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Rich
Top Member
United States
5768 Posts |
 Posted - 06/28/2003 : 10:20:20 AM
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| Did Wayne ever make rear engines in the mid-to-late 80's or in the 90's? I remember The Buskid mentioning about a new model they were coming out with, but I have never seen it. |
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1983WardFord
Top Member
USA
1395 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2003 : 8:01:48 PM
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| they were going to come out with one in 95 or early 96, but their parent company pulled the plug before the bus model was released. |
Due to the current economic condition, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off until further notice. |
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Buskid
Top Member
USA
3368 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2003 : 8:10:53 PM
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That would be the Wayne RD 9000. There is an advertisement for the bus in a February 1995 edition of School Bus Fleet Magazine. The ad reads:
Introducing the Wayne RD9000 . . . In the school bus industry, it's not very often that a product comes along that can truly be called revolutionary. This, however, is one of those times. Wayne Wheeled Vehicles is proud to introduce the Wayne RD 9000 — a rear engine, forward control, Type D bus that is unlike anything available in the market today.
What makes the RD 9000 different? It is a bus that was designed and engineered as a result of input from drivers, student riders, mechanics, transportation directors and administrators. It is a bus that includes features so sensible one wonders why they have never been included before — standard anti-lock brakes, storage for cleaning supplies, a lighted engine compartment, a trash receptacle near the entrance door, a file drawer for the driver's records, and a ride so smooth and quiet, it has to be experienced to be believed!
For a free video introducing the Wayne RD 9000, call 1-800-xxx-xxxx. The future of the school bus industry is now!
I wonder, did anyone ever order that video that introduced the Wayne RD 9000?  |
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SuperiorGMC1963
Top Member
USA
1079 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2003 : 7:36:46 PM
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In the summer of 1994 I had the opportunity to visit the Wayne plant in Marysville, Ohio. That facility was incredible...it's just too bad that Wayne had to go the way of so many of the oldtime body manufacturers. On that visit I met Barbara Baker who gave a great tour of the plant. Wayne did not have much as far as bus literature but the following spring I received a video in the mail from Ms. Baker. Buskid, I believe it is the video you are asking about. It is dated 1-6-95 and titled: Wayne Wheeled Vehicles - Introducing the Wayne RD-9000. The video runs 8 1/2 minutes. I haven't watched it in a few years but it has plenty of scenes of the RD9000 traveling down various highways and lots of interviews with Wayne engineers and builders, bus drivers and Ms. Baker. I'd give the video a big thumbs up! 
Ted |
Edited by - SuperiorGMC1963 on 06/29/2003 7:58:06 PM |
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Jared
Top Member
USA
1865 Posts |
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BPS_Driver
Advanced Member
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 09:58:45 AM
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I would love to see that video or any pictures anyone might have of these models. It is absolutely killing me to see the forward control model and rear engine design.
Now my question is in addition to that above: There had to be demos built in order to to test these models (proto types I guess) so where did these end up?? I would drive any muile to go see these? Were they maybe destroyed?
From the description Buskid wrote, did AmTran take soem of these ideas when Wayne left?
Finally: Who aquired Wayne when they closed? Anyone buy or purchase the rights to the papers? Same question with Carpenter? I am hearing many different stories? |
23 Million safe deliveries a day by all of us |
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 10:23:52 AM
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quote:
Finally: Who aquired Wayne when they closed? Anyone buy or purchase the rights to the papers? Same question with Carpenter? I am hearing many different stories?
I think Carpenter and Wayne were both owned by the same company, Spartan Motors. They pulled the plug on Wayne first and then later Carpenter. |
Mike's Bus Yard - http://buses.zwebpages.com - Since 1999
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1983WardFord
Top Member
USA
1395 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 3:17:50 PM
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Actually, I heard that Harsco was the company responsible for Wayne and its demise. As much as I was told, the ony real connection is that Carpenter moved into Wayne's old Richmond plant and acquired a lot of Wayne's parts as well.
I would love to see photos of the RD9000 |
Due to the current economic condition, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off until further notice. |
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Buskid
Top Member
USA
3368 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 3:35:21 PM
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 3:44:37 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Superior83
Actually, I heard that Harsco was the company responsible for Wayne and its demise. As much as I was told, the ony real connection is that Carpenter moved into Wayne's old Richmond plant and acquired a lot of Wayne's parts as well.
I would love to see photos of the RD9000
You're probably right. I just recalled that from previous discussions about this but I'm sure I have some of my facts wrong!  |
Mike's Bus Yard - http://buses.zwebpages.com - Since 1999
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Rich
Top Member
United States
5768 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 5:35:44 PM
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Trina, thanks for posting that image, hehe. 
That bus is really interesting, I like the front style except that huge Wayne emblem... ick, it looks scary. I've never seen the emergency door so close to the front, is that a popular option in other areas?
