Renumbered to 103
Built in London, Ontario, this
bus is the first of this model built for the 1970 model year in Canada,
according to published Production Rosters.
Shipped from General
Motors in London, Ontario on January 14, 1970 to Lethbridge Transit as Bus
Number 3, she was painted in Lethbridge’s old colors of green and white, as
shown in the photo of Bus Number 4, a 1965 TDH-5303.
Renumbered to 103 and repainted
to the present yellow and purple in 1980, this bus served Lethbridge Transit
until December 1999. The photo below shows 103 in retirement at the Lethbridge
Transit Garage in March 2000.
I purchased the bus in April
2000 with the intention of preserving an example of the greatest Transit Bus
ever built. Original plans were to buy Lethbridge’s surviving 1965 TDH-5303
(Bus 105), but that bus was not in very good shape having been retired several
years earlier. 103 had only been retired for 3 months and was in such amazing
condition that it was obviously a much better candidate for preservation. In the
photo below is 103 on April 8, 2000 - leaving Lethbridge Transit Garage for the
last time.
Of this particular model, the T6H-5305, there were 1081 units produced between the Canadian and U.S. plants. This was the lowest production number of any model of this configuration - Transit configuration, 6 cylinder, Hydraulic Transmission, No Air Conditioning, “53” Series model.
1970
Model T6H-5305
Serial Number C368
LENGTH - 40 FEET
WIDTH - 102 INCHES
HEIGHT - 9 FEET, 10 INCHES
WEIGHT - 29,700 LBS. (Approx.)
SEATS - 53
OIL - 22 U.S.
QUARTS (Approx.)
TRANS. OIL - 27 U.S. QUARTS (Approx.)
COOLANT - 77 U.S. QUARTS (Approx.)
ENGINE
DETROIT DIESEL 6V71
6 CYLINDER
426 CUBIC INCHES
183 HORSEPOWER
ROTATION - LEFT
TRANSMISSION
ALLISON VH9
2 SPEED HYDRAULIC
CABLE SHIFTER
BODY
MONOCOQUE CONSTRUCTION
ALUMINUM STRESSED SKIN
REINFORCED WITH STEEL
