Flyer 700/800/900 series#700
{{Short description|Canadian bus model series}}
{{Infobox automobile
| name = Flyer 700/800/900 series
| caption = Top: Flyer D700A leading a D800 in Vancouver (1984)
Bottom: Flyer D901 and GM New Look in Oakland
| manufacturer = Western Flyer, AM General, Flyer Industries, New Flyer
| aka =
| production = 1967–1987
| assembly = {{ubl|Winnipeg (Flyer)|Mishawaka, IN (AM General)}}
| predecessor =
| successor = New Flyer High Floor
| class = Transit bus
| body_style =
| layout =
| platform =
| engine =
| transmission =
| wheelbase =
| length = {{ubl|{{convert|35|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}|{{convert|40|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}}}
| width = {{ubl|{{convert|96|in|m|2|abbr=on}}|{{convert|102|in|m|2|abbr=on}}}}
| height =
| weight =
| related =
| designer =
| sp = us
}}
The Flyer 700/800/900 series were a series of transit buses built in three generations by Western Flyer and its successors Flyer Industries and New Flyer, of Canada, between 1967 and 1987. Except for brief overlap during transition from one generation to the next, they were not in production concurrently. All individual model designations included a prefix of either D, for diesel propulsion, or E, for electrically powered trolleybuses, with the first digit indicating the generation and the last digit indicating a variant within the generation. The introductory model was the D700, originally released in 1967 for the Canadian transit market, and the last series group to be produced, D900 (and variant D901), was discontinued in 1987. Flyer had become New Flyer only the year before, in 1986.
The D700 was the first transit bus released by Western Flyer, which previously had manufactured exclusively suburban over-the-road coaches until then. It closely resembled the contemporaneous and popular GM New Look bus, including the multi-pane "fishbowl"-style windshield and parallelogram-shaped side windows. The D700 subsequently was licensed to AM General in 1970 for sales to American transit operators; AM General modified the exterior design with rectangular side windows and sold it as the AM General Metropolitan starting in 1974. Flyer later adopted the exterior changes made by AM General and sold the bus as the second-generation D800 and E800. The D900 was the third generation of the design, and is distinguished by a simpler windshield. Versions of each generation were also available in both diesel and trolleybus form.
History
| class="wikitable" style="width:45em;margin:1em auto;"
|+ Model Codes |
| width=33%| Motive power
!width=33%| Generation !width=33%| Revision |
|---|
| D = diesel E = electric trolleybus |700 = first |{{small|(none)}} = original version |
For instance, a D901A is the first ("A") revision of the 901 variant from the 900 model, powered by a diesel engine. Sometimes the model number includes a reference to the nominal width and length, e.g. D901A-10235. In this case, 102 refers to the width (in inches) and 35 refers to the length (in feet).
={{anchor|first generation|700}} 700 series=
File:Flyer E800 at Seashore Trolley Museum 255 (36849195404).jpg. D/E700 and 800 windshields are largely identical.]]
Western Flyer, a small manufacturer of over-the-road coaches since 1941, diversified into the transit market in the late 1960s because the existing intercity market was too small; from 1946 to 1968, the company delivered just 693 coaches.{{cite web |url=http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/w/western/western.htm |title=Flyer, New Flyer and AMG transit buses |author=Veerkamp, John |website=Coachbuilt |access-date=29 January 2019}} The company created a prototype designated the D700 and sold 379 buses to several Canadian transit agencies between 1967 and 1973; regular production versions were designated D700A. The D700/D700A had similar design and styling to the popular GM New Look buses.{{cite web |url=http://www.curbsideclassic.com/bus-stop-classic/bus-stop-classic-flxible-and-am-general-new-look-buses-playing-second-fiddle-to-gm/ |title=Bus Stop Classic: Flxible and AM General New Look Buses – Playing Second Fiddle to GM |author=Brophy, Jim |date=March 12, 2016 |publisher=Curbside Classic |access-date=28 January 2019}} The first D700 was sold to Winnipeg Transit in 1968. The D700 was designed with a "T" drive layout (where the rear-mounted engine is connected to the rear axle in a perpendicular orientation), as GM would not sell their patented "V" drive layout (a more compact arrangement where the engine meets the axle at an acute angle) outside the United States.
