Old Rides From Long Ago And Far Away

[HB of CJ]

Different type of post.  Way back in 1970, I worked summers at Yosemite National Park for the Yosemite Park and Curry Company who at that time held the park franchise.  For those who remember, this was one year after the summer riots of 1969.

Anyhow, as a relief driver, three times I got to take the suitability modified 4104 over Tioga Pass and then on to Reno NV.  Laid over that night and returned the next day carrying tourists both ways.  The 4104 had a turbo, tack and Jake Brake.  Cool!

Perhaps the coach was geared down as it had a max governed speed of about 58 mph.  Anyhow, I still remember how well the 671T ran at  high altitude (as fast as the cars of the era---especially at high altitude) and how neat the exhaust sounded.  Number 65?

Don't remember.  I'm now wondering how many stories we can tell about long ago and far away and if the coaches in the stories way back THEN are still running around fit as a fiddle TODAY?  Just curious.  HB of CJ (now an old coot of 62 or sosss)

[TomC]

Had to take the Crown school buses to Junior High School in the late 60's/early 70's.  The morning bus was a newer Crown with 2 piece curved windshield and a Cummins NH220.  Loved the sound, but was a slug on the hills.
The afternoon bus was an older Crown with small 2 piece windshield and a Hall/Scott gasoline engine in it.  Now that was a puller.  We would always be in the inside lane and pass all the Diesels on the hills (course 2-3 mpg was the norm).  Also remember the back firing going down a hill-cool!
My favorite, though was when we got a 40ft Crown with 6-71 and a 10spd. Loved to here that ole' Jimmy wind up through the 10 gears.  Still slow, though.  Good Luck, TomC

[CrabbyMilton]

I remember riding the old GM "Fishbowls" here in Milwaukee when I was a kid in the 70's and into the 80's. They were good tough buses but they had the 6V-71 with only 170 HP so they were quite slow. I always got a kick out of those things if they got to go more than 45 mph and hearing that engine scream and when they got that fast, it seemed it was like a 747 taking off when you are used to going less than 25-30 most of the time.

[Seangie]

My story is a little different -

No experience driving buses or building engines, but when I was 14 my mom let me take a trip on Greyhound from Orlando to Boston.  It was in the 80's and it was on MCI 9's the whole way there and back.  I don't think I'll ever forget the excitement of traveling alone and all the people I met along the way.  Switched buses in DC and NYC at grand central.  One of the buses broke down, a guy had a seziure on the bus sitting in the row across from me, fending off the homeless in Grand Central, I think my mom was crazy to let me go and I'd never let my kids do that now but I wouldn't give up a minute of that trip for anything.

-Sean

[TomC]

Another-speaking of old transits-my house is up a fairly steep main road that transit buses also went up.  With the 35ft'rs using the 6V-71 and 2spd transmission, they were really slow up the hill (like 10mph).  Now the natural gas powered buses go up at 30mph with the cars.

Also the very old GM transits that used the 6-71 and 2 spd torque converter/air shift transmission.  It would rev like crazy, then when you got to about 40mph, the engine would die off-you'd hear a clunk-then then engine would resume and it would be in high gear direct almost lugging the engine.

The new buses now with natural gas engines surprisingly will accelerate as fast as cars.  Good Luck, TomC

[CrabbyMilton]

Gee Tom, I wonder if you are talking about the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa and the famous hill that runs between State Street and Milwaukee Ave. Sometimes those things would go slow slow, I wondered if the bus would go backwards. I also remember those "Old Look" GM's. Those were wonderful old buses. Actually those transmissions were one speed and a air cylinder kicked it from fluid drive to direct and sometimes jerky and scarey but fun to a kid that loved buses. Yes the new transit have much more power and they can take on the best of the hills without breaking a sweat. Imagine if they built transits like those old GM transits with these new engines.

[RJ]

HB -

Interesting thread, my friend!  I have a bus story that's sort of "karma" in a good way:

When I was a kid, my mom, sister and I would frequently ride the Peerless Stages bus #246 from our house in the San Tomas area of Campbell, CA into downtown San Jose.  I can remember eagerly sitting in the shotgun seat opposite the driver, and marvel at his ability to steer, shift the 4-spd manual and make change for fares, all at the same time!  Very impressive to a five-year-old!!

