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Yellow school bus from Herpa

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  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Hilliard, Ohio
  • 1,139 posts
Posted by chatanuga on Saturday, March 3, 2012 3:34 PM

MisterBeasley

Just from memory, I think the swing-out stop sign on the side is a much more recent addition, probably from the 90s or later.  This came later than safety laws about the red flashers, requiring traffic in both directions to stop.

Back when I was in the first grade (1980), the buses we had with the yellow flasher lights all had stop signs on the side that swung out.  So, they've been around for a while.  The older buses that just had the red flashers (no yellow) did not have swing-out stop signs.

Kevin

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  • From: Rijeka, Croatia (Europe)
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Posted by Thommo on Friday, March 2, 2012 7:07 PM

Thanks guys on the answers!

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  • From: S.E. Adirondacks, NY
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Posted by modelmaker51 on Friday, March 2, 2012 5:44 PM

Here's a link to a variety of buses:  http://busexplorer.com/SchoolBus/BlueBirdFrame.html

Jay 

C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1 

Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums 

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  • From: North Dakota
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Posted by BroadwayLion on Friday, March 2, 2012 9:42 AM

Kindergarten: 1953. Not much has changed.

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by NittanyLion on Thursday, March 1, 2012 7:17 PM

Not sure I'd call it "fairly new."  I remember learning that lesson in kindergarten.  In 1987.

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  • From: Central Vermont
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Posted by cowman on Thursday, March 1, 2012 5:47 PM

Above posters are right Blue Bird body on an International chassis.  Mr B is correct in pointing out that the swinging sign is a fairly new requirement.  I can't tell if the one in the photo has an 8 way light system (a yellow and red light at each corner) another requirement in this day and age.  (Edit:  when I blew the photo up, I can see it does have the 8 way lighting system.)  When I started driving one of the beasts 27 years ago I don't think the 8 ways were required, but they were coming.  The signs have been around awhile, but not required until recently.  Not sure of the year of the chassis.  As well as Blue Bird there are Thomas bodies and International makes bodies also.

Have fun,

Richard

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Posted by m horton on Thursday, March 1, 2012 1:51 PM

Not all busses used diesels, some districts used gas engines as they start easier in the winter,circa the eighties. mh

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  • From: North Dakota
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Posted by BroadwayLion on Thursday, March 1, 2012 1:43 PM

This bus is not a Thomas, it is a Blue-Bird (as per the logo on the bus).

The bluebird website says that they build their on chassis (or at least that they are custom built). The engine is a Cummings Diesel, they also have an environmental engine of some sort.

ROAR

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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  • From: Chi-Town
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Posted by zstripe on Thursday, March 1, 2012 12:14 PM

m horton,

You beat me to it.....That's exactly what it is.  ALSO a gas v8 engine made by harvester.

Cheers  Frank

 

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  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Thursday, March 1, 2012 12:11 PM

Just from memory, I think the swing-out stop sign on the side is a much more recent addition, probably from the 90s or later.  This came later than safety laws about the red flashers, requiring traffic in both directions to stop.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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Posted by m horton on Thursday, March 1, 2012 12:05 PM

A google search will show it's a eighties International, possibly a Bluebird school bus.

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 1, 2012 11:52 AM

Thommo,

this Herpa bus looks exactly like the one I used to ride during my high school days in Washington State, back in 1973/1974. This type of bus has been around probably since the 1960´s and I guess it still is.

Wikipedia will give you some more info - you can find the corresponding page here.

One of the best known manufacturers of school buses is Thomas Built Buses, a division of Daimler Trucks of North America LLC.

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Posted by m horton on Thursday, March 1, 2012 11:48 AM

That is an international chassis that dates to the 80's, maybe late 70's,no earlier. mh.

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  • From: Rijeka, Croatia (Europe)
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Yellow school bus from Herpa
Posted by Thommo on Thursday, March 1, 2012 11:39 AM

I have this notorious yellow school bus from Herpa in HO.

Can somebody point is the model based on some prototype? From which era is this bus? I remember the similar one from the early Tom Hanks movie "Bachelor Party"...

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