State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

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Swift
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Swift »

Merc1107 wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 12:13 pm Not only are the Orana B10Ls getting about with charter operators, but, out west (and maybe elsewhere, depending on age limits), the Orana-rebodied O305s are still doing the rounds in modest numbers.
:shock: I completely forgot about those. IIRC they all received highway diffs. They were a very clever mod of the existing body not a rebody. Still have the PMC lower halves. Basically front and rear clips were replaced as well as the roof. They looked like a brand new bus and talk about modernising their original old appearance. Take that mark IIs!
What made them a masterstroke was the mark 1s were generally in very good mechanical condition and hadn't endured the 30,000 km servicing, up from every 15K the fleet later got. They were still a modern chassis, plus their engines were higher HP rating then later batches. A genius move from King Bros.
Loved to have ridden one. They must have been phenomenal.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by ScaniaGrenda »

Sid Fogg's were the only operators around here with them, again the MK I O305's rebodied onto those Ansair Oranas. Sadly what was around here was retired just as soon as I got into the whole hobby but were common place on rail replacement in Sydney mostly with Telfords who has since also retired their lot. Those rebodies weren't that actually bad looking on the inside.

Would've been neat to have seen more low entry Mercedes built with the Ansair Orana bodywork, shame then STA only ever had just two put together with the Ansair bodywork on the O405N chassis. Guess the best outcome for those two is that they were last reported to still be around with a private charter operator, hopefully still in good nick to this day.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Bovways »

Swift wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 12:43 pm
Merc1107 wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 12:13 pm ...the Orana-rebodied O305s are still doing the rounds in modest numbers.
...Loved to have ridden one. They must have been phenomenal.
They certainly weren't phenomenal by the time they got to Telford's. Lovely and smooth, yes, but age, air-conditioning, and added weight (I guess from both the a/c and perhaps the bonded glass and bigger seats) meant that they were anything but quick. More automatic 1418 than o305! Doing rail in them, it was a common habit to switch the a/c off at the bottom of hills when loaded and flick it back on again at the top, to save having to worry if you would make it up the hill or not! I still never complained about driving one though.

C :)
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Swift »

As long as they stopped well, unlike many 0305s I drove over the years.
It's only fair to see a VOV inspired chassis get an orana-a-like body after Metro Tas and even the STA here got Scania L113s with a VOV inspired body.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Fleet Lists »

They did not all go to Telfords. Here are two photos of ex STA 1862 which went ro Skennars from which it retired.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193972346 ... 023561940/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193972346 ... 023296259/
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Swift »

Haha haha funny how Telfords bought a metric tonne of the things (I remember now) and Skennars (wisely?) bought a couple themselves (that Telfords wanted too?).
I could tell in my exterior encounters with them they have higher diffs fitted, further laboring therm under load I'd imagine. Probably essential in King Bros former stamping ground but less suited to urban terrain.
Funny though, I found Mercedes mark III actually seemed to accelerate faster with it's accidentally installed taller mark V diff. I loved it!

On a side note, did anybody here get to drive the pair of ex ACTION Leyland Nationals with MAN/Voith transplants they ran in the late 1990s? I got to hear one once and it sounded a bit like a Willoughby SL202!
I remember Telfords put MAN stick on badges on the fronts.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Stu »

GriffinRoads1 wrote: Sat Apr 09, 2022 8:07 pm Went onto google maps and found a ton of Oranas at Port Botany depot, guessing that's just where they're dumping them until they're disposed of. It's the same spot the Citaro's were stored at.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-33.967188 ... 384!8i8192
There were a number of these units moved to STA AMD Leichhardt in early April.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Stonesourscotty »

There's about 5 but possibley as many as 9 from my observations at Busways Penrith depot 1661-1687 are the fleetnumbers in the busways system 1679-84 I imagine are at Penrith as missing from the fleetlist??
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Fleet Lists »

Check the Busways to be delivered https://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/bus ... &ltype=new which includes over 20 of them - some of them have just been registered. Some show as Penrith while others as Ryde and Mulgrave.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by GriffinRoads1 »

Does anyone know the condition of the Sydney Bus Museum's Oranas? Only 1 has an info page.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by ScaniaGrenda »

GriffinRoads1 wrote: Sat Apr 30, 2022 8:07 am Does anyone know the condition of the Sydney Bus Museum's Oranas? Only 1 has an info page.
My answer probably isn't what your looking for but I was at the Museum about two weekends ago now for the Easter Sunday long weekend and didn't see it in the accessible public area. Nor did I see the MK1 or MK2 O305's they have. My guess (and I'm probably wrong) is with the much more recent acquisition of buses they've been getting that space is now really really tight in the Museum and of course that means not everything can be displayed. Someone with more knowledge (or the Museum) themselves can probably key in if their doing a revolving display (They move some buses out for one weekend and move others in). That could explain why back in 2020 I saw the MK1 & Two there but on my recent visit two weekends ago they were no where to be seen.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Stonesourscotty »

Fleet Lists wrote: Fri Apr 29, 2022 3:54 pm Check the Busways to be delivered https://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/bus ... &ltype=new which includes over 20 of them - some of them have just been registered. Some show as Penrith while others as Ryde and Mulgrave.
I saw that I just assumed the missing fleetnumbers where the ones stored at Penrith?
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by GriffinRoads1 »

Saw a bunch of Oranas yesterday stored at Leichhardt, all still with STA markings on them.
(also it was london bus day so that was fun)
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Swift »

