Misplaced Pages

#691308

54-727: In 2009, HARTransit was recognized as the Urban Community Transportation System of the Year by the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA). The municipalities served by HARTransit are as follows: HART currently provides the following services: HARTransit's fleet is made up of Gillig fixed-route buses (35' BRT Low Floor series and a single low floor trolley) and Ford cutaway minibuses with Goshen Coach and StarTrans bodies. In past, Orion buses were also

108-459: A 600,000-square-foot (56,000 m ) main building and two smaller buildings, measuring 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m ) and 27,000 sq ft (2,500 m ). Gillig plans to retain at the Hayward site a 500,000 sq ft (46,000 m ) warehouse for the sale of parts, but plans to sell the remainder of the Hayward factory, which closed on May 19, 2017. At the time of the move,

162-572: A front-engine layout, with the Waukesha gasoline engine positioned next to the driver. The body was of all-metal construction with an integrated chassis and safety glass; for braking, in addition to the standard hydraulic service brakes, the Crown bus was equipped with a redundant hand-operated system alongside the standard parking/emergency brake. From 1932 to 1935, Crown Body and Coach Corporation produced additional forward-control school buses. As

216-720: A front-mounted radiator. In 1940, Crown Coach redesigned the Super Coach bus body and chassis, moving the engine to the rear. Featuring a wider and taller interior, the Supercoach gained additional emergency exits (a rear exit window and right-side emergency door), following the standardization of school bus dimensions and exits in 1939. During World War II, Crown Coach produced few vehicles, with all production diverted towards military use. In late 1945, Crown resumed production of Super Coach school and coach buses, struggling to meet demand. To better ensure its survival after

270-484: A limited basis after Gillig became distributor for other manufacturers of conventional-style buses. [REDACTED] Replaced Gillig Transit Coach; produced from 1986 to 1993 Gillig uses the following vehicle identification number (VIN) scheme: Crown Supercoach Hall-Scott Waukesha International Harvester Ford Super Duty Diesel Cummins Detroit Diesel Caterpillar Methanol Detroit Diesel Compressed natural gas The Crown Supercoach

324-404: A move back to the mid-engine layout, the design of the 1950 Crown Supercoach broke many precedents in school bus construction. Although built on a steel frame, to fight corrosion, the body panels of the Supercoach were of aluminum. In place of the traditional ladder truck-style frame, the Supercoach featured a monocoque-style integrated frame. In the early 1950s, Crown made several additions to

378-507: A multi-year California Energy Commission study of the feasibility of alternative fuel school buses, the Series II introduced the first major visible changes to the Supercoach since its 1949 introduction. Alongside buses created for the CEC design study, the model line entered production alongside the standard Crown Supercoach (internally designated C-body). Produced for the first phase of

432-669: A part of the fleet, specifically the Orion V (some of which were formerly owned by Bee-Line Bus System in Westchester County, New York ) and the Orion VII . In addition, HARTransit formerly operated RTS buses. Gillig Gillig (formerly Gillig Brothers ) is an American designer and manufacturer of buses . The company headquarters, along with its manufacturing operations, is located in Livermore, California (in

486-520: A pilot bus in 2011, and placed an order for 63 more in 2012. Gillig and Cummins announced a partnership to develop a battery-electric bus using Cummins technology on October 9, 2017. On May 16, 2019, the two companies unveiled a new all-electric bus. The bus uses the Gillig Low Floor platform and is equipped with a traction motor with a peak power and torque of 350 kW (470 hp; 480 PS) and 3,500 N⋅m (2,600 lb⋅ft); it

540-436: A squared off body above the entry door, enlarged windshield (four-piece flat glass), and flat front bodywork (with horizontal quad headlights). During the early 1990s, the only CNG engine that complied with California emissions standards was the 8.1L John Deere engine. Since methanol was abandoned as an alternative fuel, Crown Coach Corporation was planning to replace that alternative fuel option by compressed natural gas. From

594-598: A steady source of revenue to ensure its survival. Although the company had produced buses sporadically since 1914, in 1932, Gillig designed its first school bus body, a configuration it would produce for most of the next 60 years. In 1935, the company designed its first ambulance body; it also became the West Coast distributor of Superior Coach Company , a manufacturer of school buses and professional cars. In 1937, Gillig introduced its first flat-front (transit-style) school bus. By 1938, demand for school buses had surpassed

