I remember how excited I was when I first saw the RTS' on Philly Streets in 1980. I was even more excited when I rode one for the first time. Honestly, I preferred the roller signs as opposed to the electric ones that came later.
This is Delaware Valley History!!! Being raised in Oxford, I remember every now n then, the Paoli yard would run an RTS or two thru West Chester. One swung thru Kennet square round 93, then I saw no Septa buses out that far south.
I remember riding those GMC RTS sloping back models in the 90s with my family and Nana going from Center City to North Philadelphia where Aunt t used to live with Nana until the late 90s
6:42 and 8:12. classic Havertown on Earlington Road. I'm surprised that they ran RTS buses on the 103 that late in their career in 1997. I was a 8562-8584 man. I loved the 8562-8584 group of Neoplan buses @ SEPTA'S Red Arrow Division and that's all I wanted. I'm sorry I slept on these RTS buses and near the end at least one weekday trip on the 105 always had them.
I grew up with these RTS buses and over all was the best buses I have ever had took and I loved them and I still do to this day I have the models of them we have 93s and 94s and 95s but they where some of the best buses long live the RTS buses
Brings back memories of the T7W603's that Hazleton leased from Williamsport back in '96-'98. Did they ever rattle and squeak. But they were cool and weren't falling apart like the Neoplans with all the rust.
I'm old enough to remember riding the "New Look" GM buses in grade school. The new RTS look was futuristic, so much plastic paneling replacing shiny metal panels, rhombus shaped windows, extruded aluminum trim and a cord to pull replaced by the plastic bar...
I love the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese Ad. I remember see this one in spanish from Puerto Rico AMA units, with the Sabor Celestial slogan (Celestial Taste) in english
I remember being younger and taking note of the "QC" stickers as seen at 2:28, and wondering what they were used for. Seeing as it says "Victory", are they used to show what depot the bus is assigned to??
Wow, you can tell that bus is a GMC, b'cause GM started to shape certain production vehicles like that, cars, vans, and so fourth!!! But, them RTS's were the truth at Callowhill Depot!!! We rode the route 40, 42, 52, back in the day!!! These RTS's replaced the Fishbowl and Flxible buses!!! Then came Neoplan, wow, what a stretch of good transportation in Philadelphia!!!
It is really easy to tell its a GMC unit since the GMC units were all slope backs with a square back as an option. Even if it had the square back there would be an indent which would allow you to tell the difference. The TMC and Novabus units had a smoothened square back and also had opening windows depending on the year and transit. There were also the NYCT RTS with the outward swinging rear doors.
1977-78 series 01 and 1978-80 series 03 were all slanties from the factory. It was NEVER an option. Most got retrofitted with a square back. The 04 series debut in July 1980....those were the first factory square backs....the 06 came out in '86 then TMC took over in '87...followed by NOVA in 1994 till '02.
That's the sound you get from the windows and seats shaking. This is an early RTSII 40'er with the independent front suspension not a solid axle. The suspension subframes almost never had problems but the 'A' frame bushings would squeak and squeal like a pig being branded. The rest of the noise is simply old age. Every part the butted up against another one would bang and rattle until it nearly drove you out of the coach. When trainman1971 said "battle-weary" he wasn't kidding. SEPTA drove the you know what out of those coaches.
To clean this toteboards you need to take out all the fittings and take out from the destination sign box to clean the toteboard glass. The same are plexi glass
Back then they were powered by 6V71TA and V730 Allison Transmission until the 90s they still have the V730 but they were repowered by 6V92TA Detroit Diesel engines before the square back models and changing manufacturers like TMC MCI in 1988 and then Nova bus in 1995
Factory HVAC was crap which is why they have the SuTrak on the roof. 6v71 was good, but not strong enough for that heavy bus so in their first overhaul, they got the 6v92. Plus with the NEOPLANs having it as well, made sense to have one common engine amongst the fleet.
@@RRansomSmith Thank you Rick, for the information, only one order of this workhorses? In fact, the San Juan units are RTS-04 from 1980 thru 1983, retired in 1997
I remember how excited I was when I first saw the RTS' on Philly Streets in 1980. I was even more excited when I rode one for the first time. Honestly, I preferred the roller signs as opposed to the electric ones that came later.
