Snapshots — Summer and Fall 2012

Colorado Springs (Colo.) School District 11 recently entered into a lease-to-buy program with Colorado West, a distributor for Blue Bird Corp., for a 2013 Propane-Powered Vision school bus. Officials say District 11 is the only school system in the Pikes Peak region with a propane bus as part of its fleet. The district will test the bus, pictured here, this year to evaluate its performance, reliability and fiscal viability as a potential alternative to its gasoline- and diesel-powered buses.

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This painting was completed by Jathen Castaneda, who is the son of Washington Elementary School District #6 dispatcher Joe Castaneda. Antonio "Tony" Mlynek, transportation supervisor for special education, says the 5-foot by 4-foot painting was a gift, and it is hung in the hallway of the facility.

These three photos hang in the office of Mark Begg, who is general manager of Delaney Bus Lines Ltd. in Avonmore, Ontario. The first picture is company founder Vincent Delaney with some of his first 1948 REO school buses. "The second shot is a picture of my father-in-law, Michael Delaney, and my wife, Diana, in 1988," Begg says. "The final picture is a photo of myself and my grandmother in the Delaney bus yard in 1983. My grandfather drove a school bus for my father-in-law, and my grandparents took me down to the bus yard to show me his bus. Ironically, many years later, Diana and I wed, and I am now managing the company!"

In 1931, Superior Body Co. introduced the all-steel "Safety School Bus." According to industry veteran John Barrington, this was the first school bus to utilize all steel framing with steel interior and exterior paneling. Partial steel construction had been used in school buses prior to 1931, but up until this time, wood framing was still the most common form of school bus construction. Barrington submitted this shot of a 1931 Superior on an REO Speedwagon chassis.

Durham School Services employees at the contractor's McMinnville, Tenn., terminal got into the holiday spirit during a Christmas parade last year. For the Dr. Seuss-themed event, employees dressed up as well-known characters from the author's books, and they decorated the bus as Horton the elephant. Donhua Cantrell, router/dispatcher, says 40 to 50 drivers and their family members worked on decorating the bus. "Not only did we do the bus," Cantrell adds, "we did a sled for Whoville, and we did a toy drive and handed the gifts out to children in need that rode our school buses."

This mural is painted on the wall of the drivers lounge at American Falls (Idaho) School District #381. Pictured is the artist, Paige Weisenburger, who is the daughter of Director of Transportation Howard Weisenburger. Weisenburger says that Paige painted the mural as part of her senior project, which was aimed at keeping children safe. He and Paige discussed the issue of drivers checking their bus mirrors, which became the subject of the mural. Her senior project also included a presentation to sixth-graders about the school bus danger zone.

Thomas Built Buses held its fall Maintenance Training Institute in Omaha, Neb., Sept. 11-14. School bus technicians who attended received instruction on such topics as EPA emissions systems and advanced electrical systems. For more information, visit www.thomasbus.com.

This photo of a funnel cloud was snapped by Courtney Harris, a bus driver for Brevard Public Schools in Cocoa, Fla. Susan Savastio, transportation supervisor for the district’s Central Area compound, says that there was a strong line of thunderstorms that came through the entire state around the time that Harris took the photo, but the funnel cloud reportedly did not touch down in the compound. “Mr. Harris was just amazed to see it forming and was very thankful when it went away,” Savastio adds.

Former school bus maker Superior Coach Co. got into the Type D business in 1939. Pictured here is the 1939 rear-engine Rocket, which Superior offered in school and commercial bus versions. The company constructed its own chassis for these buses.

Here’s a Superior Type D school bus from the late 1940s. Note how the styling had changed since the earlier rear-engine offering. Both photos were submitted by industry veteran John Barrington.