The Bus that paved the way, 6 Inches too wide, MC-6 Super Cruiser
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2024
- In this video we will dive into the past and visit a coach that broke several rules and regulations and set the bar for todays moto coach width and length.
The Coach that Paved the way for all modern coaches today.
We will take a look at the MC-6 Super cruiser along with some others that influenced its creation and design.
The Pictures of some of the buses were used from:
www.busfanplace.com
Don't forget to checkout Cindy, Molly and, Janet's talk show channel on UA-cam.
Here is the link:
/ @jointhechat
Also don't forget to checkout my Patreon page.
/ motorcoach
Consider supporting my work by becoming a Patron for as low as $1 a month. It will really help me with time and expenses I invest into these videos.
Finally, Did you know I have another UA-cam channel called J Wang Vlogs? I vlog all of my bus adventures on UA-cam! Check out that channel at
/ @jwangvlogs
Thanks for watching!
Whilst always having a casual interest in engineering and public transport I never really thought about busses and coaches much, this guy makes it a pleasure to learn about.
In fact I am a part of the motorcoach industry 39 years involved with bluebird, mci,and Prevost. High line luxury motorcoach repair. Started in CALIFORNIA in 83,now Florida in 2021. God bless the bus.
Thanks for commenting and your years of experience.
I'm a driver for coach usa now for 16 years. We still have guys that started in 1968. I love listening to them. YOU KIDS HAVE IT SHIT EASY!! BACK IN THE DAY, WE HAD TO TIE CHAINS AROUND THE ENTRY DOORS AND THE OTHER END TO A TREE TO GET THESE ENTRY DOORS OPEN!! Then they go on. Lol. WE HAD TEN SPEED MANUALS BACK THEN AND I DIDN'T EVEN USE THE CLUTCH I WAS SO GOOD!! Lol. YOU KIDS HAVE IT WAY TOO EASY TODAY!!! Makes me laugh kinda. Lol
I worked for the "Dog" from 1981 to 2004 all in the maintenance department. From Houston to Chicago to Los Angeles as a maintenance mechanic and manager. While in Los Angeles, I took care of the GLI historic fleet which was used for many things including movie shoots. We restored our 4501 for use in the Montgomery historic March and others for movie shoots. Our 1937 MAC was restored at our Dallas shop as most of it was made of wood. We purchased Trailways in 1987 although there are still a few independent companies around. I cut my mechanical teeth on the MC-5's, 7's, and MC-8's.
*,,Unless you goddamnit gonna fly a plane or take a Greyhound or ride a bus, the Megabus, we ain't got nothin' to talk about!"*
(Crazy Black Gangsta,
2033 Daniel Court,
Lexington, Kentucky)
This longtime Greyhound Buslines passenger sincerely thanks you for your years of service and all of the wonderful experiences that that service made possible for millions of people, very much including myself.
Though Greyhound was never the same after the huge strikes of the early 1980s, those of us who rode Greyhound regularly when it was still a top-notch carrier, before the strikes, still cherish those great memories.
You could have looped the 8V71 idling sound instead of the background music. I sure loved hearing the Detroit’s when I was a kid.
I used to work for DD rebuild plant in Vancouver, Washington back in the day. My favorite days were when they Ran the two strokes on the Dyno. 6-71 and 8v-92 were my all time favorites.
@@PeteJacksonPapasVlogs 6V-71s were always my favorite sound. Those beasts sound off great at high RPM.
haha . maybe next time???
@@PeteJacksonPapasVlogse
@@PeteJacksonPapasVlogs 12V71s for the win. To pass the factory taught class we had to tear down, assemble, test run, and tune a 6-71 and an 8V71 for class. The class was 10 students so we were done by noon on Friday with both engines. As I had the most sensitive touch, I set all the injectors. Both engines fired and ran smooth on the first try. At work we had ( 3 ) 12V71s as main engines and ( 2 ) 6-71s as genset engines. Our 6-71s were 0-1800RPM cold start engines with electronic governors which were some of the very first on DD engines. Even the company where we went to school which had sold the US Army Corps of Engineers the gensets didn't realize how rare ours were as at the time, 1987 for the class, they were bragging about the new first ones with electronic governors. And ours were installed and functional in 1979. I do not miss the sounds of listening to them 12 to 24 hours in a day.
It's like I can still smell the old cigarette smoke and the upholstery. I remember boarding with my grandparents and noticing how quiet it was "sound being absorbed by the seats"
I drove MC5, MC8, and MC9 in Western Canada during the early 1980s (also GM 35' Buffalos and Eagle 10). My favourite? MC8. Don't ask me why; I just loved driving them. Beautifully engineered coach.
