Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
I was asked by Ricky to post a trip report, so here we go. In abstract, poor timing of the itinerary plagued the trip from the start and taught me a lot of lessons. I did not have enough time to do what I wanted to do and the transit connections were too tight. Red Line delivered speed and was cheap but was, for the most part, a typical boring subway ride plagued by suspicious characters at night. Los Angeles buses were just typical big city transit buses, slow, interesting to ride, cheap, goes all over the place, and long routes. Greyhound delivered vastly polarized results; I got 2 great rides, 1 OK ride, and 1 horrible $hit ride.
Ah, the whole trip kind of went awry before I even got to Southern California. For some reason, I slept very poorly in The Mosser Hotel at San Francisco during my overnight layover. I barely got an hour of sleep. I don't know why; the room was small but I felt it was comfortable, I just couldn't fall asleep. I guess it's because I sat in the room all afternoon because of the rain and didn't do anything. When I get too bored, I can't fall asleep.
So, when I was riding 101, I was brain-fried and even more so by the time I got to North Hollywood. I tried to sleep on that DL3, with some success, sleeping in segment and I know I missed Paso Robles by sleeping through it, but my brain told me it was daytime, not time to sleep. I did buy a TAP card that evening which I still have. The next day was a lot better, but I missed the 224 I was planning to take and had to take the later 757 to Santa Clarita. Not a big problem, I made it to the Centennial tour fine, but then I bit the bullet and went to the Science Center around dusk before going to the Griffith Observatory. Again, I was heavily fatigued by the time I got there and failed to eat at Roscoe's (ran out of time). I hightailed it to North Hollywood and ate at Chipotle's before catching one of the last northbound 224s.
On the last day after that, I was fatigued again after sleeping too late the night before even though Best Western Burbank Airport Inn is very comfortable. I hadn't made up all the fatigue from San Francisco yet, either. So I left kind of late and went to Greyhound to store my duffle bag in a locker ($4). Took some pictures at Greyhound and found that the museum fleet was staying in the Los Angeles garage, then got on the 760 and transferred to the 2, trying to get to Getty Center.
The 2 was a great ride with a new New Flyer XD40, but things went awry again when I got off too early and had to walk for 15 minutes to get to a 734 stop. Then I waited some more for the 734, time flowing away, already mid afternoon, got to Getty Center, not much time left before closing, looked at some old Medieval books, took some pics, then the place closed and the sun had set. I found myself basically hopeless because my Greyhound to Sacramento wasn't going to go until 6 hours later and it was already dark outside. I was too far from Long Beach to get to the Queen Mary, so I took a joyride on the 2 all the way to Pacific Palisades (another XD40), then ate at the Taco Bell there, then got another 2 (this time a NABI 40-LFW) to Vermont/Sunset, caught the Red Line to 7th Street/Metro Center, 60 to Greyhound.
Still had some time when I got to Greyhound, but lagged around and failed to queue my bag early (I swear I was fatigued and confused), so I ended up getting into the back of the line. I was dismayed to find that I would likely be sitting at the very back of the lousy motorcoach, D4505 #86522. Said a prayer (like I do every night) and for some reason, the D4505 was full (holiday season) and I was the first person in line for the second section! Voila, second section was surely not a D4505, it was an old white DL3 (#60316)! So I get on the DL3 first and get my favorite seat (riding shotgun). By that time, the D4505 had pulled away ahead of schedule and I was just waiting for the driver to leave. Slept well that night between all the fatigue I had amassed and the comfortable old DL3.
Too bad the next morning, after one of the best nights I've had on motorcoaches, I had to wait a long time in Sacramento for the connection to Reno, and I didn't like it. It was delayed bad (1-hour-delay) and when it pulled up, lo and behold, a D4505. This time #86352. I've taken D4505s many, many times out of Reno so I expected it to be uncomfortable seating-wise but otherwise a good machine. Too bad I was proven wrong. The driver got sick and booked off, then another driver came on to drive it. He didn't really know what he was doing, braking hard and bumping around, tilting at every little turn.
I got a window seat but the ride was rough and I almost got sick. I kept bumping my head into the window or the seat in front. Tried to fasten the seat belt, but I found the latch gone, only the belt remained, so I switched to the aisle seat. I was watching the driver and he seemed to be OK, but he just kept tilting! Also, I got to call out, these D4505 mirrors are seriously misplaced; I always notice the driver stretching his neck to view the right mirror. Never seen that happen on the old DL3s which also use less fuel, have smoother rides, and have less engine fires.