SECTION 10

#1732775938692

648-477: A substantial redesign, grouping secondary controls together left of the driver. Following the production of the 153 CEC buses, the Supercoach II continued as a regular production model alongside the standard Crown Supercoach. The Detroit Diesel 6V92 V6 diesel remained, with Crown adding a Cummins C8.3 inline-6 and Caterpillar 3208 V8, and a John Deere 8.1L inline-6 (no longer offered). A mid-engine version

702-477: Is a bus that was constructed and marketed by Crown Coach Corporation from 1948 to 1991. While most examples were sold as yellow school buses , the Supercoach formed the basis for motorcoaches and other specialty vehicles using the same body and chassis. While technically available outside of the West Coast, nearly all Crown school buses were sold in Washington state, Oregon and California. From 1948 to 1984,

756-804: Is expected to have a range of approximately 150 mi (240 km), based on battery capacity (444 kW-hr) and consumption (2.3 kW-hr/mi). The first bus was scheduled to be delivered to Big Blue Bus (serving Santa Monica, California ) in May 2020, but it was inaugurated into service on August 19, 2019. Although Gillig has never built a complete electric trolleybus , the company has supplied body-chassis shells for others to later equip as trolleybuses. Between 2001 and 2002, Gillig supplied 100 Phantom body-chassis shells to King County Metro Transit . Gillig shipped these Phantom buses in fairly complete form, including interior fittings such as seats—lacking only propulsion equipment including trolleypoles . Meanwhile,

810-611: The East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area). By volume, Gillig is the second-largest transit bus manufacturer in North America (behind New Flyer ). As of 2013, Gillig had an approximate 31 percent market share of the combined United States and Canadian heavy-duty transit bus manufacturing industry, based on the number of equivalent unit deliveries. While currently a manufacturer of transit buses, from

864-863: The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority . Gillig shipped four BRTPlus body-chassis shells to Kiepe to build prototype coaches, two of which function as battery electric buses while away from electrical wires and two of which use a diesel generator . Two of these prototypes were equipped with diesel-powered generators to power the traction motors off-wire (similar to a hybrid bus ) and two use batteries for off-wire operations. After successful testing, Dayton ordered 41 production battery-electric trolleys from Kiepe and Gillig, and they were delivered in 2019–2020. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Produced on

918-403: The transit bus segment. Following the end of the "New Look" near-monopoly of GMC and Flxible , in mid-1976, Gillig entered a partnership with West German manufacturer Neoplan to build a series of European-styled transit buses. The 30-foot "Gillig-Neoplan" buses featured propane -fueled engines as an option; the partnership with Neoplan lasted until 1979. As a more permanent follow-up to

972-513: The 1920s would render the "Gillig Top" largely obsolete by 1925. While other hardtop manufacturers went out of business, Gillig survived largely on its body production, which became its primary source of revenue. In the late 1920s, the company would briefly produce pleasure boats and produce a prototype of a heavy truck; the latter would never enter production. Following the start of the Great Depression, Gillig Brothers began to look for

1026-688: The 1930s to the 1990s, Gillig was a manufacturer of school buses . Alongside the now-defunct Crown Coach , the company was one of the largest manufacturers of school buses on the West Coast of the United States. Gillig had been located in Hayward, California , for more than 80 years before moving to Livermore in 2017. The company was founded in San Francisco, by the Gillig brothers. The oldest surviving bus manufacturer in North America, Gillig

1080-402: The 1977 model year, federal regulations took effect that forever changed school bus design in the United States. To better protect passengers from crashes and rollovers, the structures of many school buses had to be updated; the metal-backed seats seen for decades were replaced by thickly padded, taller seats. Aside from the redesign of the passenger seats, which led to minor capacity reductions,

1134-610: The 1990s, as the California Energy Commission program moved into its advanced stages, methanol was abandoned as an alternative fuel (in favor of further development of compressed natural gas and diesel buses ); virtually all of the 50 methanol-fueled Supercoach II vehicles were converted to operate on diesel fuel. Crown was unable to offer the CNG option due to closure. During the late 1980s, the only methanol-fuel engine that complied with California emissions standards

SECTION 20

#1732775938692

1188-549: The C-Series Transit Coach accounted for over three-quarter of all Gillig sales within only five years. In 1967, Gillig would introduce the largest school bus ever produced: the tandem-axle DT16. Along with it corresponding Crown Coach competitor, the DT16 is the only 97-passenger school bus ever produced in the United States (during 1977, its capacity was reduced to 90). In 1978, Stanley Marx retired from Gillig, and

