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R. TERRY (207.230.142.240)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 2:30 am: | |
During one of my recent trips to San Simon, the new home for all my buses --in other words, in the Middle of Nowhere--, I caught up with a caravan of yellow Blue Bird school buses eastbound on I-10 between Benson and Willcox. These EIGHT full-sized, 72-passenger buses, took up a lot of space on the Interstate and looked an awful lot like a train off the tracks. There was something very unusual about this giant yellow and black caterpillar snaking through the hills across southern Arizona. I’ll tell you what it was in a minute.
Do you ever go to the airport just to watch the airliners land and take off? I do this with the kids. Sometimes we pick up Mexican food, sit on the tailgate and roll our own burritos while the smell of burning rubber wafts overhead. Airplanes are more interesting to watch these days because so many of them have spectacular, if not wild, paint jobs. My favorite is Shamu, Southwest’s 737 in the guise of Marine Land’s Orca whale. Dumbo would be proud; it looks just like a flying killer whale! And for others, we have the plane completely painted to represent the City of Las Vegas; a magnificently beautiful 767 for the Phoenix Suns; the Arizona Diamondbacks; the State of Arizona; etc., etc. Advertising at its stunning best.
One thing they all have in common, whether plainly or extravagantly wrapped, is a light on the tail to identify the carrier after dark. This isn’t really necessary; it’s just more advertising, for sure. But for anyone observing, it definitely tells you who just floated out of the sky, safely arriving at its destination with a manifest of smiling faces.
Why don’t buses have this? At night, buses are fairly easy to spot because of their arrangement of clearance lights and the telltale destination sign. But as they slip by in the dark on the far side of the highway, it remains unknown who’s doing the honors. OK, they’re going to Dallas, we can see that. But who is? Greyhound? Coach USA? Crucero? All Aboard America? Charlie Daniels? Can’t tell.
Sitting behind the wheel at night for endless hours, I’ve had plenty of time to think about this. It would not work. Lighting up the side of a bus is out of the question; spotlights would blind everybody else on the road and be very annoying, if not illegal. Backlighting would require hanging a sign on the side of the bus, not a very practical solution for at least a dozen reasons. That leaves only one answer: Glow-in-the-dark buses! Imagine: an Interstate highway system full of luminaries! Go, Greyhound!
So, what’s unusual about a caravan of eight Blue Bird school buses? Only this: there were only four drivers! This is not something you see everyday. Eight buses driven by four shirtless guys who don’t speak a shred of English.
We stopped in Willcox for gas. About fifteen minutes later, the long yellow parade pulled into the Super 8 Motel across the street. I couldn’t help myself, I had to check it out; I had never seen a bus towing a bus. Rather, a BIG bus, towing a BIG bus! I asked the shirtless guy in the last bus combination a question. He pointed to the lead bus, having no idea what I said. So, I asked the guy in the first bus where he was going. He said Phoenix.
Wait. That’s a puzzling answer! They spent a lot of time going the wrong direction if that’s the case. I pointed with my finger and gestured toward New Mexico. He nodded Yes. OK. Nobody speaks English, but they got the buses in Phoenix. I reviewed the five Mexican words I still remember from high school: taco, tostada enchilada, frijoles, and donde. Donde?, I asked. All of a sudden he mistakenly realized I spoke Spanish! A barrage of Mexicanspeak issued forth out of which I only recognized the words San Salvador. I asked, In Mexico? No, no, he said, San Salvador es Central America. He continued to talk. I continued to have a blank look on my face. All very interesting. Long, long drive.
This curious bus arrangement has a nice built-in feature: If one of the four tow buses breaks down, there are four spare buses to keep the assembly rolling. Good odds they’ll make it.
R. TERRY |
FAST FRED (67.75.110.49)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 5:55 am: | |
"One thing they all have in common, whether plainly or extravagantly wrapped, is a light on the tail to identify the carrier after dark. This isn’t really necessary; it’s just more advertising, for sure. But for anyone observing, it definitely tells you who just floated out of the sky, safely arriving at its destination with a manifest of smiling faces."
This is called a LOGO LIGHT and was installed by the aircraft mfg's after the Russians blew a 747 out of the sky for flying "too close" to a certain rocket launching pad.
Commie's claim was "Misidentification",
although the 747 has a strange hump shape that even in silouette is imposable to miss.
The logo light also helps the ground controllers figgure out who is where on the taxiways.
FAST FRED |
Terrance A.Haag (Mrbus) (64.12.96.235)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 12:14 pm: | |
R.Terry,
The bus pulling a bus is such common practice that I am surprised that not everyone has noticed it before.
