Flxible Metro
Flxible Metro/Grumman 870 | ||
---|---|---|
Transmission ZF, Voith, or Allison | | |
Dimensions | ||
Length | 30 ft (9.14 m), 35 ft (10.67 m), or 40 ft (12.19 m) | |
Width | 96 in (2.44 m) or 102 in (2.59 m) | |
Height | 120 in (3.05 m) | |
Chronology | ||
Predecessor | Flxible New Look |
The Flxible Metro is a transit bus that was assembled and manufactured by the Flxible Corporation from 1983 until 1995. From 1978 until early-1983, when Flxible was owned by Grumman, the model was known as the Grumman 870, with a Grumman nameplate. The earlier model 870 experienced a large number of major design defects and deficiencies, some of which led to the filing of lawsuits against the company by purchasers, and the successor "Metro" model addressed those defective design issues.
Over the combined 17-year production history, a total of 14,456 were built, of which 4,642 were model 870 and 9,814 were Metros.[1]
History
Under the ownership of
In 1978, Rohr sold Flxible to
Eventually, Grumman was forced to sell the line to General Automotive Corporation in 1983 for $41 million, a 25-percent loss after developing the "Flxible Metro" which addressed all of the shortcomings of the Model 870 in 1982.[7] Under the ownership of General Automotive, the Flxible nameplate was restored to the buses.[citation needed]
Production continued until late 1995, when financial problems prompted the company to suspend production and lay off most of its workforce at the Delaware, Ohio, factory.[8] The layoffs were initially planned to be temporary, but ultimately became permanent,[8] and in 1996 Flxible was forced into Chapter 11 bankruptcy and liquidated. Parent company General Automotive would meet the same fate as Flxible (bankruptcy and liquidation) the following year.[9]
The last Flxible Metros delivered were ones delivered in November 1995 to
In 1995, some used 870s were purchased from the Central Ohio Transit Authority (Columbus, Ohio) by Kirov, Russia, where they were used until 2004.[10]
Litigation resulting
The Grumman era of production would result in a number of lawsuits related to defects in the
- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), in whose buses where the first cracked A-frame problem was noticed in early December 1980 at their Ulmer Park Depot, yanked its NYC Transit Authority fleet for the first time in 1980 (a separate batch for MSBA was built with the problem rectified the next year) and sued Grumman. This lawsuit would result in a settlement to fix all 870 buses built until that time (2,656 examples in all), along with an early termination of the build contract where the final 200 buses of the order were transferred to General Motors.[4][5]
- In 1983, shortly before Grumman sold Flxible, Grumman would sue Rohr Industries for $500 million in federal court, claiming that it was not aware of design flaws in the 870 model before it began production shortly after the sale closed. Rohr was quickly granted summary judgment, which was upheld on appeal; the court noted that Grumman indeed had access to all of the testing information, including knowledge that testing was incomplete.[6]
- In 1984, following a fire in a Model 870 NYCTA bus number 411, Queen City Metro of Cincinnati, Ohio, with the remaining 40 buses rebuilt and sold to a transit agency in Puerto Rico. The 16 unsold buses were held for evidence until the lawsuit was resolved;[5]one bus (236) was preserved, 13 were sold to the Pioneer Valley Transportation Authority of Springfield, Massachusetts in early 1985, and the remaining two were scrapped.
Model history
The model history of the Grumman 870/Flxible Metro is as follows:
Grumman-Flxible 870 (1978–1982) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Initially, the same model naming that was used for the Flxible New Look's third generation was retained. | |||
Nominal seating capacity | Width | Engine type | Air conditioning |
35 = 30 ft 45 = 35 ft 53 = 40 ft |
096 = 96 in 102 = 102 in |
-6 = Detroit Diesel 6V711 -8 = Detroit Diesel 8V712 |
-0 = No air conditioning -1 = Air conditioning |
Beginning in April 1980, the model designation was revised, with the first two digits now indicating length instead of nominal seating capacity. | |||
Length | Width | Engine type | Air conditioning |
30 = 30 ft 35 = 35 ft 40 = 40 ft |
096 = 96 in 102 = 102 in |
-6 = Detroit Diesel 6V711 -8 = Detroit Diesel 8V712 |
-0 = No air conditioning -1 = Air conditioning |
Flxible Metro (1983–1996) | |||
Following the purchase of Grumman by General Automotive, the model naming was revised to better identify the engines used. | |||
Length | Width | Engine type | Air conditioning |
30 = 30 ft 35 = 35 ft 40 = 40 ft |
096 = 96 in 102 = 102 in |
-4D = Detroit Diesel Series 50 -6C = Cummins L10 -6C8 = Cummins C8.3 -6M = Cummins M11E -6N = Detroit Diesel 6V71 (1983-1992) -6T = Detroit Diesel 6V92TA (1983-1992) -6TL = Detroit Diesel 6V71TA (1983–1989) or 6L71TA (1990–1992) |
-0 = No air conditioning -1 = Air conditioning |
Notes | |||
A letter is often used to denote the different generations of the Metro:
|
See also
- Rapid Transit Series—competing Advanced Design Bus
- List of buses
References
- ^ ISBN 0-9660751-2-9.
- ^ "Newly designed buses tour District cities" (PDF). Transit-Times. Vol. 19, no. 4. AC Transit. October 1976. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ a b "History: A little history lesson about the Flxible company". Flxible Owners International. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- ^ a b c "Can Anyone Fx Those Flxibles?". Time magazine. March 30, 1981. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- ^ a b c d Feinman, Mark. "The New York City Transit Authority in the 1980s". Retrieved 2 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Grumman Allied Industries v. Rohr Industries, Inc., - Alt Law". 31 October 1984. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ^ "Grumman Corporation - Company History". Retrieved 2 January 2009.
- ^ a b c Ebert (2001), pp. 215–216.
- ^ Serwach, Joseph (May 12, 1997). "Bankruptcy blamed on Flxible's downfall". Crain's Detroit Business. Detroit, Michigan: Crain Communications. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved 2014-08-14. (subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries that are in the U.S.)
- ^ The Russian-language database of public transport - Grumman 870 buses in Kirov (Russia)
- ^ a b Anderson, Susan Heller; Carroll, Maurice (4 July 1984). "New York Day By Day - Grumman Tells Its Side of the Story". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ Finder, Alan; Levine, Richard (13 May 1984). "The Region - Next Stop, Court". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ "Corrections (May 12, 1984)". The New York Times. 12 May 1984. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ "Kiley Gets Authority To Sell Flxible Buses". The New York Times. 22 December 1985. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
Further reading
- Ebert, Robert R. (2001). Flxible: A History of the Bus and the Company. Yellow Springs, OH: Antique Power, Inc. ISBN 0-9660751-2-9.
- Luke, William A. & Metler, Linda L. (2005). City Transit Buses of the 20th Century. Hudson, WI: Iconografix. ISBN 1-58388-146-8.
- McKane, John (2001). Flxible Transit Buses: 1953–1995 Photo Archive. Hudson, WI: Iconografix. ISBN 1-58388-053-4.