1242-657: The CEC study, 153 Crown Series II buses were acquired, including 103 "advanced diesel" and 50 methanol-fuel buses. Crown was going to offer a CNG option ( John Deere 8.1L) to replace the methanol option, but due to the closure of Crown Coach Corporation in 1991, the CNG option was cancelled. As a secondary objective of the study, the buses researched the practicality of advanced safety features for school districts replacing buses manufactured before 1977, including fire suppression systems, an increase in emergency exits, taller seats (made of additional flame-retardant material), anti-lock brakes (ABS), and automatic parking brakes. During

1296-472: The Crown were of original Crown Supercoach body design. Following the closure of the company, the designs and tooling of Crown Coach were acquired by Indiana-based Carpenter Body Works , who sought to replace its discontinued Corsair with a revived Supercoach II. Carpenter would soon abandon the project, as it could not produce the complex Crown Coach design at a competitive price (a diesel Supercoach II cost over $ 125,000 in 1990 ). Also, Carpenter did not offer

1350-584: The Gillig-Neoplan, the Gillig Phantom entered production in 1980. The first dedicated transit bus produced by Gillig, the Phantom would be produced from 1980 to 2008. A State of California tax-free subsidy helped early sales. Later sales were buoyed by low bids on contracts, and by specializing in serving smaller transit agencies. This strategy proved successful, as the Phantom became one of

1404-631: The Hayward facility, Gillig introduced the H2000LF, its first low-floor bus . In 1997, it entered full-scale production as the Gillig Advantage . Originally designed as a rental-car shuttle bus, the Low Floor became popular as a second transit bus product line alongside the standard-floor Phantom. During the 2000s, Gillig would make a number of advances with its vehicles, exploring the uses of alternative fuels and hybrid technologies in both

1458-469: The Low Floor and the Phantom. In 2005, the Low Floor became available in BRT and Trolley Replica body styles. After 28 years of production, the final Gillig Phantom was produced in 2008; by the mid-2000s, high-floor buses had largely fallen out of favor with transit customers. On August 1, 2008, Gillig became a Henry Crown company under CC Industries, Inc. CC Industries operated Gillig in the same location with

1512-614: The Phantom as a lower emissions option, but discontinued it in 1998. The only remaining LNG Phantoms currently operate shuttle service at Los Angeles International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport . In 1996, Gillig introduced a diesel-electric hybrid powered Phantom, which they produced until 2006. The current models continue to be offered in a hybrid powered versions. In September 2011, Gillig introduced an alternative fuel BRT model with CNG propulsion—their first CNG-powered bus produced and first production natural gas buses since 1998. Long Beach Transit purchased

1566-635: The Seattle transit agency removed the propulsion system ( GE traction motor, Randtronics chopper control, and electronic card cage) from its old fleet of 1979-built AM General trolley coaches which the Gillig vehicles were purchased to replace, and shipped them to Alstom for refurbishment. After Alstom refurbished the propulsion system, Metro installed the equipment into the new Gillig Phantom bodies, along with Kiepe pneumatically operated fiberglass trolley poles. Between 2014 and 2020, Kiepe partnered with Gillig to produce new dual-mode trolleybuses for

1620-568: The Supercoach lineup beyond its traditional two models. In 1988, a 38-foot version (84-passenger) was introduced. In 1989, two new 40-foot versions were introduced: a rear-engine and a single rear axle mid-engine. In March 1991, Crown Coach closed its doors; the final vehicle produced was a 36-foot mid-engine Supercoach (with standard body). During 1989, Crown Coach introduced the Crown Supercoach Series II (internally designated N-body). Developed for Crown to participate in

1674-484: The Supercoach model line. In 1951, the Crown Firecoach fire engine was introduced, heavily based on the mid-engine chassis of the Supercoach bus. At the same time, Crown began to explore other uses for the Supercoach; in 1954, several Crown Cargo Coach " brucks " were produced, combining the front body of a bus with the rear body of a van trailer. Crown Security Coaches came into use as prison buses throughout

Housatonic Area Regional Transit - Misplaced Pages Continue

1728-630: The Supercoach was constructed at the Crown Coach facilities in Los Angeles, California; from 1984 to the 1991 closure of the company, the Supercoach was constructed in Chino, California . In 1932, Crown Motor Carriage Company built its first complete school bus, in a shift from building bus bodies on cowled truck chassis. Externally modeled after Twin Coach body designs, the school bus body used

