1982 Denning DenAir

This picture is of an old Denning DenAir coach I remember as a kid! This bus was used by our local Buslines branch as a school bus and was sold to Sydney Coachlines 17 years ago - and has been there ever since! Powered by a Detroit Diesel 6V92TTA with a 7 speed Spicer behind it, the whole coach rides on Denning's DenAir full front and rear airbag suspension.

It has taken me those 17 years just to see her again - I almost cried with joy - just seeing her did that to me!

Joe

Hi Joe, if it's got FULL air suspension, then somewhere , someone has re-jigged it. Them old clunkers originally had springs in the front with a small air bag assisting them, full air suspension at the rear.
Now driving them in the original configeration was an art, with the way they had the air bags set-up on the suspension. Hook 'em into a corner TOO quick and you were going to be " cocking a leg " real fast. Now if you rushed up to a corner and started to sway it right and left, you loaded the air bag for the side you wanted, then swisho as you go 'round the corner, all's good.
Rush up to ther corner WITHOUT jacking the bags, then it was heart in the mouth stuff as it lifted, boy, white knuckles and dirty underwear when that happened.
The best way to drive the old jiiggers was to poke around a corner CAREFULLY, they actually taughty you GOOD driving manners.
Done many, many hours behing the wheel of them things.

regards greenie [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]

If anybody remembers a company named V I P , they had lots of them, maintanance was NOT the highest priority for that lot, some of those "cattle trucks " were in an absolutley digusting condition.

Hi Joe, if it's got FULL air suspension, then somewhere , someone has re-jigged it. Them old clunkers originally had springs in the front with a small air bag assisting them, full air suspension at the rear.
Now driving them in the original configeration was an art, with the way they had the air bags set-up on the suspension. Hook 'em into a corner TOO quick and you were going to be " cocking a leg " real fast. Now if you rushed up to a corner and started to sway it right and left, you loaded the air bag for the side you wanted, then swisho as you go 'round the corner, all's good.
Rush up to ther corner WITHOUT jacking the bags, then it was heart in the mouth stuff as it lifted, boy, white knuckles and dirty underwear when that happened.
The best way to drive the old jiiggers was to poke around a corner CAREFULLY, they actually taughty you GOOD driving manners.
Done many, many hours behing the wheel of them things.

regards greenie [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]

If anybody remembers a company named V I P , they had lots of them, maintanance was NOT the highest priority for that lot, some of those "cattle trucks " were in an absolutley digusting condition.

greenie,

This was done at Denning's factory as a standard fit to the DenAir models - will scan a piece from the Road Transport Historical Society's "Transmission" re: the DenAir that was donated to them by the family of Lance Grenda - that one is fully airbag suspended!

Joe

That's an old Koala Tours Coach, a mate from school was a mechanic then driver for them years ago.

Greenie, I envy you. When I was a kid all I ever wanted to do was drive one of those. They still look and sound superb.

Thanks for posting Joe

That's an old Koala Tours Coach, a mate from school was a mechanic then driver for them years ago.

Greenie, I envy you. When I was a kid all I ever wanted to do was drive one of those. They still look and sound superb.

Thanks for posting Joe

Bruce,

You're right! Shorelink owned Koala Tours and when Shorelink came under the John A. Gilbert/Buslines banner, she was transferred to Dubbo where she stayed for a number of years till she was sold to Sydney Coachlines of Kingsgrove, where she has been ever since! It has taken me 17 bloody years to get this photo and I almost cried when I saw it!

Joe

Hi Joe, if it's got FULL air suspension, then somewhere , someone has re-jigged it. Them old clunkers originally had springs in the front with a small air bag assisting them, full air suspension at the rear.
Now driving them in the original configeration was an art, with the way they had the air bags set-up on the suspension. Hook 'em into a corner TOO quick and you were going to be " cocking a leg " real fast. Now if you rushed up to a corner and started to sway it right and left, you loaded the air bag for the side you wanted, then swisho as you go 'round the corner, all's good.
Rush up to ther corner WITHOUT jacking the bags, then it was heart in the mouth stuff as it lifted, boy, white knuckles and dirty underwear when that happened.
The best way to drive the old jiiggers was to poke around a corner CAREFULLY, they actually taughty you GOOD driving manners.
Done many, many hours behing the wheel of them things.

regards greenie [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]

If anybody remembers a company named V I P , they had lots of them, maintanance was NOT the highest priority for that lot, some of those "cattle trucks " were in an absolutley digusting condition.

Or Nambucca River Cruises, to us old Pacific runners, after an incident involving some rather wet wheels. Any one else remember that?

Yeah, VIP and also deluxe coachlines, wasn't it? in the days before cheap airfares..
Remember when these guys used to charge $49 per person, Melbourne to Sydney or vise versa.
That was the way many thousands of people got aroound the country.
Used to see them unloading off the bus somewhere like Yass, in the middle of the night, all dazed and sleepy, get a heap of junk food, and back on the bus..
Did one trip myself one one, down Sesame Street when it was damn busy at night, the bus rocking and shaking at all the oncoming traffic, and the 6/92 roaring away in the back!
Definitely cattle class...

A mate of mine had a very short career with VIP. He reckoned it had to be better than running round town loading and unloading all day then driving all night. On his first day he was sent to Kempsey from Brisbane, to change over and return. At Kempsey he was asked to continue to Sydney as the change over bus had not arrived, he could have a ten hour break in a motel there. In Sydney he was told they could not find accomodation and needed him to return to Kempsey, where he could sleep. At Kempsey there was no relief, he was expected to continue to Brisbane, where management generously gave him three hours off to go home for a shower, shave, shoeshine etc, before another Kempsey leg. He got as far as the 's' ritual, but didn't return to the depot. No wonder they were constantly looking for steerers, it wasn't just the maintainance that was lacking. These jiggers could fly, real bitumen boings, but they could never make good times because they had to stop at every hole in the hedge. I left Sydney one night and was passed by a Deluxe on the freeway, my old jigger was full noise at 80 kay, but I kept plodding. This coach passed me half a dozen times up the length of the Pacific, the last time at Springwood.

Deluxe coachlines had some very quick coaches had a friend who worked for them tell me most drivers would normally wait for passengers to nod off before putting foot flat to the floor to make up time there perth coaches were super quick

Dunk,

Here are the photos you tried to add (hope you still wanted them on). Make sure when you copy the link from photobucket you pick the forum code not the web code.