official NovaBus LFS Articulated Discussion

[Infamous85]

And the ones that are 14 years old probably will not make it through year's end, or even through the month.

 

Those 6000's are way better than the older 3 digit O5's imo.

[NX Express]

BTW, any updates on how the LFS 40-ft test went?

[Princelex]

BTW, any updates on how the LFS 40-ft test went?

 

Good question. Let's hope the is one step closer to ordering this.

[w8Hou]

To update the situation on the artics:

 

MTA is going to wrap starting with Gun Hill's buses:

 

1200, with the crappy wrap-- we already seen what MTA is capable doing sloppy job.

 

1203 and 1204 has the new and improve wrap, someone at subchat/buschat made a comparison between the new wrap and old/sloppy wrap from before.

 

[Princelex]

To update the situation on the artics:

 

MTA is going to wrap starting with Gun Hill's buses:

 

1200, with the crappy wrap-- we already seen what MTA is capable doing sloppy job.

 

1203 and 1204 has the new and improve wrap, someone at subchat/buschat made a comparison between the new wrap and old/sloppy wrap from before.

 

 

Thanks for the info. I look forward to seeing the new wrap on these buses.

[R22 Shoal Point]

After viewing multiple videos of the MTA LFS Artics that have been posted, I'm now wondering if they indeed have the ZF Ecolife or the Ecomat 4 transmission.

 

The reason I am suspicious is that they sound exactly like STM's LFS Artics which use the Ecomat 4 and a member of another forum who works at Nova Bus is pretty sure they have the 2007 engines. The Ecolife is used with the 2010 engines not the 2007 engines. Also the whine on the Ecolife transmission is a lot less prominent that the Ecomat 4, and in the videos of the MTA LFS Artics, the whine is quite prominent.

[aemoreira81]

Those 6000's are way better than the older 3 digit O5's imo.

 

Or what's left of the 3-digit O5s (and the 5900s).

[T to Dyre Avenue]

The majority of the fleet on the Q12 and Q13 are hybrid buses that are 1-4 years old. The Orion Vs on those lines are only 11-14 years old.

 

The O5s are still largely beyond their useful lives. And buses in Queens take a real pounding because they have to transport a lot of commuters beyond the reach of the subways. Perhaps if the , and trains had been extended eastward when the City had a chance to do it decades ago, standard 40-foot buses would be just fine for these routes. But the City didn't and we need buses that can handle those crowds better than the standard 40-foot hybrid buses can.

[Princelex]

I thought this was a discussion about the Nova LFSA's not the O5's. Please stay on topic.

[aemoreira81]

I thought this was a discussion about the Nova LFSA's not the O5's. Please stay on topic.

 

Returning to that topic, the LFSAs at GH are now getting wrapped en masse.

 

The blue stripe on the wrap stripe covers up the original stripe on the buses (which to me is why the LFSAs should have been delivered with no colors at all).

 

Here's a look at bus #1230 (I'm old enough to remember this number previously as an RTS on the B9 in its final days in the mid-1990s with over 430,000 miles on it). There used to be a number by the forward wheel on the stripe, and the New York City Bus had previously been on the trailer; both got covered up by the wrap.

[Princelex]

I was just going to post that I am seeing a bunch of LFSA's with the wraps and they look great, even better than 1200.

[AlexLy]

I was just going to post that I am seeing a bunch of LFSA's with the wraps and they look great, even better than 1200.

 

Yeah, 1200 is a mess, they should really replace its old wrap by the new one! BTW, the improved version is very nice!B)

[Princelex]

Yeah, 1200 is a mess, they should really replace its old wrap by the new one! BTW, the improved version is very nice!B)

 

I totally agree with you. 1200 needs to look like the rest of the fleet, now that they are wrapped. Hopefully it's already happened.

[busman]

All Artics for the MTA have the EPA 2007 engine The 2010 are just coming out now.

[AlexLy]

All Artics for the MTA have the EPA 2007 engine The 2010 are just coming out now.

 

Talking about the powertrain, are you guys sure the transmission is the ZF Ecolife? 'Cause in most cities it's a ZF-6HP604C. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[DJ.Surf.LFS]

Ecolife - EPA 2010

Ecomat (6HP604C) - EPA 2007

 

The MTA order is EPA 2007, so they definitely have Ecomat (6HP604C). The next order will have Ecolife instead.

