Greyhound seats and fleet questions

[rickycourtney]

*woosh* (that's the sound of my comments zooming right over your head)

Again, I'm sure there's a reason why certain buses run in certain areas and it likely has little to do with passenger comfort. You've mentioned it before... there's a lot of D4505s that are apparently delivered to and based out of Los Angeles (do Greyhound buses even have "home" bases?), so it isn't exactly shocking that they run on the west coast routes.

Greyhound just got some brand new X3-45's this year, all equipped with your least favorite seat. How long do you think it will take before those seats are replaced?

My guess... at least a decade. and that's if Greyhound still has a good owner who doesn't decided to cheap out on the rebuild.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I'm very un-athletic. I can't catch balls in the air, ever. Even if it's coming right at me. I get hit in the groin before I can catch it. Happened to me in junior high.

I don't think a decade. If I look at the Gaudis as an example, 7 years maybe? I think they're get a light refurb at 7 years which will include replacement of the Premiers with x seating that will probably also be the new seating that Greyhound buys in new vehicle orders from now on. Especially because the Premiers are falling apart already, very easily damaged. Then if Greyhound decides on a rebuild, they'll simply resurface x seating.

That's exactly what happened with the DL3s. Why do you say that can't happen to the D4505s and X3-45s?

If Greyhound's next order has Premiers, I'm not going to support Greyhound anymore. Now you just think about this for a second. Greyhound's trying to improve and get more passengers. Get rid of their bad reputation. If their fans are not being fans anymore, what will their haters become? And how many more people will reject Greyhound all over again? I know Greyhounds doing well on their financial report. Did you know Greyhound was doing well in 2001, and things were looking up, when they smacked everything down with the G4500? There you go. They're going to smack everything down with the Premier LS.

One person like me might not be enough to make a big company come to their knees, but 17 million riders sure as heck will. If each coach has $20,000 worth of Premiers, then Greyhound has spent $12,000,000 on Premiers. Fair enough Greyhound, you keep those Premiers. Don't buy them again. Greyhound buys them again, Greyhound will regret it.

They're falling apart already. #86307 had chips fallen off the armrests. They were only 4 years old. You really think they're last a decade?

And the 86300-series D4505s, they were delivered to Chicago. They were based out of Chicago for the then-new Express service. The late 86300s and the very few 86400s were state-owned units delivered all over the place . The 86500-series D4505s were delivered to Los Angeles for general service to displace the White G4500s for a rebuild. Then the 86300s in Chicago were sent to Los Angeles. By then Greyhound had enough blue buses that there was likely no separate pool for Express service.

You're sure there's a reason for this? All I can see is circumstance, I don't see operational reasons. I see that the White G's needed the rebuild and Greyhound's next order was for D4505s and X3-45s. They had a few 86300s in Los Angeles, I think about 20? So they sent the D4505s there for convenience and the X3-45s east. Currently, Los Angeles has up to 132 D4505s, #86301-86378 and #86513-86567.

I know because #86380-86407 are state-owned and #86500-86512 are state-owned. #86568 and up are state-owned.

#86337 burned up, taking one out. #86300 was recently spotted in Chicago, so it's probably still based there. It's listed separately on Texas DMV, so it might be different from the others. That makes 132, which means about 110 White G's displaced. Add the ones from Dallas and Seattle, and the numbers sound right.

 

[rickycourtney]

Saw H3-45 #6668 at the Seattle station today. Unlike its sister units it still hasn't been painted into the new livery.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Greyhound drivers on Facebook say rebuilds are over. Everything that's white now is going to stay white until Greyhound's stated "all-blue year" of 2016, when they'll likely be retired, unless they get lightly refurbished in-house. Rumors are that Greyhound can't find anybody willing to rebuild their buses at the price that ABC offered.

Greyhound's H3-45s are 2001s. The White H3-45s might just get retired in 2016, though I think they can last a bit longer, so maybe they'll be sold or painted blue without actual upgrades.

Oh yeah, Google Maps updated Street View for Los Angeles Maintenance Center again. #7036 is sitting in prison undergoing maintenance.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Well, I just found a DL3 interior with really weird seating that I've never seen before: https://www.flickr.com/photos/123779583@N06/15165872133/sizes/l/.

Are those Nationals or FAINSAs?

BTW, that looks like a really nice interior! I wouldn't mind riding that motorcoach at all! Clean interior with enclosed parcel racks, TVs, and a great blue headliner.

What are those lights at the front of the headliner for? Lavatory has got to be one.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

IDK if anyone has seen this video, but this is interesting nonetheless.



Some Greyhound cars (buses) appear in this, including several former Greyhound units. Circa 1992.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Thanks! Blue Ridge ran line-haul, didn't they? I always dig those 102A3s!

That Jacksonville-Detroit still runs, BTW.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Thanks! Blue Ridge ran line-haul, didn't they? I always dig those 102A3s!

That Jacksonville-Detroit still runs, BTW.

It turns out Blue Ridge ended four years after this video was made.

http://cw42.tripod.com/Jon-7.html

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Say, why did Blue Ridge run North Charleston-Charlotte instead of Charleston-Charlotte? Maybe someone should restart a route like; no one runs it right now. Greyhound routes you through Columbia, with the first segment being on Southeastern Stages.

