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Orion I Transit, Coach and Airporter Models


Benjamin

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http://www.angelfire.com/ca/TORONTO/builders/orion.html

If you gloss over this page (link above), Orion built three types of seating configurations for its two bus lengths (30' and 35'): transit, coach (suburban) and airporter, for a total of six configurations (this would increase to nine in 1984, when the 40' length showed up). The transit and airporter configurations had both front and back doors, but most examples of the coach configuration did not. A few exceptions to the rule did exist: transit-style buses without back doors were built for Beaver Bus Lines of Winnipeg, MB in 1985, 1988 and 1990, and for Transport of Rockland County of Pomona, NY in 1988; while CDTA of Albany, NY purchased some coach-style buses with back doors.

The airport versions of the model 01.506 (which replaced the 01.504 in 1982) were built for Shortway Lines (Philadelphia International Airport) and Leaseco (San Francisco International Airport). Both orders used the Detroit Diesel 6V92TA engine and Allison HT747 transmission.

Is it true Orion did not assign a specific model number to the airport seating configurations (unlike the transit and coach configurations)?

Transit bus models:

01.501 = 30 foot, no air conditioning

01.502 = 30 foot, air conditioning (originally designated USA specs when first brought over here in 1978, a year before the near-identical TMC CityCruiser showed up)

01.504 = 35 foot

01.507 = 35 foot (replaced 01.504 in 1984)

01.508 = 40 foot

Suburban bus models (all front-facing seats and no back door):

01.503 = 30 foot

01.505 = 35 foot

01.510 = 35 foot (replaced 01.505)

01.509 = 40 foot

Airport bus models:

01.506 = 35 foot

~Ben

Edited by Benjamin
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IIRC, we had orion 1s at YVR operating on Delta Hotel (before renamed Pacific Gateway) and Air Canada Shuttle. There's 4 of them operated by Vancouver Trolley Company. One 01.505 #654, one 01.502 #674, and two 01.507 #675 and 676. 675 retired in early 2011-12-ish and the rest retired I think late last year, correct me if I'm wrong.

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IIRC, we had orion 1s at YVR operating on Delta Hotel (before renamed Pacific Gateway) and Air Canada Shuttle. There's 4 of them operated by Vancouver Trolley Company. One 01.505 #654, one 01.502 #674, and two 01.507 #675 and 676. 675 retired in early 2011-12-ish and the rest retired I think late last year, correct me if I'm wrong.

http://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php?title=Perimeter_Transportation

According to the link above, 675 was scrapped in late 2007 due to a bad frame. It was originally delivered to San Diego County Transit (now MTS) in early 1985 as #8.

654 was built in 1987 and was an original Perimeter unit, model 01.510.

674 was another ex-San Diego County unit, also delivered in early 1985, as anywhere between #1-7.

676 was yet another ex-SDC unit, originally their #9.

692 was built in 1983 and was a model 01.505 originally ordered by Grey Goose Bus Lines of Ft. McMurray, AB as #160. When Laidlaw acquired Grey Goose, a Greyhound operating subsidiary, in 1992, these Orions then went to Gray Line of Florida, and this bus became #4160. Unlike most of the buses in this order, this one has a serial number indicating it was finished in New York.

~Ben

Edited by Benjamin
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IIRC, we had orion 1s at YVR operating on Delta Hotel (before renamed Pacific Gateway) and Air Canada Shuttle. There's 4 of them operated by Vancouver Trolley Company. One 01.505 #654, one 01.502 #674, and two 01.507 #675 and 676. 675 retired in early 2011-12-ish and the rest retired I think late last year, correct me if I'm wrong.

Are those the ex Pacific Western units that ran in Toronto for an Air Canada contract?

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Are those the ex Pacific Western units that ran in Toronto for an Air Canada contract?

No, I do not believe that any of the ones working for PWT out west made it to the east. The ones at the Toronto Airport were PMCL (Penetang Midland Coach Lines). Two were ex-St. Catharines and there were others from other cities that escape my memory right now.

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No, I do not believe that any of the ones working for PWT out west made it to the east. The ones at the Toronto Airport were PMCL (Penetang Midland Coach Lines). Two were ex-St. Catharines and there were others from other cities that escape my memory right now.

Im talking about the Island Airport Air Canada shuttles that Pacific Western ran years ago with the Air Canada painted Orion I's . Edit come to think of it, im sure it would have been an Air Ontario shuttle at the time.

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On 6/16/2015 at 2:21 PM, Detroit Diesel 6V92TA said:

That's pretty awesome. Where did you find that? Also, the HT-740 wasn't offered by 1983 for any Orion I?

I bought that off of eBay five years ago.

And as I said before, the HT747 replaced the HT740 in transit bus applications in the spring of 1983. There actually were a few Orion I's with the HT740, but these were made before February 1, 1983. Examples include the Capital Transit System (Juneau, AK) 6200 series (6213-6216 to be exact), which were built in November 1982.

~Ben

Edited by Benjamin
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