By the way, that driver's bucket window is nice, just like Jared's designs!  |
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BusFreak
Top Member
USA
798 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 5:56:19 PM
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quote:
I've never seen the emergency door so close to the front, is that a popular option in other areas?
That bus probrably has another emergency door on the other side. Our 97 and 98 Thomas ERs have the drivers side emergency door in the same place as that bus. Our specs state that the door on one side must be close to the front wheels, while the other door must be close to the opposite wheel. |
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Thomasfan89
Top Member
USA
1155 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 6:04:51 PM
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That is a sharp bus!! Thanks for the pic Buskid!! Wish it made it!
Greg Hovan |
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BPS_Driver
Advanced Member
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2003 : 10:14:33 PM
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OMG,
Now my curiousity has grown wild. I cannot believe this. I think had the bus been introduced or released it might have made it.
I am really wanting to see more pics now. I am curious of what the interior looked like, dash area, exterior shots. My mind is racing. |
23 Million safe deliveries a day by all of us |
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Busdude3
Top Member
USA
1178 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2003 : 7:00:06 PM
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That is one incredible Wayne RE Buskid! Does anyknow when they first started making Lifestars?
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Jared
Top Member
USA
1865 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2003 : 12:58:48 PM
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the video had a shot of the studio where it was designed. They had a mock interior model of the bus for ergonomic studies that had a much more radical dash board design then the final version, but either way, the bus was absolutely georgeous when it was done. This was my attempt that hardly does it justice from a few months back
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaredg21/sets/ |
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Busdude3
Top Member
USA
1178 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2003 : 4:29:03 PM
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Awesome drawings Jared!
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vaoverland
Advanced Member
USA
225 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 10:11:00 PM
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| Here is a lot of info about the Wayne Wheeled Vehicles RD9000 |
Wayne's Lifeguard in 1973 was a safety design and building concept ahead of its time and regulation. I am proud to have helped bring over 2,000 of them into Virginia during my career. I know they saved some lives.
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/WayneBusEnthusiasts/
Mark Fisher, semi-retired school bus driver, pupil transportation supervisor, contractor, and school bus body dealer, Williamsburg, VA |
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ltrain2001
Senior Member
139 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2005 : 9:38:53 PM
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Anyone have any idea where the one prototype that made it is?
Just curious.
Thanks,
LT |
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vaoverland
Advanced Member
USA
225 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2005 : 10:13:29 PM
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Wayne Corporation went out of business in 1992. There were 2 later efforts which are related to Wayne, but not really to each other.
HARSCO, a steel-company and conglomerate, bought the tooling and most product rights at the bankruptcy sale, and set up an assembly operation at Marysville, Ohio beginning in 1993. They made assembled an excellent military truck, and were looking for an additional product line. From what I know, the major problems which doomed the effort were 1. failure to win more military truck orders, very profitable, but subject to bidding and military procurement fluctuations, and 2. no tie in with a chassis manufacturer or in-house capacity, 3. entering a market which already had overcapacity of existing suppliers. They used the good things they could get from the old Wayne, tried to avoid the liabilities and mistakes, but the market problems I just described were beyond anyone's best efforts. Exit HARSCO in 1995, with no direct involvement with Spartan or Carpenter. Marysville Ohio plant sold to Navistar, write-off rest of investment.
Subsequently, Carpenter attempted to move to the old Wayne plant in Richmond Indiana (from Carpenters' much older facilities in Mitchell), and use some of the newer techniques and local resources attached to the old Wayne plant (vs Mitchell) but also faced ruinous competition. Spartan makes a high end chassis, but it was not a product which could compete effectively in the high volume, low priced school bus market IC, Thomas, and BB engaged in. Spartan let subsidiary shutdown, write-off investment.
In both later cases, as was earlier the case with Wayne's owners before 1984, the larger parent wanted to cut its losses through sale or shutdown. If the subsidiary doesn't return profits, a conglomerate will only shore up losses so long. Whether the products are of good or even exceptional design or quality is not anywhere near as important as the role and outlook for profits in the competitive markets. That has been a hard lessen for bus enthusiasts many times in the past. |
Wayne's Lifeguard in 1973 was a safety design and building concept ahead of its time and regulation. I am proud to have helped bring over 2,000 of them into Virginia during my career. I know they saved some lives.
