GM New Look bus

Last updated

GM New Look
TTC T6H 5307N Bus 2284.jpg
A GM "New Look" bus model T6H-5307N in service for the TTC (2008)
Overview
Manufacturer GM Truck and Bus (United States)
GM Diesel Division (Canada)
Production
  • 1959–1977 (U.S.)
  • 1962–1986 (Canada) [1]
Assembly
Body and chassis
Class Transit bus
Body style Monocoque stressed-skin
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
  • 4-speed non-synchromesh manual
  • 1-speed Allison VH automatic
  • 2-speed Allison VS-2 automatic
  • 3-speed Allison V730 automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase 162 in (4.11 m), 235 in (5.97 m), or 285 in (7.24 m) [1]
Length29 ft (8.84 m), 35 ft (10.67 m), or 40 ft (12.19 m)
Width96 in (2.44 m) or 102 in (2.59 m)
Height121 in (3.07 m)
(height over roof hatches) [1]
Chronology
Predecessor GM/Yellow Coach "old look"
Successor
A restored GM "New Look" bus of the former New York Bus Service (now the MTA) New York Bus Service GMDD 1502.jpg
A restored GM "New Look" bus of the former New York Bus Service (now the MTA)

The GM New Look bus is a municipal transit bus that was introduced in 1959 by the Truck and Coach Division of General Motors to replace the company's previous coach, retroactively known as the GM "old-look" transit bus.

Contents

Also commonly known by the nickname "Fishbowl" (for its original six-piece rounded windshield, later replaced by a two-piece curved pane), it was produced until 1977 in the United States, and until 1985 in Canada. [2] More than 44,000 New Look buses were built. Its high production figures and long service career made it an iconic North American transit bus. The design is listed as U.S. patent D182,998 by Roland E. Gegoux and William P. Strong.

Production overview

44,484 New Look buses were built over the production lifespan, of which 33,413 were built in the U.S. and 11,071 were built in Canada (GM Diesel Division). Separated by general type, the production figures comprised 510 29-foot (8.8 m) city buses (all U.S.-built); 9,355 35-foot (10.7 m) city buses (7,804 U.S.-built, 1,551 Canadian); 31,348 40-foot (12.2 m) city buses (22,034 U.S., 9,314 Canadian) and 3,271 suburban coaches (of which only 206 were built in Canada). [1] The total production of New Looks was 41,213 transit coaches and 3,271 suburban coaches. [1]

Other than demonstrators, Washington, D.C., was the very first city to take delivery of any GM New Look buses, specifically TDH-5301s built in 1959 for O. Roy Chalk's D.C. Transit System, [3] which operated in Washington, D.C., and the suburbs of Maryland and Virginia.

Several different models were introduced over the following years, and modifications made to the design. See the section below, headed "Description".

Production of the New Look in the U.S. ceased in 1977, [1] when it was replaced by the RTS transit bus. Production continued after this, however, at General Motors Diesel Division in Canada, due to the RTS design being rejected by Canadian transit agencies, with the name plate changing from "GM" to "GMC". Few were produced after 1983 due to the GMDD's introduction of the Classic in that year. The last New Looks to be built were an order for Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines (now Big Blue Bus) of Santa Monica, California, in 1986. [2] The completion of that order brought a final end to New Look production in April 1986. [2] [4] At least one transit property, the Société de transport de l'Outaouais in Gatineau, Quebec, operated the model until at least 2015 [5] nearly 60 years after introduction and more than 30 years after mass production ended, but has since retired the type from active use. [6]

The last American-built New Look GM buses were ordered by the city of Wausau, Wisconsin, which placed an order for twelve 35-foot (10.7 m) transit buses, model T6H-4523N, the last of which was delivered in March 1977.[ citation needed ]

The GM Buffalo bus, a group of intercity bus models built between 1966 and 1980, shared many mechanical and body parts with the fishbowl models, and were discontinued by the Pontiac, Michigan, plant shortly after the RTS replaced fishbowl model production there.