Is "cars" a local term for motorcoaches or used everywhere? I've heard it mentioned before and Prevost is called "Prevost Car".

 

[mightyjoe1201]

I think it's a southern term. I've heard them use it to describe everything from cars to buses to trucks.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Those 102A3s that Blue Ridge had were also 1988s with 6v92s. As for why no one runs that route, that's a question for the experts out there. I liked how that Southeastern Stages MC-8 was the only car (might as well refer it as such) that stood out in the bunch of MC-9s sitting there in Columbia. It's probably one of the 1977 or 1978 models from Greyhound.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Looking at that interior shot in the video, those 102A3s appear to have National Seating 4210As, or maybe back then it would have been 4209s. Notice how the video has pieces spliced in from another video about a Greyhound 102A3 running Seattle-Chicago. I believe Greyhound usually used 102A3s on long-haul routes after selling most of them during the 1991 bankruptcy.

According to Greyhound's fleet page of December 9th, 2000 (https://web.archive.org/web/20000301205751/http://www.greyhound.com/), Greyhound had 270 102A3s at the time, but they originally had 925 in 1988. I think Greyhound tried to buy more 102A3s in 1990 but they went bankrupt before it could be done. Saw a picture of a 1990 102A3 with the "AMERICA" headsign, a remnant of the glory days of Greyhound. The interior looked like a Greyhound interior. Can't find the pictures now.

It sucks that the 102A3s were replaced by G4500s.

Edit: Oh wait, I found the pics: http://www.bargainbusnews.com/Buses/5815-1990MCI102A/#imgiframediv.

Those are Greyhound FAINSAs! The nameplate may be blotted out, but I know a Greyhound when I see one!

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Ok, someone help me our please. How do u tell the difference between some of the models? Like what's the difference between a 102A3 and a 102C3? I can tell the difference in models with the same body design when it's obvious like length or width. Or a difference in window design

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

102A3 vs 102C3:
102A3 has a 96" nose, 102C3 has a 102" nose. So the 102A3 nose tapers.
102A3 has an extra band (usually black) underneath the windshield.
102C3 has double roof trim, 102A3 only has single roof trim.
102A3 usually has a big roof cap headsign, 102C3 usually has a half-width headsign above the driver.

102A3: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbernero/15002605861/sizes/l.
102C3: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbernero/6895010411/sizes/l.

I think the 102A3 looks better.

102D3 has the flat rear end for the four-stroke engine. It also has the HVAC, fuel tank, and batteries in the middle instead of in the front. The 102D3 keeps the double roof trim from the 102C3 but has the 96" nose of the 102A3, though without the extra black band underneath.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Thank you. I was able to tell the difference between the 102D3 and 102DL3 cause of the length. I never was able to tell between the 102A3 and 102C3. Now I can see the difference.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Anytime.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Ok, anyone know how to update a profile on here? Can't figure out how to update mine. Thanks

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Go to the top-right corner. You see your display name and "Sign Out"? In between is a downwards arrow. Click on it and select "My Profile". Then "Edit My Profile".

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Thank you.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Doesn't give me an option for editing it. I may have to wait till I can get on a computer. My phone app doesn't give me the choice.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Uh, I don't have a phone so I don't really know what to do in your case. :unsure:

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Lol. That's ok. I don't have a computer right now so I'm the opposite of you.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Guess what? Found a town in Quebec by the name of Prevost: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pr%C3%A9vost,+QC,+Canada/@45.861974,-74.059744,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x4ccf2e1c959ca1b5:0xaf60b8b22652c88a!5m1!1e4.

Too bad Prevost's factory ain't there.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Looking at that interior shot in the video, those 102A3s appear to have National Seating 4210As, or maybe back then it would have been 4209s. Notice how the video has pieces spliced in from another video about a Greyhound 102A3 running Seattle-Chicago. I believe Greyhound usually used 102A3s on long-haul routes after selling most of them during the 1991 bankruptcy.

According to Greyhound's fleet page of December 9th, 2000 (https://web.archive.org/web/20000301205751/http://www.greyhound.com/), Greyhound had 270 102A3s at the time, but they originally had 925 in 1988. I think Greyhound tried to buy more 102A3s in 1990 but they went bankrupt before it could be done. Saw a picture of a 1990 102A3 with the "AMERICA" headsign, a remnant of the glory days of Greyhound. The interior looked like a Greyhound interior. Can't find the pictures now.

It sucks that the 102A3s were replaced by G4500s.

Edit: Oh wait, I found the pics: http://www.bargainbusnews.com/Buses/5815-1990MCI102A/#imgiframediv.

Those are Greyhound FAINSAs! The nameplate may be blotted out, but I know a Greyhound when I see one!

They also had MC-9s and Eagles still running in 2000. The MC-9 fleet went down significantly once the DL3s arrived.

 

[rickycourtney]

So the other thread got me thinking... Greyhound is taking a really long time to get the eTicketing system rolled out. They've been testing it for months now on BoltBus. Anybody hear how that's going? It worked fine for me when I used it this summer.