Orion Bus Industries 'Orion I': Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 18:39, 8 July 2015

Orion I
Orion I
Years of manufacture 1976 to 1993
Length 30 to 40 feet
Width 96 inches
Propulsion Diesel, CNG
Orion I

The Orion Bus Industries Orion I was a high floor transit bus available in 30, 35 and 40 foot lengths. This was the first bus produced by Orion (then called Ontario Bus Industries) and was a moderate success. It was able to compete with the New Flyer D40 and the popular General Motors Classic which were both available at the same time as the Orion I.

Due to political pressure, many Ontario transit agencies purchased the Orion I with some examples lasting into the 2010s. Production continued until 1993, after which transit agencies began to look for wider buses and accessible buses, such as the Orion V.

From 1979 to 1981, Orion licensed the Orion I design to TMC. It was produced under the T-30 CityCruiser name.

Design

Example of a 40-foot Orion I model.

The prototype Orion I had the destination sign angled downward and a slightly slanted windscreen. The headlights were mounted lower with squared bezels and square turn signals. Production buses had an upright destination sign area and round headlight bezels.

The first Orion I models were 30 feet long and 96 inches wide. In 1979, the first 35 foot long model was delivered. A 40 foot long model was made available in 1984 with the first example going to Oakville Transit. Nearly every Orion I used a diesel engine, however in 1988 the Orion I was made available with a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) drivetrain.[1]

The Orion I could be specified with two doors in a transit configuration or with one door in a suburban configuration. Suburban buses typically had all forward facing seats. Early Orion I buses had a characteristic single leaf front door that pivoted towards the windshield. Bi-parting plug and two-leaf slide-glide doors would later become options. Early buses also had a rear window with sharp edges and space set aside for an optional air conditioning unit. Later buses would have a taller rear window with rounded corners, or no window at all if they were air conditioned.

Models

Model number Length Seating cap. Notes
01.501 31' 7" 31
01.502
01.503 33 Suburban
01.504 36' 8" 39
01.505 41 Suburban
01.506 39
01.507 42
01.508 40' 7" 48
01.509 53 Suburban
01.510 36' 8" 45

Specifications

Operators

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Demonstrator and engineering units

Below is a list of known demonstrator and engineering buses

Fleet number Thumbnail Year VIN Engine Transmission Notes
June 1976 101 Detroit Diesel 6V53 Allison MT-643
4 speed
1977 104 Detroit Diesel 6V53 Allison MT-643
4 speed
August 1979 168 Detroit Diesel 6V53 Allison MT-643
4 speed
January 1981 282 Detroit Diesel 6V53N Allison MT-644
4 speed
December 1981 401 Detroit Diesel 6V53N Allison
  • 01.504 model.
  • Sold June 1983 to High Quality Inn (Orlando, FL).
December 1982 548
  • 01.505 model.
  • Sold March 1983 to Commercial Transport (Lively, ON).
December 1982 550
January 1983 2B112917XD6036588 Detroit Diesel 6V71TA Allison HT-740
January 1984 E6000782
June 1984 E6000941
  • 01.507 model.
  • Sold June 1984 to Northeast Transit (Ithaca, NY) 240.
June 1984 2B1169770E5548945 Detroit Diesel 6V92TA Voith D863.2
9901 1984 Detroit Diesel 6V92TA
June 1987 1630
1989 Detroit Diesel 6V92TA Allison HTB-748
  • 01.507 model.
  • Sold to BARTA 9005.

Preserved units

Year Thumbnail Serial Original owner Fleet number Model Current owner
1981 341 Winnipeg Transit 953 01.501 Manitoba Transit Heritage Association
1987 2B1119277H6001644 Bay Metro Transit 134 ? Chicagoland Historical Bus Museum
1987 ? Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority 701 01.502 Seashore Trolley Museum
1988 2B1169776J6001909 Pace 8723 01.508 Chicagoland Historical Bus Museum
1990 File:Alexandria DASH 28-a.jpg ? DASH (Alexandria Transit Company) 28 01.507 Commonwealth Coach & Trolley of Roanoke
1990 2B1119777L6002553 San Francisco MUNI 9010 01.502 San Francisco MUNI
1990 San Francisco MUNI 9030-a.jpg 2B1119771L6002578 San Francisco MUNI 9030 01.502 San Francisco MUNI

References

  1. ↑ The History of Orion Transit Buses. Orion Bus Industries. Retrieved on 2009-08-02. Web (now offline).
  • Personal Notes and sightings
Orion Bus Industries / Orion International
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Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority 11033-a.jpg
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Orion I Orion II Orion III Orion IV Orion V Orion VI Orion VII Orion VII NG Orion VII EPA10
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