GM later sold the rights to produce both Classic and RTS models to other manufacturers, and exited the heavy-duty transit and intercity markets for full-sized buses, although production of some medium-duty and light-duty chassis products sold in these markets continued.

Description

Like GM's over-the-road buses, including the Greyhound Scenicruiser, the air-sprung New Look did not have a traditional ladder frame. Instead it used an airplane-like stressed-skin construction in which an aluminum riveted skin supported the weight of the bus. The wooden floor kept the bus's shape. The engine cradle was hung off the back of the roof. As a result, the GM New Look weighed significantly less than competitors' city buses.

AC Transit mechanics examine the 6V71 engine of bus no. 976 ACT206 No. 976 (New Look, 6V71) (11177940814).jpg
AC Transit mechanics examine the 6V71 engine of bus no. 976

Virtually all New Look buses were powered by Detroit Diesel Series 71 two-cycle diesel engines. The original engine was the 6V71 (V6). GM buses used a unique "Angle-drive" configuration with a transverse mounted engine. The transmission angled off at a 45-or-so degree angle to connect to the rear axle. The engines were canted backwards for maintenance access; in fact, the only parts not accessible from outside the bus were the right-hand exhaust manifold and the starter. The entire engine-transmission-radiator assembly was mounted on a cradle that could be quickly removed and replaced, allowing the bus to return to service with minimal delay when the powertrain required major maintenance. Originally, all New Looks were powered by the 6V-71. GM resisted V8 power but eventually gave in to pressure from customers.

(The exception to the above was the 29-foot (8.8 m) TDH-3301, which was powered by the GMC DH-478 Toroflow four-stroke V6, and had a more conventional T-drive transmission.)

Original transmission choices were a four-speed non-synchronized manual transmission with solenoid reverse and the Allison Automatic VH hydraulic transmission. The latter was essentially a one-speed automatic transmission which drove the wheels through a torque converter. At sufficient speed a clutch bypassed the torque converter and the engine drove the rear wheels directly. A later option was the VS-2, similar to the VH but with a two-speed planetary gearset with three modes: Hydraulic, direct (1:1), and direct-overdrive. The very last batch of American-built New Looks and most Canadian-built New Looks from 1977 through 1987 use the Allison V730 transmission, a traditional three-speed automatic with a lockup torque converter. These four transmissions were the only V-drive transmissions made.

"Suburban" interior with high-back seats and "dropped" center floor AC Transit, GM New Look as delivered suburban with high back seats ACT105 (11177858734).jpg
"Suburban" interior with high-back seats and "dropped" center floor

New Looks were available in both Transit and Suburban versions. Transits were traditional city buses with two doors; Suburbans had forward-facing seats (four-abreast), underfloor luggage bays, and had only one door. The floor beneath the seats was higher than the center aisle to accommodate the luggage bays. There were also "Suburban-style" transits which had forward-facing seats on slightly raised platforms that gave the appearance of a dropped center aisle. GM refused to install lavatories on these buses; at least one transit authority (Sacramento Transit Authority in Sacramento, California) added its own.

The New Look was built in 30 ft (9.1 m), 35 ft (10.7 m) and 40 ft (12.2 m) lengths and 96 and 102 in (2.44 and 2.59 m) widths. 35 and 40 ft (10.7 and 12.2 m) buses had different-length side windows, so the profiles of both buses looked very similar, but not the same. In the 1970s, AC Transit shortened several 35' New Look buses to 29' by removing a section from the middle for dial-a-ride demand-responsive service, maintaining common parts and drivers with the remainder of its fleet. [7]

Double-width exit doors were offered as an option for 40-foot buses, in two styles: a single folding door or a pair of butterfly doors side-by-side. Where either type was used, the side window immediately behind the door was the size normally used in 35-foot buses.

