30' PD 4106?

siberyd · October 09, 2013, 05:55:35 PM

Someone out there is selling and claims it was one of 2 4106's built 5 feet shorter.

True or false?

VIN 1202

Buyer contacted me.

Siberyd

luvrbus · October 09, 2013, 06:28:58 PM

They made a 30 ft 4106 one of the Western GM Bus nuts had or still has one he had 2 at one time his came from Fl, I don't about just the 2 made I heard there was 12

No one knows for sure how many were built or if a private co shorten the bus the 6v71 leads me to believe they were factory

good luck

siberyd · October 09, 2013, 07:03:39 PM

Thanks luvrbus.

Siberyd

RJ · October 09, 2013, 07:06:38 PM

Jon -

PD4106-1202 was delivered new in April of 1962 as fleet number 121 to Tropical Coach Lines, DBA Gray Line Sightseeing Tours, HQ'd in Miami, FL. It was one of a five bus order for them, all delivered at the same time.

I doubt if a sightseeing outfit in Miami would opt for cutting out about 8 -10 paying passengers for local tours, so they were probably delivered as stock 35-footers.

OTOH, there's an urban legend out there that says an outfit in CO took some 4106s and cut out a five-foot section so that they could run tours up Pike's Peak. I still haven't been able to confirm who did the work, how many were done, nor who the bus company was that owned them.

However, I did see a 30-footer for sale at Horizon Coach about 4-5 years ago during the Arcadia bus rally. Nobody was around to get a tour, sadly. Not sure if I have any pics or not, they might be on an archived hard drive. Exterior was a nice metallic green with white accents, and it had a 6V92TA mated to a V730, IIRC.

FWIW & HTH. . .

roadrunnertex · October 09, 2013, 07:09:33 PM

3-PD4106 30 ft coaches were in service for the Pike's Peak Gray Line Tours.
Use to have the serial numbers of the 3 coaches.
The 4106's were reworked in California.
Not by GMC truck and Coach
I saw one that was converted to a motorhome in South Florida it was owned by a Southwest Airline Capt.
I understand that he has sold it.
4106 Serial number 1202 was one of the coaches (True)

rrt

luvrbus · October 09, 2013, 07:45:06 PM

This part I don't get Tropical was a Gray Line did they shorten the bus or did Pike Peak Gray Line I could still read Tropical Gray Line on the Western GM

RJ · October 09, 2013, 08:13:43 PM

Quote from: roadrunnertex on October 09, 2013, 07:09:33 PM
I saw one that was converted to a motorhome in South Florida, it was owned by a Southwest Airlines Capt.
I understand that he has sold it.

That sounds like the one I saw for sale at Horizon Coach in Arcadia.

Thanks for some more pieces to the puzzle, JLV!

Clifford -

I'm speculating that when Tropical released these particular '06s, PP GLT picked them up to have them shortened.

JLV told me Fred Rayman's got more info, but he's out of town at the moment.

The plot thickens!!

pvcces · October 09, 2013, 11:35:27 PM

For what it's worth, a friend and I were given the opportunity to save all the parts that we could take off of a 4106 in Woodinville, WA, before it was scrapped. The owner was a retired airline pilot; he was going to convert the bus, but finally wrote the project off.

This bus was 30 feet long; it had one bay cut out of it. The brakes had been converted to spring brakes. In the process, the brake converter cut through the bay wall and an angle bracket. The result was the floor of the bay cracked on each side of the center of the bus.

This was definitely a Pike's Peak bus. I got a chance to drive it around the block a couple of times and it was a real hot rod. My friend still has the engine and a lot of other parts out of it. Brandon bought the VS2-8 out of it and put it in his bus. I understand that the transmission was doing fine, last I heard.

Tom Caffrey

siberyd · October 10, 2013, 12:19:54 PM

Its a cute little hot rod.

RJ · October 10, 2013, 09:29:31 PM

Jon -

Where is this coach located? This is 1202, correct?

Tom -

Was that shorty 4106 you helped part out by chance a metallic green color?

All -

More info has surfaced about these 30-ft shorties. Only three were modified. As we now know, 1202 came from Tropical in Miami. The other two came from MK&O, based out of Tulsa, a Trailways carrier. VINs will be forthcoming.

The shortening was done by an outfit in Los Angeles, and then the coaches went to Pikes Peak Gray Line. From Fred Rayman via JL Vickers, here's one of the three in PPGL paint:

siberyd · October 10, 2013, 09:50:40 PM

RJ,

Asked bus nut. The potential buyer is Otto on FB.

Siberyd

siberyd · October 10, 2013, 09:58:11 PM

RJ,

Yes on VIN. Got 2 pics, vin plate and bus. See first post.

Siberyd

siberyd · October 11, 2013, 04:00:38 AM

The bus is in Battle Creek Michigan.

Siberyd

roadrunnertex · October 11, 2013, 12:38:11 PM

PD-4106-2481 is the green 30 ft 4106 that was for sale in Arcadia Florida.
It was owned by a Southwest Airline Capt. and was for sale 12-06-2007.
rrt

RJ · October 11, 2013, 07:33:16 PM

Here's a pic of the green 30-foot 4106, courtesy of JL Vickers. This was taken in 2007 at Horizon Coach in Arcadia, FL, where it was for sale on consignment. VIN 2481

This might be the coach Tom talked about above that was scrapped in WA awhile back.

Have also found out that one of the three was totaled in an accident while being operated by Gray Line San Francisco after it's Pike's Peak service.

Looks like 1202 might be the only survivor!