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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
 Posted - 08/03/2006 : 9:25:53 PM
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My 2002 Thomas FE was reassigned to a new yard
My new bus:
*once I get used to my new bus, I know I'll like it, but now i miss my old bus, I have only driven my new bus for 10 minutes*
200(7)6 Thomas MVP FE
Tinted Windows
Air Everything
NO CUP HOLDER *no built in cup holder in the engine*
CD/Am/Fm radio 83 pas all the regular stuff
new bus smell
brand new
it's a nice bus
It runs nice and it's not as loud as my last 2006 |
Edited by - 80-RE4 on 08/08/2006 08:55:36 AM
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tlogantx
Senior Member
USA
67 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2006 : 9:35:48 PM
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| So does it have the new grill on the front? |
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IC-RE
Top Member
USA
4117 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2006 : 9:47:32 PM
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| Hey, who wouldn't want a new bus of the same model that you like.... You'll get used to it! You can buy cupholders that clip to the dash for a few bux, you are very lucky |
 bus 1980, a 2008 IC RE 300 for Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia. |
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OperationsM
Top Member
USA
515 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 07:41:21 AM
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That's great! I own a Thomas FE. My hotel used to use it, and now I got them a new one.
Yours has AC, tinted windows, radio, sounds excellent! Enjoy it. 
Take a look at mine:
http://www.carspace.com/master1/?50@@.59a6c8cc
EDIT - This bus isn't with me now, it's in another state with my son temporarily. I have a question - Does the Thomas FE have High beam lights? Where is the switch for it? I know this is a stupid question, but where is the high beam switch? I know the low beams are on a knob on the dashboard. |
Hotel's Ford Girardin |
Edited by - OperationsM on 08/04/2006 07:57:54 AM |
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Gini
Top Member
USA
1249 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 08:21:49 AM
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| don't know about Thomas', but my 07 IC FE, knob for lights, click up on turn signal wand for high beams, click up again to turn highs off. |
1Peter 1:3 |
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bus724
Top Member
USA
1609 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 08:29:53 AM
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| Depending on the year of the bus, high beams will either be a switch on the floor, or pull the turn signal lever towards you. |
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OperationsM
Top Member
USA
515 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 08:32:30 AM
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| Thanks because I will have to use them if I take this bus to Canada for vacation in the mountains. There aren't any lights there at night, and I also have to watch out for deers. The lights on mine, and a lot of other school buses seem very weak. Coaches too. |
Hotel's Ford Girardin |
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misty
Active Member
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 08:36:40 AM
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| At least you have your new bus...ours won't be here til September. And since they've already reassigned my old one, I'm driving the oldest bus in our lot, a 1992 BlueBird FE. Not a bad bus, but it's turning radius *****...not good for all the U-turns I make... |
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 09:34:48 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by OperationsM
Yours has AC
I believe by "air everything," he was referring to air-powered accesories including the brakes, suspension, door, and the seat. AC though would not be a bad thing to include in an "air everything" bus though!  |
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bus724
Top Member
USA
1609 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 09:54:14 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Thomas Ford 85-16
quote:
Originally posted by OperationsM
Yours has AC
I believe by "air everything," he was referring to air-powered accesories including the brakes, suspension, door, and the seat. AC though would not be a bad thing to include in an "air everything" bus though!
A/C in New England? Good luck! I'm just glad my bus has 2 fans instead of only one. |
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Bluebird62
Top Member
USA
530 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 3:05:30 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by misty
At least you have your new bus...ours won't be here til September. And since they've already reassigned my old one, I'm driving the oldest bus in our lot, a 1992 BlueBird FE. Not a bad bus, but it's turning radius *****...not good for all the U-turns I make...
I'm jealous... I would give anything to drive a 92 AAFE one more time. I miss them! |
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 5:37:43 PM
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ThomasFord 85-16 and bus 724 summed it all up about air (conditioning) everything!
My new bus has air everything, but not a/c! I haven't seen any big buses with a/c in the New England area.
Misty...I don't like making U turns! Good luck with your new bus! IC-RE you are right, I will get used to it...I think I am starting to.
tlog: I am sorry I don't know if it has a different grill maybe you can tell, I really don't pay attention to the grills, unless it was something noticeable?
But: One more thing, i made a mistake about the year of the bus- I picked up my new bus when it was dark out and I thought because the new batch just came in that it was an 07 but i think it's an 06? Inside it says Vehicle Manufactured Date Sept. 2005 which if I remember correctly, that means it's an 06? Here are some pics. I will try to get better ones. My old bus is a great bus and I will miss it. But I like my new one: it's almost like my old 2006 but this one is better. The engine is quieter, i get a cd player again, a child check system back again, crossing gate again, all the works!! I put some pictures of the bus below: the 16 way light monitor, part of the front and the inside.