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/WayneBusEnthusiasts/
Mark Fisher, semi-retired school bus driver, pupil transportation supervisor, contractor, and school bus body dealer, Williamsburg, VA |
Edited by - vaoverland on 03/27/2005 10:24:37 PM |
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BlueBird44
Top Member
USA
1639 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2005 : 06:41:12 AM
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| That bus is awsome it would good defintley make it. IF they had what they said inside that bus it would be a hit for my contactor because we'll always complaining we need more room for cleaning stuff and all our files. |
IC-The Golden Shield of School Transportation |
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ThomasER0005
Top Member
USA
576 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2005 : 2:07:37 PM
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| yea that bus does look great |
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RD9000
Senior Member
72 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2012 : 10:57:28 AM
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| The RD9000 was certainly a step in the right direction. I had the pleasure of seeing the RD9000 after it has been sold to the original owner. Unfortunately, I never had an opportunity to see the bus when it was new. The trashcan was a great idea and fairly functional. The storage for cleaning supplies was neat- it was a box mounted as an armrest for the last rear seats, utilzing an area that most manufacturers simply leave unused. the driver's storage was debatable as to its usefulness. The storage above the front windshield was incredible. The only downside was that many of these storage areas required the use of Wayne's 1/4 square key which would have been a little less than convenient to carry around! |
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78fordwayne
Top Member
USA
2868 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2012 : 2:39:08 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by RD9000
The RD9000 was certainly a step in the right direction. I had the pleasure of seeing the RD9000 after it has been sold to the original owner. Unfortunately, I never had an opportunity to see the bus when it was new. The trashcan was a great idea and fairly functional. The storage for cleaning supplies was neat- it was a box mounted as an armrest for the last rear seats, utilzing an area that most manufacturers simply leave unused. the driver's storage was debatable as to its usefulness. The storage above the front windshield was incredible. The only downside was that many of these storage areas required the use of Wayne's 1/4 square key which would have been a little less than convenient to carry around!
Why do you keep bringing up topics that are 100 years old ? |
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RD9000
Senior Member
72 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2012 : 3:33:44 PM
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| Just to brighten your day :) We need to talk to the moderators about getting your screen name changed to sunshine! |
Edited by - RD9000 on 09/26/2012 3:52:12 PM |
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Jake
Top Member
USA
3527 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2012 : 08:39:36 AM
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| I agree with 78fordwayne (or 'sunshine' as you call him), it would be a lot better to make new topics rather than bumping old ones. It creates a lot of confusion and the people that posted in these topics are no longer on the forum (in most cases). |
Edited by - Jake on 09/27/2012 08:40:18 AM |
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RD9000
Senior Member
72 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2012 : 12:25:32 PM
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| I disagree- I think it causes confusion to have several threads on the exact same subject matter. It causes clutter and confusion. Admins on most forums that I am involved constantly seek to combine similar threads. They don't pay attention to dates. I can definitely see why some people would leave this forum if they receive the same welcome. |
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Jake
Top Member
USA
3527 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2012 : 1:31:46 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by RD9000
I disagree- I think it causes confusion to have several threads on the exact same subject matter. It causes clutter and confusion. Admins on most forums that I am involved constantly seek to combine similar threads. They don't pay attention to dates. I can definitely see why some people would leave this forum if they receive the same welcome.
You've contradicted yourself because you've bumped like 2 or 3 different threads to talk about the Wayne RD9000. Ideally you would get a lot more views if you just started one new thread about the Wayne RD9000. I may not be a moderator at this forum but I've administered and moderated several different active forums over the past 5-6 years and bumping has never been encouraged.
When you bump old threads just to add random comments, members have to scroll down (or go through multiple pages) just to see your new post. Making a new thread will put your new post/ discussion right on top and it's easily viewed and more people will reply to the discussion. It does not take up any more forum bandwidth or storage space on the server, it's exactly the same and makes things 100% easier on the other viewers/ lurkers on this forum.
As far as people feeling welcome, I've never said you are not welcome here. I was just trying to be respectful and ask that you to not bump older threads. SBF hasn't been a really active forum lately and it's nice to see new members here, but please do not try to start scenes with other members. That is highly discouraged on the forums and I've seen people banned for doing so.
If you have any further questions about forum policy, house rules, or anything else, I would recommend that you contact a forum moderator by going to the SBF homepage and clicking on the contact link. I'm sure they would be more than glad to help you with any problems or concerns you might have.
Otherwise, welcome to the forums and enjoy your stay here. |
Edited by - Jake on 09/27/2012 2:23:06 PM |
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RD9000
Senior Member
72 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2012 : 3:06:19 PM
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| I offer my apologies to anyone I may have offended by replying to old posts. I certainly didn't mean for my posts to be "random comments." I had put thought into my posts, but obviously, they appeared pointless and/or out of date for some of the forum members. I also did not realize that I had caused a scene with 78fordwayne nor Jake for that matter. It was only my intention to respond to a sour post with a cheerful answer. I did not realize I had violated forum policy. For that, I am sorry. If I have a question in the future or come comments about a particular subject, I'll consider starting a new thread. I will offer a piece of forum etiquette myself while we're on the subject. Please refrain from quoting the previous post as it causes confusion and causes the reader to have to scroll further down and hunt for the latest post. Thanks! |
Edited by - RD9000 on 09/28/2012 11:27:21 AM |
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Wayne Rear Engines
