Heat Stroke

Well it was another fun day on the 111's. Four RTS buses died during the height of rush hour!
One bus broke down three separate times and was sent back out onto the street after it was patched up each time. We can't let too many buses fall off the line, now can we?

The heat must have finally gotten to 0258, even though it was doing a trip on the 111 the bus thought for sure it was an 89. The TransitMaster, no matter what the driver did, stubbornly spat out "Route 89 CLARENDON HILL". I later spotted 0258 heading inbound at Woodlawn saying "11 CITY POINT VIA BAYVIEW". Doesn't the 11 run in South Boston, not Chelsea? Yeah, a missing "1" can make a big difference.

0582 (a Neoplan from Lynn Garage operating on the 426) was showing off how tough it was at Haymarket Station. While waiting to leave the station, the engine was going full throttle. The bus of course was not going anywhere. Just burning fuel. Talk about being in a race to go nowhere. The transmissions on the Neoplans also have a mean downshift, which it why they are some of the noisiest buses in the fleet.

0240, still on the front line for the 111's, had no AC. Well, at least none you could really feel. The boys over at the garage told him to "keep his windows open". Guess that's what they had to do before buses had AC.

All I can say is that my bus, 0736, was working fine. Perfect AC! And no crowds! The only problem was that I kept getting a "hot engine" light. It just wouldn't go away. Well, the engine didn't catch fire so I suppose it resolved itself.

After we crossed the Tobin Bridge RTS 0392 greeted us with its lights out, engine dead, and hazard lights flashing. The operator, who is about eight months pregnant, was sitting with an inspector in his van trying to beat the heat. At least she didn't go into labor...

Also, a Red Line train with bad brakes lost control today. No injuries, nothing major. But with four safety supervisors at the helm, how could you have gone wrong?