1782-552: The West Coast. In 1954, Crown introduced the first diesel-powered school bus, introducing the 743 cubic-inch Cummins NHH220 as an option. For school districts with growing student populations, Crown introduced a tandem rear-axle Supercoach in 1955. Expanding the seating capacity from 79 to 91 (with a later option for 97), this would become the highest-capacity school bus ever mass-produced (alongside similar Gillig Transit Coach DT-models). To increase braking power, in 1956, Crown standardized 10-inch wide brake drums on all vehicles,

1836-490: The body. Although overtaken by school bus production, Crown continued production of the Supercoach as an intercity coach in various lengths. Designed similar to a GM Buffalo bus , the longest versions featured a raised deck over the luggage compartment; Crown also produced a bilevel coach similar to the GMC Scenicruiser in configuration. During the 1960s, Crown began to further expand its engine line. To aid

1890-506: The business as a bookkeeper. In 1907, Jacob Gillig died at the age of 54. Following the earthquake, the company reopened as the Leo Gillig Automobile Works, which manufactured custom-built vehicle bodies. In 1914, two major achievements would happen to the company. After building a three-story factory, Leo and Chester Gillig re-organized the company as Gillig Brothers , its name for the next half-century. One of

1944-676: The capacity of the San Francisco facility, leading Gillig Brothers to move to Hayward, California, on the eastern side of San Francisco Bay. In 1940, as a response to the Crown Supercoach , the first Gillig Transit Coach was introduced, as both a coach and school bus. The first mid-engine school bus, the Transit Coach wore an all-steel body and was powered by a Hall-Scott gasoline engine. During World War II, Gillig halted school bus production, instead producing trailer buses to transport workers in defense factories. Following

1998-681: The company was predicting that around 850 workers would be employed at the Livermore complex. In February 2024, Gillig announced that its Gerco subsidiary had acquired select assets of bankrupt battery and commercial vehicle company Lightning eMotors in Loveland, Colorado and would open a powertrain engineering center with former Lightning talent. On April 24, 2024 Gillig announced that they would be making Hydro-electric buses, in collaboration with BAE Systems and Ballard Power Systems . In 1992, Gillig began producing an LNG fueled version of

2052-453: The current management team. In 2015, Gillig Corporation marked the 125th anniversary of its founding. In May 2017, the company moved its factory from Hayward, California , to Livermore , another East Bay region city, after more than 80 years in Hayward. The move was precipitated by a need for more space, with production having outgrown the Hayward facility. The new Livermore facility, which comprises newly constructed buildings, includes

2106-408: The end of the war, Gillig resumed production of the Transit Coach, introducing a rear-engine version in 1948. In 1950, the body of the Transit Coach was redesigned. In 1953, Chester Gillig retired, following the death of Leo Gillig. The management structure of the family-run company was changed, with Stanley Marx (previously in charge of sales), assuming control of Gillig. In 1957, a major acquisition

2160-437: The firm was sold to Herrick- Pacific Steel , a Hayward-based steel manufacturer. Following the sale, the company was reorganized as Gillig Corporation, its present-day name. During the acquisition and reorganization, Gillig began construction on a 117,000 square foot facility in Hayward, the largest bus manufacturing plant in the western United States. To diversify its product line, in the mid-1970s, Gillig began plans to enter

2214-458: The first bodies built inside the new factory was one for a motor bus, though production would not shift entirely to buses for another two decades. During the 1910s, most cars in the United States were open touring cars ; at the time, fully enclosed sedan bodies were expensive. To offer improvement over the minimal weather protection, Gillig developed an add-on hardtop , patenting its own version in 1919. The increase of closed car production in

Housatonic Area Regional Transit - Misplaced Pages Continue

2268-473: The largest in the bus industry at the time. In 1960, the body of the Crown Supercoach underwent its first set of modifications since its introduction in late 1949. To enhance visibility, the windshield, driver window, and entry door windows were redesigned. To make the bus more visible, Crown moved the taillamps and brake lights from the doors of the luggage compartment towards the rear corners of

2322-653: The longest-lasting transit models. In 1989, Gillig would introduce the Gillig Spirit ; similar to the Gillig-Neoplan, the Spirit was a shorter, medium-duty transit bus. After over 40 years in production, the Transit Coach ended production in 1982. After a temporary hiatus from school bus production, Gillig returned with a Phantom school bus in 1986. While initially successful, the Phantom school bus would be discontinued in 1993 following poor sales (no examples were sold in 1991 or 1992). In 1996, following an expansion of

