Orion-Ikarus 286

The Orion-Ikarus 286, commonly known as the Orion III, was an articulated bus marketed to Canadian transit operators by Ontario Bus Industries (OBI). It was produced as a joint venture between Ikarus Body and Coach Works and OBI from 1985 to 1989, and deployed primarily in Ottawa (for OC Transpo) and Toronto (for the TTC). The Orion III fleets were retired prematurely due to corrosion, and all examples were withdrawn from service by 2003.

Orion-Ikarus III 286
An Orion-Ikarus bus of OC Transpo on display at Expo 86
Overview
ManufacturerIkarus
Ontario Bus Industries
Production1985-1989
AssemblyBudapest, Hungary (unfinished shell)
Mississauga, Ontario (finishing)
Body and chassis
ClassTransit bus
Body stylearticulated
LayoutMid-mounted engine/"puller"
RelatedCrown-Ikarus 286
Powertrain
EngineCummins NHHTC-300[1]
Transmission4-speed Allison HT747 or HTB748[1]
PropulsionDiesel
Dimensions
Length59 ft 7 in (18,160 mm) over bumpers[1]
Width102 in (2,600 mm)[1]
Height124 in (3,100 mm)[1]
Curb weight37,979 lb (17,227 kg)[1]
Chronology
SuccessorIkarus USA/NABI 436

Production and design

Rolling Ikarus 280 shells (frame and body) were built by Ikarus in Hungary, with modifications to conform with standard Canadian transit bus dimensions, and then shipped to OBI's plant in Mississauga, Ontario via Montreal, where final assembly (including the installation of a domestic powertrain, doors, windows and seats) was performed.[2] The Orion III was built from 1985 to 1989.[3] Local assembly also was used for the similar Crown-Ikarus 286 for the United States, finished and sold by Crown Coach Corporation in Los Angeles for the United States transit market.

The bus used a "puller" design, with the engine driving the middle axle.[3] All three axles were built by Rockwell International; the non-powered front and rear axles were Model FL-941, and the powered middle axle was Model 59742W, equipped with a standard 4.56:1 drive ratio.[1]

One demonstrator vehicle was assembled in 1984. It was later leased by Transit Windsor in June 1985 for service through the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel, then was sold to St. Catharines Transit in 1988. Eventually, the 1984 demo model was sold to OC Transpo (serving Ottawa, Ontario) for parts.

Deployment

The first production contract was awarded to OBI by OC Transpo in November 1984. This was followed by an order from Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) for 90 buses in October 1986; the cost of the TTC contract was CA$29 million.[4] As delivered for TTC, the Orion III had 61 seats and had a crush capacity of 107 riders.[5] The first nine Orion III buses for TTC were delivered in 1987 for acceptance testing, with revenue service anticipated to start in early 1988.[6]

In service, the Orion III prematurely developed corrosion,[7][8][9] and were retired starting in 1995. By 2003, both OC Transpo and TTC had completely retired their Orion III fleets.[3][10][11][12]

Operators

Four transit agencies used the Orion III, but only 3 had them on full roster:

Competitors

References
  1. "60' Orion-Ikarus Articulated Transit Bus" (PDF). barp.ca. Ontario Bus Industries / Bus Industries of America. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. "Articulated buses returning to fleet in 2013" (Press release). Toronto Transit Commission. October 11, 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. Bow, James; O'Brien, Brad (March 2020). "The Orion III Ikarus Articulated Bus". Transit Toronto. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  4. 1986 Annual Report (PDF) (Report). Toronto Transit Commission. 1986. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  5. "New 'bendable' streetcar launched". Toronto Transit Commission. January 19, 1988. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  6. 1987 Annual Report (PDF) (Report). Toronto Transit Commission. 1987. ISBN 0-9691148-3-4. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  7. Leclair, Rosemarie T. (January 18, 2001). Approval to purchase low-floor buses, Year 2001 (Report). Ottawa City Council. Retrieved 18 September 2020. The Orion Ikarus articulated buses were imported from Hungary and have a history of high maintenance costs and premature rusting. ... Today there are 115 articulated buses in the fleet with ages ranging from 13 to 16 years. ... The [37 Orion Ikarus] buses to be retired were last refurbished 3 to 6 years ago and continuing them in service is not an option without additional major refurbishments at a cost of in excess of $100,000 each. This would only extend the life of these buses for two or three years, given their extensive body corrosion.
  8. Kalinowski, Tess (August 15, 2012). "TTC brings back the bendy bus". The Star. Retrieved 26 September 2020. The last generation of articulated TTC buses was officially retired in 2004 because of corrosion problems. Those Ikarus buses, partially built in Hungary, were assembled by Orion in Mississauga.
  9. Brophy, Jim (July 23, 2016). "Bus Stop Classics: American-Ikarus/North American Bus Industries – From Hungary to Alabama…". Curbside Classic. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  10. @OC_Transpo (March 15, 2018). "Do you remember this bus? The last Ikarus model in the fleet was retired in 2003. #tbt #OCtranspo
    Vous souvenez-vous de cet autobus? Le dernier exemplaire du modèle Ikarus a été retiré de la circulation en 2003 #tbt #OCtranspo"     (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. "Declaration of Surplus of Decommissioned Buses". Toronto Transit Commission. August 27, 2003. Retrieved 18 September 2020. The Flyer D40-90 buses and the Ikarus Articulated buses have proven costly to maintain in a safe condition. The Articulated buses and many of the Flyer D40-90 buses have already been removed from service, due to major structural or mechanical failures.
  12. "Board Meeting Minutes, Meeting No. 1831". Toronto Transit Commission. August 27, 2003. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
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