6:58. That struggle on the hill on Earlington Road was always real for the older SEPTA buses.
This is Delaware Valley History!!! Being raised in Oxford, I remember every now n then, the Paoli yard would run an RTS or two thru West Chester. One swung thru Kennet square round 93, then I saw no Septa buses out that far south.
Rts and neoplan are the best buses and the flexibles that septa ever had
The SEPTA Workhorses
They were a Goldmine.
This brings back memories in the last days that’s screaming engine.
I remember riding those GMC RTS sloping back models in the 90s with my family and Nana going from Center City to North Philadelphia where Aunt t used to live with Nana until the late 90s
Keep those Memories sharp in mind for life!🙏🏾🙏🏾🏁
5:40. I miss that part of the 103 back when no one rode it and when it ran on both West Chester Pike and Lynn Boulevard.
6:42 and 8:12. classic Havertown on Earlington Road.
I'm surprised that they ran RTS buses on the 103 that late in their career in 1997.
I was a 8562-8584 man. I loved the 8562-8584 group of Neoplan buses @ SEPTA'S Red Arrow Division and that's all I wanted. I'm sorry I slept on these RTS buses and near the end at least one weekday trip on the 105 always had them.
I grew up with these RTS buses and over all was the best buses I have ever had took and I loved them and I still do to this day I have the models of them we have 93s and 94s and 95s but they where some of the best buses long live the RTS buses
At 4:15 I see the original White box for roller curtain destination sign unit, using to house the Flip Dot Sign
Brings back memories of the T7W603's that Hazleton leased from Williamsport back in '96-'98. Did they ever rattle and squeak. But they were cool and weren't falling apart like the Neoplans with all the rust.
I'm old enough to remember riding the "New Look" GM buses in grade school. The new RTS look was futuristic, so much plastic paneling replacing shiny metal panels, rhombus shaped windows, extruded aluminum trim and a cord to pull replaced by the plastic bar...
I love the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese Ad. I remember see this one in spanish from Puerto Rico AMA units, with the Sabor Celestial slogan (Celestial Taste) in english
With this sound I remember the 1980 (1981 by the way) and 1983 GMC RTS from AMA San Juan with 6v71 T7W series
I remember being younger and taking note of the "QC" stickers as seen at 2:28, and wondering what they were used for. Seeing as it says "Victory", are they used to show what depot the bus is assigned to??
Yes, that's exactly what they were.
@@trainman1971 Awesome, thanks. I'm a big fan of your Septa archives circa early-mid 1990's..if you have more, keep em coming. 👍
@@kingsmoove112 thanks
You da man for this
Wow, you can tell that bus is a GMC, b'cause GM started to shape certain production vehicles like that, cars, vans, and so fourth!!! But, them RTS's were the truth at Callowhill Depot!!! We rode the route 40, 42, 52, back in the day!!! These RTS's replaced the Fishbowl and Flxible buses!!! Then came Neoplan, wow, what a stretch of good transportation in Philadelphia!!!
It is really easy to tell its a GMC unit since the GMC units were all slope backs with a square back as an option. Even if it had the square back there would be an indent which would allow you to tell the difference. The TMC and Novabus units had a smoothened square back and also had opening windows depending on the year and transit. There were also the NYCT RTS with the outward swinging rear doors.
1977-78 series 01 and 1978-80 series 03 were all slanties from the factory. It was NEVER an option. Most got retrofitted with a square back.
The 04 series debut in July 1980....those were the first factory square backs....the 06 came out in '86 then TMC took over in '87...followed by NOVA in 1994 till '02.
@@christopheryanoski6899 Did you go Neoplan huntin' yet since we spoke about it?🤣🤣👍👍🙋🏿♂️🏁
@@369Bandido No sadly. Haven't been able to.
That bus sounded like the frames were getting ready to give out even on a smooth road...sheesh.