In 1967 and 1968, Red Arrow Lines tested a GM New Look bus converted to operate as a railbus on its interurban routes and the Norristown High Speed Line. [8]

Variants based on the New Look

Turbine engines

General Motors had been interested in developing gas turbine engines for highway use and showed the General Motors Firebird series of turbine-powered sports car concepts in the 1950s; to demonstrate the engine's practicality, GM fitted a copy of the same GT-300 "Whirlfire" engine from Firebird I into an "old-look" TDH-4512 transit bus and called it the "Turbo-Cruiser". For the 1964 New York World's Fair, the latest version of the gas turbine engine, designated GT-309, was fitted to a New Look bus (TDH-5303, serial #0001) and named "Turbo-Cruiser II"; [9] the GT-309 was also fitted to the Chevrolet Tilt-Cab truck chassis and called "Turbo Titan III". The GT-309 developed power and torque comparable to the 8V-71 and weighed less, but fuel consumption and emissions proved to be intractable problems. The same TDH-5303 was later equipped with a continuously-variable transmission and rebranded "Turbo-Cruiser III". [10] Production records also indicate a "Turbo-Cruiser V" was built using a T8H-5305A in 1969. [11] The Turbo-Cruiser III drivetrain also was used on the "RTX" (Rapid Transit eXperimental) bus of 1968, prototyping the styling and features of the Rapid Transit Series, which succeeded the New Look buses starting in 1977. [10]

Trolley buses
Brown Boveri trolleybus number 192 Edmonton BBC trolleybus 192.jpg
Brown Boveri trolleybus number 192

In 1981–82, Brown Boveri & Company constructed 100 model HR150G trolley buses from 40-foot (12.2 m) New Look bus shells for the Edmonton Transit System (ETS). Two coaches (No. 192 and 197) were sent to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) for evaluation as potential supplements to the aging Flyer E700 trolley bus fleet in 1989 and placed in revenue service in January 1990; pleased with the results, TTC leased 38 more for a three-year term, starting in June 1990. All the leased buses were in the group of ETS fleet numbers between #149 and #199; in TTC service, the leased buses were renumbered with a leading 9 but retained their ETS livery and colors. TTC decided to discontinue trolley bus service in January 1992 to reduce operating costs; as ETS would not allow an early return of the leased buses, TTC continued to run the leased buses on two routes until July 1993. [12]

Back in Edmonton, 19 of the returned trolley buses were retired and used for spare parts, while the rest of the fleet remained in use for 27 years until the Edmonton trolley bus system was shut down in 2009. [12] Two were sold to the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority in 1996, where they were fitted with wheelchair lifts and operated in revenue service for approximately a decade to supplement the existing Flyer E800 fleet until both types were replaced by ETI 14TrE trolley buses. [13] In 2010, 28 were sold to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in an attempt to save the trolleybus system there, [14] but they were abandoned after the Plovdiv trolleybus system shut down as well in 2012. Although they were transferred to Yambol, which had built a trolleybus network but did not have the vehicles to operate it, they were eventually scrapped in 2015 after the city abandoned its plans to open a trolleybus system there as well.

The Dayton trolleybuses (#109 and 110) were moved into storage in 2004. [15] Two others were preserved after Edmonton shut down the trolleybus system in 2009: the Illinois Railway Museum received #181 in Fall 2009 [12] [16] and the Seashore Trolley Museum received #125 in 2010. [17]

Articulated buses
The articulated version, built only in 1982, had a New Look body but a "Classic" front end. GM articulated bus 8203 of Hamilton Street Railway at Eastgate Square, 1987.jpg
The articulated version, built only in 1982, had a New Look body but a "Classic" front end.

A 60-foot (18.3 m) articulated version was designed and built in 1982 for a Government of Ontario demonstration project. While a New Look body was used, a newer front (to allow a wider entrance), which would eventually be incorporated into the Classic transit bus, was used. For this reason, this model is sometimes not described as being a New Look and is not included in New Look production figures. [18]

Series production took place in 1982–1983, and a total of only 53 were built. [18] With the newer front and older body, these buses, which were model TA60-102N (for Transit Articulated 60 feet long × 102 inches wide No air-conditioning), were a transitional model. Unlike most other articulated buses with an engine in the front section and a powered middle axle, the TA60-102N utilized a "pusher" design that used a conventional New Look drive train and a specially-designed anti-jackknifing articulated joint that limited the angle between the two section to 7° at normal speeds (while traveling straight forward) and to less than 2° at highway speeds. [19] 12 were tested by TTC in 1982, but TTC chose to purchase a fleet of Orion III articulated buses instead. [20]

Model naming

The model naming for the GM New Look bus is shown below. Examples of model names are TDH-5301, T8H-5305N, T6H-5307N, S6H-4504A, and T6H-4521N. (Note that not all possible combinations were constructed.) The front end of the bus remained essentially the same through the production of the New Look.