[aemoreira81]

I was just going to post that I am seeing a bunch of LFSA's with the wraps and they look great, even better than 1200.

 

All LFSAs at Gun Hill are now wrapped and fixed on the Bx12 Select. Currently on the route are 1200-1232; a handful of D60HFs are still fixed on the Bx12 Select (approximately 6 or 7, from 5734-5739 or 5740).

 

Compare and contrast: 1221 versus 1200.

[LRG]

All LFSAs at Gun Hill are now wrapped and fixed on the Bx12 Select. Currently on the route are 1200-1232; a handful of D60HFs are still fixed on the Bx12 Select (approximately 6 or 7, from 5734-5739 or 5740).

 

Compare and contrast: 1221 versus 1200.

 

The new wraps look three times as better!

[Lothian]

All LFSAs at Gun Hill are now wrapped and fixed on the Bx12 Select. Currently on the route are 1200-1232; a handful of D60HFs are still fixed on the Bx12 Select (approximately 6 or 7, from 5734-5739 or 5740).

 

Compare and contrast: 1221 versus 1200.

 

Looking good, but are there any plans to add fleet numbers to the front of the buses?

[aemoreira81]

Looking good, but are there any plans to add fleet numbers to the front of the buses?

 

That's the first question that should be asked. Now I know why the buses have roofline numbers.

[Princelex]

All LFSAs at Gun Hill are now wrapped and fixed on the Bx12 Select. Currently on the route are 1200-1232; a handful of D60HFs are still fixed on the Bx12 Select (approximately 6 or 7, from 5734-5739 or 5740).

 

Compare and contrast: 1221 versus 1200.

 

Cool. I have a couple of questions. Has 1200 gotten the new wrap or is it still in the original wrap it came in? Will those D60HF's remain on the Bx12 SBS or will they unwrap them for other lines?

[aemoreira81]

Cool. I have a couple of questions. Has 1200 gotten the new wrap or is it still in the original wrap it came in? Will those D60HF's remain on the Bx12 SBS or will they unwrap them for other lines?

 

Not sure about 1200.

 

Most of the 5700s with the wraps have had the wraps covered up and they are now in the general Gun Hill fleet pool. A handful though remain in the pool, primarily 5734-5739 and possibly 5740.

[Princelex]

I've not seen any of the NF Artics on the Bx12 SBS since the service cuts happened. Also, why don't some of the Nova's over at 126th St come over and fill out the rest of the SBS fleet? I don't think it's right that the whole Bx12 SBS isn't completely LFSA's at this point. They wouldn't do this if it had started in Manhattan, so why do it in the Bronx? That's just my 2 cents on the matter.

[aemoreira81]

I've not seen any of the NF Artics on the Bx12 SBS since the service cuts happened. Also, why don't some of the Nova's over at 126th St come over and fill out the rest of the SBS fleet? I don't think it's right that the whole Bx12 SBS isn't completely LFSA's at this point. They wouldn't do this if it had started in Manhattan, so why do it in the Bronx? That's just my 2 cents on the matter.

 

My guess would be fleet average. Before the LFSAs arrived, 126 Street had only a handful of post-2000 buses thanks to transfers. The LFSAs sent some buses to West Farms for the Bx15 and many more to retirement.

 

For that reason, 1231 and 1232 came over. Unless GH has had an increase in SBS service requirements, 1200-1232 are one-for-one replacements of 5734-5766 (5767 and 5768 were taken off the service in winter 2009).

[Princelex]

My guess would be fleet average. Before the LFSAs arrived, 126 Street had only a handful of post-2000 buses thanks to transfers. The LFSAs sent some buses to West Farms for the Bx15 and many more to retirement.

 

For that reason, 1231 and 1232 came over. Unless GH has had an increase in SBS service requirements, 1200-1232 are one-for-one replacements of 5734-5766 (5767 and 5768 were taken off the service in winter 2009).

 

So that's pretty much everything then. That works.

 

On a seperate note, I hope the gets Nova to fix the A/C on these buses. It's rough in there when it's 90 degrees plus.