• JANUARY OSA MEETING • Eta HAPPENINGS
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ofHClAL NEWSLETTER OFTHE OMNIBUS SOCIETY OF AMERICA,INC.·· Welcome to another issue of The Green Pennant Special, the newest technology in computer programs for art work. the official publication of The Omnibus Society of He served six years in the Naval Reserve from 1956 to America. 1962. During that time he continued his studies at night and in 1961 was granted the degree of Bachelor of Fine Through this publication we hope to keep our readers Arts by the University of Chicago. He belonged to several informed of events happening in the transit industry in Masonic organizations. Active in many railfan groups, he Chicago and other cities in the United States. assisted in the production of four CERA Bulletins The Omnibus Society of America is happy to unveil including "TM" in 1972, "Iowa Trolleys" in 1974, and the its new website ••www.osabus.com ", Atosabus.com two rapid transit books issued at that time. Tom's we will be posting upcoming fan trips and meetings controller-handle design is still used by CERA today. information, as well as membership information. Besides being a railfan, Tom was a historian and recently became a docent at the Terra Museum of Modern Art after Please visit our site when you have a chance and give an intensive course in art history. Tom served on the OSA us your opinions and comments. Board of Directors as treasurer for four years from 1997 to 2000. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and daughters • JANUARY OSA MEETING Nancy and Cathy and their husbands and family. The next regular meetings of the Omnibus Society of Charles A. Thompson, Jr., died in Phoenix, AZ on America will be on January 7, 2005, in the Anderson November 24,2004, after suffering from bone cancer. He Pavilion of Swedish Covenant Hospital, 2751 W. Winona was 70, having been born in Chicago on October 5, 1934. Avenue, Chicago, lllinois. The meeting will start at 7:30 Charlie, as he was known to most OSA members, pm. graduated from Lane Tech High School and served in the The hospital is on California near Foster. Winona is one army in a military police unit in Japan. He was employed ~f-block south of Foster. By public transportation, take for many years by the Santa Fe Railway in their tariff . the 92 Foster to California. From the Ravenswood Brown compiling and distribution section. He was a member of Line, take the 93 North California from Kimball, get off CERA and other railfan groups, and became an early OSA after it turns onto California from Foster and walk back member as evidenced by his low number. He is survived south. Or, take the 11 Lincoln from Western; get off at by his wife, Donna, their son having died several years Carmen (One block south of Foster) and walk west on ago. Winona. • eTA HAPPENINGS There is some parking on California and Winona. The parking structure is on the west side of California just On December 16th, the CTA Board voted to delay the south of Foster. massive service cuts and layoffs that had been planned to Our program, "Through the Lens of Myron Lane", will go into effect on January 1,2005, for at least six months so be a slide presentation of rail and transit subjects taken by Illinois lawmakers have time to come up with more transit respected photographer Myron Lane. cash. CT A boss Frank Kruesi and board president Carole Brown TWO OSA MEMBERS PASS AWAY have said it would take a "strong commitment" from By Ray DeGroote legislative leaders to put off the so-called gridlock budget. The Omnibus Society lost two long-time members in And that's what they got from Senate President Emil Jones October and November with the deaths of Tom Carpenter, (D-Chicago), who told the Sun-Times saving the Chicago OSA #29, and Charlie Thompson, OSA # 10. Transit Authority will be his "top legislative priority" next Thomas Allan Carpenter died on October 21,2004, at the year. He wanted the CT A to postpone the cuts until the age of 69, after suffering from both lung and brain cancer. General Assembly can act in the spring. A native Chicagoan, born on July 13, 1935, and a long- Adam Kerman reports the board passed a "balanced ~me resident of the Lake View area, Tom graduated from budget" with the service cuts backloaded until the end of ,1ke View High School in 1953. He formed his own the year. The RTA board then cancelled its meeting, graphics art business in the Loop, producing advertising rescheduling it from the December 17th to Thursday, art for the Chicago Tribune and numerous clients. From January 6, 2005 to review the CTA budget. this he secured a job at the Tribune which was embracing (Cont on page 2) (Cont from page 1) the sale of the property and be held in escrow to assist the City and the developer. (www.yourcta.com December 6, 2004) eTA The CTA's ambitious $483 million Blue Line Cermal Also, CTA did not make the $130 million in capital cuts branch rehabilitation project has given CTA customer; ordered by the RTA in reaction to the assumption that eight, newly renovated, fully accessible stations, a faster, the state legislature will not authorize new transportation smoother ride and, beginning Saturday, January 1,2005, bonds. RTA staffers hint that likely the entire bus additional service on weekends and weekdays. purchase will be cancelled as that's a big ticket item. That in turn has negative implications for the operating The rehabilitation project on this branch, which began in budget as several series of buses that have high 2001, will be completed in late January. The station maintenance costs will not be retired. work and majority of the track work has been completed allowing customers to enjoy the state-of-the-art station The CTA board made no hard decisions, supposedly and platform amenities, and faster trips that get after a private conversation between Mayor Daley and customers to the Loop in 25 minutes or less instead of Carole Brown when Mayor Daley told her not to go the 45 minutes it took prior to reconstruction. along with the service cut plans as reported to the Chicago Sun-Times by sources. Service will run every 15 minutes on Saturday from 4:00 am until 1:00 am., and every 20 minutes on Sunday from If the legislature does not come up with some type of 4:00 am unti11:00 am. On weekdays, service hours will fmding package to help firnd transportation in the six- be extended until 1:00 am., instead of 12:45 am. In order county RTA area by the middle of the year, instead of to achieve the additional weekend service for the the CTA cutting service by 20%, they will probably have Cermak branch, the CTA will alternate trains between to implement cuts of 40%, which would have an the Forest Park branch and the Cermak branch. The extremely negative impact on CTA service levels. schedule on the Forest Park branch will be adjusted to accommodate less frequent service during those hours. This is almost like the last RTA funding crisis where many of the outlying suburban properties had to shut Eight stations - 54tbJCermak, Kostner, Pulaski, Central down when RTA funding dried up. (Chicago. Sun-Times Park, Kedzie, California, Western and Damen - wen. December 15, 2004) renovated as part of the rehabilitation project and track The Chicago Transit Board on December 6, 2004, and support structure was replaced, and a new signal authorized the sale of property at the Chicago Transit communications system installed. All 11 stations on the Authority's Wilson Yard to the City of Chicago at the Cermak branch are now accessible to customers with market rate price of $6.6 million. The City of Chicago. disabilities. Three stations, Polk, 18th Street and Cicero, will, in turn, sell the property to a developer to develop were already accessible. the rail yard into a multi-use facility that will include retail space and mixed income housing. The $6.6 million Prior to the rehabilitation, the more than 100 year-old sale adds revenue to the CTA's operating budget. steel structure that supported the elevated portion of the Cermak branch was well beyond its useful life. Despite The 164,000 square foot property is located between efforts to maintain the system, the overall condition had Wilson and Montrose Avenues on Chicago's North Side deteriorated to a point that permanent slow zones were just east of the CTA' s Red Line tracks. The property present throughout more than half of the track. Slow currently contains a CTA maintenance shop and outdoor zones required trains to operate as slow as 15 mph storage areas. The CTA does not need the property to instead of the normal 55 mph. A trip from 54th/Cermak conduct regular CTA operations. to downtown could take as log as 45 minutes before construction began. CTA will retain permanent easement rights necessary in order to have access for activities related to operations The Blue Line rehabilitation project was funded through and maintenance of Red Line service and track structure. a Full Funding Grant Agreement with the federal The maintenance shop and storage areas will be government and locally through Illinois FIRST, the relocated to other CTA property. Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). In addition to the sale of the property, the CTA has agreed to pay up to $750,000 for environmental (Cont on page 3) remediation of the property.