Type Engine Transmission Nominal seating capacitySeriesAir conditioning
T = transit bus
S = suburban bus
1st & 2nd generation
D = diesel
G = gasoline

3rd & 4th generation
6 = Detroit Diesel 6V71
6 = Detroit Diesel 6V92TA1
8 = Detroit Diesel 8V712

H = hydraulic (automatic) transmission
M = manual transmission
- 33 = 29 feet (8.8 m)3
45 = 35 feet (10.7 m)
53 = 40 feet (12.2 m)

two digits4

A = Air conditioning
N = No air conditioning5
NOTES:
  1. The Detroit Diesel 6V92TA was available on 53-series buses as an alternative to the Detroit Diesel 6V71 and 8V71.
  2. Only 40-foot (12.2 m) buses were available with an 8V71 engine.
  3. The 33 passenger model was not offered in a Suburban version.
  4. For 40-foot buses: fourth digit odd, 102 inches wide; fourth digit even, 96 inches wide.
  5. "N" used for fourth generation only.

First generation (1959–1962)

Description:
  • Distinctive 6-piece windshield, earning the nickname "Fishbowl" for the bus.
  • Tail lights were housed in streamlined nacelles modeled after afterburners.
  • Side roof signals were in geometric chrome strips.
  • "GM" logo was on a plaque with a black background.
  • In the first year of production, buses were built with pantograph wipers instead of single arm wipers.
TypeModelsExample
(TDH-5301 shown)
Transit
  • 4516: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 102 in (2.59 m)
  • 4517: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 5301: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 102 in (2.59 m)
  • 5302: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
NYC Transit Authority GMC TDH-5301 1059.jpg
Suburban
  • 4501: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 5301: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)

Second generation (1963–1967)

Description:
  • Tail light nacelles were removed.
  • Side roof signals were placed in small bullet-pods.
  • Prototype XMC-53 (TDH-5303) with 8V71 was built in 1967 and tested by SF Muni, later entered revenue service as AC Transit #625. [21]
TypeModelsExample
(TDH-4519 shown)
Transit
  • 4518: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 102 in (2.59 m)
  • 4519: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 5303: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 102 in (2.59 m)
  • 5304: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
Ex-Rose City Transit bus, Tri-Met 575, in 1985.jpg
Suburban
  • 4502: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 5302: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)

Third generation (1968–1971)

Description:
  • same windshield as previous generation.
  • Tail lights were enlarged and given less flair.
  • Because of new FMCSA regulations, three roof head and tail lights, commonly called "Michigan markers", were added as standard equipment (they had been optional on first- and second-generation New Looks). First-generation New Looks had these lights installed in a roof-mounted bracket, called "Manhattan style"; thereafter each light was mounted directly on roof.
  • Third clearance light added at top center on either side, previously only at top corners. Bullet-pods of second-generation New Looks were eliminated.
  • Alternator-based electrical system introduced; previous generations used DC generators.
  • Slight update of driver's instrument panel: Voltmeter replaced previous generator warning light; separate left and right turn signal indicators replaced previous single DIR. SIGNAL light.
  • The logo was changed to "GMC" over a silver background.
  • The GM 8V71 engine became an option on 40-foot buses.
  • From this point on, only the 40 ft (12.2 m) transit model would be available in a 102 in (2.59 m) width.
TypeModelsExample
(S8M-5303A shown)
Transit
  • 3301: 29 ft (8.8 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 4521: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 5305: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 102 in (2.59 m)
  • 5306: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
Suburban-type GM New Look bus - Pittsburgh, 1984.jpg
Suburban
  • 4503: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 5303: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)

