bus talk

[Wonka]

Buses that suck in Hamilton:

- Orion IV CNG. Just a horrible bus overall, its no wonder the TTC retired them. They ride too close to the ground so every bump sends the bus flying. They are too loud due to the almost "in-bus" engine and the seating layout is horrible... mostly due to this "in-bus" engine. They seem to have horrible leaking problems in wet weather and the climate control is very out of control. Rare you'll get a warm Orion IV in the winter, or a cold one in the summer.

- '99 NovaLFS. Pretty much the same deal as the Orion IV. They both ride stupid low, have horrible suspension and a loud engine. The only thing the Nova has over the Orion IV is the somewhat better seating layout. There are more front facing seats in the back. They are also very comfortable if you get one of them.

Across other systems I've ridden on, its pretty much the same buses that I don't like. I've never ridden an Orion IV I liked, neither an LFS. Flyers and New Flyers have always been good to me, right from the D800's to the D40LFR. I've ridden them all and they were all awesome from a commuter's standpoint. GM's have also been very good, though they do seem to occasionally have problems with fumes sneaking into the bus. Hamilton's older 86 series GM Classics seem to have this problem. Don't think I ever had problems with New Looks. They just keep going and going and going.

Seems to be an Orion hate thing with me, although I do like the Orion V. The VII is kinda partial to me... I've only ridden a couple.

[M. Wright]

Just a little correction it's VIs not IVs. IVs do exsit but only run in Niagra Falls and aren't really Transit Buses but more like Shuttle buses.

[MaT]

Hey Wonka, come to Windsor and I bet you'll change your mind about the VI and the LFS! I think you'll like the VII too.

[Prevostlemiragexl]

Man the maturity level on this board keeps getting worse every day.

I've been on just about every bus imaginable, and by far the best bus of the last 50 years is the Fishbowl. You wont see a D40LF or LFS last anywhere near what agencies like the TTC and OC Transpo have gotten out of their Fishbowls.

[buschic]

Man the maturity level on this board keeps getting worse every day.

I've been on just about every bus imaginable, and by far the best bus of the last 50 years is the Fishbowl. You wont see a D40LF or LFS last anywhere near what agencies like the TTC and OC Transpo have gotten out of their Fishbowls.

I completely agree with you on the fishbowls, I well remember the ones we had in Hamilton, little workhorses!

I have finally gotten to ride a couple here in Toronto and in Burlington, I still love them, I have so many good memories from riding them.

HSR #931 lasted for about 29 years on the road, and with the way HSR run their buses into the ground, i am shocked it lasted that long.

[RYANBRT]

No bus should last 30 years.

This is a mode that is supposed to give a decent ride qualiyt. Having a bus on the road for 30 years says that transit funding is poor.

I give respect to the skill, and determination of the mechanics who work hard to keep a bus on the road for so long.

[buschic]

No bus should last 30 years.

This is a mode that is supposed to give a decent ride qualiyt. Having a bus on the road for 30 years says that transit funding is poor.

I give respect to the skill, and determination of the mechanics who work hard to keep a bus on the road for so long.

When the bus strike was on in hamilton in 1998-99

I got to meet a few mechanics from HSR and they were awesome, i learned a lot that 3 months, unfortuntely they have mostly retired, and nowadays HSR has about half the mechanics it used to, so buses are not maintained the way and quality they used to be.

[crantila]

Man the maturity level on this board keeps getting worse every day.

And the general level of spelling and grammar is impeccable!

--

My personal favourite is GRT's 2006 LFSses. I actually like their Orion VIIs quite a lot too, and find them reassuring because of the overly-black interior. While the X40LF is a good standard transit bus, it doesn't seem to have much of a personality.

[OC 8208]

Man the maturity level on this board keeps getting worse every day.

I've been on just about every bus imaginable, and by far the best bus of the last 50 years is the Fishbowl. You wont see a D40LF or LFS last anywhere near what agencies like the TTC and OC Transpo have gotten out of their Fishbowls.

or timmins transit there still have 1974 and 1975 original purchase buses running and they seem to run better than the newer ones

No bus should last 30 years.

