I've been seeing 85's on routes out of Kendall over the last few weeks, and sometimes at Harvard too (96 often gets em, although last night I saw a Midwest rehab on teh 96 at Davis Sq.). I've seen some 85's, 86's, and 87's at Kendall this week -- I think they were all on the Lechmere shuttle, but its not like you could tell by the destination signs.
Update: As of Thursday afternoon, there were a bunch of old RTS's on the Lechmere shuttle -- 84, 85, 87's and even 8017. Still some 0xxx RTS's, but few with the "Green Line" stickers. The Neoplans seemed to only make the one appearance.
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by jwhite07
This week, with all of the shuttles in play, plus the ongoing reshuffle of equipment caused by the return of rebuilt RTS buses, rapid delivery and acceptance of Neoplan diesels, and the conversion of Cabot to all-NABI CNG, it seems like anything can show up, anywhere.
Both Quincy and Lynn now have a small number of zero-series RTS buses for the first time, to begin replacing the older RTS buses there. Lynn will likely get most of the 20 Neoplan diesels that are now at Charlestown to cover shuttles. And the remaining five New Flyer CNGs assigned to the Silver Line won't be for long... I imagine they'll soon be reassigned to Charlestown along with the other 6000s.
The various shuttles operating from South Station run the gamut of the diesel fleet... they're using everything! 35-foot 8000-series buses, clunker 84/85/86/87xxs, brand spanking new Neoplans, and a lot of Midwest-rebuilt zero-series RTS buses - some which have obviously only recently returned to Boston. Same with the Lechmere shuttle. There doesn't seem to be any CNG buses in DNC or Lechmere shuttle service at this point.
Things will probably begin to settle a bit after this week. I anticipate the number of 8xxx RTS buses will plummet rather quickly, and very soon.
Both Quincy and Lynn now have a small number of zero-series RTS buses for the first time, to begin replacing the older RTS buses there. Lynn will likely get most of the 20 Neoplan diesels that are now at Charlestown to cover shuttles. And the remaining five New Flyer CNGs assigned to the Silver Line won't be for long... I imagine they'll soon be reassigned to Charlestown along with the other 6000s.
The various shuttles operating from South Station run the gamut of the diesel fleet... they're using everything! 35-foot 8000-series buses, clunker 84/85/86/87xxs, brand spanking new Neoplans, and a lot of Midwest-rebuilt zero-series RTS buses - some which have obviously only recently returned to Boston. Same with the Lechmere shuttle. There doesn't seem to be any CNG buses in DNC or Lechmere shuttle service at this point.
Things will probably begin to settle a bit after this week. I anticipate the number of 8xxx RTS buses will plummet rather quickly, and very soon.
by octr202
The NE Transit MBTA roster (updated today) shows all of the Neoplan diesels in service (0403-0423) have been assigned to Charlestown. Lynn, Fellsway, and Quincy are listed as all-RTS at this time (Lynn with 15 0xxx's, Quincy 11, and Fellsway none).
Wondering if I'll see the Western Route double-tracking finished before I retire...
Photo: Melbourne W7 No. 1019 on Route 78, Bridge & Church Streets, Richmond, Victoria. 10/21/2010
Photo: Melbourne W7 No. 1019 on Route 78, Bridge & Church Streets, Richmond, Victoria. 10/21/2010
by jwhite07
The NE Transit MBTA roster (updated today) shows all of the Neoplan diesels in service (0403-0423) have been assigned to Charlestown. Lynn, Fellsway, and Quincy are listed as all-RTS at this time (Lynn with 15 0xxx's, Quincy 11, and Fellsway none).Look again!
Apparently another update was done last night (I noticed sometimes Jonathan Belcher doesn't always change the date every time he does an update). Now there's Neoplans in Lynn, Charlestown, and Quincy. Still none at Fellsway, but it's still early in the process.
by jwhite07
NETransit doesn't break it down, and I haven't been keeping track, but they're pretty easy to identify when you see one. They have the new paint scheme, LED destination signs, and new wheelchair lifts inside. And they tend to be a bit cleaner than the rest of the fleet!
Off the top of my head, I can think of 0002, 0091, 0120, 0244... eh, there's quite a few more than that in service, but the coffee just hasn't kicked in yet. Maybe I'll try to start paying more attention to them and noting which ones are Midwest rebuilds.
Off the top of my head, I can think of 0002, 0091, 0120, 0244... eh, there's quite a few more than that in service, but the coffee just hasn't kicked in yet. Maybe I'll try to start paying more attention to them and noting which ones are Midwest rebuilds.