File:Toronto Flyer E700A trolleybus in 1987.jpg
An electric trolleybus version was also sold as the E700; 195 were built in total, the majority (152) to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), and 40 to the Hamilton Street Railway.{{cite book |last=Murray |first=Alan |title=World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia |year=2000 |page=96 |publisher=Trolleybooks |location=Yateley, Hampshire, UK |isbn=0-904235-18-1}} The first E700 was sold to Toronto in 1968.{{cite web |url=http://utahrails.net/ajkristopans/FLYER.php |title=Flyer and New Flyer bus production since 1978 |author=Kristopans, Andre |website=Utah Rails |access-date=29 January 2019}} At the time, Flyer was the only company still making electric trolleybuses in North America. The City Transit Company, the then-operator of the Dayton trolleybus system, purchased a single E700 body–chassis from Western Flyer in 1970 and contracted with TTC to equip it as a trolleybus using electrical equipment taken from retired Dayton trolleybuses;{{cite book | last=Sebree | first=Mac | last2=Ward | first2=Paul |author-link=Mac Sebree | title=The Trolley Coach in North America | year=1974 | page=97| publisher=Interurbans | location=Los Angeles |lccn=74020367}} the 1971-built vehicle remained in use by CTC's successor, MVRTA, until the mid-1980s. Two E700s were sold to San Francisco's Muni in 1972 and served as prototypes for a later order of more than 300 E800 trolleybuses.{{cite web |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/flying-flyers-muni-trolley-buses-then-and-now |title=Flying Flyers- Muni Trolley Buses Then and Now |author=Menzies, Jeremy |date=May 3, 2018 |website=History in Motion (blog) |publisher=SFMTA |access-date=29 January 2019}}
={{anchor|second generation|800|Metropolitan}} Metropolitan and 800 series=
File:1976 AM General bus, TriMet 1091, in 1984.jpg
In 1970, Western Flyer licensed the design of the D700 to AM General. AM General had been invited to participate in the Transbus project and wanted to gain experience with transit bus production; Western Flyer wanted to enter the larger American market and due to "Buy America" requirements, needed a US-based assembler.{{cite web |url=http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/a/am_general/am_general.htm |title=AMG transit buses |author=Veerkamp, John |website=Coachbuilt |access-date=29 January 2019}} AM General made exterior changes to the D700 design{{cite web |url=http://www.omot.org/roster/buses/amg.html |title=Coach Manufacturer History: AM General |publisher=The Ohio Museum of Transportation |access-date=29 January 2019}} and marketed the modified design as the AM General Metropolitan; the most notable change was in the shape of the side (passenger) windows, which were rectangular rather than slanted like the New Look-derived D700. A total of 5,212 diesel-powered Metropolitans were sold to US transit agencies between 1974 and 1979. The first operator of the Metropolitan was the WMATA.
The model numbers for the Metropolitan used the total length and width along with a suffix to designate the revision; thus a 10240A was a Metropolitan that was {{convert|102|in|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|40|ft|abbr=on}} long, "A" (1st) revision. Changes from the original to the first ("A") revision were not distinguishable externally; the "B" revision moved the air conditioner condenser, which led to more frequent overheating of the bus.{{cite report |url=https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/29759 |title=Air conditioning modifications to AMG buses |author1=Delpidio, D.J. |author2=Perez, D. |date=December 1983 |publisher=Urban Mass Transportation Administration |access-date=29 January 2019}} AM General also used the GM "V" drive layout instead of the original Flyer "T" drive, resulting in cracked frames after several years of service.
{{multiple image
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|image1=Seattle AM General trolleybus downtown, 1986.jpg
|caption1=Metropolitan in Seattle (1986)
|image2=Muni 5300 and 776 at Heritage Weekend, September 2017.JPG
|caption2=E800 in San Francisco (2017)
|footer=The E800 and Metropolitan trolleybuses had essentially identical bodies.}}
In 1971, the Manitoba Development Group, a government-sponsored organization, bought Western Flyer and renamed it to Flyer Industries, Ltd. Flyer Industries adopted the exterior design of the Metropolitan and began selling it on the Canadian market as the D800. 561 D800s were sold between 1974 and 1979: 86 35-foot models and 475 40-foot models.