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B. Busguy33
Top Member
USA
3444 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2006 : 8:13:09 PM
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quote:
A/C in New England? Good luck! I'm just glad my bus has 2 fans instead of only one.
quote:
My new bus has air everything, but not a/c! I haven't seen any big buses with a/c in the New England area.
I know of at least one contractor in my area that operates full-size school buses with air-conditioning. Their whole fleet is not equipped with a/c, only some buses. I suspect they are mainly used for charters.
I know of another contractor in this area who is thinking about equipping their buses with a/c.
--------
80AmTranRE4,
From the pics I saw of your bus, it looks like you will be ending up with a decent bus. And, yes, I think it would be a 2006 model. How many miles are on it? |
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2006 : 07:53:05 AM
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BBusguy....
Thanks. I already like my new bus. I have more pictures that I posted below. The camera I bought wasn't that great so I will take some more pictures of it. I park the bus at home so it will give me some extra time to get the bus "cozy" and set up the way I like it. I will get back to you on the mileage. Isn't that awful, I wrote the mileage down in my pre-trip book and I can't even remember it! I just write them down and honenstly if someone was going to ask me three minutes later I'd have to check the book! It's probably very low, that's most likely why I didn't remember. (I had to edit / resize the pics because they made the screen too large)
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Edited by - 80-RE4 on 08/05/2006 07:57:09 AM |
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2006 : 09:28:27 AM
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If you had the redesigned grill, you would know it. Instead of those individual louvers, Thomas redesigned the grill into have just three big horizontal rectangles! It's really goofy looking at first, but in a way it reminds me of the old Dodge buses, so I like it for that. I see you have the updated monitor style... Isn't that just gross how Doran Mfg. squashed the bus shape on the panel? I have no idea why they did that. You'll notice the monitor in your 2002 had a much more proportional shape of a bus formed into it. If not those designed for the bus (the C2 and the FS-65 have their own monitors which work perfectly for them), SoundOff Inc. monitors are really the way to go these days. They're adaptable, while the Doran panels have to be purchased for the styling of lighting (LED vs. Incandescent) you have. Again, your 2002 would've had "Exterior Light Monitor" on top while these new ones have either "Incandecent Light Monitor" or "Incandescent/LED Light Monitor" on top. I don't like that. Their website will imply otherwise, but then I don't see the point of having two models.  |
Mike's Bus Yard - http://buses.zwebpages.com - Since 1999
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2006 : 7:14:04 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Thomas Ford 85-16
If you had the redesigned grill, you would know it. Instead of those individual louvers, Thomas redesigned the grill into have just three big horizontal rectangles! It's really goofy looking at first, but in a way it reminds me of the old Dodge buses, so I like it for that. I see you have the updated monitor style... Isn't that just gross how Doran Mfg. squashed the bus shape on the panel? I have no idea why they did that. You'll notice the monitor in your 2002 had a much more proportional shape of a bus formed into it. If not those designed for the bus (the C2 and the FS-65 have their own monitors which work perfectly for them), SoundOff Inc. monitors are really the way to go these days. They're adaptable, while the Doran panels have to be purchased for the styling of lighting (LED vs. Incandescent) you have. Again, your 2002 would've had "Exterior Light Monitor" on top while these new ones have either "Incandecent Light Monitor" or "Incandescent/LED Light Monitor" on top. I don't like that. Their website will imply otherwise, but then I don't see the point of having two models.
Thank you for the info! I have yet to see a newly designed Thomas F.E. . Are they standard on any models? 2007s?
I'm glad I'm a member of this forum because I learn things about school buses- even though I am a school bus driver, things that would seem quite obvious- i.e.: the light monitor –you pointed out the difference; it kind of looks more like a trolley. I think my old bus said (like you mentioned) Exterior Light monitor-
I wish I took pictures of my 2002. Why does this one say Incandescent instead of just exterior? This makes me want to drive to the bus yard and look in my old bus to see what it says. I'm pretty sure it said Exterior Light Monitor.
One other thing I noticed in some of the Thomas buses that I have driven- is the light alternation in the flash sequence. Before I was assigned a bus, I would drive different school buses. Some of the warning lights would flash side to side (the front right and rear right would flash at the same time and then the front left and rear left would flash alternately). In some of the buses: the front left would flash together with the rear right and then the front right would flash with the rear left. {Hopefully I didn’t just mess the sequence up!}
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B. Busguy33
Top Member
USA
3444 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2006 : 9:42:24 PM
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quote:
One other thing I noticed in some of the Thomas buses that I have driven- is the light alternation in the flash sequence. Before I was assigned a bus, I would drive different school buses. Some of the warning lights would flash side to side (the front right and rear right would flash at the same time and then the front left and rear left would flash alternately). In some of the buses: the front left would flash together with the rear right and then the front right would flash with the rear left. {Hopefully I didn’t just mess the sequence up!}
Hi 80AmTranRE4,
I imagine you are talking about the Exterior Light Monitors in these buses.