Fourth generation (1972–1979 U.S.; 1972–1986 Canada)

Description:
  • Same front as the third generation.
  • For units built for American operators, the exhaust system was shifted from below the bus to the left of the rear window. Also used by Canadian operators; called Environmental Improvement Package.
  • A ventilation system on the right of the rear window became a popular option.
  • Roof ventilation/escape hatches introduced as an option from 1974, also very popular.
  • NEXT STOP lights introduced 1976–1979; allows bell to ring only once for each stop.
  • Starting in 1981, the 6V92TA engine became an engine option for the 5307 transit and 5304 suburban model.
  • 5309 and 5310 were developed for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in New York, as a variant of the 5307.
  • Front logo plate changed from "GMC" to "GM" around 1980-1982.
TypeModelsExample
(T6H-5307N shown)
Transit
  • 3302: 29 ft (8.8 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)1
  • 4523: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 5307: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 102 in (2.59 m)
  • 5308: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 5309: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 102 in (2.59 m)2
  • 5310: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 102 in (2.59 m)2
Bus with skyline.jpg
Suburban
  • 4504: 35 ft (10.7 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
  • 5304: 40 ft (12.2 m) × 96 in (2.44 m)
NOTES:
  1. The 3302 ceased production in 1973.
  2. The 5309 & 5310 were sold only to the New York MTA in 1972–1973. The 5309 had perimeter seating, while the 5310 had forward-facing suburban seating. They were assigned to MABSTOA, MSBA, NYCTA, and one 5310 police bus by the NYPD.

Manufacturing location was indicated by the serial number. No prefix was used for Pontiac, Michigan, C (Canada) indicated London, Ontario, and M (Montreal) Saint-Eustache, Quebec. All buses with 17-digit VINs were built in Saint-Eustache.

Production figures by model

Production totals are through August 1980, when serial numbers changed to 17-digit vehicle identification numbers. [22] [23]

Transit

ModelU.S.A.Canada
QuantityBuiltQuantityBuilt
TGH-3301131969-19710-
TDH-33011131969-19710-
TDH-3301A1611969-19710-
TDH-3302A/TDH-3302N2231972-19730-
TDH-45161491960-19620-
TDH-45171,7991959-1964661962-1964
TDM-451761960-19620-
TDH-45181241963-19650-
TDH-45191,9591963-19674011963-1968
TDM-4519081963-19670-
T6H-45213691968-19713291968-1972
T6H-4521A8491968-19710-
T6H-4523A/T6H-4523N12,5621971-1977537 + 95M1972-1980
TDH-53013,7941959-19641861961-1964
TDM-53013019610-
TDH-53027741960-1962101964
TDM-53022019610-
TDH-53036,2051963-19671,0691963-1968
TDM-5303651964-19670-
TDH-53042,0621963-19671451963-1968
TDM-5304571963-19650-
T6H-53052981967-19717831968-1972
T6H-5305A7231968-19710-
T6M-5305A4119680-
T8H-53054541968-19710-
T8H-5305A2121968-1971201970
T6H-53063811968-1971721968-1972
T6H-5306A8891968-19710-
T6M-53065019680-
T8H-530651969-19700-
T8H-5306A3441969-19710-
T6M-5306A4619690-
T6H-5307A/T6H-5307N24461972-19792,444 + 2,006M1972-1979
T8H-5307A3,1311971-197762 + 77M1973-1979
T6H-5308A/T6H-5308N30031971-197920941972-1976
T8H-5308A/T8H-5308N54471972-19790-
T6H-5309A4341972-19730-
T6H-5310A1061972-19730-
All Canadian figures are for London, Ontario, except for totals marked "M".
  1. No T6H-4523As were built in Canada.
  2. No T6H-5307As were built in Canada.
  3. Only one T6H-5308N was built in the U.S.
    (for Martucci Bus Company of West Orange, NJ)
  4. No T6H-5308As were built in Canada.
  5. No T8H-5308Ns were built.
 