This is a mode that is supposed to give a decent ride qualiyt. Having a bus on the road for 30 years says that transit funding is poor.

I give respect to the skill, and determination of the mechanics who work hard to keep a bus on the road for so long.

No ryan if the bus is useable and most new look gms are and give better rides than most new buses... i say let the be used for 40 or even 50 years cause none of your fancy expensive modern buses will even give you much over ten years and som of the buses that are 3 or 4 years old are falling apart... better quality does not mean newer if it is WELL maintained!

[BT Invero]

Thought this thread would be an appropriate place for this bit of info...

A wheelchair passenger boarded GRT 9416 today, and was complaining to the driver how she had a 1992 D40LF earlier in the day and thinks they're so bad they should be used as parts buses...the driver apparently also doesn't like these buses. Both agreed that the 2005 Nova LFS is an excellent bus, as it has a "nice setup" and provides a decent turning radius for wheelchairs. IMO there's absolutely nothing wrong with any of the D40LFs, and they are far superior to the Orion VIs which don't have enough seats, have stiff rides, and are too noisy with most powertrains...the ISM/Allison which GRT uses is probably the only exception).

[crantila]

Thought this thread would be an appropriate place for this bit of info...

A wheelchair passenger boarded GRT 9416 today, and was complaining to the driver how she had a 1992 D40LF earlier in the day and thinks they're so bad they should be used as parts buses...the driver apparently also doesn't like these buses. Both agreed that the 2005 Nova LFS is an excellent bus, as it has a "nice setup" and provides a decent turning radius for wheelchairs. IMO there's absolutely nothing wrong with any of the D40LFs, and they are far superior to the Orion VIs which don't have enough seats, have stiff rides, and are too noisy with most powertrains...the ISM/Allison which GRT uses is probably the only exception).

Well firstly I don't think that there's much of a difference at all between the '92 and '94 D40LFs, save the type of air conditioner. Secondly, GRT has no 2005 busses at all, but they have both 2004 and 2006 Nova LFSses. Thirdly, GRT has no Orion VIs (did you mean VII?), but I do agree that VIs aren't the best busses ever.

Whenever I see a 24xx or 26xx coming on my route, I am always happy. GRT's 2003 Orion VIIs are nice to have on smaller routes, or during non-peak times. When you get a seat and there are few other passengers, it's sometimes hard to beat the GRT's VIIs. The Novas, I find, are always preferable when the bus starts to fill up - and the full low-floor 2004 models are the best when the bus is completely full (think route 7 south to Transportation Centre on a Friday).

--

I've noticed a trend with D40LFs and D40LFRs. It seems that drivers have a harder time getting these busses to stop smoothly. Now I know better and hold on while these busses stop. On my way to learning this, however, I made some spectacular almost-falls. The best one was when I was carrying my tuba (in a tuba-backpack) and absolutely had to not fall backwards onto it. I air-swam half-way up the aisle before managing to catch a stanchion. Of course... now I know also how to deal with the tuba, but that's another story.

[M. Parsons]

Thirdly, GRT has no Orion VIs (did you mean VII?), but I do agree that VIs aren't the best busses ever.

What about the Cambridge Orion VI's?

http://www.barp.ca/bus/ontario/cambridge/1...6501/index.html

Although... I kind of assume that you're talking mainly about the Kitchener portion of GRT?

[crantila]

What about the Cambridge Orion VI's?

http://www.barp.ca/bus/ontario/cambridge/1...6501/index.html

Although... I kind of assume that you're talking mainly about the Kitchener portion of GRT?

I didn't know about those! There is a web site, supposedly listing the GRT's fleet, and these are not included. Wikipedia, however, does list the VIs. This web site also lists LFSses from 1997 and 1999, about which I did not know. Do the busses in Cambridge rarely make it up to Waterloo? Perhaps I ought to take a trip over to Cambridge one day just to see what there is. It seems that there is a lack of accurate, current GRT information from Google. Anyway, thank you for your correction.

Edit: I couldn't find it on Google, but I bookmarked it. This is the web site which omits the VIs and is somewhat up-to-date.

