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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
 Posted - 06/17/2010 : 2:13:05 PM
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| We have one more day left in the regular school year I feel like I am driving summer school. I understand they had a good auction with the old Bus 74 here in va.beach. |
keep those buses rolling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/schoolbushistory |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2010 : 10:05:21 PM
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| Yeah I bid on the older bus with no hhod and it sold for way more than I expected. I saw today Powhatan has pulled licence off 4 of their 98 - 99 Freightliners. I remember when they were new. It was really cool seeing those for the first time. Odd they pulled those when they are still running older buses. We have been out since last week. I'm off for a couple of weeks then its crunch time getting buses and classrooms back together for another year. |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2010 : 08:36:58 AM
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| yes they did very good on that auction from what i heard (good to hear used buses are of value)we still have some 95s and 94s running around as activity buses. The first students I carried on regular route with Bus 74 graduated last night strange how they all went away in the same week. Thanks again Mr. Hardy for the bus pics I am getting very good feedback on them. |
keep those buses rolling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/schoolbushistory |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2010 : 12:24:19 PM
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| Thats neat the timing of that. I'm glad you like the pics. I will send you more when I get them loaded. Are you driving summer school? |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2010 : 1:14:35 PM
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| Driving parks and rec field trips because it is so much harder then the other stuff(maybe). It should be a fun time with parks and rec hoping 546 holds up noticing it is leaving a stain on its parking location underneath the left side of the engine.It has almost 62k on it now so could be anything but it is such a cool bus. |
keep those buses rolling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/schoolbushistory |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 1:46:45 PM
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| 546 your regular bus? Has anyone heard any news on Roanoke's first year under a contractor? I also hear the state roadeo is being held here in Chesterfield Co. this year over at James River H.S. this week on tues., I think. |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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old_school
Active Member
United States
29 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2010 : 04:54:02 AM
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@hardy
What is the reason for the removal of Powhatan's freightliners? are they going to auction them on site or on line? will you try to get some of them? |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2010 : 07:21:09 AM
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| I dont know what they are going to do. I'm sure they will sell them this summer because they pulled them outside the gate. If you've seen Powhatan's lot in the summer you know its full back there. They really need a bigger lot to park all those buses. I am not interested in them at all. They have added a 2000 TC2000 as well. Common sense tells me if they are getting rid of 99-2000 model buses and still running 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, and 98 there must be problems with them. They all have Cummins engines and I know they have been troublesome. I'll let you know if I find out more. |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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old_school
Active Member
United States
29 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2010 : 09:08:31 AM
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| I thought Amelia Academy sold that Wayne! good to know they still have it. they had a late 70's early 80's model thomas gmc that look just as good as that one. oh well when it comes down to aution time....she's all mine!!! |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2010 : 3:39:51 PM
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| I doubt they sell that bus any time soon. I know one of the board members and he says they gonna keep those old mechanical diesels as long as they can. They use that bus for activity and changed the rear so it will run 65+.... |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 07/13/2010 : 1:18:53 PM
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| Some of us really miss those old Internationals those things were great I will never understand changing things that work and work well. I will be in Petersburg tomorrow with a group and then going to Kings Dominion on Thursday with a much of other buses from Va. Beach not sure of anyone with a brand new one going. Our first set of regular C2s from 2008 have started losing their battery door it is getting kind of funny to hear that called in there is another what was wrong with the old style body. |
keep those buses rolling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/schoolbushistory |
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old_school
Active Member
United States
29 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2010 : 7:57:58 PM
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| Today i rode by Southampton's garage on hwy 35 in Courtland, VA. Their yard is small and they didn't have alot of buses. I was surprised not to see a football field full of buses because last time i looked on the map...Southampton County isn't small at all. Im going to try and see each bus yard in VA atleast once before i kick the bucket. |
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2010 : 09:07:35 AM
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| yeah there fleet is small maybe only like 100 or so buses .they use to stuff there lot with buses at one time maybe they house them else where.cool trying to find all those lots i try sometimes. |
keep those buses rolling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/schoolbushistory |
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old_school
Active Member
United States
29 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2010 : 3:31:22 PM
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lol@bsaund09
I forget you're from VA Beach so just 100 buses is small to yall!:) |
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Tatum
Top Member
United States
600 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2010 : 6:25:58 PM
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| Speaking of VA Beach, how large is their fleet? (total number of buses) |
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2010 : 8:00:55 PM
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| Hey old school, Powhatan just announced those buses to be sold on a sealed bid due by the 6th of Aug. I would be afraid of them being as that they are keeping much older buses and knowing of the troubles of that Cummins engine. If yu want to see a nice shop visit the Nelson Co. bus shop. Its only 5 or 6 years old and I really like the set up they have. Its behind the H.S. just before you get to the apple orchard. |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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Edited by - hardybusman on 07/22/2010 8:03:27 PM |