The E800 trolleybus counterpart was also sold during this period. Edmonton Transit was the lead agency, but SF Muni (343), Miami Valley RTA (64), BC Hydro (50) and Boston MBTA (50) were the primary customers of E800 trolleybuses, purchased before the AM General Metropolitan trolleybus was available. In 1979, 219 Metropolitan trolleybuses designated 10240-T were built for Seattle Metro and SEPTA. The running gear was largely identical to the Flyer E800 but incorporating newer technology featuring the use of "chopper" control to provide smoother acceleration. The last E800 trolleybuses to operate in service anywhere did so in November 2019 in Mexico City;Trolleybus Magazine No. 361 (January–February 2022), p. 34. National Trolleybus Association (UK). they were among about five that had been retrofitted in Mexico City with wheelchair lifts (at the rear door) in 1996, from a group of 37 E800s acquired used from Edmonton in 1987.
={{anchor|third generation|900}} 900 series=
{{multiple image
|direction=horizontal
|caption_align=center
|total_width=350
|image1=Muni of Metro Seattle 1979 Flyer D10240C 1657.jpg
|caption1=D900 (Seattle Metro)
|image2=MBTA 9138 at Seashore trolley Museum, August 2008.jpg
|caption2=D901 (MBTA)
|footer=D900 compared to D901. Note difference in windshield shapes}}
The D900 was a facelifted version of the D800, with the complex "fishbowl" windshield replaced by two flat panes; the driver's side windshield was inclined to reduce glare and reflections. Sales of the D900 began in 1978, overlapping the tail end of D800 production, and continued to 1987, when the last D901 was built. The D901 modified the driver's windshield, making it curved around the side of the bus. The D901A had a slightly shortened wheelbase with a wider front door to allow simultaneous boarding and disembarking.{{cite web |url=http://www.transitmuseumsociety.org/nextstop/Docs/D900%20Flyer.pdf |title=Flyer buses |date=8 February 2006 |publisher=Transit Museum Society |access-date=1 February 2019}} A D902 was produced for San Francisco Muni, based on the D901A design with a modification to allow a choice of engines. A total of 1,796 D90x buses were built.
File:Vancouver Flyer E902 trolleybus in 1985.jpg
Like prior generations, it was also sold as a trolleybus, designated E901A for the modified driver's windshield and wider front door corresponding to the D901A, later redesignated E902 with no exterior changes. 246 were built, all for BC Transit.
Competition
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Flyer 700/800/900 series}}
- {{cite web |url=http://utahrails.net/ajkristopans/FLYER.php |title=Flyer and New Flyer bus production since 1978 |author=Kristopans, Andre |website=Utah Rails |access-date=29 January 2019}}
- {{cite web |url=https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Template:Flyer_Industries |title=Flyer Industries template |website=CPTDB wiki |access-date=29 January 2019}} (links to individual articles for D/E700, 800, and 90x buses)
- {{cite web |url=https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/AM_General_Metropolitan_Series |title=AM General Metropolitan Series |website=CPTDB wiki |access-date=29 January 2019}}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.barp.ca/builders/bus/Flyer-SpecSheet-Web-20170706.pdf |title=Technical Specifications and Brochure on Flyer Transit Bus Series D901 |date=February 2, 1983 |website=barp.ca |publisher=Flyer Industries Limited |access-date=15 March 2019}}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.barp.ca/builders/trolleybus/SEPTA-Trackless-web-20170706.pdf |title=Trackless Trolley |website=barp.ca |publisher=Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority |access-date=15 March 2019}}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.barp.ca/builders/bus/TTC-DieselBus-Data-April1984-web-20170707.pdf |title=Diesel City Bus: 40 Foot General Motors & Flyer Models |date=April 1984 |website=barp.ca |publisher=Toronto Transit Commission |access-date=15 March 2019}}