2376-422: The mid-1990s Crown was going to offer a John Deere CNG engine option on the Series II, but due to the closure of Crown Coach Corporation, no Series II was offered with CNG. To maintain production commonality with the standard commonality with the standard Supercoach, the Supercoach II shared nearly all of its bodywork between the entry door and the rear seats with its predecessor. The drivers' compartment underwent

2430-475: The original 1932 design proved too expensive to produce on a large scale, Crown shifted to a design based on a Reo commercial truck chassis. Named the Metropolitan, while still a front-engine bus, the new design significantly decreased forward visibility. In 1935, Crown revisited the 1932 design, introducing a new version as the first Crown Super Coach. With a seating capacity of up to 76 students, it

2484-572: The performance of its 91-passenger buses, a 262 hp turbocharged Cummins NHH was added. Alongside the Cummins diesel, an additional option included an underfloor version of the Detroit Diesel 671 . In 1973, the 743 cubic-inch Cummins NHH diesel was replaced by the 855 cubic-inch NHH diesel, requiring internal structural updates to the frame. From the outside, 1973–1977 Crown school buses are distinguished by flat-topped wheel wells. During

2538-480: The powertrain layout was changed from front-engine to an underfloor mid-engine configuration. In several variants, the Crown Super Coach would retain an underfloor layout through its 1991 discontinuation. In 1937, Crown would build the first mid-engine school bus, with a Hall-Scott gasoline engine; the change expanded capacity to 79 passengers. To provide proper engine cooling, the bus was fitted with

2592-415: The structure of the Supercoach needed relatively few changes to meet the new regulations; the company claimed that the Supercoach was compliant as far back as 1950. Post-1977 Supercoaches are distinguished by larger pillars behind the drivers' window and entry door as well as the fixed window next to the side emergency door. In the late 1980s, along with the Crown Supercoach Series II, Crown began to expand

2646-434: The war, Crown entered a joint venture with Indiana school bus manufacturer Wayne Works , becoming the West Coast distributor of its product lines. In 1946, Crown began development on a new generation of vehicles. Starting life as a sightseeing bus for a motorcoach customer, the new-generation Supercoach (renamed as a single word) entered production in 1948, with Crown producing its first school bus example in late 1949. In

2700-519: Was founded in 1890 as Jacob Gillig, trained in carriage building and upholstering, opened his own carriage shop in San Francisco . In 1896, his son Leo Gillig entered the business as a shop foreman, becoming a full partner in the business in 1900. The shop was destroyed as part of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , but the Gilligs rebuilt the shop on a separate property; Chester Gillig joined

2754-472: Was introduced, including the Detroit Diesel 6-71. Produced primarily in a 40-foot rear-engine configuration, the Supercoach II was also offered in a 38-foot length; both rear-engine and mid-engine versions were produced (no tandem-axle examples are known to have ever been produced). The Supercoach II was offered by Crown Coach through its closure in 1991; however, many of the 1991 vehicles produced by

SECTION 50

#1732775938692

2808-684: Was made as Gillig purchased the Pacific bus division of Washington-based truck manufacturer Kenworth . At the time, Gillig controlled a 70% market share of Northern California over Crown Coach (based in Los Angeles), along with a similar share of Washington State, Oregon, and Nevada. In 1959, the company introduced the first rear-engine school bus with a diesel engine: the Cummins C-Series Transit Coach. Although still offered with gasoline engines in various configurations,

2862-464: Was one of the largest school buses ever produced at the time. As with its 1932 predecessor, the 1935 Crown Super Coach featured an all-steel body with an integrated chassis, safety glass, and a front-engine body. In a big change, the redundant braking system was redesigned, with the Supercoach featuring full air brakes. In 1936, Crown produced the Super Coach as an intercity motorcoach, featuring onboard sleeper compartments. To maximize interior room,

2916-420: Was the Detroit Diesel 6V92 . To accommodate the engine in the rear of the Crown Supercoach, substantial revisions were required for the chassis and rear bodywork. As the 6V92 V6 was wider than previous inline engines, the rear body panels were widened aft of the rear axle, creating a new rear roofline (with a vertical rear window). To match the modified rear bodywork, the front body was also revised, including

#691308