Re: Draft History of NYCTA Grumman 870s (Re: Whatever Happened to NY's Grumman Flxible Model (116038)

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Posted by Planes, Trains, Autos (and buses) on Thu Jun 3 11:45:27 2004, in response to Re: Draft History of NYCTA Grumman 870s (Re: Whatever Happened to NY's Grumman Flxible Model,
posted by RailBus on Thu Jun 3 09:01:36 2004.

In a nutshell, the A-frame problem was traced to poor engineering by Rohr, Flxible’s previous parent before Grumman. The bus was not subjected to the proper testing to see if the design would hold up, and when Grumman purchased Flxible they thought the 870 design was good to go and began building the bus immediately. By all indications, Grumman Flxible solved the A-frame problem and these buses went on to run for years in a number of cities, but the 870 had become a political liability in NYC after 1980. The 1984 fire that engulfed an 870 on 57th Street and resulted in Gunn removing the entire fleet from service was not due to any Flxible design defect, but was caused by poor TA maintenance practices – if I remember correctly, the bus was missing a rear shock absorber and this caused another part to rub against a wiring harness and eventually short it out and ignite the blaze.

Thanks so much for your post. I didn't have all the fact, but for a long time I've also mentioned that Grumman made the necessary repairs to the Grumman 870 and incorporated the strengthened -A-Frame in later buses. ...and that the TA's problems were the result of their lack of decent maintenance. I didn't know about the shock absorber, but I'm not suprised as TA buses were really bad in those days.

What's also interesting is that David Gunn removed these buses from service and later went on to head WMATA which purchased hundreds of Flxible Metros. Go figure.

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