west virginia mountains and the grades...

[mikelutestanski]

Hello:    If you want to test your bus engine and climbing ability West Virginia is the place for you. WE just arrived in Pittsburg heading north from Charlotte.  (Stayed @ RJlinchs place for a few days whilst visiting family.. Thank you RJ for extending your hospitality and throwing out the power plug. Finally got to meet some other nuts).   
    ANyway from Charlotte we headed north on 77 and tested fancy gap in virginia..   7% grade going north.   After heading north to WV. we headed East on 64 and there are a few tests there   some 8 % grades..
   But the true test is up on route 92 north from White sulfur springs through Cass to Durbin to elkins WV.   THe very best is cheat mountain out of Durbin which is 11% down the north side with 11% ; 4.5 miles with probably 4 or 5 180 degree turns and a whole bunch of other twists and turns..   I can say that the retarder was put to the test and the Cummins came through admirably. 
   We are using both radiators and are very happy that the engine temp never moved even with the retarder adding heat to the system.  We are under HP at 275 but the engine climbs very well ( slowly at times but we are retired and the fuel average is 7.5).
    WE visited the Cass State park for the shay locomotives and the Durbin rocket which is a 1904 climax steamer. 
      SO the adventure continues and after spending 6 weeks painting the bus we are out on an extended trip enjoying the bus..
    Regards and happy busssin      mike

[bobofthenorth]

      SO the adventure continues and after spending 6 weeks painting the bus we are out on an extended trip enjoying the bus..
    Regards and happy busssin      mike

Have a great trip guys.  When you run into somebody along the way that has one of them fancy new fangled digital camera things could you maybe get them to take a couple of pictures and send them to the interweb so the rest of us can see this new paint job?   

[poppi]

  Mike,
    Sounded like a fun time..........Did you get to look at the scenery whilst you were mountain climbing?
    Love them twists and turns Good exercise
   7.5 mpg with mountains is good!

   Take care
  Skip

[MCI-RICK]

Mike,

Now you know your bus can mountain climb with out a problem!

How about some pics of the paint?

Be safe but have fun!

Rick

[luvrbus]

If you guys want to do a real a test come to AZ in July and Aug then do the Laughlin to Searchiight run as Bobofthenorth stated it will separate the boys from the men  no wimpy 80 or 90 degrees here 106 today    good luck

[bobofthenorth]

Clifford is right - gotta love dusting the 18 wheelers on that run but I think cooling might be a bit more of an issue for me in 106 temps.  I think I'll stay where I am - I can blow by the semis on Rogers Pass next weekend and the temps won't be nearly that high.  And I love coming into Golden hanging on the Jake through all the switchbacks.  I have just as much fun going down a long grade with the Jake barking away behind me - sometimes I open the ticket window just so I can listen to it echoing off the guard rails.

[PADoug]

>>Hello:    If you want to test your bus engine and climbing ability West Virginia is the place for you. WE just arrived in Pittsburg heading north from Charlotte.<<

Mike,

I'm just North of New Stanton, about 35 miles SE of Pittsburgh. Jason Blake is just an hour or so North of here, if you would like some more hills to find and climb, PM me off the thread. I wrote about a GMC/Ward bus earlier that I looked at today, so I'll be posting pics soon.

Enjoy South-Western PA! There is a lot to see and do here, from historical stuff to river and waterway amusements, city/cultural/arts (Food!), and of course amusement parks. Take your pick!

Doug

[poppi]

Hey Bob......


     Rogers pass BC   1330 meters
     Rogers pass Mt.   1709 meters (just outside Helena)

   We're waiting for ya

Have a safe trip