[BT Invero]

I didn't know about those! There is a web site, supposedly listing the GRT's fleet, and these are not included. Wikipedia, however, does list the VIs. This web site also lists LFSses from 1997 and 1999, about which I did not know. Do the busses in Cambridge rarely make it up to Waterloo? Perhaps I ought to take a trip over to Cambridge one day just to see what there is. It seems that there is a lack of accurate, current GRT information from Google. Anyway, thank you for your correction.

Edit: I couldn't find it on Google, but I bookmarked it. This is the web site which omits the VIs and is somewhat up-to-date.

Cambridge and Kitchener are completely separate and so you will never get a Cambridge bus unless you either go down there or ride the 52 since this route is split between the two garages. Also, although they are numbered 24xx, buses 2418-2433 arrived in winter 2005 and so would actually be 2005...the driver I mentioned above just said the 24xx buses when he referred to the Novas.

[general682002]

I didn't know about those! There is a web site, supposedly listing the GRT's fleet, and these are not included. Wikipedia, however, does list the VIs. This web site also lists LFSses from 1997 and 1999, about which I did not know. Do the busses in Cambridge rarely make it up to Waterloo? Perhaps I ought to take a trip over to Cambridge one day just to see what there is. It seems that there is a lack of accurate, current GRT information from Google. Anyway, thank you for your correction.

Edit: I couldn't find it on Google, but I bookmarked it. This is the web site which omits the VIs and is somewhat up-to-date.

Alan Gryfe website hasn't update for a long while and some parts are inaccurate!

I don't belive in Wikipedia as they are made up citizen writing the article.

[MT0603]

I've noticed a trend with D40LFs and D40LFRs. It seems that drivers have a harder time getting these busses to stop smoothly.

That depends completely on the driver.

[jcornell12]

i think the cresentlines that calgary uses are the best buses ever. No doutabout it. lol that was funny

!

[kevlo86]

Alan Gryfe website hasn't update for a long while and some parts are inaccurate!

I don't belive in Wikipedia as they are made up citizen writing the article.

So are most of the transit-fan sites around. Anyone can put anything up on the web and call it fact. There is nothing ensuring accuracy of transit fan website either

[OC 8208]

So are most of the transit-fan sites around. Anyone can put anything up on the web and call it fact. There is nothing ensuring accuracy of transit fan website either

I run a transit fan website, however i don't trust half the information i have up their unless i can have it verified at least by several people. but I do put information up and let people contact me with accuracy or new information updates. but most of my site is limited as there is relatively vague or no information out there for Timmins really. so its a hodge podge of information.

[general682002]

So are most of the transit-fan sites around. Anyone can put anything up on the web and call it fact. There is nothing ensuring accuracy of transit fan website either

Hey, nobody's perfect, right?

[YRT-Guy]

That depends completely on the driver.

Not always true... There are some units (take YRT for example as those are what I drive) that have a very strong or "out of whack" retarder. No matter how "smooth" the driver is on the brakes remember the retarder will always come into play and some of the units you will feel the "kick" no matter what. That is where you get the problems mainly on the D40LF's.

[MT0603]

Not always true... There are some units (take YRT for example as those are what I drive) that have a very strong or "out of whack" retarder. No matter how "smooth" the driver is on the brakes remember the retarder will always come into play and some of the units you will feel the "kick" no matter what. That is where you get the problems mainly on the D40LF's.

So it's the Voith retarder and not the buses air brakes am I correct?

[crantila]

So it's the Voith retarder and not the buses air brakes am I correct?

Uh-oh! What's a retarder? (I can guess, but judging by my previous success in this thread... well perhaps it's best to not guess).

[YRT-Guy]

So it's the Voith retarder and not the buses air brakes am I correct?

From my experiences yes. You can't really get a "kick" when braking just from the air brakes.

[Hybrid0920]

buses that suck well i coul name a few

New Flyer D40LF they suck because they are plain boring style

and they are coming to OSHAWA THAT ******* sucks

How about the VI it is the same thing but it is an Orion and i can respect that because ALL Orions Rock HEy, Do you like the nfl D40LF with the restyled front? Is the back restyled too?