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http://www.omot.org/roster/RTSII/t7h603.html

It should be known that although the University Transit System in VA did have six 1978 GMC RTS-II 03 buses through 1998, they were apparently not original to the agency, since there is no such info stating University of Virginia 4136-4636 in this list. Those six buses would've been acquired from another TA by UTS VA.

As such, they probably acquired them (from whatever transit agency had them originally) the year after their three 1983 Orion I's (5139, 5239 and 5337) were placed in service because of the fleet number.

~Ben

And here's a bonus clip of 2511 in the original 6V92/HT740 flavor, author unknown.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXp2Z6EXptQ

I want to step in and say: that is by Eddie Anthony (@ea90744).

Also for the OP: Marcos Ruiz (@MAR1NAB5180) has an overblown (read: very long) recording of this same MC12 bus (but with a different fleet #: 2631).

~Ben

Hi,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7zn5ZJbx2M

I am very enamored of this clip by Brandon (landoverdivision321) of his filming of the Silver Spring Transit Center's construction and some of the buses WMATA and RideOn were operating that are seen in the clip at the time of the construction.

This makes me wonder what buses we would have seen during the SSTC reconstruction in 1995. So instead of all these New Flyers roaming around, the buses listed below (many with the 2-cycle Detroit Diesels to boot) would've been seen. In 1995, WMATA and RideOn had the following buses in their fleet:

WMATA
6300-6381 -- 1963 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-DCT)
2570-2577 -- 1964 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-WV&M)
6400-6499 -- 1964 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-DCT)
3401-3404 -- 1964 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-WMAT)
6500-6579 -- 1965 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-DCT)
3511-3520 -- 1965 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-WMAT)
2588-2607 -- 1965 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-WV&M)
3601-3612 -- 1966 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-WMAT)
6600-6699 -- 1966 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-DCT)
3613-3620 -- 1966 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-WMAT)
2625-2640 -- 1967 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-WV&M)
6700-6724 -- 1967 GMC "New Look" TDH5304 (ex-DCT)
3801-3840 -- 1968 GMC "New Look" T6H5305 (ex-WMAT)
6800-6884 -- 1968 Flxible "New Look" 111CD-D5-1 (ex-DCT)
2656-2672 -- 1969 GMC "New Look" T6H5306A (ex-WV&M)
8000-8144 -- 1976 Flxible "New Look" 53096-8-1
8201-8312 -- 1977 Flxible "New Look" 53096-6-1
101-112 -- 1977 Flxible "New Look" 53096-8-1
8401-8661 -- 1978 Flxible "New Look" 53096-6-1
5551-5570 -- 1978 Flxible "New Look" 35096-6-1
5000-5043 -- 1979 AM General/MAN SG220-16.5-2A
9000-9115 -- 1979 GMC RTS II T8W603
5100-5133 -- 1983 MAN SG310-16.5-2A
9500-9575 -- 1984 Neoplan AN440/A
8700-8774, 8800-8874 -- 1986 Flxible Metro "A" 40102-6T
8775-8799, 8875-8925, 8950-8970 -- 1987 Flxible Metro "B" 40102-6T
8971-8975 -- 1987 Flxible Metro "B" 40102-6C
9201-9239 -- 1988 Flxible Metro "B" 40102-6T
9241-9269 -- 1988 Flxible Metro "B" 40096-6C
9271-9289 -- 1988 Flxible Metro "B" 40096-6T
5080-5099 -- 1988 Gillig Phantom 30/96TB/6V92 (5080 was ex-Gillig demo to MUNI of San Francisco, CA)
5150-5185 -- 1989 Flxible Metro "B" 30096-6T
9301-9413 -- 1990 Flxible Metro "B" 40102-6C
9421-9463 -- 1990 Flxible Metro "B" 40096-6C
9481-9498 -- 1990-91 Flxible Metro "B" 35102-6C
9601-9660 -- 1992 Orion V 05.501
9701-9785 -- 1993 Flxible Metro "D" 40102-6C
9801-9818 -- 1994 Flxible Metro "D" 40102-6M
9819-9835 -- 1994 Flxible Metro "D" 40102-4D

Buses on the way to WMATA in 1995:
5201-5245 -- 1995 American Ikarus 436.06 (to replace the 5000 series MAN artics)
4000-4104 -- 1995 Flxible Metro "E" 40102-4D

Montgomery County RideOn:
5102-5133 -- 1979 TMC CityCruiser T30
5134-5244 -- 1980 TMC CityCruiser T30
5245-5256 -- 1981 TMC CityCruiser T30
(above three fleets were rebuilt and renumbered into low 5400s in 1990; many repowered with Cat 3208T engines)
5257-5297 -- 1984 (BIA) Orion I 01.502
5300-5356 -- 1989 Gillig Phantom 30/96TB/3208T (when they still had Cat 3208T engines)
5500-5526 -- 1991 (BIA) Orion I 01.502
5527-5538, 5540-5545 -- 1992 (BIA) Orion I 01.502 (5540 series have hammerhead fronts)
5546-5547 -- 1993 (BIA) Orion V 05.503
5360-5362 -- 1994 Gillig Phantom S50/T35/96

