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Hartford (4/9/12)

 
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Bill D




Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 332
Location: Waterbury, CT

PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:05 am    Post subject: Hartford (4/9/12) Reply with quote

I took advantage of some time off to visit Hartford yesterday afternoon. It is the home of CT Transit's largest division, and there is never a break in the action during rush hours as a steady stream of local and commuter routes pass through downtown. Here are some pictures from my visit:


H302 - Main Street between Pearl and Gold Streets


201 - Central Row and Market Street


303 and A77 - Central Row and Market Street


215 - Atheneum Square and Main Street


407 - State and Market Streets


A222 - Central Row and Market Street


534 - Gold and Main Streets


761 and 516 - Main Street and Central Row


782 - Central Row and Prospect Street


1011 - State Street @ Constitution Plaza


1109 - Main Street @ Old State House


A25 - Central Row and Prospect Street


312 - State and Market Streets


A76 and A82 - Central Row and Prospect Street


711 - Main and Gold Streets


H301 - State and Market Streets


D40LF's lined up along Main Street between Pearl and Gold Streets

Many more photos from my visit can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/billonthehill2001/sets/72157629783904717/

Bill
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RailBus63
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 1063

PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice shots! The proliferation of MCI cruisers is interesting - I didn't see many during my last rush-hour visit to Hartford a few years ago.

Jim D.
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Bill D




Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 332
Location: Waterbury, CT

PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

RailBus63 wrote:
Nice shots! The proliferation of MCI cruisers is interesting - I didn't see many during my last rush-hour visit to Hartford a few years ago.

Jim D.


Up until a couple of years ago there were only about 8 of the D4500's in service. While I don't recall exactly how many were purchased in 2010 (including some used buses), there are probably around 50 in service now. Many are leased by the private companies operating commuter runs. In the past you would have seen many coaches in the operator's own paint scheme, but now just about everything is branded CT Transit.

Even though the D40LF is the most common bus seen, there is still enough variety to keep things interesting. What was missing the day I was there were fuel cell buses, and apparently I missed the XDE35 operating on the Star Shuttle by a day.

Bill
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RailBus63
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 1063

PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree on the diversity - even during off-peak hours the Nova LFSA's and the D35LFR's from New Britain now help to break up the D40LF parade.

How are the Xcelsiors doing in Waterbury?
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Bill D




Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 332
Location: Waterbury, CT

PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RailBus63 wrote:
How are the Xcelsiors doing in Waterbury?


Well, they are still running after a year. Actually there have been no major issues, and they do provide almost all of the service in Waterbury and Wallingford. (Our D40LF's cover Meriden routes and a couple of trippers in Waterbury.) A few have been to the Cummins dealer for issues mostly related to the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) system and two have had accident damage repaired by CT Transit's Hartford body shop. The hybrid drive systems have been trouble free. We have done some retrofits and software upgrades as well.

What is still unknown is how well the buses will perform in winter conditions, as we had very little snow to contend with this past winter. One issue that drivers did complain about is that the front ends are very light on the Xcelsior, and they were not handling well in wet or slippery conditions. We are using a special (non-recap) snow tire imported from Germany by Goodyear, and we found out that they could be used on the front as well. A trial on two buses had positive results in improving handling, so we went ahead and equipped all of the fleet with them.

Drivers seem to be split over their preference, some liking the hybrids and some the straight diesels. Personally I think they both perform well, and have plenty of power for the hills. The hybrids do have a tendency to rock at times. I believe that this is due to the weight distribution of the rooftop components, but it is not a big deal.

Overall, not a bad bus. I do miss the RTS's though.

Bill
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