Minnesota has a limitation as to how long a school bus may be used in student transport, so each spring for many years we have recycled used buses this way. There will be a group from central America arrive at our facility with a truck loaded with tow bars and drivers, they hook every thing up here in Minnesota, and head south. Not a trip I would want to make, but thay do it most every year.
Gus |
Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.121.155)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 1:49 pm: | |
Aren't there any length problems with towing two buses together? Here in California we have a 65 foot length limit with an exception for tractor trailer rigs. Two buses seems a little long. |
Peter Broadribb (Madbrit) (208.186.37.197)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 2:00 pm: | |
Apparently all one needs is an overlength permit purchased for a couple of dollars at each State line and you're covered.
Peter. |
R. TERRY (207.230.142.240)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 10:56 pm: | |
FAST FRED,
Does that mean that if an American 747 flew too close to a Russian rocket launching pad but had its Logo Light on it would be allowed to pass?
As a pilot myself, I understand the conspicuity aspect. Does the Logo Light remain on at all altitudes? Landing lights, on the other hand, are usually on only below 10,000 ft and within, what? 25 to 50 miles of a metropolitan area?
Logo Lights still represent a good advertising opportunity. I think they should be on buses, too.
------------------
Terrance,
A bus toad is common, huh? Apparently, not around here!
As a photogapher with an inordinate interest in buses, I have tons of pictures of buses. I've seen buses with Volkswagens and other cars built into the top, buses with no front clip, and recently I saw a beautiful Crown with no headlights. They weren't just gone, there was no accommodation on the front end whatsoever for headlights. None. A blind bus.
When I went to Detroit to pick up my 4104, I saw other stuff I'd never seen, like trucks with 42 wheels! You won't see that in Arizona. Ususally, anyway. There is a company in town that specializes in heavy, oversize transport. I have a photo of one of their rigs hauling a steam locomotive. I counted 96 tires; it probably had more than that. It was an awesome spectacle.
I have a friend in Austria. He pesters me to come there for a visit. I keep telling him that there is so much I have not seen in America, why would I want to go to Austria? I figured that out the summer I worked in Yellowstone National Park. The way I see it, if you haven't spent any time in Yellowstone, you have no business vacationing out of the country! So there!
Let hope we all keep seeing new stuff. Hey! That's a good reason to have a bus!
RT |
FAST FRED (67.75.113.122)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 18, 2003 - 5:31 am: | |
"Does the Logo Light remain on at all altitudes?"
The ones I have flown come on with the nav lights, so there on almost all the time.
Some are even on with the nav lights OFF , if the APU is powering the aircraft.
FAST FRED |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (24.196.191.70)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 18, 2003 - 7:55 am: | |
Well, I learned something from these posts. I have flown literally millions of miles and around the world many times and seen thousands of planes and I never noticed or knew about "Logo Lights".
Another little bit of useless information that I have acquired. Thanks, guys.
Richard |
John Feld (150.199.209.32)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 19, 2003 - 2:35 pm: | |
Having driven just about anything that has wheels/tracks for over 40 years I can assure you that many exceptions exist that the public, or for that matter many police departments, are not aware of.
Towing another bus is allowed in most states under 'drive-a-way' regulations. As a general rule each 'unit' is allowed 45 ft of length, not to exceed 75 ft overall without an over-lenght permit. Some states even allow double semi-trailers on designated roads or toll-roads.
Another exception are vehicals intended for 'export' w/oversize permit. Permantly mounted equiptment is another exception. Some require escort vehicals, some do not, depending upon the routes taken. I have driven up to 105 feet long and 62 ton all on one trailer.
New buses are not normally towed because of the added strain on the drive bus.
Just when ya think ya seen it all along comes something new.
John 4104 |
Phil Dumpster (12.230.214.167)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2003 - 3:55 am: | |
Towing regulations vary by state. Oregon and Nevada allow semi tractors to tow up to three trailers. North Dakota allows passenger cars to tow up to two trailers, the examples I saw usually were a pickup truck towing a travel trailer and a boat. Here in Washington state I had seen travel trailers with hitches on them and wondered what that was all about, until I drove across the country and saw it myself.
Out west there is something called a "Rocky Mountain Double" which is a 45 foot trailer with a shorter "pup" trailer behind it. Nevada allows something called a "turnpike double" which is a pair of 45 foot trailers.
Australia has something called a "road train," a single tractor pulling several trailers. |
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