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Long Lasting Buses
Topic Started: Jan 12 2009, 07:33 PM (1,928 Views)
Septa_kid
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What if...
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Which buses lasted longer than their 12 year lives besides the Neoplan AN435's, Neoplan AN440's and the American General 10240-E's in the SEPTA fleet?
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CACrafter88bk2504
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Septa_kid
Jan 12 2009, 07:24 PM
Were there any other buses that Lasted for 20 years besides the Neoplan AN440's and the AMG 10240-E's?
Yes, there were several groups of SEPTA(PTC/SEPTA) buses that lasted well over 20 years:

A. The Marmon/herrington trolley coaches that were used @ Frankford depot to provide service on the 59, 66 & 75. A group came into revenue service in 1949 & another group came into revenue service in 1955. Both groups were completely off the roster by early 1982.

B. The old look GMs(TDH 5105 & 5106) models. Many of them lasted into the SEPTA takeover, with the bulk of them housed @ Southern & perhaps Frankford. By 1980, only a handful existed & the bulk of them were assigned to Frankford(some for Comly). The old looks were manufactured from 1955-1957.

C. The "Fishbowls". PTC got these buses in several groups, a 1963 bunch(both 96 inches wide & 102 inches wide). The 1963 group did not survive 20 years, for all of them were completely off the roster by early 1982, however, with the deffered maintenance associated with SEPTA during the 1970s, it was a miracle that they lasted that long. There were transit diesel buses with hyraulic transmissions.

D. The next group of Fisbowls that PTC got in 1963 were a unique group. A small group. 17 buses. 96 inches wide. These were the suburban diesel buses with mechanical transmissions.These buses had stickshifts, no center door, soft semi reclining full back seats & were intended for use on the newly created route 45, to King of Prussia, & the 38.

By the time SEPTA took over, these buses were sent to Comly & Frankford for emergency service between the two depots, Trenton Philadelphia Coach, & special services, like the Race Track & Shoppers Special routes. These buses were numbered 3900-3916. By 1982, all but three of them were retired. Believe it or not, the three that survived were assigned to Red Arrow Division(I think they were renumbered 6, 8 & 9). So, close, but no cigar.

E. The 1967 group of 96 inch wide, transit diesel buses with hydraulic transmissions.

F. The 1970 group of 96 inch wide, transit diesel buses with hydraulic transmissions.

Both of these groups(1967 & 1970) were identical. Regretfully, many of these buses fell victim to the Neo invasion of the mid 1980s. The remnants between the two groups were assigned between Luzerne & Germantown depots. Luzerne ran them in earnest until the summer of 1988, mainly on the North Philadelphia routes(notably the C), for The C wasn't the C without the Fishbowls. Some of them were 1967. If so, they lasted over 20 years.

G. As for the Neoplans, the Neo EIs & EZs lasted for up to 18 years. The AKs & BMs were within the 12 year guideline set before them. The Neo BMs, BPs CDs, DKs & EBs ran in revenue service for SEPTA & lasted for 17 years.
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CACrafter88bk2504
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PTC maintained a group of 1947 Brill trackless units. Most of them were assigned to Southern. A few of them were assigned to Frankford. These units soldiered on for nearly 35 years.

Lastly, SEPTA had a order of Flxible buses, manufactured between 1972 through 1976. None of these buses lasted 20 years. Some of them didn't make it past 10 years. By 1984, the remaining Flxible units on SEPTA property were assigned between Allegheny, Callowhill, Comly & Southern(Callowhill & Luzerne had a 30 foot group, mainly for use on the short feeder routes, like the 14 via 42nd & Chester Avenue to 40th & Market, the D 1 to the Civic Center & the 30 serving Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia & Haddington, & Frankford had a 35 foot group).

In 1987, Callowhill got Neo units 3132-3171, Allegheny got units 3172-3197(there may have been more) & Southern got 3212-3236, sort of displacing the Flxible units in the City Transit Division. The Neo AKs & BDs overshadowed the Northeast sections of Philadelphia. I think, around the fall of 1987, Comly got 3252-3271, with wheelchair lifts
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ED77KATR
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The 1955 GM [green hornets] when last of them were junked in 1983 they were 27 years old!!! I drove the last of them at Comly that year on a school trip..... Ed
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philabob1
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Keep in mind the buses from long ago that hung around for a long time - the ACF's from 1939, that finally went in the late 50's, the Mack CM's, similar vintage, and the postwar Macks that served for 17-18 years.

The Brill tracklesses (200 series) were indeed workhorses. I rode them to high school on the 29. Southern kept them in good shape as long as it could, but things started to turn around in the mid-70's. Remarkably, they never got a major overhaul/rebuild in their lifespans and hung around for 35 years.
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Septa_kid
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There is a Lot South Of Erie avenue between A St and G Street (I don't know where exactally I passed by it on an R7 train yesterday) Where I saw old PCC cars in the SEPTA scheme and one of them said route 56 and another said route 53. Are these from the old Luzurne Depot?
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TRANSIT_FREAK
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Septa_kid
Jan 15 2009, 04:27 PM
There is a Lot South Of Erie avenue between A St and G Street (I don't know where exactally I passed by it on an R7 train yesterday) Where I saw old PCC cars in the SEPTA scheme and one of them said route 56 and another said route 53. Are these from the old Luzurne Depot?
Luzurne Depot is not located along the R7. Luzrune is located at Luzurne and 10th st
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TRANSIT_FREAK
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TRANSIT_FREAK100
Jan 15 2009, 05:02 PM
Septa_kid
Jan 15 2009, 04:27 PM
There is a Lot South Of Erie avenue between A St and G Street (I don't know where exactally I passed by it on an R7 train yesterday) Where I saw old PCC cars in the SEPTA scheme and one of them said route 56 and another said route 53. Are these from the old Luzurne Depot?
Luzurne Depot is not located along the R7. Luzrune is located at Luzurne and 10th st
Close to the R7 but not on the R7, sorry for the mistake there.
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Rail_Guy 8202
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The southern delco northern de reporter
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Septa_kid
Jan 15 2009, 04:27 PM
There is a Lot South Of Erie avenue between A St and G Street (I don't know where exactally I passed by it on an R7 train yesterday) Where I saw old PCC cars in the SEPTA scheme and one of them said route 56 and another said route 53. Are these from the old Luzurne Depot?
Some guy bought then(I think he bought 6?)and put them in that lot,the guy's dead now.......so I don't know who owns them now.
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Tritransit Area
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Oh wow - I saw them myself today - about 5 or 6 trolleys parked right along the R7/ Northeast Corridor with some other trucks. So sad...but SEPTA may have some extra cars available to purchase for the 15! lol
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