I drove for Greyhound Canada from1988-1998. The MC8 was being retired when I started. They were a fine piece of livery, but the worst part was the steering gear was quite 'loose' trying to keep a straight line on the highway was a work of art, working the steering wheel back and forth without rocking the bus. The MC9's were great. The steer axle weighed heavy because the fuel tank and the A/C unit were both right behind the front axle.( ran on an overweight permit all the time)
they steered like they were on 'rails'. Winter driving was a dream on icy roads. The 8v71's were not our best friend. GLC had buses that ran the prairies from Toronto to Calgary. Then they had buses that ran from Calgary to Vancouver and all over B.C. It was a good day when you got a 'Western' bus - they cranked up the horsepower to run the mountains.
The 8v71's were attached to a 4 speed Allison transmission. When the torque converter locked up, around 40 km/hr if the driver didn't relax the throttle properly ( or at all) the bus would jerk hard almost giving everyone whiplash.
With the advent of the next model ( mc96?) We saw the larger windows and 6V92 engine power. Along with this came a 5 speed standard transmission. Since there were no engine RPM gauges, you had to shift by the sound of the engine. Wind it up until the shithouse door started to rattle ( literally), then shift to a higher gear. Greyhound also retrofitted some Detroit series 50 DDEC engines into some of the MC('s about the same time. Next move after that was to the MC102's ( 102" wide). This bus brought Caterpillar into the bus business. Greyhound outfitted a huge number of buses with the Caterpillar engine and a 7 speed transmission. These were a dream to operate. Quiet, powerful and actually got good fuel mileage.
I spent 10 years running on the spareboard all across Western Canada - drove every route from Winnipeg to Vancouver and from the U.S. border to Edmonton. It was a great career, enjoyed all of it.
Seeing a picture Westchester NY beeline bus in this video was an unexpected surprise that made me smile. I spent so much riding them growing up in NY. Miss being in NY.
The fact that this exists at all is amazing. So great we live in an era where people can nerd out at this level of detail. Sir you are already a legend!
Hey thanks for your kind words and encouragement. Comments like these give me the drive to keep this channel going. Appreciate you taking the time to write to me!
Anyone remember the Vista Cruiser Station Wagons. I thought those were the coolest station wagons ever when I was a kid.
The early to mid-sixties Vista Cruiser was made only by Oldsmobile and was the only station wagon used by school districts in NY State because the State would only reimburse the district for "high roof" Vista Cruisers; and not for the previous standard roof Fords of '60 to '63 which our district owned. As a high school boy (class of '66) I thought it was odd that suddenly expensive Oldsmobiles replaced Fords until the Transportation Supt. who was a family friend explained the reason. Pat Wilsey was a great guy and I admired him, as did my parents.
Our family had three different ones over the years..Awesome wagons !
Of course I remember the Vista Cruisers...a neighbor had one when i was schoolboy in elemetary school in the mid 70s. I thought it was cool then and still think they are cool!
haha i have seen pics of them never been in one!
My dad had a blue 66 Oldsmobile vista cruiser wagon , as a kid we loved watching out the roof windows as we drove down the road .
The Gray Coach MC8 was my first love. Growing up in Toronto as a kid I use to travel from Toronto to NYC onboard Gray Coach and back then their fleet was mostly MC8's and MC9's. Traveling through the night I always thought it was such an awesome job to drive these buses ... 20 years later I became a coach operator doing charters from Toronto to NYC almost every weekend.
Hi James 👋 I'm enjoying this video 📹 again..I fondly remember the MCI 6 Road in Ontario in 1974..See them Edmonton..Some time ago i visted one Morenville Alberta It's vin#Was 23..What a gran old Lady 🚎💨....🙏🇺🇦
My last Greyhound trip was back in the late 90's. I boarded a bus in Nampa, ID, at 6:30 AM. I was headed to Eugene, OR. After a couple of hours, just past La Grande, OR, the freeway was closed due to an accident and we got routed onto backroads. Many hours later the bus pulled off the freeway at Biggs Junction, OR. The driver had hit his legal driving limit for the day. The driver and all the passengers hung out at a gas station until a replacement bus could pick us up. A few hours later the replacement bus arrived and we were all back on the road again. We arrived in Portland, OR, at about 9 PM. I had long missed my connection so I waited for the next bus to Eugene. That bus left around 10 PM. Haggard and hungry I arrived at the Greyhound station in Eugene just after midnight. I'd spent nearly 18 hours on a trip that should have taken 10. That was a very long day and not very pleasant.
