New Zealand school bus.

[Silk]

Found this on my phone camera. In cities school bus routes are contracted to a local bus company - they drop a school bus sign on front and rear. In earlier years rural school buses were supplied to the local contractor, this one is from the '60's or early '70's. Based on a J model Bedford, probably a J2. This is a camper, but the colour is nearly the same, a reddy brown, and there was a New Zealand Education flash down the side.

Rural school bus routes were on twisty gravel roads, often in very hilly country, small buses were more suitable, and there wouldn't be many kids on board.

 

[JHZR2]

Neat!

Like the previa in the back too.

I always find it interesting when in SoCal and I still see the Crown busses which is a design from the late 40's.

 

[AKhan87]

oh wow, so weird for me to think of anything but yellow buses.

 

[Silk]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Like the previa in the back too.


Could also be a Estima or Emina...and most likely a diesel, looks like a narrow body. Set up for camping by hire companys, tourists are all over the country in them. This is our local camp ground down by the lake.

 

[Chris142]

I remember mrs.Lawrence driving a 1955 crown with no PS,a souped up 250 HP 2stroke Detroit 671 and a 5 speed trans. Out of gear @2100 and into the next gear @1700. This was in the 70's. Emission laws are putting an end to the crowns.

 

[horse123]

Other than safety, are buses flat because they do minimal high speed travel, so aero is generally not much of a concern?

 

[Danno]

What is being done in California about significant emissions from 20 year old+ vehicles, that can be kept running forever due to the mild climate. I our jurisdictions, buses can't be older than 8 years before being replaced.

 

[andyd]

Originally Posted By: Danno
What is being done in California about significant emissions from 20 year old+ vehicles, that can be kept running forever due to the mild climate. I our jurisdictions, buses can't be older than 8 years before being replaced.
There is also an age limit on school buses in MA, Also a monthly state inspection.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Danno
What is being done in California about significant emissions from 20 year old+ vehicles, that can be kept running forever due to the mild climate. I our jurisdictions, buses can't be older than 8 years before being replaced.
diesel emissions. They basically outlawed any HD diesels older than 02

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Danno
What is being done in California about significant emissions from 20 year old+ vehicles, that can be kept running forever due to the mild climate. I our jurisdictions, buses can't be older than 8 years before being replaced.


A private owner should be grandfathered in meeting the emissions standards in place during production.

They probably have procedures to have municipalities dump older stuff.

 

[Silk]

Bedford's of the era had 2 petrol engines, the 214 and 300. The bus will have a 214, which was very much like the 216 Chev (Bedford are a GM company) but had a full pressure bottom end and a normal combustion chamber. A tough engine that pulled some big loads. I've worked on a lot of Bedfords, being the most popular truck on NZ roads for many years. One company I worked for had 98.8% Bedfords and the workshop was open 24/6 to keep them on the road, we worked rotating shifts to keep them on the road when they weren't on the road.

I took the first photo on 05 Jan, and it's back again...so is the Estima. I normally walk around the lake every day I don't work, but after dropping a 2.5 metre length of 100x200 box section on my foot, I've been riding my pushbike around another lake - they might've been there all that time, or returned. Got a back view today.

Turn 180 and this is the view the camp ground has of the lake.

It's 3.8km around the lake, not long enough, so I walk to the 3km mark, which is the entrance to the campground, turn around and walk back.

 

[Garak]

In this city, they fairly recently removed 1960s vintage buses from municipal routes. School buses weren't so old - these were city buses. The city is trying to keep the fleet a little more modern these days, though.