CUMMINS NHH220 743D-SERIES GILLIGS
Powered by the Cummins Diesel model NHH-220 inline-six engine, the 743D-series was Gillig's first mid-engine diesel offering following Hall-Scott's departure from engine production. Like the Hall-Scott 504 midship gasoline-powered engine, the Cummins NHH-220 diesel engine was laid on its side in a horizontal configuration. This installation required a modified oil pan and cooling system, which was custom designed by Gillig. First production units rolled out of the Gillig factory in 1959, and Gillig continued producing the 743D-series until the introduction of the Cummins NHHTC-250 engine in 1973. Models were available in either a thirty-five foot single-axle configuration, or a 40-foot tandem-axle configuration. Available transmission options were a Spicer 6252 five-speed manual or a Fuller RT-910 10-speed RoadRanger unit.
WEED UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT BUS NO. 61 - CALIFORNIA STATE
This 1966 Gillig hails from Weed Union School District in Weed, California. Not much is known about this bus except for the fact that it has been sitting in a field unused for quite some time, and that it currently sits in Lodi, California awaiting transport to Washington State. In late 2019, Gillig Coach Historical Society/Gillig Coach Club team member Deven Weber purchased this bus with the intent to restore it back to factory original specifications. However, due to personal issues he could not complete the project. In September, 2020, ownership was transferred to website founder Steve Rosenow, and as of this writing, the bus is being relocated to its new home in Shelton, Washington. After that, it will be restored back to factory-original condition and be reassigned a Washington State equipment specification. Photos by Andreas West and Anthony Pitts, provided by Deven Weber
SHELTON SCHOOL DISTRICT BUS NO. 9, 20, and 21 - WASHINGTON STATE
While attending a local antique car show in Shelton, Washington back in June, I decided to take a peek into the stacks of Shelton High School yearbooks ranging from the '30s to the present. Seeing as how they might be a good source of Gillig photos since they ran an all-Gillig fleet at the time, I decided to focus on the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s, as well as the '90s. While looking through the 1974 yearbook, I located a black-and-white photo of four Gilligs parked in a row outside Shelton High School's Student Union Building (commonly known as the cafeteria), in the bus loading zone. Boy, things sure haven't changed much, except the scenery! But, I digress...
Each bus here, with the exception of bus 18 (in the very far right, and partially outside of the frame), is a 743D-series Gillig powered by a Cummins NHH220 midship engine and a Fuller 5-speed transmission. (Bus 18 was a 1965 Gillig C-180 with a Spicer 6252). Bus 9 is the oldest bus in the photo, and was a 1967 model. Buses 20 and 21 were both 1971 units, and each bus was identical. They served their last year of service with the Shelton School District at the end of the 1995-1996 school year, and were retired together along with seven other Gilligs.
Bus 9 was most interesting out of the lot featured here. It had a distinction of being able to be heard more than a mile away on a moderately quiet day due to the lack of an exhaust muffler, and was especially unique due to its unusual shade of teal green for an interior color.
Interestingly, the bumper paint style was done away with sometime in the late '80s or perhaps the very early '90s. When I rode these buses in middle school (and later on in high school), the bumpers on all of them were solid black, instead of the yellow with three black stripe design seen here.
PENINSULA SCHOOL DISTRICT BUS NO.'s 17, 20 and 25 - WASHINGTON STATE
These buses were part of a once all-Gillig / all-Crown SuperCoach fleet operated by the Peninsula School District in Washington State. They have since been retired. Every Gillig Peninsula School District owned was a mid-engined Gillig equipped with an NHH220 diesel engine and a Spicer 5-speed manual transmission with the exception of one, which was equipped with a CAT 3208 and a Fuller RT610 10-speed. As every Gillig Peninsula School District was a pre-1977-built bus, they were required by a new Washington State law to be taken off the road for regular service, and this is the reason they were retired. When they were retired is not known at this time, although a recent visit to the yard as recent as 2004 showed that they were no longer there.
It should also be duly noted that until their retirement between 2001 and 2005, Peninsula School District had the oldest Gillig school bus fleet in Washington State, with more than 15 Gilligs in regular service at any given time.
Bus # 17 in this series was, at the time these photos were taken in May 2001, the oldest known Gillig in operation in Washington State. It was a 1964 Gillig with a 79 passenger capacity with the 72 inch headroom. (1965 marked the year Gillig stopped building buses with the 72 inch headroom, as they adopted a higher roofline and ceiling. Bus No. 20 and Bus No. 25 were identical "sister buses." Each bus was a 1968 Gillig with a Cummins NHH220 and a Spicer 5-speed transmission, and a 79 passenger capacity. Even though the location of #20 is no longer known, it holds a sentimental value to me as I rode it every day for four consecutive school years from 1987 to 1991.
Now.. Here are the photos...
UNIDENTIFIED GILLIG - RANDOM INTERNET IMAGE SEARCH FIND.
Not much is known about this particular Gillig, except that it was a find on the internet several years ago. Its copyright owner remains unknown.
ADVENTIST CHRISTIAN SCHOOL BUS NO. 72 - CALIFORNIA STATE
This is a 35-footer with a Cummins NHH220 and a five-speed manual transmission. Contributed by Trina Falk Nelson.
PARAMOUNT STUDIOS GILLIG
This bus is a custom-built Gillig Utility Coach with a Cummins NHH220 and a Fuller Roadranger RT-910 10-speed manual transmission. It is also equipped with an air-override interlock switch for the rear axles, and it has 4x4 rear axles.
This bus is a former Paramount Studios Grip equipment transport bus. The bus portion was built by Gillig, and the utility box was built by Aluminum Body Construction Corporation of Los Angeles, California. There were several units like this bus built, and were purchased and used by major broadcasting companies like ABC Sports, ESPN, and Paramount Studios.
MONROVIA SCHOOL DISTRICT BUS NO. 11 - CALIFORNIA STATE
This is a 1967 Gillig 743D-13. It has a Fuller U-572 direct-in-fifth manual transmission, and hails from the Monrovia Unified School District in California. It was retired in June of 1999 and later purchased by the schools mechanic. He then sold it to Aaron Gold, who sent in these photos. Aaron Gold's intentions were to convert it to an RV, but I have since lost contact with him, so I have no idea if he still has the Gillig.
KNIGHT RIDER PROP BUS
No further information is known about this, except it appeared in an episode of Knight Rider sometime in the show's second season.