My mother drove for Greyhound in the early 80s and they still had MC6s she hated this bus she said it has no turn radius but she like a lot of other drivers loved the MC7s.
The history of the MCI buses was very informative. could you, in the future do a documentary of the Eagle Brand Buses and the Continental Trailways Organization?
ua-cam.com/video/_c7XXck9cwU/v-deo.html
Wow, really cool history. I grew up seeing DL3 and that generation, so amazing to see its predecessors. Names were soo cool back then
The MC9 was my favorite and was the workhorse that catapulted MCI into the leader in Motorcoaches. Many of them are still in commercial service today.
Happy to see you feature a picture of a Voyageur bus near the end of your video. They served the province of Quebec and eastern Ontario when I was growing up in the Ottawa Valley and as late as the early nineties I rode one of their busses from Toronto to Ottawa.
I remember the Greyhound buses , my mom and I would catch the bus from Bellevue Michigan and travel to Charlotte Michigan . My dad worked in Charlotte . That was many years ago . You don't see the Greyhound buses much any more . Other companies have taken over . But it was a real treat to ride the bus . I rode a train once , that was really cool , but on the bus you can see the country side at a slower pace . Really miss those buses !
Great presenter and narrator ! Easy to listen to and understand. Thanks for a wonderful and interesting topic. I too, travelled many a mile on (Canadian) Greyhound back in my college years (1960s). I loved travel in cars, trains and buses. Be safe.
Thank you for your kind words. Appreciate it
I've never rode on the MC6 before but, starting in 1974 I started riding on the MC7 multiple times per year and it was a total dream, so much so that, I would totally freak out if I heard that we were going to take a ride on the MC7.
Thank you for the information about the MC-6and great work.
Great video. I worked for MCI from 1995 through 1998 and they were still producing 96" wide/ 40' long buses called the MC12 in coach, commuter and prison configurations. They were also producing the 102D3/102DL3 line that were 102" wide and 40' / 45' long respectively (the 102 represented the width, D represented the model, L signified it was longer and 3 referred to the number of axles). They were just coming out with the new E coaches that were called the Renaissance coach which were to be available only as 102" wide by 45' long. They built these as both a touring coach and a conversion shell to be turned into a motor home or band / specialty bus by outside conversion companies. This was an extremely interesting company to work for.
Great info Bob! Thank you! I did not know that prison transports were still 96 inches. Makes sense though.
@@MotorcoachWorld Most older prisons could only accommodate narrower vehicles through the gates, so building a 102" wide prison coach made no sense.
Love the videos my dad drove for greyhound in California and in New York City and he loved when he had to drive one on any of his trips
Love this channel, love your history lesson as I'm a lover of the Scenic cruiser and Greyhound buses. Coming to you from Wellington New Zealand where I hope to bring an old S/Cruiser and convert it to a motorhome. Thanks for sharing!
I’m actually a train freak, but I have say that these videos are really well presented and very interesting.😎
Thanks Peter. Nothing wrong with being a train freak. I am a plane and ship freak as well LOL REPRESENT!
I have been all over the USA "" Riding The Dog""... Winter and Summer. Day and Night. Loved every second of these trips.. I am an English International Lorry Driver but The Greyhound is my True Pleasure.... Planning my next trip. Douglas Vick Cheltenham Spa UK...
Thanks for the comment Doug! Much appreciated!
How are things in Cheltenham? We lived there a few months while dad ( US Navy ) went to school at GCHQ back in 1957.
I really enjoyed this video, I used to work for Gray Coach Lines in Toronto Ontario Canada, and drove the MCI 6 on the pool service from Toronto to Buffalo and up north.
Hey Bill. Thanks for the comment. That's awesome. I really wish I could have the opportunity to drive one some day but I don't think there are any around anymore
Very informative!!! Thank you!!! The most powerful bus I ever drove was GMC 4107 . . The company we leased them for kept thwm well maintained ... everyone wouldn't shift into 4th gear until 57 or 58 mph ... they were solid no shakes or shimmies !!!
Excellent video. Very informative and well illustrated. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
The MC6 is so Iconic, like an amazing ocean Liner from the past.
