter 07501-75 wayne jct. or 07502 75 arrott term.
press enter
then it says: the entered route is currently being loaded..(this takes forever too, sometimes...bad thing)
then it says the amdt is now ready, again
then if its working properly, the gps system should announce upcoming stops.

then, if you shut the bus off, you got to do the whole process over angain..adn when you kill the battery, its worse.

btw, i heard in the depot, that the 8X mght start running on saturdays, as a revision to the annual service plan....we'll just have to wait and see, now won't we?
Edited by amgkid874, Jul 23 2008, 07:51 AM.
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