That's the sound you get from the windows and seats shaking. This is an early RTSII 40'er with the independent front suspension not a solid axle. The suspension subframes almost never had problems but the 'A' frame bushings would squeak and squeal like a pig being branded. The rest of the noise is simply old age. Every part the butted up against another one would bang and rattle until it nearly drove you out of the coach. When trainman1971 said "battle-weary" he wasn't kidding. SEPTA drove the you know what out of those coaches.
This units never put the RTS-04 Kit to house the A/C unit, the unit is on the roof, cool
That's what made these Unique. The Sutrak roof unit with the slant untouched
Man even the destination sign was messed up lol
Luminator 1st Generation, used in Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico
They didn't clean them so they got dirty and could barely read them lol
To clean this toteboards you need to take out all the fittings and take out from the destination sign box to clean the toteboard glass. The same are plexi glass
Nice video Joe! I'm a bit surprised that SEPTA adorned an ad for Amtrak's then-active Metroliner Service.
Thankies! :)
My childhood 🤘🏼🤘🏼❤️❤️
Long live the RTS!!
6v71 and Allison 730, they make me transport to Puerto Rico 1980 RTS 04 Prototype and 1983 RTS 04 35ft model
1980 units 80601 thru 80647
1983 units 83701 thru 83791
I agree
I remember theses GMC buses was on the 52 route
Back then they were powered by 6V71TA and V730 Allison Transmission until the 90s they still have the V730 but they were repowered by 6V92TA Detroit Diesel engines before the square back models and changing manufacturers like TMC MCI in 1988 and then Nova bus in 1995
No square backs in Philly.
Slopes till the end
And they got 6V92 back in the late 80s when they were overhauled
They actually had a few with 6v92 from the factory.
8:46. Darby Road through Havertown.
Septa in 1986 kept this buses impeccable . now is not the same come on now
Ahh the sloped rear model. These ones tended to have problems with engine and A/C failure.
No.
HVAC worked. Engine was a different story
@@RRansomSmith I think that's why they got the 6v92 those had a better reliability record
Factory HVAC was crap which is why they have the SuTrak on the roof.
6v71 was good, but not strong enough for that heavy bus so in their first overhaul, they got the 6v92. Plus with the NEOPLANs having it as well, made sense to have one common engine amongst the fleet.
Mbta had 1985 GMC rts bus with the 6V71TA engines I thought it was weird given that Alot of rts in that time frame were already using the 6v92 engines
Do you have the 49th and Woodland video from late 1996 - early 1997?
Unfortunately not.
Bro you had this flim the whole time? What other treasures are you hiding?🤔😎
LOL! Keep rolling through my video list.... you will see.....
And to think this was before the camera phone days too
I love it !!
69th Street Terminal/North Terminal, Victory Division
LA had gotten rid of those buses by then. They were slightly different.
@Frank Sanders Definitely. And the windows opened up! They were mostly in the Valley where it always was 100 degrees in the summer.
@Frank Sanders It's mostly nabi. A lot of them articulated. I moved out of LA about 15 years ago but go back a few times a year.
@Frank Sanders we have Novas and Proterras as well.
Everything isn't New Flyer, but it is the majority.
Please tell me that you also got into a 8000 series Neoplan also with footage.
An onboard ride, no.
@@trainman1971 bro!!! You had so much opportunity to get at least one!! Why not??
@@daniel022209 Not as much opportunity as you could imagine.... lol! Between work and all, and then having time to get out...
@@trainman1971 i understand. What part of the city were you from at the time?
Was this a detour? He kept going through do not enter signs.
Not a detour. That section is private right-of-way for the buses only. The do not enter signs are for all other traffic.
@@trainman1971 Got it thanks
el motor creo que es un 6v92
This ones is from 1982?
1980
@@wallyprice515 Wow, That's the transition between the 03 to 04 series
@@jorgefigueroa4437 all here were 03
@@RRansomSmith Thank you Rick, for the information, only one order of this workhorses? In fact, the San Juan units are RTS-04 from 1980 thru 1983, retired in 1997
@@jorgefigueroa4437 yeah, one order spread out over about 2 years.
285 buses (8000-8284).
Replaced by NABI 416.08TAs in 1997.
How the septa broad street line in the 1998s
Huh?
SEPTA... At Your Service ad
Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese ad
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