Suburban

ModelU.S.A.Canada
QuantityBuiltQuantityBuilt
SDH-4501901960-19610-
SDM-45011161960-1962191962
SDH-4502531963-1967331965-1968
SDM-45021621963-1967411963-1966
S6H-450331968-197181969
S6H-4503A311968-19710-
S6M-4503161968-196921968
S6M-4503A291968-19710-
S6H-4504A131972-19730-
S6M-4504A21972-19730-
SDH-530131960-19610-
SDM-53015891960-196221963
SDH-5302961963-1967151965
SDM-53021,0791963-19671041964-1968
S8H-5303A481969-197161970
S8M-5303A2981968-197131968
S8H-5304A2361972-19760-
S8M-5304A1711972-19760-

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AM General</span> American heavy vehicle manufacturer

AM General is an American heavy vehicle and contract automotive manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. It is best known for the civilian Hummer and the military Humvee that are assembled in Mishawaka, Indiana. From 1974–1979 the company also manufactured transit buses, making more than 5,400 of them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flxible</span> American manufacturer of coaches and buses from 1913 to 1996

The Flxible Co. was an American manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars, funeral cars, ambulances, intercity coaches and transit buses, based in the U.S. state of Ohio. It was founded in 1913 and closed in 1996. The company's production transitioned from highway coaches and other products to transit buses over the period 1953–1970, and during the years that followed, Flxible was one of the largest transit-bus manufacturers in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Transit Commission bus system</span> Bus system serving the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) uses buses and other vehicles for public transportation. In 2018, the TTC bus system had 159 bus routes carrying over 264 million riders over 6,686 kilometres (4,154 mi) of routes with buses travelling 143 million kilometres in the year. As of 2021, the TTC has 192 bus routes in operation, including 28 night bus routes. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 362,041,400, or about 1,240,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Hool</span> Belgian bus, coach and trailer manufacturer

Van Hool NV is a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Coach</span> American vehicle manufacturing company

Twin Coach was an American vehicle manufacturing company from 1927 to 1955, located in Kent, Ohio, and a maker of marine engines and airplane parts until the 1960s. It was formed by brothers Frank and William Fageol when they left the Fageol Motor Company in 1927. They established the company in Kent to manufacture and sell buses with a new concept design. The body structure of this new bus was unique in that the body also became the frame and two engines – "twin" engines – were used to allow for larger passenger loads. This concept was patented by William B. Fageol.

The Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company was an early manufacturer of passenger buses in the United States. Between 1923 and 1943, Yellow Coach built transit buses, electric-powered trolley buses, and parlor coaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillig</span> American bus manufacturer

Gillig is an American designer and manufacturer of buses. The company headquarters, along with its manufacturing operations, is located in Livermore, California. By volume, Gillig is the second-largest transit bus manufacturer in North America. As of 2013, Gillig had an approximate 31 percent market share of the combined United States and Canadian heavy-duty transit bus manufacturing industry, based on the number of equivalent unit deliveries.

The Transit Museum Society of British Columbia (TMS) is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of decommissioned transit vehicles in Vancouver and the adjoining areas. Based in Langley, the Society currently has a fleet of seventeen vehicles: fifteen operational and two non-operational. These vehicles were previously in use by both public and private operating companies between 1937 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapid Transit Series</span> American transit bus type

The Rapid Transit Series (RTS) city bus is a long-running series of transit buses that was originally manufactured by GMC Truck and Coach Division during 1977, in Pontiac, Michigan. First produced in 1977, the RTS was GMC's offering of an Advanced Design Bus design and is the descendant of GMC's prototype for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Transbus project. The RTS is notable for its then-futuristic styling featuring automobile-like curved body and window panels; the Advanced Design Buses were meant to be an interim solution between the high-floor transit buses that preceded them, such as the GMC New Look, and modern low-floor buses that would facilitate passenger boarding and accessibility. Most current buses are now made by specialized coach manufacturers with flat sides and windows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PD-4501 Scenicruiser</span> Motor vehicle

