| Author | Message | ||
| Jim Gibson (River_rat)
Registered Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 138 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 75.95.96.192 Rating: N/A |
I'm starting the interior now and just pulled the blue shag carpet off the steps, and the original bus rubber steps are there - and in great shape. As I sat there, I got to wondering how many passengers have been on my bus? It's a '58 4104 that ran the Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma line. I don't know how long it was in service, but you guys have probably got some sort of ideas how many miles it might have run before retiring, and maybe there are some obscure numbers that might give a clue as to how many passenger might have been transported - just a little trivia! It would be fun to have a sign telling people that are passenger number 129,340 or something. Here is another bit of trivia to ask. I am just about 1/2 way done sanding - how many rivets are there to sand around, besides a hell-of-a-lot - on a 4104! I love my old girl! Jim | ||
| Austin Scott Davis (Zimtok)
Registered Member Username: Zimtok Post Number: 353 Registered: 9-2006 Posted From: 216.37.73.226  Rating: N/A |
Jim, I removed the carpet from my 4104 steps last year and found the same original rubber steps. I just couldn't bring myself to recover them. Aside from the practical side of how easy they are to keep clean, they look great and seem to "fit" the bus look. I recently found that my bus ran the Saint Louis-Jonesboro-Little Rock-Memphis route for the 23 years between 1960 and 1983. I can only imagine how many people from all walks of life passed through the door of my bus. What looked like a common everyday event on the surface becomes almost poetic when you think about the people individually. Where were they going, what were they leaving behind? Is it a new life they seek or an old life they want to forget? Or was it just transportation. You've heard of "Ghosts In The Machine" well I'm sure my bus has a multitude and I welcome them all.... I found that a wire wheel on a 4-1/2" grinder works well to get the rivets and surrounding area. And I used a 7" grinder with a scotch pad to make short work of the larger areas. . (Message edited by zimtok on July 14, 2009) | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Registered Member Username: Pvcces Post Number: 1297 Registered: 5-2001 Posted From: 74.47.99.20 Rating: N/A |
Jim, be sure to use a full face shield with any wire wheel work. The wheel will throw dagger wires that can penetrate an eye if you don't wear protection. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher Ketchikan, Alaska | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Registered Member Username: Pvcces Post Number: 1298 Registered: 5-2001 Posted From: 74.47.99.20 Rating: N/A |
Jim, be sure to use a full face shield with any wire wheel work. The wheel will throw dagger wires that can penetrate an eye if you don't wear protection. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher Ketchikan, Alaska | ||
| Jim Wallin (Powderseeker01)
Registered Member Username: Powderseeker01 Post Number: 27 Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 208.68.48.77  Rating: N/A |
I found some interesting things when renovating our bus. Scratched into the paint on the wall where the restroom facilities were was the sentiment..."Played out". I wonder what thought process enabled that action. On the first aid kit in the dash compartment (which still contains the original contents)is a sticker proclaiming that "the whole world is going to pot". Interesting considering that it was the sixty's. | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 551 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.53.155.14  Rating: N/A |
For all who sand rivets!!! Local auto paint stores have or order from 3-M a scotch pad that is about 4"round specially made for sanding around rivets and it is not pricey for what it does. GET ONE!! it saves a lot of work for the money. GOMER | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 960 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 208.54.200.105  Rating: N/A |
Austin, Trailways ran Memphis - Jonesboro - Hardy (Where I lived)- Kansas City. As a young sailor stationed in Memphis I rode that one many, many times in the early '50s. Way before Interstates Trailways ran from St. Louis to Little Rock via a little town called Hoxie, AR. It was the changeover point if you were riding between Memphis - LR or Memphis - St. Louis or KC - LR. In those early days Trailways used PD3751s which I rode then but did ride some 4104s later on in the '60s when I came home on leave from far away places. I may have ridden your bus!! I left my steps uncovered also, they are such high quality along with the stainless steel sides I couldn't bear to cover them. (Message edited by gusc on July 14, 2009) | ||
| Jim Gibson (River_rat)
Registered Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 139 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 75.95.96.192 Rating: N/A |
I have used a wire wheel for most,(goggles and a mask) but sometimes it leaves a residue. I used my 3000 psi water jet and it would clear about a 1/4" around almost all the rivets because the paint near the head was weak, and get them into DA sanders capability. I am going to get some of the scotch brite wheels, great idea and it should work well! I am keeping my steps too - I love them! Today I pulled the old blue-shag out and found the original green linoelum floor, in pretty decent shape but the PO did a pretty lousy job of patching the old seat holes so its not recoverable. The really good news is that I found virtually no rust on the posts or any of the steel supports, and the wood floor is really solid. I found a little girls pencil with the alphabet on it and a copy right date of 1958, a really cool ladies SS nail file, and a few other interesting bits from years back. I am still dumbfounded as to how incredibly solid this old girl is, and suspect she will be around for a lot of years! It really breaks my heart to see one of these beauties hit the grinder, they are so remarkable, and have done so much for so many. Still no guesses as to how many people? Do/did the bus companies use any sort of metric in passenge miles or some such thing that might give a clue? Any WAG's anyone? Here is a WAG for Austins bus with 23 years. Say it had 125 people a day, ran 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year, 23 years, thats 897,000 people! Could it be possible, nearly a million people? Thats a lot of people! Someone must have a better stat than my WAG. Kasse - you don't want my carper - its pretty disgusting! I love my bus even more now. Jim | ||
