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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
 Posted - 05/27/2005 : 02:04:41 AM
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You're right about that. Virginia does have tough school bus regulations.
For instance, after 9-11-01, Loudoun County wanted to put a small (probably 2 inches x 3 inches) American flag by the bus number. The state turned said NO!
So, as I was told by an LCPS Transportation official, they got a new law made that allows for small American flags to be placed on the bus.
Now, you see all Loudoun buses with an American flag by the bus number on the driver and passenger side. |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2005 : 11:52:34 AM
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| Yes, we have a few drivers that have done that as well in Fairfax. Also in 2001 many drivers mounted a flag on the Antennas of their buses. I liked it a lot and thought it was very patriotic, and I would have done the same. Many drivers tied ribbonds to their crossing mirrors, and bus those plastic sticky flags on their windshields. |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2005 : 06:40:39 AM
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| I noticed some drivers who had a front engine or a conventional put a ribbon on the front of there bus. |
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deleon
Senior Member
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - 05/29/2005 : 06:57:25 AM
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hello buckingham county school have one of the new CE200 by ic. buses this bus is so nice.
what type of switches are on your buses.(like strobe,warning,override,etc.)Have anyone seen some va school buses photo online. |
DeLeon Anderson
bus 20 |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2005 : 11:35:15 AM
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| Welcome deleon! We have just basic switches on our IC RE and FE's here in Fairfax. Warning Light, Stop Arm Cancel, Master Cancel, Booster Pump, Strobe Light, Rear Heater, Defroster, Throttle Swithes, Etc. |
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deleon
Senior Member
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2005 : 5:50:10 PM
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| what the basics switches. |
DeLeon Anderson
bus 20 |
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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2005 : 6:26:28 PM
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They are rocker switches, about 2 inches long and 3/4 inch wide, with a symbol and the word(s) telling what they control, and a little strip that lights up when they are on.
They also put them right where you accidently hit them with your left elbow....so sometimes you fry the kids in the back with the rear heater when it's hot weather. |
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vaschoolbus
New Member
USA
4 Posts |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2005 : 06:34:55 AM
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| Welcome vaschoolbus! That's cool that you've created your own forum, but I think I'll being staying here on SBF. |
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TMack8402
Active Member
USA
35 Posts |
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Drew19
Top Member
USA
651 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2005 : 7:35:28 PM
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| not exactly true loundon county IC Re's have exented and the HDX's have extended. But the Hd's do not have extended room and the HDX and HD's look the same expect the front panel is different. and Loundon county still has the roof hatches that can open up top and in loundon county a lot of the bus drivers open them. |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2005 : 10:00:35 AM
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| Does Loudoun County have the RE 200 or 300? I want to say 300, but I am not certain. |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2005 : 3:14:37 PM
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| 300 |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2005 : 02:03:28 AM
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| Ok, that's what I thought. |
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scottyd
Advanced Member
USA
491 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2005 : 06:51:17 AM
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| TMack8402, I'll check with Bus801. He and I went to the Montgomery County bus lot recently and I think he took some pics. |
Scott
Driving America's Future |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2005 : 8:50:09 PM
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| Does anybody know if there are any Conventional style buses in Loudoun County, because I haven't seen any before. All I ever see there are Thomas ER's and AmTran and IC RE's. Just curious, same with Arlington, I believe they only have a handful of Type c's left. In Fairfax, they are saying we will be strictly type D's by the beginning of next school year. |
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BusFreak
Top Member
USA
798 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2005 : 11:55:20 PM
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| In Loudoun, Ive seen quite a few Thomas Internationals...I'm sure they must still be around. As for Arlington County, their regular ed fleet is 100 % Rear Engine Transit...Mostly Thomas, ranging from 1991 through 2003, and then IC REs for the 2004 and 2005s. Their special ed fleet though does have atleast one more conventional shorty lingering around. LOTS of Vistas (type B) as well. The newest are FE transit buses like Fairfax uses. |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2005 : 06:54:01 AM
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| Loudoun does have a few conventionals. So does Prince William, Alexandria, and Fauquier. |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2005 : 06:55:44 AM
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| Really, I never knew that about Loudoun |
Edited by - IC-RE on 06/05/2005 06:56:00 AM |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2005 : 2:17:47 PM
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| I will send you some pictures on IM. |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2005 : 2:37:54 PM
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| OKay, great, thank you! |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2005 : 02:03:47 AM
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| Loudoun, Alexandria, and Prince William are trying to get rid of their conventionals. Prince William for instance has several 1990 Blue Bird Chevy conventionals that they are trying to replace. They also have alot of 1991 Thomas International's they are trying to rid of. They are buying Thomas MVP EF's and HDX's. |
Edited by - IC RE 1629 on 06/08/2005 02:20:28 AM |
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Drew19
Top Member
USA
651 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2005 : 6:55:22 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by IC RE 1629
Welcome deleon! We have just basic switches on our IC RE and FE's here in Fairfax. Warning Light, Stop Arm Cancel, Master Cancel, Booster Pump, Strobe Light, Rear Heater, Defroster, Throttle Swithes, Etc.
