The Jury's In: The DE42/62LFAs-Love Em' or Hate Em'?

[Tritransit Area]

How are those LFAs doing at Friendship Heights?

Also...sound great?  I'm guessing it's a different greatness in sound from a throaty 6v92TA screaming as it shifts through the gears of the Allison HT-748, hanging a tad for 1, 2, 3 seconds before shifting out of lockup.  Or different from the 6v92TA engine, hooked up to the ZF 4HP-490 transmission, going whoo, whoo, whoo, whooooo after a minor yet annoyingly lovable trademark jerk as the bus pulls away from the stop....

Sigh, I miss those buses...those powertrains...

It's nice that WMATA has so much money to throw away on fancy bus purchases when they could be using it to upgrade WMATArail!  But wait, isn't that what everyone was complaining that WMATA did since the Red Line opened back in the 1970s?

[Tristan]

Woulda, shoulda, coulda, DIDN'T.  We understand you hate NABI and love ElDorado and NovaBus, but there's no need to inject a plea for an LFS order into *every* thread on this website.

[79MetroExtraMD]

Woulda, shoulda, coulda, DIDN'T.  We understand you hate NABI and love ElDorado and NovaBus, but there's no need to inject a plea for an LFS order into *every* thread on this website.

Why does this guy feel like a SubChat person to me?

[aznboy4305]

Hopefully the order becomes the NOVABus LFS bus order for next year instead of NABI 416 order, but i doubt it would happen. I'm gald NABI is Not in Canada at least because NABI 416 sucks.

What if I think the LFS sucks?

[79MetroExtraMD]

Hopefully the order becomes the NOVABus LFS bus order for next year instead of NABI 416 order, but i doubt it would happen. I'm gald NABI is Not in Canada at least because NABI 416 sucks.

What if I think the LFS sucks?

I second that. You see why Montreal and most Quebecois agencies buy them.

[79MetroExtraMD]

I'm gald NABI is Not in Canada at least because NABI 416 sucks. I'm glad NYCT isn't ordering buses from NABI at least.

First of all, NABI is in Canada ala Optima and Blue Bird. What do you have against the 416? It's a nice sturdy bus that's had a long history in Europe. NJT only went to them because they specified a high floor bus and they were the only ones still making high floor buses to their specifications.

[Tritransit Area]

What do you have against the 416? It's a nice sturdy bus that's had a long history in Europe.

See SEPTA and B-more for reference.

[79MetroExtraMD]

What do you have against the 416? It's a nice sturdy bus that's had a long history in Europe.

See SEPTA and B-more for reference.

That's because our streets are a nightmare. The City won't get it's act together and repave them. Most of which are ones that constantly have problems.

[Tristan]

I agree, Ken - I even blame those streets for the frame cracks in the Neoplans and New Flyers -- you cannot drive a vehicle through sinkholes and caverns for 18 hours a day or more for 12 years (or even 3-5) and expect no frame problems, especially at the rear door area where there is a giant hole in the frame, no axle to hold things up, and near the middle of the bus where all the torsion takes effect.  I'm surprised the NABIs didn't have such problems, but maybe it's a high floor thing that makes them better suited for the environment.

[MetroLinerXLZ]

What do you have against the 416? It's a nice sturdy bus that's had a long history in Europe.

See SEPTA and B-more for reference.

If anything, B-more would be a testament to how well they perform in adverse environments. Seeing that they've been able to hold up that well despite the potholes, sinkholes, gunshots, and riders, I'd say that they're some pretty solid buses.

Perhaps you could add Oakland (AC Transit) or San Fransisco (MUNI) to that list??

[Scrabbleship]

Hopefully the order becomes the NOVABus LFS bus order for next year instead of NABI 416 order, but i doubt it would happen. I'm gald NABI is Not in Canada at least because NABI 416 sucks.

What if I think the LFS sucks?

I second that. You see why Montreal and most Quebecois agencies buy them.

Until about last year, most Quebecois agencies had no choice in the matter. Novabus had a near-legislated monopoly and the Canadian transit funding structure made it near impossible to buy otherwise. It's also why AC on transit vehicles is near-nonexistent there; the FTQ's funding doesn't cover it.

Similar situation exists in Manitoba with New Flyer and I think Orion's open-ended deal with the TTC more than makes up for agencies like Mississauga Transit in their own backyard going elsewhere.

[Tristan]

I thought the lack of AC was just because it was Canada.  Didn't think they had a lot of hot air :-)

[Scrabbleship]

I thought the lack of AC was just because it was Canada.  Didn't think they had a lot of hot air :-)

Maybe they were preparing for the torrent of Americans who'd sneak in through the pine trees after the last two elections

[Tritransit Area]

I tried one.  It's overrated in my opinion - not that much better than one of the later LFRs.

there's a heck of a lot of space up front, though....perfect for those really tight turns......

[C40LF_2464]

Just for my quick late response i love the DE62LFA's and the NABI BRT's but i hate the DE42LFA's.