2018 Standard 40' Bus Procurement

[anyfong]

Heads up Translink! The first dozen Nova Bus LFS HEV has been rolled out at the factory in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. They all feature frameless windows, EPA 2017 engine, and updated battery pack and roofline. They were just rolled out this week and in the next few days (according to the paper inside the windshield) the livery will be applied before the week-long drive to Vancouver (assuming a few stops along the way). I've seen a few in the front parking lot while there were many more behind the factory where it was visible on the highway.

 

 

 

[Cathay 888]

9 minutes ago, anyfong said:

Heads up Translink! The first dozen Nova Bus LFS HEV has been rolled out at the factory in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. They all feature frameless windows, EPA 2017 engine, and updated battery pack and roofline. They were just rolled out this week and in the next few days (according to the paper inside the windshield) the livery will be applied before the week-long drive to Vancouver (assuming a few stops along the way). I've seen a few in the front parking lot while there were many more behind the factory where it was visible on the highway.

 

 

 

 

The destination signs looks like Luminator Horizon~~

[anyfong]

1 minute ago, Cathay 888 said:

The destination signs looks like Luminator Horizon~~

Quite possibly but I'm not quite sure. I'm absolutely not an expert on destination signs so I can't really tell them apart when they're off.

[ThatBusGuy]

From trying to look through the windows to figure out the seating layout, it looks like the back section has at lease two sets of forward-facing seats, but I cannot tell what (if any) combination of backwards or sideways seats there are as well. Guess we'll have to wait to see for ourselves

[anyfong]

Just now, ThatBusGuy said:

From trying to look through the windows to figure out the seating layout, it looks like the back section has at lease two sets of forward-facing seats, but I cannot tell what (if any) combination of backwards or sideways seats there are as well. Guess we'll have to wait to see for ourselves

Some of the windows were still covered in plastic inside, so that's why I couldn't see it. Also in Montreal there's an extreme heat wave of up to 46 degrees so I couldn't stay long outside, and I had only a few seconds to take all these photos.

[Community Shuttle]

6 hours ago, anyfong said:

Heads up Translink! The first dozen Nova Bus LFS HEV has been rolled out at the factory in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. They all feature frameless windows, EPA 2017 engine, and updated battery pack and roofline. They were just rolled out this week and in the next few days (according to the paper inside the windshield) the livery will be applied before the week-long drive to Vancouver (assuming a few stops along the way). I've seen a few in the front parking lot while there were many more behind the factory where it was visible on the highway.

 

 

 

Cummins B6.7?

[Express691]

So these will receive a new paint job? What's baffling me right now is how theyre painted white. Will this be a separate coat of paint on top of it?

Remember the TransLink base colour is grey.

[Community Shuttle]

38 minutes ago, Express691 said:

So these will receive a new paint job? What's baffling me right now is how theyre painted white. Will this be a separate coat of paint on top of it?

Remember the TransLink base colour is grey.

Might be wrapped? Idk

[WillieTL]

5 hours ago, Express691 said:

So these will receive a new paint job? What's baffling me right now is how theyre painted white. Will this be a separate coat of paint on top of it?

Remember the TransLink base colour is grey.

 

4 hours ago, WillieTL said:

 

It would be great if anyfong could get photos after the paint job is finished.

Edited July 2, 2018 by WillieTL

[anyfong]

7 hours ago, Express691 said:

So these will receive a new paint job? What's baffling me right now is how theyre painted white. Will this be a separate coat of paint on top of it?

Remember the TransLink base colour is grey.

Most likely they'll be wrapped in a similar manner to the TTC, Viva, and RTC Quebec buses. Remember they were also all white before their livery were applied.

For instance, when the RTC buses were rolled out, they look like this:

When finished, they look like this:

Note that the fleet number has already been applied before the livery was given, and that's the only way I knew which operator it belonged to.

 

6 hours ago, WillieTL said:

 

It would be great if anyfong could get photos after the paint job is finished.

I'll try to see if any units got their livery done, but I only visit there around once a month, and the surroundings near the factory makes it difficult for spotting (no sidewalk) and that these closeup photos are only possible if the factory is closed during a holiday and that I cannot come that close if they're at work. It's possible they could be doing test runs outside the factory from which I can get a better view, but you never know when it comes and it's hit or miss. But if this doesn't work, I'm planning a trip to Vancouver this December and hope those units will be delivered by then.

[anyfong]

8 hours ago, Community Shuttle said:

Cummins B6.7?

Yes.