The flashing sequence for the warning lights on the Doran monitor is front-left, rear-left; front-right, rear-right. The flashing sequence for the warning lights on the "Thomas" monitor is front-right, rear-left; front-left, rear-right. Does anyone know if the actual warning lights on the Thomas buses flash in the same sequence as the "Thomas" light monitor, or do they flash front-left, rear-left; front-right, rear-right: as shown by a Doran monitor?
quote:
They're adaptable, while the Doran panels have to be purchased for the styling of lighting (LED vs. Incandescent) you have. Again, your 2002 would've had "Exterior Light Monitor" on top while these new ones have either "Incandecent Light Monitor" or "Incandescent/LED Light Monitor" on top. I don't like that. Their website will imply otherwise, but then I don't see the point of having two models.
Hey Mike,
I noticed the 2006 IC CEs we drove back from Tulsa last summer were equipped with the Doran "Incandescent" light monitor -- the updated monitor design as shown in the 2006 Thomas bus 80AmTranRE4 is now assigned to. However, the 2006 IC CEs we received at our location this past February were equipped with the "regular" Doran light monitors -- with the previous design (that has been around since the '80s). Apparently, both types are still available from Doran. I wonder why that would be?
I figured Doran would only use the "Incandescent" monitor for buses equipped with incandescent lights, rather than keeping both the new and former monitor styles. |
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bus724
Top Member
USA
1609 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2006 : 10:36:00 PM
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If the bus is wired the way it is supposed to be, the lights will flash the same way as the monitor panel. In other words, all of the lights on the left side of the panel will be wired to all of the lights on the driver's side of the bus.
However, many light monitors (especially those installed aftermarket) are wired without much regard to the "left" or "right" position, and as such, the sequence shown on the monitor may not be the actual flash sequence (not that it matters, as long as you have two lights of each color flashing at the right time on the front and rear). But I would assume that a factory installed monitor would be wired correctly. |
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2006 : 08:09:08 AM
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That reminds me of the IC-FE buses that we had when I worked for Laidlaw. They were 2003's (obviously brand new at the time!) They all came in and none of the wires were connected to the light monitor. Laidlaw said it was okay, the buses didn't have to have the exterior light monitors working because those buses came equipped with the pilot (?) flashers (I think that is what you call them?)
They were in for a big surprise when the state trooper failed all of them because the exterior light monitors weren't working. Thankfully, he agreed to come back the next day to re-inspect them. They had those buses fixed in a heartbeat. I'm not sure why IC Corp didn't wire them before they shipped them out. That was the time when those FE buses replaced the majority of our RE units. I still held on to my RE though! |
Edited by - 80-RE4 on 08/06/2006 08:10:27 AM |
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bus724
Top Member
USA
1609 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2006 : 08:50:14 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by 80AmtranRE4
I'm not sure why IC Corp didn't wire them before they shipped them out.
I'm not even going to try to answer that one... |
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2006 : 6:21:11 PM
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| A lot of the wiring "mistakes" you might observe in the warning lights on the monitor are probably the interpretation of the monitor. For the rear part, looking at the rear of the of the bus, the driver (left) side of the bus is the left side of the panel. But for the front, do you visualize it as if you were looking at the bus head on, making the driver "left" side on the right of the panel, or do you just wire it literally, with the left side of the panel corresponding to the driver "left" side lamp? It could go both ways, and actually right now, I don't remember how I wired my monitor for the front lights - my lights don't go out all that often for me to have noticed. |
Mike's Bus Yard - http://buses.zwebpages.com - Since 1999
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2006 : 08:56:15 AM
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I love my new bus...It runs so great. It's nothing like my "old" 2006 [i had a similar one before]. This one was obviously put together the right way.
My seats are all brand new obviously and I have the new bus smell. 
My lights are kind of wierd though (just the directionals) I kind of like it though, the right and lefts flash extremely fast and then slow, maybe it will get the attention of other drivers. |
Edited by - 80-RE4 on 08/08/2006 08:58:32 AM |
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pcbuilder03
Senior Member
USA
171 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2006 : 8:09:42 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Thomas Ford 85-16
I don't see the point of having two models.
I dunno. Maybe it's because LEDs draw far less current than incandescent lights? That's my best guess. |
There are three kinds of people - those who can count and those who can't. |
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2006 : 2:15:28 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by pcbuilder03
I dunno. Maybe it's because LEDs draw far less current than incandescent lights? That's my best guess.
That is part of it, so the difference between and LED monitor and an incandescent one is it's sensitivity to the current it detects on the circuit. But in having a model that serves both, I don't see much of a point in having an incandescent-only version. My own monitor (made when there was only one model), would detect current on the line even when the bulbs couldn't get enough to light up, so I sure hope it will work with LEDs. |
Mike's Bus Yard - http://buses.zwebpages.com - Since 1999
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Bye 2002 -HELLO 2006