The GMC PD-4501 Scenicruiser, manufactured by General Motors (GM) for Greyhound Lines, Inc., was a three-axle monocoque two-level coach that Greyhound used from July 1954 into the mid-1970s. 1001 were made between 1954 and 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GM "old-look" transit bus</span> GM bus manufactured from 1940 to 1969

The GM "old-look" transit bus was a transit bus that was introduced in 1940 by Yellow Coach beginning with the production of the model TG-3201 bus. Yellow Coach was an early bus builder that was partially owned by General Motors (GM) before being purchased outright in 1943 and folded into the GM Truck Division to form the GM Truck & Coach Division. The Yellow Coach badge gave way to the GM nameplate in 1944. Production of most "old-look" models was stopped upon the release of the GM New-Look bus in 1959, however some smaller "old-look" models continued to be built until 1969. Approximately 38,000 "old-look" buses were built during the 29-year production run. The "old-look" name is an unofficial retronym applied to this series of GM buses after the release of the GM New-Look series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GM TDH-4801 & TDM-4801</span> Motor vehicle

The GM TDH-4801 and TDM-4801 were a special series of GM "old-look" transit buses that were produced between 1953 and 1958 and which were designed to maintain a maximum rear axle weight load of no more than 16,500 pounds (7.5 t). The reason for this was due to a requirement in California at the time that buses more than 35 feet (11 m) in length or 96 inches (2.4 m) in width could only be operated under special authorization from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and the CPUC had denied authorization for the TDH-5105 partially due to its weight. Both the TDH-4801 and TDM-4801 have an unusual vehicle length of 37 feet 9 inches (11.5 m) and a seating capacity of only 48. Both models are 102 inches wide. The TDH-4801 was equipped with an automatic transmission and 547 were built between 1953 and 1958. The TDM-4801 was equipped with a manual transmission and 75 were built in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flxible New Look bus</span> American passenger transit bus

The Flxible New Look bus is a transit bus introduced in 1959 by the Flxible Company, and produced from 1960 until 1978, when the New Look was replaced by the "870" Advanced Design Bus. Over its 17-year production run 13,121 Flxible New Look buses were manufactured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in San Francisco</span>

The San Francisco trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network serving San Francisco, in the state of California, United States. Opened on October 6, 1935, it presently comprises 15 lines and is operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, commonly known as Muni, with around 300 trolleybuses. In San Francisco, these vehicles are also known as "trolley coaches", a term that was the most common name for trolleybuses in the United States in the middle decades of the 20th century. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 42,240,000, or about 142,700 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Seattle</span> Electric transit system serving Seattle, Washington

The Seattle trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network in the city of Seattle, Washington, operated by King County Metro. Originally opened on April 28, 1940, the network consists of 15 routes, with 174 trolleybuses operating on 68 miles (109 km) of two-way parallel overhead lines. As of the second quarter of 2024, the system carries riders on an average of 39,900 trips per weekday, comprising about 18 percent of King County Metro's total daily ridership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Dayton</span>

The Dayton trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network serving Dayton, in the state of Ohio, United States. Opened on April 23, 1933, it presently comprises five lines, and is operated by the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, with a fleet of 45 trolleybuses. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,163,400, or about 6,100 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crown-Ikarus 286</span> Transit bus that was manufactured by Ikarus and Crown Coach Corporation

The Crown-Ikarus 286 is a type of transit bus that was manufactured for the U.S. market from 1980 until 1986, under a joint venture between the Ikarus Body and Coach Works (Ikarus), of Budapest, Hungary, and Crown Coach Corporation from Los Angeles, California in the United States. Loosely based on the Ikarus 280, the Crown-Ikarus 286 is a high-floor articulated bus.

