BusTalk Forum Index BusTalk
A Community Discussing Buses and Bus Operations Worldwide!
 
 BusTalk MainBusTalk Main FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups BusTalk GalleriesBusTalk Galleries   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Who is your favorite bus manufacturer in North America?
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    BusTalk Forum Index -> Transit Bus Manufacturers
View previous topic :: View next topic  

Who is your favorite bus manufacturer in North America?
New Flyer
17%
 17%  [ 5 ]
Gillig
20%
 20%  [ 6 ]
Orion
6%
 6%  [ 2 ]
NABI
17%
 17%  [ 5 ]
Nova Bus
20%
 20%  [ 6 ]
ElDorado
3%
 3%  [ 1 ]
Millennium
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Blue Bird
3%
 3%  [ 1 ]
Optima
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Other (specify)
10%
 10%  [ 3 ]
Total Votes : 29

Author Message
Rt4957




Joined: 20 Jun 2010
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can I put in a "Was" the best manufacturer??

NEOPLAN!!

We still have a few 45-4695s left and are now slowly phasing out the 4700-4794 seies,,built around 1995-1997.

Dang if after 12-15 years on the property,,through hell and the hood,,these buses are still the most comfortable suspensionwise on the Los Angeles streets still to this day.

Going to miss them when they are gone,,already an occasional tear in the heart when an old friend ends up on "Death Row" (our Back wall at the Division).

The people at Neoplan were a class act to deal with as well,,we got many a request filled when asked for stuff.We dressed up a couple buses with some special swag.

Rt4957 Phil
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
OCTA3053




Joined: 04 May 2007
Posts: 22
Location: Wilmington, CA

PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This posting is based on my experiences on what Ive driven

NABI 40LFW ( old and restyle )
I like the NABI low floors when it comes to drivers comfort. Lots of room in the compartment, just like the Orion low floors ( which i havent driven ). The 2001 NABIs I used to drive always tend to bottom-out...while on the 2000 NABI 40LFWs had a better suspensions.

NewFlyer 40HF
Ive driven NewFlyer 40ft High Floors...and they seem to be solid. They tend to sway from side to side too...just like the Orion 5 and NABI 416. The diesel low floors I used to drive are solid. Sucks that OCTA had to retire most of these.

Neoplan
Heck I own a 40ft CNG High floor. Its real solid. Great suspension and everything.


Gillig
Ive never driven a Gillig low floor. I like the older Gilligs made prior to 1993, ...when Gillig changed around the suspensions on the Phantom. Im not too fond of the operators compartment. You sit low and at the end of the day, your knees hurt.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address Yahoo Messenger
UTC Bus Fan




Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 5:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also vote for one not listed: GMC

Bill
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Hart Bus



Age: 73
Joined: 24 Apr 2007
Posts: 1150

PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

UTC Bus Fan wrote:
Also vote for one not listed: GMC

Bill


Me too ! No one has mentioned MACK.

Of course, if we reverse the question and ask what was the worst bus
manufacturer, has to be AM General.

Alan
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
UTC Bus Fan




Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm a Mack fan too, altho the local areas I have any knowledge of never bought any. But if they made their buses anywhere near as good as their trucks, they were pretty good machines.

I am a little familiar with Mack buses through some pictures I have seen through the years. Some of the car and truck sites I belong to will post a bus now and then.

Bill
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

UTCBF,

That was the one glaring problem with the Mack Bus - it was built on a Mack Truck chassis and, while they were the strongest, heaviest and toughest buses ever made, they eventually fell apart from vibration.

They also insisted on a completely hydraulic operation including the doors which was another sore spot.

GM coaches, on the other hand, were built without a chassis and depended much more on compressed air for driving accessories.

Despite Mack's faults, it gave operators many years of reliable service and will be remembered as a major player in U.S. transit history.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
UTC Bus Fan




Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting info on the Mack. I did not know about the hydraulic system they had.

I liked the Air Pressure that the GM's had. Did the Mack have Hydraulic Brakes too?

Bill
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill,

No, I believe they had air brakes - hydraulics would never have stopped that weight!

They were also way ahead of every body else with hydraulically assisted steering which was necessary again because of weight factors.

The average 44 passenger Mack bus (pictured below) weighed in at nearly 20,000 pounds or over 2,000 pounds more than the comparable GM Model.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
UTC Bus Fan




Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good looking bus.

Were they Manual Trans buses?

Also wondering if they were Diesel Powered and did they supply their own engines?

Bill
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gilligboi



Age: 34
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
Posts: 9
Location: In your city, riding your buses

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bet you will never guess!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

UTC Bus Fan wrote:
Good looking bus.

Were they Manual Trans buses?

Also wondering if they were Diesel Powered and did they supply their own engines?

Bill


Bill,

Sorry I couldn't get back to you more quickly but I must have missed your original post.

Jamaica Buses number 504 was a C-45-DT (Diesel) with automatic transmission and one of ten (500 to 509) purchased by the company in the spring of 1949.

It was by this time that most Mack buses coming off the line that were Diesel equipped were equipped with Mack's own 'Thermodynes.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
UTC Bus Fan




Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the reply. Being from "All Detroit Diesel Territory" I never heard a Thermodyne in a bus. If anyone ever trips over a video on Youtube, I wouldn't mind hearing one.

Bill
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill,

No Mack bus, regardless of what make of Diesel engine powered it, ever sounded anything like a Detroit 6 or 8V-71 - they were in a class by themselves!

The best part was when they were combined with mechanical transmissions as in the SDM's.

Their revving up and down through the gears was as thrilling to a bus fan as was an aria from Verdi's Rogoletto to an opera lover!

Regards,

Mr. 'L'
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
fishbowl



Age: 76
Joined: 01 Sep 2010
Posts: 62
Location: Detroit

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mr. Linsky wrote:
Bill,

No Mack bus, regardless of what make of Diesel engine powered it, ever sounded anything like a Detroit 6 or 8V-71 - they were in a class by themselves!

So... you weren't impressed with the sound of the Mack diesel, huh? You haven't lived until you've heard the sputter/putter of a Mack C-49 rumbling by on propane fuel. Vespa scooters sounded (and probably were) more powerful!



P.S. Of today's buses, I think I like the Gillig low-floor the best. Nothing like your basic, unadorned box for hauling people around.



Even got me a pewter one for my desk, in case I forget what a box looks like!



Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dsevil



Age: 50
Joined: 10 Dec 2009
Posts: 24
Location: Louisville, KY

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

fishbowl wrote:
P.S. Of today's buses, I think I like the Gillig low-floor the best. Nothing like your basic, unadorned box for hauling people around.



If you look at that photo from a certain angle on an LCD monitor, you can tell that the headsigns used to say "AVIS".

Also, change that blue-ish gray stripe to a more saturated blue and repaint the area along the windows white, and you almost have one of TARC's older Gillig buses! Almost:

http://gallery.bustalk.info/displayimage.php?album=76&pos=14

Go for the flush window treatment option on a Gillig (I *guess* that's what they call it), and you have something that looks *way* better:

http://forum.bustalk.info/viewtopic.php?p=9878
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    BusTalk Forum Index -> Transit Bus Manufacturers All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Page 3 of 4

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group