Thanks, nice presentation. Not a bus fan except for older coaches from the 30's and 40's. Round buses get me, so much style and those old GM 2 strokes roarin' away. Thanks MW
Just wanted to make mention that Continental Trailways, had 45 model "07" Eagle coaches built in 1969, that were also 102" wide. These were styled to look identical to the contemporary model "05", and only an enthusiast could recognize them... The easiest 'tell' was the wheels were recessed 3" on each side, as they made use of standard 96" axles, hence an 'overhang'. A sharp eye could also see the front and rear appeared wider, especially the destination sign window...
Inside, they wasted the extra room, by instead of getting wider seats like the MC-6, they separated the seats by an inch on each side, and 4" wider aisle. Cheaper.
It should also be mentioned that while 96" was the limit on highways, many cities allowed 102" wide transit buses, and GM produced some "Old Look" design's that size as far back as 1948.
Woah I did not know that! Thank you for sharing this Bob! I need to look these up! I love design details and history bits like this! This was a great read! thank you for taking the time to write this!
Mechanical things evolve through design modifications over time, and Greyhound buses do too. Good video, well done, thanks.
thanks for that. Have travelled on MC8 and MC9 with Greyhound Canada in BC,Alberta, Saccachurin and Winnepeg in 1981 and 1984.
MCI stopped naming bus models in the early 80's with the introduction of the "A" series. The only letter series model to get a name was the "E" series which was called the Renaissance.
@Motorcoach World - I see you squeezed in a quick photo of Allstate Charter Lines' MC-6, affectionately known as "The Pink Panther." I worked for Allstate back when this coach was in the fleet, and got to drive it on several charters. It was one of the original 15 Canadian cars that still had the "buzzin dozen" 12V71 in it. Because of the tremendous torque, you could easily feather the clutch thru the take-up point and walk away from a stop without having to add any throttle until after you got rolling. With Allstate's unique livery, it definitely was a head-turner!
I drove MCI MC-5 for the USAF back in 1982 McChord AFB, Tacoma WA. I drove the USAF Band on tours from Tacoma to Southern OR, to western WA, and northern WA. I LOVED that coach. It was a plain model, 32 long, 10.2 high, and 8 wide. She was an automatic too. She was the biggest Cadilac I've driven.....and I drove a 1970 Coupe DeVille back in the day! LOL! Loved that coach!
That plain jane coach = Gov't issue ;) was a pleasure to drive short and long-distance. I was also an "Honor Guard" and was tasked to transport the Honor Guard to all kinds of events, sporting, parades to funerals. And I can say, I got that bad boy into some really tight places. The turning radius was crap, but the tranny was very responsive shifting from Drive to R and back again......inch by inch. Oh yeah! It was the I think, the MCI MC-5 "Challenger" YEP!
As a young boy I rode a scenacruzer from San Francisco to Kansas City by myself, which was a three day trip. Rode in the first seat on the top deck all the way .
Great view!
The Rest of the Story is that semi trucks were not allowed to go to 102 inches until 1982, which was also when 53 foot long trailers became common, but there are still a lot of the 96 inch trailers out there still.
Thank you MCI and Greyhound for pushing the width and length limits for us!
(I drive truck and bus)
I used to hate 102s, as they required so much dunnage, which made take longer to load and unload you.
Very informative video. From all MCI models you mentioned I've only heard of 2-3 from older coworkers at MCI Des Plaines.
I don't know why I clicked on this. When I did, I expected to be bored, but this was actually quite interesting, and very well done. You sure did a lot of research. Just one problem, around the 9:00 mark: We don't have interstates in Canada, of course, but otherwise very well done.
Being in the US we tend to call highways interstates as well.. just a technicality I guess. But thanks for pointing that out
I remember my father boarding an MCI bus at a Greyhound station not far from our house during his time in the Army in the early 1990s.
I know nothing about buses, besides my Uncle drove tour buses for a while. But I'll thumbs up for Star Trek clip, and watch the rest and learn a bit, because I like to learn things.
great video! i'm not even really into busses or anything but i can say that this video had me interested throughout.
Another great video. Thank you for the mci history. We still have a 1994 mci we run military and MEPS with. The rest of our fleet are Prevosts ( driver from Arrow Coach Lines Little Rock arkansas)
Oh nice! I would be begging to drive the old 1994 one all the time while everyone else is going after the newer ones!