Read a driver saying that the D4505 has stiff steering and always gives him shoulder pain, so that might explain why #86352 was tilting so much. I really don't like D4505s anymore at all. Greyhound needs to order different models and different seating next time. For now, I'll just evade D4505s by not riding Greyhound as much as I have before and by especially evading D4505 routes. As you can see, I'm reexamining my loyalties to Greyhound and based it heavily on specific bus models.
Anyway, I was totally spent by the time I got to Reno and I was just out of enthusiasm. I've promised to myself that my next trip will be better and that I will revisit Los Angeles and really enjoy it next time. Always wanted to do that Western Canada trip that I've never gotten around to and this time, I'm determined to make the best itinerary I've ever made, hopefully (by God) evading D4505s and any of Greyhound's new torture machines while getting to try out Greyhound Canada's VIPs, seeing some great mountain scenery in the Canadian Rockies, and, of course, VIA Rail's awesome old stainless-steel Budd antiques.
The Greyhounds I rode were:
2013 MCI D4505 #86536 Reno-San Francisco Schedule 8309 (the OK ride)
September 1999 MCI 102DL3 #60556 (ex-Americanos, nee-Greyhound #6523) San Francisco-Los Angeles Schedule 6825 (a great ride)
June 1998 MCI 102DL3 #60316 (ex-Americanos) Los Angeles-Sacramento Schedule 1446-2 (a great ride; second section of 1446-1 Los Angeles-Portland)
2010 MCI D4505 #86351 San Francisco-Reno Schedule 8302 (the horrible $hit ride with some broken seat belts)
I really wish I could say something better about the new D4505s, but I can't. Old white DL3s are still better than D4505s by a landslide. Of course the not-old-nor-new white G4500s suck too, but the blue G4500s are great. Smoother ride, faster, much more comfortable seats, more legroom, more headroom, better fuel economy, less engine fires, more sensitive steering for the driver. The only real advantages for the D4505 are emissions and seat belts, which are offset by everything else, especially when #86352 had some broken seat belt latches.
In those pictures, all the big motorcoaches with the big round "foreheads" above the windshield are D4505s. Click on the pictures to see the full pictures, the right will have a little bit cut off. #7025 is a Blue G4500 which is comfortable with lots of legroom and storage space.
Ah, the whole trip kind of went awry before I even got to Southern California. For some reason, I slept very poorly in The Mosser Hotel at San Francisco during my overnight layover. I barely got an hour of sleep. I don't know why; the room was small but I felt it was comfortable, I just couldn't fall asleep. I guess it's because I sat in the room all afternoon because of the rain and didn't do anything. When I get too bored, I can't fall asleep.
So, when I was riding 101, I was brain-fried and even more so by the time I got to North Hollywood. I tried to sleep on that DL3, with some success, sleeping in segment and I know I missed Paso Robles by sleeping through it, but my brain told me it was daytime, not time to sleep. I did buy a TAP card that evening which I still have. The next day was a lot better, but I missed the 224 I was planning to take and had to take the later 757 to Santa Clarita. Not a big problem, I made it to the Centennial tour fine, but then I bit the bullet and went to the Science Center around dusk before going to the Griffith Observatory. Again, I was heavily fatigued by the time I got there and failed to eat at Roscoe's (ran out of time). I hightailed it to North Hollywood and ate at Chipotle's before catching one of the last northbound 224s.
On the last day after that, I was fatigued again after sleeping too late the night before even though Best Western Burbank Airport Inn is very comfortable. I hadn't made up all the fatigue from San Francisco yet, either. So I left kind of late and went to Greyhound to store my duffle bag in a locker ($4). Took some pictures at Greyhound and found that the museum fleet was staying in the Los Angeles garage, then got on the 760 and transferred to the 2, trying to get to Getty Center.