Buses on the way to RideOn in 1995:
5363-5377 -- 1995 Gillig Phantom S50/T35/96
5550-5566 -- 1996 Orion V 05.503 (Cummins M11E Plus engine, Voith D863.2 transmission)
5567-5569 -- 1996 Orion V 05.503 CNG (Cummins L10G Alpha engine, ZF 5HP590 transmission)

~Ben

Hi,

In regards to the ZF transmissions that were specified on MTA Maryland's 1993 and 1994 Flxible Metro "D" buses (#9301-9304, 9401-9425 and 9431-9435), was there an overdriven 5th gear? The transmission control panel would be similar to a Voith DIWA unit: the 4-speed direct-drive ZFs would have R-N-D-3-2-1 while the 5-speed overdrive ZFs would have R-N-D-4-3-2-1. Correct?

~Ben

I thought that 5580-5624 are 102" wide buses. They sure feel wider than 5550-5579 for sure.

Corrected that part of the entry.

~Ben

Hi,

Is it true that Montgomery County RideOn is replacing some (if not all) of the Voith transmissions with Allison B-400R WTEC-IVs on some of their Orion Vs?

Delonta (Annex4421) wisecracked about this; he claims to have rode on an O5 35' with a new Allison B-400R WTEC-IV transmission (as opposed to the Voith D863 that was the original transmission).

A recap of their Orion Vs:
5546-5547 - 1993, 05.503 (35' x 8'), Detroit Diesel 6V-92TA DDEC to Allison HTB-748 ATEC (#5547 was scrapped after a fire around 2005)
5550-5566 - 1996, 05.503 (35' x 8'), Cummins M11E Plus to Voith D863.2
5567-5569 - 1996, 05.503 (35' x 8'), CNG, Cummins L10G Alpha to ZF Ecomat 5HP-590
5572-5579 - 1998, 05.503 (35' x 8'), Cummins M11E Plus to Voith D863.3
5704-5725 - 1999, 05.501 (40' x 8.5'), Detroit Diesel Series 50 to Voith D863.3
5802-5821 - 1999-2000, 05.501 (40' x 8.5'), CNG, Detroit Diesel Series 50G to Voith D863.3
5580-5624 - 2001, 05.504 (35' x 8.5'), Detroit Diesel Series 50 EGR to Voith D863.3 (only 35' Orion Vs in the RO fleet with Series 50 engines; was the agency's largest order of buses at that time)

A total of 25 Orion Vs in the RO fleet use Cummins M11 engines (as opposed to the ISM that replaced it for 1999). The ISM itself was used for the last Gillig Phantoms the agency ever ordered, coupled to the Allison B-400R transmission.

~Ben

Wait, let me clarify that there are still Metro Ds running.  They are in the 9800s, and feature the ISM or DD50 hooked up to the Voith transmission.

The word is that the Metro Ds are getting retired before some of the Bs because the Bs that are currently in service were in storage for a few years.  Therefore, they are considered to be in somewhat better shape than the Metro Ds that have been running without a break.

Actually, the first 18 of the 9800s (#9801-9818, with the Cummins M11E engine) are retired; only the DD50-powered examples (#9819-9835) remain.

~Ben

Are there still any 35ft Flxibles in service?

As far as I know, none of those are, unless sometime one or more of the new DE37LFAs is out of service for major repairs.

~Ben

Am I led to believe that all 18 of the Cummins M11-powered 9800s (#9801-9818) are retired?

~Ben

can you post a pic please?

The picture has been added to my reply.

~Ben

What about some Alexander Dennis Enviro 500 double-deckers, with the upcoming Cummins ISX11.9 engine mated to the Voith D864.5 transmission?

Credit to http://yimsbrother.com/


~Ben

I saw Metro-Ds on the road on Friday - what makes you say they are all retired?

Tristan,

I'd suppose those that you saw on that day were the 9700 series, if not any of the 9800s.

~Ben

I'm not quite sure was possible in my experience!  Those 9800s ran out of Northern (not sure if this is still true - I think some were shifted to Montgomery?), with the "M11 Orion Vs" running out of Gaithersburg.  I'm not sure if Northern connects with any DASH routes either.

Would be a cool thing to see, though - they all sound so different.

But I do know that it would've been possible for a WMATA 5200 NABI artic (M11 engines also, but the Voiths were only on these buses since 2001) to follow a low 9800 WMATA Flxible.

~Ben

4046,4047,4048,4049,4050,4051 all are at CET and had went to Bladensburg

Anymore 9700s and 9800s? Some parts from these two fleets were used to rebuild the 9300s/9400s which are still in service.

~Ben

The Orion 4200's and 3900's came with the newer paint scheme (3rd paint scheme) as did the 3700 series Orion II's.  Everything else you mentioned came with the 2nd paint scheme that was placed on the coaches around 1983 or 1984.

The first coach I rode with that scheme was Flx New Look 8300.  That was around the time the GM Fishbowls were getting overhauled and placed into that scheme as well.

Perry,

What about the 1979 GMC RTS IIs (#9000-9115) and the 1979 M-A-N SG220-16.5-2A artics (#5000-5043)?

~Ben