NABI SFW

The NABI SFW was a line of standard (high)-floor transit buses available in 40' rigid (NABI 416) and 60' articulated (NABI 436) nominal lengths, manufactured by the Ikarus USA joint venture, then by American Ikarus and North American Bus Industries (NABI) between 1989 and 2013. In addition to the different lengths, the buses were sold with a variety of prime movers, including conventional diesel and CNG combustion engines and hybrid diesel-electric power.

NABI 416 / NABI 436

Top: NABI 416.10 (2010)
Bottom: NABI 436.10 (2017)
Overview
Manufacturer
  • Ikarus USA (1989–92)
  • American Ikarus (1992–97)
  • NABI (1997–2013)
Also called
  • Ikarus 416
  • Ikarus 436
  • NABI 40-SFW
  • NABI 60-SFW
Production
  • 1989–2013 (416)
  • 1991–2002 (436)
Body and chassis
ClassTransit bus
Body styleMonocoque
LayoutRR
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • 264 in (6.71 m) (416)[1][2]
  • F:264 in (6.71 m) / R:232 in (5.89 m) (436)[3]
Lengthover bumpers:
  • 40 ft 9 in (12.4 m) (416)[2]
  • 59 ft 6 in (18.1 m) (436)[3]
Width102 in (2.59 m)[1][3]
Height118 in (3.00 m)[1][3]
Curb weight
  • 28,900 to 31,715 lb (13,100 to 14,400 kg) (416)[4][5][6]
  • 41,900 to 42,600 lb (19,000 to 19,300 kg) (436)[7][8]
Chronology
Predecessor
Successor

NABI introduced the low-floor LFW line in 1997 to supplement the older SFW line; both of the NABI bus product lines featured similar styling, with the LFW having comparatively taller side windows over the low-floor portion of the bus. NABI was acquired by New Flyer in 2013, and NABI production was wound down by 2015; the last SFW order (for a set of NABI 416 buses) had been delivered in 2013.

Design

The NABI SFW line uses a model number incremented from the Hungarian model it was based on. The 40-foot NABI 416 is derived from the Ikarus 415 and the 60-foot NABI 436 is derived from the Ikarus 435. As an alternative, a model numbering scheme similar to that used for the LFW line was applied. In this alternative scheme, the 416 and 436 were designated as 40-SFW and 60-SFW respectively, providing the nominal length along with the standard floor height (SFW) family. On the stamped vehicle identification plate, the model was identified as 416.nn or 436.nn, with nn sequentially assigned according to the order number.[9] In total, there were 16 orders for the 416 (416.00 to 416.15, with one order cancelled) and 11 orders for the 436 (436.00 to 436.10, with two cancelled).[10]

Like the preceding Crown-Ikarus 286 and Orion-Ikarus 286 articulated buses sold in the 1980s, rolling shells were assembled by the Ikarus Bus company in Hungary and finished in the United States to meet "Buy American" requirements for federally-subsidized transit vehicles.[11][12]: 7–9  After its partnership with Crown Coach dissolved in 1986, Ikarus entered a joint venture with Union City Body Company (UCBC) of Union City, Indiana to sell domestic versions of the rigid Ikarus 415 as the Ikarus USA 416, with final assembly occurring at the UCBC plant in Anniston, Alabama, starting in 1989. The articulated Ikarus USA 436 was added to the lineup in 1991.

After UCBC declared bankruptcy in 1992,[13] production was resumed at Anniston under the auspices of American Ikarus,[14] which was renamed North American Bus Industries (NABI) in 1997. NABI was acquired by Cerberus Capital in 2006, then sold to New Flyer in 2013.

2012-model NABI 416.15 with 'Gen II' facelift of Olympia Trails, seen in 2020

In 1998, NABI announced the SFW line would be available with a stainless steel frame as an option.[15] A 'Gen II' restyle was unveiled in 2008, which added small quarter windows at the front between the windshield and the door or driver's side window, making the appearance similar to the contemporary NABI LFW Gen II (also unveiled in 2008) and the NABI BRT line (debuted in 2004).[2] SFW bodies were assembled in Hungary until late 2012, when body production transitioned to Anniston.[16]

Deployment

The first 416 order was delivered to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in 1989; the first 436 order was delivered to the Port Authority of Allegheny County in 1991.[17] The final 436 order was delivered to SamTrans in 2002, and the final 416 order was delivered to New Jersey Transit in 2013.[18] Other transit agencies with significant quantities of NABI SFW buses included the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (using 416; serving Houston), AC Transit (using 416; serving Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, California), SEPTA (using 416; serving Philadelphia) Maryland Transit Administration (using both the 416 and 436; serving Baltimore), and RTD Bus & Rail (using 436; serving Denver).[10]

Ikarus USA built a prototype Model 416 bus powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 1991, claimed to be the first in America. The prototype was built at the request of Harris County Metro and was completed three days before another bus was retrofitted with an LNG Detroit Diesel engine by Stewart & Stevenson.[19]

See also

References
  1. "General Specifications: 416 standard floor". North American Bus Industries, Inc. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006.
  2. "416 (Standard Floor)" (PDF). North American Bus Industries, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2011.
  3. "General Specifications: 436 standard floor". North American Bus Industries, Inc. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006.
  4. STURAA Test: Ikarus 40' Heavy Duty Bus from Ikarus USA Inc (PDF) (Report). Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. July 1990. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  5. STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from Ikarus USA, Inc., Model 416.03 (PDF) (Report). Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. October 1992. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  6. STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Inc., Model 416.15 (PDF) (Report). Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. July 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  7. STURAA Test: Heavy-Duty Articulated 12 Year Bus from Ikarus USA, Inc (PDF) (Report). Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. June 1991. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  8. Partial STURAA Test: 12 Year 500,000 Mile Bus from North American Bus Industries, Model 436.10 (PDF) (Report). Bus Testing and Research Center, The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. October 2002. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  9. "Lot # : 4801 - 2002 NABI 60' Articulating Transit Bus". Bar None Auction. 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  10. Kristopans, Andre (October 27, 2014). "IKARUS / NABI Models and Order Numbers". Utah Rails. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  11. "NABI - North American Bus Industries". Coachbuilt. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  12. Global Bus Innovation: NABI Annual Report and Accounts (PDF) (Report). North American Bus Industries, Inc. 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 29, 2020.
  13. Burger, Frederick (August 15, 1992). "Ikarus' owners file Chapter 11". Anniston Star. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  14. Burger, Frederick (November 11, 1992). "Ikarus reborn; 45 expected to be rehired". Anniston Star. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  15. "NABI announces stainless steel bus design" (Press release). North American Bus Industries, Inc. April 29, 1998. Archived from the original on February 2, 1999.
  16. "NABI production now entirely in U.S." Metro Magazine. May 14, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  17. Kristopans, Andre (October 27, 2014). "Ikarus / NABI". Utah Rails. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  18. Kristopans, Andre (March 14, 2017). "North American Bus Industries". Utah Rails. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  19. Burger, Frederick (September 29, 1991). "A bus first". Anniston Star. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
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