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Portland TriMet


Nabinut

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I was in Portland four weeks ago, and saw that there are still lots of Flxible Metros running base service on the west side. I even saw a 30' model.

I should have taken pictures, but I didn't have my camera. I don't think they'll be getting enough Gilligs to retire all the Flxibles, unless they're also cutting service.

Of course the total order is for 211 buses. I still believe the Flxibles will be retired by 2014 regardless due to lack of parts availability.

~Ben

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They're probably as tapped out on those as they are gm new look body parts up Here.

NATSCO is good at pulling a rabbit out of a hat, but miracles I'll leave to a higher authority.

But seriously, folks, TriMet cannot hold on those Flxibles forever. I mean, their 1972 Flxible New Looks ran these streets for 27 years before they were gone for good.

~Ben

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Of course the total order is for 211 buses. I still believe the Flxibles will be retired by 2014 regardless due to lack of parts availability.

~Ben

Right. I was talking about the initial 51. I don't think that's enough to replace the Flxibles. The full 211 might even replace the '97 Gilligs.

BTW, I didn't see any 1990 Gilligs, but they presumably aren't on the west side.

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They could, you just wont be able to find parts for them. Body skins and panels probally have to be home made as it is, not sure about door motors and door panels, along with glass.

The cost of maintaining the older buses will go up each year ... so they must order new buses periodically.

~Ben

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They could, you just wont be able to find parts for them. Body skins and panels probally have to be home made as it is, not sure about door motors and door panels, along with glass.

The Flxibles are a tough case, since Flxible went out of business over 15 years ago. I would think they're cannibalizing from the Metros that have already been retired. Off hand, I can't think of anyone else still running Flxible Metros, which is why it was all the more surprising to see so many in base service.

The Gilligs would be easier to find parts for.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

The Flxibles are a tough case, since Flxible went out of business over 15 years ago. I would think they're cannibalizing from the Metros that have already been retired. Off hand, I can't think of anyone else still running Flxible Metros, which is why it was all the more surprising to see so many in base service.

The Gilligs would be easier to find parts for.

Many years ago TriMet decided to market their "frequent service" routes as having all Low Floor equipment. What this meant was these heavy lines were sucking up the newer Low Floors (including for all the peak hour trippers) leaving the older Gilligs and Flxibles to run day base on some lighter lines.

Of course, from a fleet management perspective, this is ridiculous. The Low Floors should be running all day base service with the Gilligs and Flxibles providing peak hour tripper service. Those Flxibles (as neat as it is to go down there to ride them) shouldn't be providing any kind of base service at their advanced age.

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  • 1 month later...

Many years ago TriMet decided to market their "frequent service" routes as having all Low Floor equipment. What this meant was these heavy lines were sucking up the newer Low Floors (including for all the peak hour trippers) leaving the older Gilligs and Flxibles to run day base on some lighter lines.

Of course, from a fleet management perspective, this is ridiculous. The Low Floors should be running all day base service with the Gilligs and Flxibles providing peak hour tripper service. Those Flxibles (as neat as it is to go down there to ride them) shouldn't be providing any kind of base service at their advanced age.

Agreed. The Low Floors should be for base day service and the older high floor Gilligs and Flxibles higher capacity buses are excellent for peak rush hour trips. That's how things are run up here in Calgary with our lone NFI D40, the MCI Classics, and the old GM Fishbowls. They come out during peak hours to do School and rush hour extras along with some of the older 1993-1995 D40LF's while most of the newer D40LF/LFR's and Nova's work base all day service.

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  • 2 months later...

TriMet on Flickr posted photos of Gillig 3001 at the Gillig plant:

http://www.flickr.co...0025031/detail/

The interior is looking nice, and they're going with the two piece BRT windshield. Pity they are still using those ugly advertising frames for ads instead of wrap.

Pity transit agencies still ruin buses with advertisements at all when ads don't even dent expenses and represent such a small source of income it's pathetic.

Gillig seems to be getting allot of action lately. Tri-Met's BRT is very nice, as well as Long Beach transit's.

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Pity transit agencies still ruin buses with advertisements at all when ads don't even dent expenses and represent such a small source of income it's pathetic.

Gillig seems to be getting allot of action lately. Tri-Met's BRT is very nice, as well as Long Beach transit's.

Looks very promising for the fall of 2012 and beyond. #3001-3051 will be diesel transits and #3052-3055 will be hybrids, if the order is not reduced in the near future.

~Ben

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It appears that I have found a former Tri-Met Flxible 40 foot New Look from the 1974 batch delivered as 100-179. This bus was parked in a scrap yard in Columbia Falls, Montana on April 8, 2012. This bus would have arrived in this lot sometime after July of 2011 which is the last time I passed through that area previous to this trip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vehicle-images/7106943175/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vehicle-images/6960874126/

http://www.busdrawings.com/Transit/oregon/portland/1974flxible/118.jpg

Edited by BCT-3122-D800-10240
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It appears that I have found a former Tri-Met Flxible 40 foot New Look from the 1974 batch delivered as 100-179. This bus was parked in a scrap yard in Columbia Falls, Montana on April 8, 2012. This bus would have arrived in this lot sometime after July of 2011 which is the last time I passed through that area previous to this trip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vehicle-images/7106943175/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vehicle-images/6960874126/

http://www.busdrawings.com/Transit/oregon/portland/1974flxible/118.jpg

And the original TriMet #118 photo you took shows said bus operating on Line 54-Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway. These were in service between 1975 and 1991.

For some reason, as with the AM General 1000 series, these didn't stay in the fleet as long as the 1971, '72 and '73 35-foot New Looks, which were numbered #300-455. They are divided up into three distinct series.

The oldest of these are numbers #455-485, which began service in the fall of 1971 as ID's #601-650. They were re-numbered into ID's #455-485 during 1983-84.

The second group of these are ID's #300-434, placed into service in the spring of 1972, and initially retired in the mid-summer of 1992 when the Flxible Metro C ID's #1701-1808 showed up. The '72s were the longest-running of the trio, the last of which were retired in the spring and summer of 1999, after the 1998 New Flyer LF ID's #2201-2318 showed up.

The third and newest group of these are ID's #435-454, which originally entered service in the winter of 1973-74 as ID's #700-719 (by the time these buses showed up, TriMet already began giving their routes specific numbers, such as #9-Powell and #72-82nd Ave.). They were re-numbered as #435-454 in 1980, pending delivery of 87 Crown/Ikarus articulated buses to be numbered #700-786.

~Ben

Edited by Benjamin
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It appears that I have found a former Tri-Met Flxible 40 foot New Look from the 1974 batch delivered as 100-179. This bus was parked in a scrap yard in Columbia Falls, Montana on April 8, 2012. This bus would have arrived in this lot sometime after July of 2011 which is the last time I passed through that area previous to this trip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vehicle-images/7106943175/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vehicle-images/6960874126/

http://www.busdrawings.com/Transit/oregon/portland/1974flxible/118.jpg

Sick find , looks like someone was using it as a RV for a while.

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