GriffinRoads1 wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 7:42 am (also it was london bus day so that was fun)
Doesn't RM 1708 feel so much more comfy after you step out of a green and cream decker? I was struck during 2017 motorfest.
It's like getting in an executive car in comparison.
Certainly a plusher ride than an STA Scania.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by idontknow556 »

Speaking of Busways, they don't seem too keen to get rid of the Willoughby Scania L113CRLs (even though a couple are over 26) as there's nothing in the to be delivered list that's going to Willoughby unlike TSA which has loads of Yutongs in the TBD list.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

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TSA has been operating region 6 for a few years now and has had a chance to start making changes but Busways has only been operating their ex STA region for a few months and would so far have hardly had a chance to get to know what they want as replacements, let alone have had a chance to order what they want and have them built.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Swift »

idontknow556 wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 5:54 pm Speaking of Busways, they don't seem too keen to get rid of the Willoughby Scania L113CRLs (even though a couple are over 26) as there's nothing in the to be delivered list that's going to Willoughby unlike TSA which has loads of Yutongs in the TBD list.
Can't wait for them to finally leave those rattle traps in the history pages. They were embarrassing.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Linto63 »

idontknow556 wrote: Speaking of Busways, they don't seem too keen to get rid of the Willoughby Scania L113CRLs (even though a couple are over 26) as there's nothing in the to be delivered list that's going to Willoughby.
Simple reason, nothing has been delivered to replace them. Busways will have included a fleet replacement plan as part of its tender, and this will be rolled out in due course. It may well be holding on to buses longer than it otherwise would for a number of reasons such as waiting for depots to having charging equipment installed allowing it to purchase electrics, or the delays occurring in supply chains generally. At this stage only a 12 buses will reach the 26 year maximum in the last few months of 2022, so no immediate problem. Transit Systems received some new buses in region 6 early in its tenure, but these had been ordered by State Transit.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Stu »

Linto63 wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 8:38 pm
idontknow556 wrote: Speaking of Busways, they don't seem too keen to get rid of the Willoughby Scania L113CRLs (even though a couple are over 26) as there's nothing in the to be delivered list that's going to Willoughby.
Simple reason, nothing has been delivered to replace them. Busways will have included a fleet replacement plan as part of its tender, and this will be rolled out in due course. It may well be holding on to buses longer than it otherwise would for a number of reasons such as waiting for depots to having charging equipment installed allowing it to purchase electrics, or the delays occurring in supply chains generally. At this stage only a 12 buses will reach the 26 year maximum in the last few months of 2022, so no immediate problem. Transit Systems received some new buses in region 6 early in its tenure, but these had been ordered by State Transit.
Just before the time of handover (STA to Transit Systems), new STA VOLVO B8RLE buses 2933-2942 were transferred from storage at STA Region 9 Port Botany depot to Burwood Depot. There were also new (non STA) SCANIA K310UB (Gemilang body) buses that commenced operating in service on day 1 of Transit Systems in Region 6, these units were in storage at Hoxton Park Depot (6766-6771).
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Stu »

Fleet Lists wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 6:15 pm TSA has been operating region 6 for a few years now and has had a chance to start making changes but Busways has only been operating their ex STA region for a few months and would so far have hardly had a chance to get to know what they want as replacements, let alone have had a chance to order what they want and have them built.
Transit Systems had a head start due to the trial program.

The region 6 tender included a 2 x year trial of four electric buses, after Transit Systems commenced operations in Region 6 in July 2018, they had 12 months to work with TfNSW to bring the electric bus trial on line by July 2019.

The data over those two years was analysed regularly and a new project was launched almost immediately after the trial finished in July 2021. The establishment of the Electric Bus Pilot Program based at Leichhardt Depot commenced in August 2021 with infrastructure upgrades being delivered in various stages. I’ll post more info about this in the electric bus topic so as to not steer the conversation off topic.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Stu »

idontknow556 wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 5:54 pm Speaking of Busways, they don't seem too keen to get rid of the Willoughby Scania L113CRLs (even though a couple are over 26) as there's nothing in the to be delivered list that's going to Willoughby unlike TSA which has loads of Yutongs in the TBD list.
When the time is right, I’m sure the transport minister will be delighted to hold a media conference to announce electric buses operating in Region 7 and the retirement of the older diesel buses due for retirement.

Busways have had an involvement with electric buses since early 2021. There was the trial in Coffs Harbour with a Yutong demonstrator model and the Custom Denning demonstrator model on trial in Sydney during the mid year. 6 x Custom Denning delivered between Oct-Dec 2021.

There was an announcement in April 2022 for the VEMO project (TfNSW, Busways, Evenergi & Endeavour Energy). Penrith Depot in Region 1.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Fleet Lists »

We are getting off track - this belongs in the Electric Bus thread.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by GriffinRoads1 »

One of my friends pointed at an Orana yesterday and said "vario bus" and I couldn't stop laughing.
I mean, yeah? They have a similar front i guess? Vario bus.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Swift »

Must be the twin square headlights. Interesting perception. I can't unsee it now.
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Re: State Transit / Transit Systems Ansair Orana Retirement

Post by Ben_Daui »

I saw an STA VOLVO painted all white with Busways logos heading east along Great Western highway at Werrrington, plate number was 69??, I couldn’t really see it was I was driving, all white livery doesn’t suit the bus, it would have been better to leave it as it was like the Ryde buses still in the STA livery.
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