As of 2019, King County Metro operates the seventh largest fleet of buses in the United States, with a total of 1,583 buses. The agency's buses traveled a total of 53 million miles (85,000,000 km) and transported over 123 million passengers in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flyer 700/800/900 series</span> Canadian bus model series

The Flyer 700/800/900 series were a series of transit buses built in three generations by Western Flyer and its successors Flyer Industries and New Flyer, of Canada, between 1967 and 1987. Except for brief overlap during transition from one generation to the next, they were not in production concurrently. All individual model designations included a prefix of either D, for diesel propulsion, or E, for electrically powered trolleybuses, with the first digit indicating the generation and the last digit indicating a variant within the generation. The introductory model was the D700, originally released in 1967 for the Canadian transit market, and the last series group to be produced, D900, was discontinued in 1987. Flyer had become New Flyer only the year before, in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Flyer High Floor</span> American passenger bus type

The New Flyer High Floor is a line of conventional (high-floor) transit buses available in 35-foot rigid, 40-foot rigid, and 60-foot articulated lengths manufactured by New Flyer Industries between 1987 and 2006. The buses were powered by conventional diesel or natural gas engines using either V-drive or T-drive transmission couplings, with the exception of an articulated electric trolleybus variant manufactured for a single customer, the San Francisco Municipal Railway. The New Flyer Low Floor, a low-floor bus with a similar external appearance, was introduced in 1991 and proved to be more popular than the High Floor, which was discontinued in 1996 in diesel rigid form. CNG high-floor buses continued to be made until 1999, and the articulated version was manufactured until early 2006.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stauss, Ed (1988). The Bus World Encyclopedia of Buses, pp. 29-30 and 94-101. Woodland Hills, CA (US): Stauss Publications. ISBN   0-9619830-0-0.
  2. 1 2 3 Stauss (1988), p. 30.
  3. Semendinger, David H.; and Robert E. Sauer, Jr. (July–September 2003). "D. C. Transit System" [history of]. Motor Coach Age , p. 9. ISSN 0739-117X.
  4. Motor Coach Today, Vol. 5, No. 1 (January–March 1998), p. 9. Motor Bus Society.
  5. Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen (May 14, 2015). "Chrome glory: Old bus still gleaming in Outaouais" . Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  6. "Canadian Public Transit Board Page".
  7. "AC Transit shortens bus for possible use in Dial-a-Ride operation" (PDF). Transit-Times. Vol. 16, no. 4. Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. October 1973. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  8. This bus rides rail or highway with equal ease Railway Age November 6, 1967 page 26
  9. "GM TDH5303 U.S. Production List". The Ohio Museum of Transportation. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  10. 1 2 Brophy, Jim (June 2, 2018). "Bus Stop Classics: General Motors (GM) Turbo Cruiser I, II and III Urban Transit Coaches – Maverick (Top Gun), Your Bus is Here…". Curbside Classic. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  11. "GM T8H5305A U.S. Production List". The Ohio Museum of Transportation. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 Bow, James (January 20, 2021). "The fourth generation: The Edmonton GM-Brown Boveri buses (1989–1993)". Transit Toronto. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  13. Brophy, Jim (June 16, 2018). "Bus Stop Classics: A Short History of Dayton's Trolley Buses". Curbside Classic. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  14. "Edmonton sells 28 Year Old Trolleys For Further Service" (PDF). Transit Talk. Vol. 23. Edmonton Trolley Coalition. January 27, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  15. "Dayton's Second-Hand Trolleys". Dayton Trolleys. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  16. "Roster of Equipment: Trolley Coaches". Illinois Railway Museum. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  17. "Edmonton Transit System 125". New England Electric Railway Historical Society. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  18. 1 2 Stauss (1988), p. 33.
  19. The Articulated Bus, Toronto: Toronto Transit Commission, November 1982, p. 4
  20. Lubinski, Robert (June 25, 2019). "GM's New Look articulated buses". Transit Toronto. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  21. "AC Transit Bus Roster". AC Transit. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  22. "GM New Look U.S. Production Lists". Coach Manufacturer Production Lists. The Ohio Museum of Transportation. November 15, 2006. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  23. Alan Gryfe (August 2, 2000). "General Motors Diesel Division Bus Models & Deliveries" . Retrieved September 17, 2012.

Bibliography