what is a booster pump? |
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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2005 : 7:11:30 PM
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| I think he's talking about the electric pump that pumps the hot coolant back to the rear heater core (or to the front on a RE). It would take forever otherwise..... |
Edited by - IC on 06/08/2005 7:12:40 PM |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2005 : 01:56:06 AM
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| The heater booster pump. Without it, your heater are pretty much useless. |
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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2005 : 4:57:49 PM
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Hey 1629, I don't know about other buses, but on my Ford/Wayne, you only had to run the booster pump for a little while...maybe 15-20 minutes. Then you could shut it off and the hot water would continue to circulate throughout the bus.
The pump on my Ford was a Jabsco rubber impeller pump of a type identical to several I have aboard my Chris*Craft. I've replaced MANY an impeller in those pumps, so I thought it was a good idea to run that booster pump on the bus only as long as necessary. |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2005 : 5:09:10 PM
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| IC, how you holding up in that Thomas Bus with the heat, yesturday, a driver of a Thomas came on board our bus for several minutes because we have A/C and the poor women was sweating to death, I thought she was having heat stroke, then that was when she said she wished she were back in her Ford Wayne because when it was hot outside, it circulated the air better with the windows open, and that her Thomas was holding in all the hot air, which she is NOT lying, same on the AmTrans without A/C, Our bus went in for service today, and we are in a spare Blue Bird TC2000, and Man we were dying, but my driver said that they were going to give her a Thomas to use and she said NO way because of the heat. Luckily her friend who got an 06 RE won;t be here tomorrow, and we may get it for the day. Man we are spoiled with that A/C, which by the way, doesn't work that great on the buses, BUT HEY, Its' SOMETHING. I don't know how I used to live!! |
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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2005 : 6:13:00 PM
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Hey IC-RE, I hope these drivers of whom you speak have closed the heater valves on those buses! All our buses have them....in different places, but they all have them. You turn them OFF when it gets hot....so you don't have hot coolant circulating through the heater cores which, as you know, are near the driver and passengers.
The first hot day, I set out to find them on my Thomas....they are behind a little door, up high, in the (left) side compartment where the radiator is located. On conventional buses, they are under the hood, on Amtrans, they are in plain view inside the left engine door. I have no idea where they are on the Blue Birds, other than they have to be up front near the motor. Anyhoo, I shut mine off and it has been bearable on my bus....damned hot, but not heat stroke hot!
So, tell those drivers to turn those valves off, or flag down the next road man they see and get him to do it!
Note: These valves are "gate valves" which take MANY turns to close fully. They ain't like faucet valves that only take a turn or two to close! |
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Jim
Top Member
USA
581 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2005 : 6:42:02 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by IC
Note: These valves are "gate valves" which take MANY turns to close fully. They ain't like faucet valves that only take a turn or two to close!
And don't forget, "righty tighty, lefty loosey."
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2005 : 6:45:46 PM
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| IC, glad to hear all is well on your 97!! will make it a point to let the driver know, the driver is actualy an Area II driver that does various work for Area III like field trips and actualy has a regular run at one of our elementary schools! |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2005 : 01:53:46 AM
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| On the AmTran's I know that the booster pump has to run for quite awhile if you want good heat. This holds true for 1629. |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2005 : 11:43:28 AM
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| Yes, in the winter, my driver idles the bus for 15 mins, and she has a 15 minute drive from west ox to pick us up, and when we get on it is still freezing, but after a minute or so of us breathing, it gets REALLY hot! |
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IC RE 1629
Top Member
United States
5097 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2005 : 1:07:26 PM
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| 1629 has some stubborn heaters. Especially that rear heater. I love 1629, but the heaters on that bus aren't very good. Though on the other hand, the A/C works GREAT!!! |
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Drew19
Top Member
USA
651 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2005 : 12:02:00 PM
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Well the AC's on the HDX's work great but they also have it so the vents are through out the whole sides of the bus.
quote:
Originally posted by IC-RE
IC, how you holding up in that Thomas Bus with the heat, yesturday, a driver of a Thomas came on board our bus for several minutes because we have A/C and the poor women was sweating to death, I thought she was having heat stroke, then that was when she said she wished she were back in her Ford Wayne because when it was hot outside, it circulated the air better with the windows open, and that her Thomas was holding in all the hot air, which she is NOT lying, same on the AmTrans without A/C, Our bus went in for service today, and we are in a spare Blue Bird TC2000, and Man we were dying, but my driver said that they were going to give her a Thomas to use and she said NO way because of the heat. Luckily her friend who got an 06 RE won;t be here tomorrow, and we may get it for the day. Man we are spoiled with that A/C, which by the way, doesn't work that great on the buses, BUT HEY, Its' SOMETHING. I don't know how I used to live!!
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Official Virginia School Bus Thread
