Old Metro Transit buses

[Jon A.]

That was the original intent of this topic, but feel free to share your knowledge about buses from other transit agencies, school buses, highway coaches, just about anything goes. I would prefer to talk about older buses though.

Many bus enthusiasts prefer the GM "New Look" bus, like those used in Speed. I was really into our 1983 GM TC40-102N "Classic" buses, which were assigned fleet numbers 870-881, the last of which were retired in December 2009, boo. They were the last buses in Metro Transit's fleet to use the Detoit Diesel 6V71 engine and display their destination on a rollsign. They were also the only Classics in this fleet in which the enclosures above the driver's window and the doors and the paneling above the windscreen were painted white. These were refinished in black on 873 and 877, and 871 eventually had only the paneling above the windscreen painted black. It was rusting and had a black patch panel on the driver's side before. 876-879 were fitted with Luminator MAX electronic destination signs eventually, this being done to 876 about a year before the end of its service life. 878 had the distinction of being the only '83 Classic, and one of only four buses altogether, whose stripes weren't made smaller when the 1999 livery was applied along with the painting of the then-new (and fire-prone) Nova LFS buses. I liked the 1983-88 GM/MCI Classic buses, but the '83s were my absolute favorites. The fleet numbers for all of them went from 870-940. At last check, only 934 and 937 remain, both 1988 MCI Classics. 937 was rebuilt last year, probably before the decision came to retire all of the Classics in 2015. A couple of Interesting videos:

A ride on 871:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jimXEpRiQGk

A 1983 commercial for Metro Transit, featuring bus 874, one of the last 1983 Classics to be retired:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8fjpqotMFM