[Brando737]

5 hours ago, anyfong said:

I'll try to see if any units got their livery done, but I only visit there around once a month, and the surroundings near the factory makes it difficult for spotting (no sidewalk) and that these closeup photos are only possible if the factory is closed during a holiday and that I cannot come that close if they're at work. It's possible they could be doing test runs outside the factory from which I can get a better view, but you never know when it comes and it's hit or miss. But if this doesn't work, I'm planning a trip to Vancouver this December and hope those units will be delivered by then.

Thank you for the effort put into getting these photos.  Looking forward to any more you may be able to get.  Target delivery for the 104 hybrids is between July and November so the majority if not all will be in service by December I'm sure.  We will also be getting 23 LFS suburban's with a planned delivery for October and November so there is a good chance those will be in service by December as well or at least a few of them.

[Millennium2002]

Why do they still insist on that inferior Cummins B engine...

[Bus_Medic]

The whole idea of using a series hybrid is to minimize engine displacement, since it’s only there to keep the battery charge topped off.

Total power output has everything to do with engine rpm/generator duty cycle, and nothing really to do with horsepower.  Hell, if it was permitted in North America, an even better choice might be the  4.5 litre 4 cylinder, and just have it run in its rpm sweet spot like a hummingbird. As it is, the 6.7 isn’t really put under much load in this application, and it’s longevity suffers somewhat as a side effect.

Besides, there just aren’t that many choices in the light duty commercial diesel market, and everybody in transit maintenance is already familiar with Cummins common rail injection, after treatment, and electronic management. Those systems change very little from engine to engine.

To add,  the proprietary INSITE training isn’t cheap, and neither is the annual copyright licensing fees to use the laptop software.

Should you guys ever purchase BAE artics, you will see a 9 litre there.

[smallspy]

On 7/1/2018 at 11:44 PM, Express691 said:

So these will receive a new paint job? What's baffling me right now is how theyre painted white. Will this be a separate coat of paint on top of it?

Remember the TransLink base colour is grey.

Nova does not have a paint booth on their property. Virtually every one of the buses that they outshop get wrapped for their livery.

 

Dan

[anyfong]

3 minutes ago, smallspy said:

Nova does not have a paint booth on their property. Virtually every one of the buses that they outshop get wrapped for their livery.

 

Dan

For instance, the YRT, MiWay, and RTC Quebec has their liveries done at a 3rd party contractor at Montmagny, an hour southeast of Quebec City.

[Community Shuttle]

2 hours ago, smallspy said:

Nova does not have a paint booth on their property. Virtually every one of the buses that they outshop get wrapped for their livery.

 

Dan

Same with Girardin. Their buses never leave the plant in colors that aren't white or school bus yellow.

[Brando737]

Our team is at the Nova factory today looking over the order.  The plan for these 104 hybrid's is to go to VTC and push out the current 9400 and 9500 hybrid's to other depot's.  There's about 80 at VTC right now so that would leave an expansion of 24 buses at VTC.  Unknown what depot will get the current 80.

[Cathay 888]

24 minutes ago, Brando737 said:

Our team is at the Nova factory today looking over the order.  The plan for these 104 hybrid's is to go to VTC and push out the current 9400 and 9500 hybrid's to other depot's.  There's about 80 at VTC right now so that would leave an expansion of 24 buses at VTC.  Unknown what depot will get the current 80.

Most likely RTC or BTC, how about those Nova Diesels in VTC?? Are they going to replace with the new Hybrid as well??

[Express691]

43 minutes ago, Cathay 888 said:

Most likely RTC or BTC, how about those Nova Diesels in VTC?? Are they going to replace with the new Hybrid as well??

I expect some to end up in RTC; Surrey gets the XN40, the 10 D40LF still at VTC will be gone.

[Meraki]

On 7/1/2018 at 1:37 PM, anyfong said:

 

 

 

Am I seeing things or does the window after the driver's not match between these two buses. The bus on the left has a window that opens, and the one on the right doesn't.

[Orcair]

1 minute ago, Meraki said:

Am I seeing things or does the window after the driver's not match between these two buses. The bus on the left has a window that opens, and the one on the right doesn't.

One on the left is likely for TTC, given the red on the rims?

[anyfong]

1 minute ago, Meraki said:

Am I seeing things or does the window after the driver's not match between these two buses. The bus on the left has a window that opens, and the one on the right doesn't.

That bus with the framed windows is for the TTC. Both have sliding windows for the driver.

[Meraki]

1 minute ago, Orcair said:

One on the left is likely for TTC, given the red on the rims?

I didn't notice the headlights or bike rack either. It's sneaky in there among the pictures!

[Express691]

It's not on Tcomm but 18114 started service today. 7410 was the replacement.