New Flyer High Floor

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New Flyer High Floor
Charleston D35HF bus with wheelchair lift deployed and bike rack unfolded.jpg
NFI C40.jpg
MUNI New Flyer 7030 Mission.jpg
Top: New Flyer D35 high floor (2018)
Middle: C40 high floor (2008)
Bottom: E60 high floor (articulated, 2013)
Overview
Manufacturer New Flyer
Production
  • Diesel 35' and 40': 1987–1996
  • CNG/LNG 35' and 40': 1994–1999
  • Articulated: 1987–2006
Body and chassis
Class Transit bus
Body style semi-monocoque
Layout RR
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • 218.4 in (5.55 m) (35') [2]
  • 279 in (7.09 m) (40') [1] [3]
  • F:208 in (5.28 m) / R:309 in (7.85 m) (60' artic) [4] [5]
Length
  • 35 ft 3 in (10.7 m) (35') [6]
  • 40 ft 6+14 in (12.4 m) (40') [7]
  • 60 ft 8 in (18.5 m) (60' artic) [8]
Width102 in (2.59 m) [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Height121+12 to 128 in (3.09 to 3.25 m) [7] [8]
Curb weight
  • 27,250 lb (12,400 kg) (D35) [6]
  • 30,200 lb (13,700 kg) (C40) [7]
  • 28,500 lb (12,900 kg) (D40) [9]
  • 42,250 lb (19,200 kg) (D60) [8]
Chronology
Predecessor Flyer 700/800/900 series
Successor New Flyer Low Floor

The New Flyer High Floor was a line of conventional (high-floor) transit buses available in 35' rigid, 40' rigid, and 60' articulated lengths manufactured by New Flyer Industries between 1987 and 1996. 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.

Contents

Design

Model Codes
Motive powerLengthModel
C = compressed natural gas
D = diesel
E = electric trolleybus
L = liquefied natural gas
35 = 35 feet (11 m)
40 = 40 feet (12 m)
60 = 60 feet (18 m) articulated
-## = Year of manufacture (used between 1987 and 1990)

For example, a New Flyer D40-88 is a 40' (nominal) rigid high-floor bus with conventional diesel power, built in 1988. The -## suffix was used between 1987 and 1990. After this time, no suffix was added to the model number, while buses from the Low Floor series, which were introduced in 1991, did have LF for a suffix.
In recent time, some listings or fleet rosters may show HF as a suffix for these high floor buses. This was a creation of public transit fans to commonly refer to these pre-low floor models. None of their model numbers ever officially had the HF suffix. The articulated D60 high floor model had the model name Galaxy, but it wasn't commonly known by that name.

The trolleybus was only made in a 60-foot articulated version (E60) for a single agency, Muni. [10]

The New Flyer High Floor uses a tubular side construction clad with either aluminum or fiberglass panels; wheel housings are made of stainless steel, and stepwells have the option of either stainless steel or fiberglass. [1] [5] To reduce weight, the roof, front, and rear panels are made from fiberglass. [5] All buses are equipped with rear-mounted engines using either V- or T-drive couplings to the transmission driving the rear axle; [1] since the D60 articulated buses use the "pusher" configuration, the articulation joint is equipped with an anti-jackknifing feature. [5]

Deployment

The first New Flyer High Floor buses were model D40-87, delivered to the Toronto Transit Commission and Winnipeg Transit in 1987. [10] AC Transit was the first customer for the D35-88 (1988, along with Santa Cruz METRO) and the D60 articulated model (1989). [10] The first deliveries of natural gas-powered variants occurred in 1995: BC Transit, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and San Diego Metropolitan Transit System for the C40; Sun Metro (El Paso) for the L40. [10]

The only E60 trolleybus variants built were a fleet of 60 sold to San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) in 1993, that agency's first use of articulated trolleybuses. [11] [12] The last of the E60s were retired in 2015. [13] The last E60 (Muni #7031) was briefly put up for auction in 2019 [14] before Muni withdrew the auction at the request of interested preservation groups. [15]