Great video 👏👏👏👏
When I rode Greyhound, the first one I rode I think was a 1973 Challenger which was the MC-7. It had the 8V71 Detroit with a 4-speed manual box. Those were the last ones they bought with a manual transmission. Up until almost recently, the doors were manually operated. To back the Challenger up, and the GM Scenicruiser, it was a bear to handle. Reverse sat behind 2nd gear. You had to put the shift lever into 1st, then there was a transmission lock on the dash that you had to advance. Then you had to pound the clutch in to really pull the lever all the way back as far it would go. Then when you were ready to pull forward, you would just put the shift lever back into 1st, advance your transmission lock on the dash and you ready for driving on the highway. I rode the MC-7 from St. Louis to Cape Girardeau in 1974. MCI started to lean the windshield back a little, thus creating the new door design for the Crusader. When the Crusader was built, they lowered the destination sign into the right hand side of the windshield, thus making it easier for customers to read the sign when it was raining. That was because when you turned the right hand wiper on, the blade would wipe some of the water droplets away from where the destination sign sat. It was all automatics when the first set of Crusaders were bought.
I Loved driving the MC-6. My run was from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco. I was driving a local, so I had a lot of freight. The power was great climbing Cuesta Grade out of SLO. If you were driving a Scenicruiser, the hill would be pulled in second gear @ 32MPH. The MC-6 would pull the same grade with a full load of freight and passengers at 45MPH in 3rd gear. I LOVED driving that Coach
Wow awesome. Thanks for sharing. I wish I could have the chance to drive one some day.
The 6 was definitely a beast. Never rode one. Saw them for the 1st time traveling out west by Greyhound in 1972.
Very enjoyable. I've ridden Greyhound and Voyageur here in Canada and enjoyed every ride.
Really sorry to see that Greyhound is closed in Canada as of May 15/21 as mentioned below.
Just subscribed and thumbs up and looking forward to seeing the early videos. Thanks!
We had MCI’s in Australia in the mid 80’s operated by Anset/Pioneer and Greyhound 🇦🇺
Yes we did and I found the seats were far too low which restricted the views forward and from the windows. The introduction by Greyhound Australia of the Silver Eagle which was fitted with automatic transmission and was much more comfortable for the passengers. This really put Anset Pioneer to the test especially on the service between Adelaide and Perth. Sadly this route across the Nullarbor Plain no longer exists for any coach company.
There's a picture of one in the video
Really awesome! I saw a coach very similar to the MC-6 that was parked in a warehouse in Coquitlam, just outside of Vancouver!
If you ever can catch a picture and send it to me I would be in your debt! Thanks for your comment! Appreciate it!
@@MotorcoachWorld UA-cam keeps deleting my replies with links for no reason so check your email with my image link!
Back in1980, I drove for Greyhound Canada, in Northern Ontario. As a new driver, I was trained by Ernie Martin, on an ancient MCI 5, that was used for training purposes. I graduated to MCI 7s and 8's, and drove an experimental MCI 9, equipped with a more fuell efficient V-6 engine. Apparently, the test 9s was not considered successful, and was re-engined to a V-8 not too long after the test was started. The V-6 did not handle the hills along the Lake Superior shore very well, including such climbs as Caver's Hill, whch reached heights similar to those in the Canadian Rockies. The V-6, it was rumoured , was considerably underpowered, when it was hauling full loads of both passengers and freight.
I'm in Alberta and feel sad Greyhound is no longer a thing here.
@@GaryCameron780 agreed!
The early 6V92 buses did seem to be sluggish and down on power and most drivers hated them preferring to drive an 8V71. Just trying to get across a big intersection from a dead stop was sometimes a challenge, once it got going it wasn't too bad but nothing like the instant torque of the 8V71. It could have been the California Delay throttle. This kept the engine from smoking if the driver mashed the throttle from a dead stop but it made it more of a slug from a dead stop. Once the computer controlled engines came to MCI in the mid 80's these problems were mostly solved. They ran great, didn't smoke, got better fuel economy and California was happy. Some time around this point Greyhound had moved all 8V71 engines out of California and schedules going into Cali all had to be the 6V92.
retired Calgary Transit.....first time viewer. Thank you posting such great videos. I subscribed !
Hi there. I'm new to your channel and highly appreciating your content. Living and growing up in Europe and even loving buses I didn't know much about coaches. It wasn't until I spent a year in Guatemala in 2002 where I met ex-USA MC-9 buses. I literally fell in love with those. I remember these buses fully emotionally with the roaring Detroit Diesel and the drivers running through the gears when they sped through the countryside of Guatemala. And despite their age I had all good rides. They never broke down and I enjoyed the comfort. The company I was riding with frequently even advertised how they use old MCI-buses as a sign of superiority.
Feel encouraged to set a virtual monument for the MC-9 in one of your next episodes. :)
Hey thanks for the comment. I actually started my bus career in mc9s and mc12s. Those truly were the excellent buses. Loved reading your comment!