The 2 was a great ride with a new New Flyer XD40, but things went awry again when I got off too early and had to walk for 15 minutes to get to a 734 stop. Then I waited some more for the 734, time flowing away, already mid afternoon, got to Getty Center, not much time left before closing, looked at some old Medieval books, took some pics, then the place closed and the sun had set. I found myself basically hopeless because my Greyhound to Sacramento wasn't going to go until 6 hours later and it was already dark outside. I was too far from Long Beach to get to the Queen Mary, so I took a joyride on the 2 all the way to Pacific Palisades (another XD40), then ate at the Taco Bell there, then got another 2 (this time a NABI 40-LFW) to Vermont/Sunset, caught the Red Line to 7th Street/Metro Center, 60 to Greyhound.
Still had some time when I got to Greyhound, but lagged around and failed to queue my bag early (I swear I was fatigued and confused), so I ended up getting into the back of the line. I was dismayed to find that I would likely be sitting at the very back of the lousy motorcoach, D4505 #86522. Said a prayer (like I do every night) and for some reason, the D4505 was full (holiday season) and I was the first person in line for the second section! Voila, second section was surely not a D4505, it was an old white DL3 (#60316)! So I get on the DL3 first and get my favorite seat (riding shotgun). By that time, the D4505 had pulled away ahead of schedule and I was just waiting for the driver to leave. Slept well that night between all the fatigue I had amassed and the comfortable old DL3.
Too bad the next morning, after one of the best nights I've had on motorcoaches, I had to wait a long time in Sacramento for the connection to Reno, and I didn't like it. It was delayed bad (1-hour-delay) and when it pulled up, lo and behold, a D4505. This time #86352. I've taken D4505s many, many times out of Reno so I expected it to be uncomfortable seating-wise but otherwise a good machine. Too bad I was proven wrong. The driver got sick and booked off, then another driver came on to drive it. He didn't really know what he was doing, braking hard and bumping around, tilting at every little turn.
I got a window seat but the ride was rough and I almost got sick. I kept bumping my head into the window or the seat in front. Tried to fasten the seat belt, but I found the latch gone, only the belt remained, so I switched to the aisle seat. I was watching the driver and he seemed to be OK, but he just kept tilting! Also, I got to call out, these D4505 mirrors are seriously misplaced; I always notice the driver stretching his neck to view the right mirror. Never seen that happen on the old DL3s which also use less fuel, have smoother rides, and have less engine fires.
Read a driver saying that the D4505 has stiff steering and always gives him shoulder pain, so that might explain why #86352 was tilting so much. I really don't like D4505s anymore at all. Greyhound needs to order different models and different seating next time. For now, I'll just evade D4505s by not riding Greyhound as much as I have before and by especially evading D4505 routes. As you can see, I'm reexamining my loyalties to Greyhound and based it heavily on specific bus models.
Anyway, I was totally spent by the time I got to Reno and I was just out of enthusiasm. I've promised to myself that my next trip will be better and that I will revisit Los Angeles and really enjoy it next time. Always wanted to do that Western Canada trip that I've never gotten around to and this time, I'm determined to make the best itinerary I've ever made, hopefully (by God) evading D4505s and any of Greyhound's new torture machines while getting to try out Greyhound Canada's VIPs, seeing some great mountain scenery in the Canadian Rockies, and, of course, VIA Rail's awesome old stainless-steel Budd antiques.
The Greyhounds I rode were:
2013 MCI D4505 #86536 Reno-San Francisco Schedule 8309 (the OK ride)
September 1999 MCI 102DL3 #60556 (ex-Americanos, nee-Greyhound #6523) San Francisco-Los Angeles Schedule 6825 (a great ride)
June 1998 MCI 102DL3 #60316 (ex-Americanos) Los Angeles-Sacramento Schedule 1446-2 (a great ride; second section of 1446-1 Los Angeles-Portland)
2010 MCI D4505 #86351 San Francisco-Reno Schedule 8302 (the horrible $hit ride with some broken seat belts)
I really wish I could say something better about the new D4505s, but I can't. Old white DL3s are still better than D4505s by a landslide. Of course the not-old-nor-new white G4500s suck too, but the blue G4500s are great. Smoother ride, faster, much more comfortable seats, more legroom, more headroom, better fuel economy, less engine fires, more sensitive steering for the driver. The only real advantages for the D4505 are emissions and seat belts, which are offset by everything else, especially when #86352 had some broken seat belt latches.
In those pictures, all the big motorcoaches with the big round "foreheads" above the windshield are D4505s. Click on the pictures to see the full pictures, the right will have a little bit cut off. #7025 is a Blue G4500 which is comfortable with lots of legroom and storage space.