Competition

Related Research Articles

North American Bus Industries, Inc. (NABI) was a manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses with its headquarters, bus manufacturing and assembly operations, located in Anniston, Alabama. Its products ranged from 31-feet to 60-feet in length, and were sold to operators throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. NABI's U.S. operations also include an aftermarket parts division in Delaware, Ohio, and an after-sales service center at Mira Loma, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Articulated bus</span> Articulated vehicle used in public transportation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neoplan Transliner (North America)</span> Public transport single-decker bus model

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orion Bus Industries</span> Bus manufacturer based in Ontario, Canada (1975-2013)

Orion Bus Industries, also known as Bus Industries of America in the United States, was a private bus manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orion V</span> Transit bus

The Orion V was a line of rigid high-floor transit buses available in 32', 35', and 40' lengths manufactured by Ontario Bus Industries between 1989 and 2009. The conventionally powered buses, either with longitudinally mounted diesel or natural gas engines, used a T-drive transmission coupling. The Orion V replaced the Orion I, and was in turn replaced by the low-floor Orion VI and Orion VII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orion VII</span> Low-floor transit bus

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric Transit, Inc.</span> Defunct trolleybus manufacturer in the United States

Electric Transit, Inc. (ETI) was a joint venture between the Škoda group in the Czech Republic and AAI Corporation in the United States which made trolleybuses for the Dayton and San Francisco trolleybus systems, constructing a total of 330 trolleybuses. ETI was formed in 1994, and ownership was divided as 65% by Škoda and 35% by AAI. The latter was a wholly owned subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation. Up to that time, Škoda had built more than 12,000 trolleybuses since 1935, but none for cities outside Europe and Asia. The ETI joint venture was dissolved in 2004, shortly after an unsuccessful bid to supply trolleybuses to Vancouver.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nova Bus LFS</span> Motor vehicle

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Flyer</span> Canadian multinational bus manufacturer

New Flyer is a Canadian multinational bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing facilities in Canada and the United States that produce the company's main product, the New Flyer Xcelsior family of buses.

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NABI LFW</span> American low-floor transit buses

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NABI SFW</span> American standard (high)-floor transit buses

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NABI BRT</span> Motor vehicle

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "New Flyer D40 High Floor Bus". New Flyer Industries. Archived from the original on April 11, 1997.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "D35 High Floor". New Flyer Industries. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "40 High Floor". New Flyer Industries. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001.
  4. 1 2 3 "New Flyer D60 Articulated High Floor Bus". New Flyer Industries. Archived from the original on April 11, 1997.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "D60 High Floor". New Flyer Industries. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001.
  6. 1 2 STURAA Test: New Flyer 40' Heavy Duty Bus from New Flyer Industries Limited (PDF) (Report). Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. February 1991. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 mile bus from New Flyer, Model D-40 (PDF) (Report). Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. March 1995. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 mile bus from New Flyer, Model D-60 (PDF) (Report). Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. November 1993. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  9. STURAA Test: 40' Heavy Duty Bus from New Flyer (PDF) (Report). Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Bus Testing and Research Center. July 1992. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Customer List" (PDF). New Flyer Industries. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2000.
  11. 2010 SFMTA Transit Fleet Management Plan (PDF) (Report). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. April 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  12. James, Robert F. (1993). "San Francisco Municipal Railway Articulated Trolley Coach Procurement". Journal of Commercial Vehicles. 102. SAE International: 647–660. JSTOR   44722970.
  13. Trolleybus Magazine No. 320 (March–April 2015), pp. 62–63.
  14. "1993 New Flyer Electric E60 Transit Bus". Archived from the original on May 29, 2019.
  15. Rodriguez, Joe Fitzgerald (May 29, 2019). "Transit enthusiasts rally to rescue 'rare' Muni bus headed for auction: 1994 New Flyer one of the last vehicles of its kind". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 31, 2019.