In 1959 I rode in the Scenicruiser from Chicago to Winnipeg and back as part of a trip from southern Ontario to Calgary with my mother. It was really cool. The mothers with kids rode in the lower front section and I thought was cool climbing the steps to what I perceived to be the grown ups level to use the toilet. But I felt we got the better deal with a better view out the windshield.
Back in the early 1970's, I had a HS Physics teacher who drove for Greyhound during the summers and he used to regale some of us with his driving tales. I can't remember if he was talking about the MC-6 or the MC-7 for this story. He related how he and other driver's in the NYC area would have problems climbing the "Wurtsboro Hill" on NY-17, "The Quickway" (now I-86). It seems he and others would turn a knob on the emergency brake that would basically loosen it and when they got to the Wurtsboro Hill, they would flip on the "Fast Idle" switch for extra power to climb the hill without slowing down. He related one time, he didn't loosen the knob enough and when he hit the switch, it was like jamming on the brakes, so he shut off fast idle right away and chugged up Wurtsboro like all the other Motorcoaches.
When i was a kid we used to ride on Trailways i used to love their buses.
James!!!! You blessed us so much. Thank you for the shout out!!
You are too kind Cindy! Love reading your kind words on here! Gives me drive to keep making more!
Join the Chat!!! What a great episode with great ladies! Also fun seeing James eat soup haha
If you never watched another one of her vlogs you got to watch that I think all of them would be good. He was busy showing off the girls at the beginning. These are spoiler alerts. You thought the boy was going to drown in his soup. I bet he didn't look that scared at his wedding LMAO
I came to this channel by way of a UA-cam recommendation. I stayed for the awesome 80s soundtrack and the Star Trek references. That aside, when I was a child, I was fascinated with buses. I took public transit daily and memorized the serial numbers of the different buses on the routes. I would get really excited if a familiar bus arrived.
We are a lot alike as far as tastes goes. Lol thanks for taking the time to write. Stay tuned for more.
Grayhound Bus lines Driver 1977- 2017. I've seen a whole lot , in my 40 years or so. There was a time in public transportation , Grayhound meant America. 🇺🇸
I very much enjoy your videos. This one was of special interest to me as I very much love the MC-6 and MC-7. For as much as I thought I knew about the MC-6, I did not know that there were 2 experimental coaches, and that those were the ones with the skirts covering the rear tires. Being from NW OH, I never saw one on the road, much less ridden in one, but I did have the good fortune of being allowed to go inside one that was owned by another company that was parked at a shopping mall in Toledo. I was impressed!
Thanks Douglas! Appreciate your kind words.
Real cool , thanks very much 👍🏻
The MC5 deserved the name Rattler. At least the old, worn out ones I drove deserved that name. The MC7 was a very nice bus to drive. One of my favorites.
I have a question for you. Is it true from what I've read that the MC 5 had a Really large turn radius??
@@MotorcoachWorld Yes, very true. I started with Greyhound in 1970, and a couple of times after driving a 4106 and then getting a MC 5, I misjudged the turn and had to back up. Very embarrassing
Think you said the MC5 came out in 64 or 65, believe we had a 63 model at my first bus job.
Pretty informative, nice video. Old busses have style and just plain look cool.
I totally agree with that! Loved the classic silver sides!
Thanks for the interesting history on busses.
Hey thanks for the comment and kind words. Much appreciated!
Hey Jim remember the Ameri Cruiser? Greyhound work horse the MC9, I love that coach specially seeing the GH running down the road
Longest bus ride I ever took was a Greyhound Super Scenic Cruiser from Miami, FL to Marietta, OH. And able to pick up WQAM Miami the whole trip except for in the West Virginia tunnels. In 2001 I bought a brand new Chevy Dually. It too was restricted on some State roads as it too was 102" at the wheels and some States restricted vehicles to 96" if the roads were 10' lanes or less.
Greetings from NY , Iam a big fan of buses i currently drive a school mini bus but want to get into driving the big boys and eventually later in my life drive coachs thanks for bringing us these awsome vids man keep it up ! Will be getting a hat from you soon so i can rep at work
Once again I'm going back to my childhood of riding Greyhound from near the Oregon border to Los Angeles. We had to change buses in San Francisco and I saw a few Supercruisers in service. I thought they were gorgeous. I didn't get to ride one.
Had great memories in the 80's. The, Estrella de oro "gold star' line in Mexico had a large fleet of these.
Thanks for the comment!
