BusTalk

N4 Jamaica · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 858 Location: Long Island

About 1 p.m. on March 18, 2009, I came across new Orion 1713 at Sunrise Mall, Masapequa, ready to begin its run north to Hicksville on N80. Because the Long Island Rail Road provides mostly east-west service, north-south bus routes seem important helps to travel on Long Island. N15 (Long Beach to Rooosevelt Field) and N41 and N42 (Freeport to Mineola) are heavily patronized. Current timetables offer N80 and N81 between Sunrise Mall and Hicksville, each hourly on a different route. N80 stands a strong chance of being eliminated, due to low patronage. After leaving Sunrise Mall, it travels south to Merrick Road, where there once was a Gimbels, then north to two LIRR stations (Massapequa Park and Massapequa), then north on Hicksville Road. I have posted two photos of 1713 on this trip. Here is a link to one in the Bus Talk Gallery, and my album will show the other:
http://gallery.bustalk.info/displayimage.php?pos=-14688
Joe

N4 Jamaica · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 858 Location: Long Island

Also today, 3/19, I saw 1711 on N19 (Freeport-Babylon). I wonder how many of the new buses have been delivered. They are CNG.

RailBus63 · Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 1063

I drove past the Orion plant in Oriskany today and the yard was full of new CNG's for LI Bus. The highest numbers I spotted were 1779 and 1782.

Jim

Hart Bus · Age: 74 Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1150

I thought that when I saw bus 1704 on Front Street, I'd be the first to annouce it on here, but I see that JAM beat me to the punch with see 1713. Now with Railbus seeing buses as high as 1782, how many buses are in this order? Is 1700 still in service.

Both 1704 and the buses in the photo gallery DO NOT have the orange stripe anymore..

asdfasdf · Age: 78 Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 47

It is supposed to be 100. 60 for the base order and 40 option buses (which appear to have been used).

Bob K

B53RICH · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 254

I've seen 1723 on the N81 on Old Country Road about a week or so ago. Yesterday there was another on the N81 but was too far ahead for me to catch up to. I've yet to see any on the N79.

N4 Jamaica · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 858 Location: Long Island

I wonder who is paying for them! If memory serves me right, much of the expense of introducing CNG to Nassau County was paid by federal cash brought in by Al D'Amato (senator until 1998, two years after the introduction of Orion CNG'S).
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So, I am wondering who is paying Orion for the 1700's. Or is someone plunging deeper into debt?
Joe

R62CNG · Banned Joined: 14 Feb 2014 Posts: 186

The 1996 Orion V CNGs were not the first CN Orions in LI. The 1992 Orion V CNGs were the first.