Now fast-forward 40 years or so. . . I was a judge for the Northern CA transit driver's "Bus Road-e-o" competition being held at Golden Gate Transit's yard in Santa Rosa.  The late Marcel Sales, one of the trainers at GGT, had purchased #246 from Peerless and completely restored it, right down to the original Art Deco paint scheme.  After the road-e-o was over, GGT's fleet had to be moved back to their regular parking spots in the yard, which was handled by the shop personnel.  Marcel, knowing I used to ride 246 as a kid, asked me if I'd like to drive it as the shuttle vehicle for the shop guys between the two lots.  Dumb question!!  Kid in a candy store time!!

246 is now the pride of the Pacific Bus Museum's fleet, as Marcel donated it to the organization before he passed away.

[Runcutter]

RJ's picture is a 4512, a 35-footer.  Now, picture a 40-footer (510???), with a full load of newsboys going on the annual Summer outing to Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH.  We used to pick them up from all over Lawrence, Mass, and go up the local road (Route 28).  Up, being the operative word.  Between Lawrence and Salem is a double, steep hill in Methuen.  I still remember one trip, going up -- my foot on the floor getting everything I could out of the 6-71, and crawling up.  The torque converter (probably a VH-1 transmission?) got a workout that day.

Arthur

[rcbeam]

When I was in elementary school back in the 60's, we took a school field trip to an amusement park a city away, back in Tennessee.  I was more excited about the bus ride than the park.  We chartered what I know now was 4014.  I made sure I got a curb side isle seat and managed the second row so I could watch the driver.  Anyway, on the way back it was late, probably 9'ish.  All was fine until we came to a BIG steep hill coming in the back way to the school.  I can remember this just like yesterday.  I looked at the hill ahead and thought to myself, there is NO way this bus is going to make that.  Why would he even try.  The driver got as much speed as he could when he hit the hill, and easily went through all the gears in a row all the way down to first  as we kept going and going and never grinded or missed a gear.   The 4104 made it to the top just fine purring all the way.  I as impressed. 

While in the army I got to ride in several 4106's, MCI 7 and an 8, and several Eagles.  My regret is that I never got to ride in a 4501.

[Boomer]

In '73 I had occasion to ride Trailways from Bakersfield to San Francisco (Eagle 05).  It was a milk run and stopped at every single town up the valley.  Do you know how many towns that is?  More than I could count.  Never will forget how long that trip took because I was an owner operator trucker then and used to making good time.  Needless to say, I took an airplane on the way back.

[seaton@mta]

About ten years ago i sold my TDH 5106 (40-foot old look GM Transit)  That bus had a strong 6-71 with a high-speed rear end from a PD4103.  70 mph on the NJ Turnpike was no problem.  Great bus, but I wanted afishbowl suburban.

-- Seaton

[RICH GREGG]

Grand Father started Gregg,s bus service in 1946 with 2 used school buses 100 dollars a piece by the 70,s he had over 40 school buses and 20 coaches so I rode or drove pretty much them all. Clippers, Eagles he was a big GM fan 04,s 06,s 05,s 07,s later MCI 8,s 9,s  102,s over the years you remember the odd ones, good ones and bad ones. The one I think stands out the most he had a school that we called old lop sided 2 seats on one side 4 on the other old stories never die they just get better every time they are told Rich.

[chev49]

The first long bus trip i took was in the 1935  school  bus chevrolet that my dad bought around 1950 and put bunks in it. I can remember going to crater lake, diamond lake, boise, to yellstone park. Bunk beds were a bit hot on summer nights... Dont know what the speed was, but probably a 45 mph bus....kitchen was an ice box and a marine stove on a table that he built...
Musta been fun for mom and dad with 5 kids at the time...

[lvmci]

Hi All, growing up in Las Vegas may have been different, but not the way you might think. One field trip in elementary school took us 50 miles from town to the Nevada Test Site, in a LTR. Las Vegas, Tonapah, Reno Stagelines bus all GMs, secnic cruisers, across the desert, the school buses didn't have ac in those days. The hi-lite was where we were taken into the uranium transfer station, where we operated the remote contol arms to unscrew the canisters containing the radioactive pellets and put the top back on, think grab the toy and put it in the slot arcade game, later went to high school with LTR owners son, tom lvmci...