I found your video to be just fine. Some of this I did know but about half I didn't know. I will share a story for those who are interested when I first started to ride both the Greyhound and the Trailways buses. Life is much different today than back in 1957. I trust someone will enjoy my story.
I started riding a bus at the age of 7 1/2 by myself. I learned how to flag one down on the hwy and catch a ride to Wilmington, NC which was about 12 miles from my home. I was going to see my grandmother. I was an independent little guy and I got to know all the drivers on this run. I remember the first Scenic Cursor in 1958 which put me at 8 years old. I enlisted in the military and bus rides were a very common mode of transportation such as from basic training in San Antone to Biloxi, MS. I mean the bus was packed not a vacant seat. While in the military I did use the bus to travel till I was able to go home and pick up my own car.
Thanks for the comment. I enjoyed reading it!
This video was so informative 👍🏽 great info , thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
YOU DID CONTINENTAL TRAILWAYS WHICH WAS BEAUTIFUL NOW LIKE I PREDICTED YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB WITH GREYHOUND,,, DOING A GREAT JOB keep it up
Drove an MC6 for a charter operator in South Texas in the early 80s. Only other one I’ve seen appeared abandoned at a truck stop in Michigan. Parked there for years before finally leaving in 2021.
II grew up with the 'hound Silversides and the Trailways bus of the same era. Can't remember who made them. Think it started with a "G". I rode the Trailways version with my family out of Albuquerque, NM on the midnight bus to El Paso, TX. There were no buses at night in or out of town after the sunset so we had to wait till the Trailways bus went south at Midnight. I loved those suicide front seats up next to the driver and ahead of the door. Often the driver was D.K. Kelly, who lived just up the road from my house. A well-respected driver if there was one! He later became the Director of Transportation for the State of NM. He taught me the driver's light "Codes" used by bus and professional truck drivers back then (late 1940's and early '50's) before "CB" radios. I miss those old busses. Rode a Silversides from ABQ to Phoenix once. God, it was a long trip. Just remember the driver stopping out in the middle of nowhere at night to let the Navajo Native Americans off from Grants, NM to Winslow, AZ. How they could tell where they were in the dark beats me.
The Trailways buses with the pair of seats opposite the driver, ahead of the front entrance door were made by ACF-Brill. The last models were the "IC-41".
Motor Coach Industries MC7 and MC8's were used in Australia by Ansett Pioneer and converted to right hand drive by their coachbuilding division Ansair.
Yes, I loved those coaches and the sound of the engines! The best in Australia at the time.
You Aussies have nice coaches there. Would love to see Denning convert to LHD and sell in the U.S.A.
The Bus & Car Company of Belgium, part of Continental Trailways, built two orders of Eagle Model 05 coaches with right hand drive for Greyhound (no relation to American
Greyhound) of Australia in the 70's.
Great Video!
Great channel I own a 84 MC9 love my bus
That Supercruiser is a handsome bus.
...That's a sentence I never thought I'd say.
Super cool video! It's just like hunting the upper Mississippi River wildlife area between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Same frustrations when you have a flock of birds working and somebody pulls the trigger... But that's hunting!
Love the channel.
Thanks Gregg! Appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Those buses looked so classic and sturdy ,they had such a masculine appeal
another fun fact video James! Thanks good job.
Thanks you Brian!
if you ever wondered what happens to all the old buses once they have outlived their service life in the USA, you will find them in South America, where they are driven into the ground with little or no maintenance or repairs. I have a lasting memory of riding for 5 hours in one of these in Peru. It had a broken windscreen (patched with brown paper to keep out the insects) and a top speed of 70 kph (40 mph). Of course, the air conditioning didn't work and the meal we had paid for didn't materialise. The fact that neither my wife nor I spoke Spanish didn't improve matters.
As I recall, and I think I read somewhere, the Senicruiser originally had a pair of 4-71 Detroit Diesel engines in tandem with a 3 speed transmission due to the 8v71's not yet in use, and due to being a mechanical mess eventually they were all refitted with 8v71's and 4 speed gearboxes.
3 speed transmission with a 2 speed rear axle. On the flat, one of the engines could be turned off for better fuel mileage. But, the driver's could never get the hang of the transmission/2 speed rear axle, hence when GMC came out with the 8V-71, all were converted.
GMC's 4501 scenic cruiser was originally produced with two 4v71 engines, and 3+2 speed rear axle. And remaining service that way until 1961. They were refitted in 1961 through 1963 to four-speed Spicer manual transmissions 8v71 engines, and structural plates were also added above the rear tandems and around the Vista windows this was performed by Marvin Harrington.
