Some old busses

[Emcemv]

I just got back from a 2 week business trip to Rochester MN and found these sitting next to RT 52 about 30 miles north of Rochester.  Looks like they could use a home, one is a old GM and there is also a yellow MAN articulated one.  The most interesting one is the short one, anyone know what that is?  I'll put some more pictures in another post.

Bruce

[RJ]

Bruce -

These are all GMs.  The single older model is known as an "Old Look", the others are all "Fishbowls."

The little shorty is a 30' Fish - San Francisco Muni had a few of these that they used on the Coit Tower route.

If you look at the shot of the two Fishbowls from the rear, the one on the right is actually the older of the two.  Note it has 4106-style corner clearance lights and taillights, which is how they all came up until 1963 or so.

Isn't this hobby fun!

FWIW & HTH. . .

[Emcemv]

RJ, thanks for the education......it's a terrible thing, I'm looking for old busses whenever I drive around now, I think it's more a sickness than a hobby!

Do you know what year the "old look" one is?

[luvrbus]

How can one tell the year model of the old look I have saw those thing for sale from the 40's to the late 60's models some GM guy told me they were made for 30 years true or not RJ   

[lvmci]

Here's one from near Needles, CA, it took me a bit to figure out what it was, it's as tall as a Prevost,  Clifford knows this bus, any guess as to what it is? Lvmci...

[lvmci]

Here it is from the rear...

[Iceni John]

A distended mutant spawn of an RTS?   Very strange.   Its ugliness unusual appearance even distorts gravity and the time-space continuum (as proved by the 2nd photo).

John

[lvmci]

Mutant ninja turtles would herd in here, sorry Sean! Lvmci...

[lvmci]

Close John, tom, lvmci...

[RJ]

How can one tell the year model of the old look?  I have saw those thing for sale from the 40's to the late 60's models.  Some GM guy told me they were made for 30 years - true or not, RJ?

Clifford -

Production of "Old Looks" started right after WWII, in late 1945.  They continued up until the "New Look" or Fishbowl was introduced in the fall of 1959.  The only way you can tell what year model they are is by the VIN - which is true of all GMC coaches.

Tom -

That odd duck outside Needles started life as an RTS.  It's obviously had the roof raised, which, oh, never mind.  Better to keep quiet about this one!   

FWIW & HTH. . .

[HB of CJ]

I drove full time one summer, (thank goodness not any longer) for the City Of Bakersfield CA.  This had to be around 1969.  Back then the City owned and ran the metro transit system.  All of the buses were GM "Old Look" models.  Light blue.

The one I particularly remember ran from East Bakersfield way out in the County all the way to the nearly new State College well West of town.  It was a shorty 30 footer with a romping stomping 471N with Crown head injectors (?) and a 2 valve head?

The transmission was some sort of one speed.  It started in fluid coupling mode, then eventually "shifted" into a "lock up" mode.  Eventual top speed, (and I mean eventual!) was a whopping 45 MPH.  They were called "Blue Sleds"  Belched black smoke.

Exhaust smelled like a volcano.  You had to turn the engine off to shift from Drive to Neutral or Reverse.  No A/C.  None.  105F outside, the same or more inside.  Lots of passengers.  One drank a bunch of de-caf diluted cool tea.  HB of CJ (old coot)

[seaton@mta]

The old look is a TDH 5105.  Saw it for sale recently for $3,500.  Old looks actually started production in 1940 as Yellow Coaches, a GM subsidiary.  I had two of them - one a four-speed Spicer, the other automatic.  Great buses.

This is the automatic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqZTYqxqOFM



- Seaton