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2010 : 4:04:10 PM
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| You gotta wonder who plans these things. Powhatans bus shop is smaller and older than ours. They have 80 some buses and we have 12. Ha |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2010 : 4:23:03 PM
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| Mr. Hardy you have got some great pics Isle of Wight Academy has some cool buses. I am happy to be rolling in the same bus for the 4th year maybe the next 4 years will be as good. I have only done about 20,000 this last calendar year but going back on the longer runs so let see how it holds up . I just no dont like the newer buses very unusual for me but then done of them are specked out as nice as mine without ac i enjoy the 2 roof vents. |
keep those buses rolling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/schoolbushistory |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2010 : 06:58:21 AM
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| I've been driving my 90 GMC for 5 years now and I really am going to hate to see it be put down. I know it wont last forever but with money as tight as it is here I may be in it for a long while. Only 3 more weeks till school starts here. Does any one know if there are any more 4 light buses left in Va? I know of a couple private schools but I am curious of the public schools. |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
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Tatum
Top Member
United States
600 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2010 : 10:57:13 AM
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| Why don't private schools' buses follow the same things that public school buses do? I noticed many of those private school academy buses have logos. |
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2010 : 1:50:55 PM
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| They are not gov't owned buses only requirement to be a school bus is routine state inspection. Some of the bigger private own companies come pretty close to the city school buses.The Virginia Pupil Transportation office for the state has specific guidelines regarding school buses funded by the state. |
keep those buses rolling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/schoolbushistory |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2010 : 3:08:14 PM
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| As a private school, bus operator I have to follow federal regs. for a School Bus such as lettering, color, and safety equipment but we are not bound to Virginia Department of Educations regulations. We are a private organization and do not transport public students, only our own. We have our own in-house set of guidelines for our fleet. If we had to meet state standards we would have to either buy our buses new, speced. for Va. or buy used buses from Va. schools. Most of our buses come from Maryland. Bsaund09 is right on the guidelines. |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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old_school
Active Member
United States
29 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2010 : 5:03:32 PM
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| Thanks hardy, i rode by powhatan the other day, one of the freightliners grill is gone and the hood looks busted up. Also, how long will you keep driving your gmc, why are you putting it down. I like the fact that private schools are still running the older buses. |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2010 : 2:10:33 PM
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| Well I dont plan on putting it down its just that its getting a little ragged. If the bus was a liitle newer I would probably consider a new engine. Its making a strange noise and smokes a lot on the highway, other than that it drives and rides REALLY good and is very comfortable to drive on long trips. Private schools dont run older buses because we want to its because its all we can afford. lol. I have friends at several academys and we all do agree that the older mechanical diesels especially the Internationals are far more dependable than the newer ones. I'm not sure who bought those buses from Powhatan, Three of them needed transmissions but 2 were in great shape, I'm not sure why they sold them being they havent bought a bus since '08. and not looking to get any more for another year or 2. |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2010 : 12:40:31 PM
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| Wow, Mr. Hardy those are the fasted most viewed photos I have seen yet.You have a great selection thanks very much for the sharing . It does make me miss those days time never stops but they were fun days . Looking forward to the new school year 3 weeks from today we still dont have route sheets yet but I am sure they are working on them. |
keep those buses rolling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/schoolbushistory |
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hardybusman
Advanced Member
United States
470 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2010 : 5:29:36 PM
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| We get back to rolling on the 30th. Those were some good 'ol buses and most were retired with well over 200-250k miles. I looked yesterday and we only have 3 buses with less than 200k, three buses with over 300k and one with 430k miles. I'll send you the rest of our old buses when I geta chance to scan them. Thanks again for posting them I'm glad people enjoy them!! |
Mr. Courtney Hardy
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
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SuperiorGMC1963
Top Member
USA
1078 Posts |
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4148 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2010 : 06:40:47 AM
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| Ted, I'll agree with you in that I like the old Ford hoods from that era, but not because they were good looking. I'll call them nostalgic and beastly, but they are somewhat plain, bordering on ugly. I have to wonder who designed that, stepped back and said, "Damn that looks good." |
Mike's Bus Yard - http://buses.zwebpages.com - Since 1999
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Tatum
Top Member
United States
600 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2010 : 3:37:15 PM
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| ^He must've helped design the Vista, too. |
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old_school
Active Member
United States
29 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2010 : 5:02:39 PM
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I went by two scrap yards, one in Farmville, Va (Prince Edward county) and the other in Kenbridge, Va (Lunenburg county). I see that it must be cheaper to sell buses for scrap than to auction them off. Nottoway county has sent several of their early 90's fords to the businesses.
Sadly, they looked like they were in pretty good shape. |
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bsaund09
Top Member
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2010 : 7:47:26 PM
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| yes, they are worth lots of to scrap yards . they do sell some that way and i guess if it is damaged they pay to have it scraped . just about every piece is worth something to recycle. |
keep those buses rolling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/schoolbushistory |
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Official Virginia School Bus Thread