@@pjrazvoza4343 Marmon Herrington
MAN THAT WAS GREAT INFORMATION, I LOVE GREYHOUND. I LOVED ALL THE MODELS. THE MC7 MIGHT HAVE BEEN MY FAVORITE THOUGH.
Thanks for the comment! I started with the MC9 and MC12 back in 2009. Yes the company i drove for owned really old buses LOL
great video, very interesting
Thanks you! Appreciate the kind words!
Thanks for another superb video! One thing fascinates me about the PD-4501 is that initially, it was built with two engines - creating predictable challenges for reliability and mx. I grew up with a passion for buses (and trains) in my native Europe, but hope to see/ride some US vintage stalwarts some day!
Thanks for the great comment Tom. You know I actually knew that they had 2 engines but I totally forgot to mention it. If you ever come to the US come pay us a visit!
Great hat. Go New Flyer!
And nice history... especially all the MCI content.
Thanks Mike Barker! Appreciate it!
In the late 70’s I often saw these coaches in my neighborhood in Norwalk CA. They would be seen traveling up and down Alondra blvd and Bloomfield Ave. I remember their roofline being odd looking and unique
Of the two MCX6 experimental models, one of the two was accidentally flipped on its side by an overzealous test driver. It is believed to have been the coach with the Mercedes-Benz engine. This is the reason MCI chose the 12 v 71 as it was readily available. Excellent video keep up the good work!
Oh wow that's great information I totally didn't know that one. Thank you so much for this comment appreciate you taking the time to write.
Reading comments like these are one of the best things that come out of making these videos for me.
That could be true, I own the other experimental model and it has a 8v71 but I know it was converted from a 12v71 before I bought it. Great job on the video.
@@2swingdance I rode that coach. It was numbered 4599 in the Eastern Greyhound Lines fleet.
@@2swingdance if you truly do on the other MC 6 experimental model it would not have the rear tag axle opening in the body work and it would be Greyhound fleet #8999. I have a picture of that fleet number coach MC6 sitting with other GH coaches at a station.
Love it!
If you really want to see and learn about the older buses, go visit the Museum of Bus Transportation in Hershey, PA. They have quite a few old buses including the oldest still driveable bus. To really get an experience, go to their spring fling which is usually around the beginning of June.
Wonder if there's a bus museum where you actually get to drive the old buses...
@@adventureoflinkmk2 I can't say definitely, but I think there is one either in Virginia or Connecticut that might let you drive them.
Thanks toyou for the information about these Greyhound vintage buses. I love all of them. The new MCI buses have not the "magic touch" in design, that's my opinion. The same thing my feeling with the 1950's and 1960's Mack buses (the "Mackies") that are in my remembrances, and also with the GM buses, includying the Greyhound ones.
Synanon (a drug rehab that became a cult) had an MC-6 they acquired (donated maybe?) they used for a weekly run between their locations in Oakland to Santa Monica, CA. And yes, they were thirsty. So much so that they had their own diesel pumps at both locations, so that they could get sales tax reduced diesel as they were a non-profit corp. They also ran a couple of GM Old Look buses (I think they had Los Angeles RTD markings and colors) that were used a local shuttles between the downtown main building to a row of apartment buildings in East Oakland for their "clients" in rehab. I definitely remember the MC-6 since I used to pump it's diesel from time to time in 1970 (as a 10 year old).
That's the first Eagle Greyhound bus I've ever seen. I always thought Eagle was more associated with Trailways.
The dog had the eagles for a short while after acquiring Trailways. They didn't keep them long from what I understand
The Greyhound drivers really hated those Eagles especially the 05 models with standard shift and no power steering, we had a few drivers refuse to drive them.
I thought one of the best parts of Bull Durham besides Susan Sarandon was the team bus leaving town going thru the gears. Great sounding detroit!
Oh wow I just came along your channel great video. I actually work at MCI in Winnipeg
Hey awesome! Thanks for commenting. What do you do for MCI? We love your products by the way LOL
I drove commercially from '80 to '86 in southern Ontario,Hanover Coach Started on an old GM 4106 then a couple of GM humps, then an MC8 Sherwood Trans...got a new MC9 in '83 Chrome wheel covers, jake, air step, 5 speed manual. I actually bent the shifter and the MCI salesman saw it...the next year they brought the demonstrator to our shop, it had my shifter design in it. Always wanted to drive a V12 Detroit. Moved over into maintenance after '86, just did the odd trip after that as an extra, usually Florida spring break 24 hr straight through.