| Tim Hoskinson (Tdh37514151)
Registered Member Username: Tdh37514151 Post Number: 250 Registered: 9-2004 Posted From: 65.25.139.50  Rating: N/A |
Hey Gus If you have spent time on PD3751 buses I would enjoy speaking to you about your experience by phone. If you wouldn't mind taking a little time to speak with me please e mail me your phone number and I will give you a call. Thank you . Tim vifmw@columbus.rr.com | ||
| Austin Scott Davis (Zimtok)
Registered Member Username: Zimtok Post Number: 354 Registered: 9-2006 Posted From: 216.37.73.226 Rating: N/A |
Jim, Would it have had 125 people a day? It only holds 41 passengers. Even at full capacity it would have to make 3 runs a day. . | ||
| Jim Gibson (River_rat)
Registered Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 140 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 75.95.96.192 Rating: N/A |
Austin, I don't know how many people every day, I was just trying to guess. It could easily have made a dozen or more stops in a day, with partial on-off loads I would think. Some busses probably made 25 or more stops a day, so 125 is certainly possible - I am hoping somebody here has a better and more educated guess, or better, was involved in driving back then. I was only 10 when my bus started its life and don't really have any first hand experience. It is just so interesting to think of all the people who have been on my bus - what they were doing, where they were going and all. I am in the Reno area and we have several classic car clubs and I will probably "show" the bus at some of the ralleys. Those kind of stats are nice to put on a little history card. Jim | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 552 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.53.155.14 Rating: N/A |
Mathamatical question?? If a bus traveling on a route,picks up 25 goes to the next stop,drops of 4,picks up 7, next stop drops 10 picks up 7, next stop picks up 12 and next stop drops off 5, what is the name of the bus driver?? | ||
| niles steckbauer (Niles500)
Registered Member Username: Niles500 Post Number: 939 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 173.78.29.189 Rating: N/A |
**************** 2005 ************** BY THE NUMBERS: --$38.36 -- average Greyhound ticket price --326 -- miles in an average Greyhound trip --51.2 -- percent of Greyhound seats occupied last year --20 -- percent of passengers who consider flying before buying a Greyhound ticket --50 -- percent of Greyhound passengers last year who also bought a plane ticket --$164 million -- amount Greyhound has lost in the past three years Source: Greyhound Lines Inc. ********************************** http://www.greyhound.com/HOME/en/About/FactsAndFigures.aspx | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1560 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 24.74.18.236  Rating: N/A |
"Shoulders" is name of the driver. If you keep any of the heating ducts, be sure to clean them! With those thousands f people, there is going ti be a lot of scum and dirt which will create an odor whenever it is damp out. | ||
| Jim Gibson (River_rat)
Registered Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 141 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 75.95.96.192 Rating: N/A |
I agree, "Shoulders" is the correct answer although he often went by "Sorebutt". RJ - I have removed the ducts and all the dirt and grime - pretty messy place. Gomer - bought the scotchbright system - works great - thanks! Jim Jim | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1562 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 24.74.18.236 Rating: N/A |
a small sandblaster; they sell a compact handheld one for around 30 to 40 bucks with glass beads does quick work of paint removal around the rivets. | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 963 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 208.54.200.56 Rating: |
When I rode on the Memphis - KC Trailways in the late '40s - early '50s the buses almost always were packed full on Fri and Sun, people standing in the aisles. I stood for six hours many times on Sunday evenings but I was young sailor and full of p and vinegar. They also traveled about 50 miles on gravel roads until the mid '60s. Because of those roads the route usually had already worn out buses for which I can't blame them. They also would stop anywhere to pick up or drop off passengers, and I mean anywhere. Sometimes they would go only a few yards before stopping again, and they stopped at every small town. I usually tried hitchhiking ahead of the bus which saved a little money and I would beat the bus by two hours if I got good rides. The bus took six hours or more to travel 160 miles. | ||
| Rob Norgren (Robsedona)
Registered Member Username: Robsedona Post Number: 47 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 75.210.146.34  Rating: N/A |
My MC5A did the Seatle to LA run from 1966 to 1987 at which time it was Converted! it saw I would guess Thousands! I have a Few of the trip logs towards the end and the list of work they did on her before she was sold. Rob |
