Baltimore Transit Co. Detroit Diesel 6-71 starting, at idle, accelerating, and shutting down.

This is BTC coach 1426 a GM TDH-4507 built in 1947. The original engine died nearly 40 years ago and was replaced with another engine from BTC coach number 1800 which was a 5105 built in 1953. I loved watching these buses when I was a kid. I think that I loved the sound of the engines even more.

[@ozone8902]

Growing up in the '50's and '60's, I so associated this engine and its sounds with buses. The first time I heard one of these in a truck, I thought, "Damn, they put a "bus motor " in that truck"!!! In this age of "squeaky clean" diesels, hearing one of these sure sounds good!

[@michaelbenardo5695]

I used to think that too, when I had a Detroit in a truck!

[@muffs55mercury61]

What a beautiful machine. Rode many of them as a kid and teen from 1963 to 1973. They still had 12 just like this with five having the open vent holes on the engine doors like yours. Cried like a baby when I heard they were finally retired in late 1979 (they had planned to earlier but had to keep putting them back in service) I would have bought one had I had the $$$.

[@KeithOtisEdwards]

The Series 71 diesel was introduced by General Motors in 1938, and it was discontinued in 1995. That must be one of the longest lifespans for any manufactured product. It was a masterpiece of simplicity.

[@BeingWolfy]

Is it possible to find these engines new if needed, or are do owners typically rebuild them? Great looking bus!

[@KeithOtisEdwards]

The 71 series diesel was discontinued in 1995, so you're unlikely to find new engines or parts. Rebuilt engines and parts are commonly available, though.

[@BeingWolfy]

Keith Otis Edwards Thanks Keith.

[@SteveCarras]

Keith Otis Edwards These not WAS but still ARE a masterpiece! How come it was discontinued?

[@KeithOtisEdwards]

Anyone who has ever driven behind an old diesel well knows the sooty exhaust produced when the engine is under a load. (Injectors in Full-Fuel position, but blower turning slowly, thus creating a rich mixture.) Starting with the 92-series engine, the old mechanical injectors and governor (that was basically the 1775 design of James Watt) were replaced by a "computer" and electrically metered injectors. This made for a lot less pollution. But I don't know why the two-cycle design (every stroke a power stroke) was abandoned.

[@dwightcorbett8889]

The unmistakable sound of the 6-71; it's a sound that is becoming more and more rare, unfortunately

[@michaelbenardo5695]

Everything we grew up with is fast disappearing. The younger set has no interest in preserving anything that isn't new and Japanese.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Nothing like a bus motor, yet and still. Sweet baby.

[@bagheera70]

There were lots of these Old Look buses circulating in Lima, Peru from the 60s to the 80s. Unfortunately they had the exhaust in the top and they had poor maintenance; therefore those buses expelled black smokes and polluted the city. But anyways, I had good times riding those legendary buses.

[@Jimmythekid007]

That's running pretty good.

[@kjchicago1]

This is one of the best buses ever and it's got that Detroit Diesel sound(Very truck-like)

[@SteveCarras]

kjchicago1 just like a truck with two. gears

[@ChefAngeloWow]

I have a 1967 TDH 3501 671. Dorthy is the best girl in the world - loves it cold, hot, up, down, in the country or all around town. Always patiently waiting in Sunday's best, it is magnificent when I turn her on for any short or long quest. She looks like jewelery (doesn't want it) and in consideration, I like to pay attention to her every now and again. Otherwise, she would be with the Tin Man or her 2 ex-boyfriends, They call every once in a while to see if she is still senile."More beautiful than ever, all the young kids knock on the door in awe wonder". I'd say one could call it "age appeal": Plenty of fluids, candles and gallops, kisses her lips with a seal. She isn't just an untested lady; but an astonishing and resilient gem. Thank you Dear Dorthy, for making me a gentleman.

[@dejohn913]

She Sounds Beautiful In Every Aspect Of The Word. Music To "Any" Bus Lover's Ear Near And Far. Great Video.

[@waynewright2886]

Here in L.A. Metro has a 1958 GM Bus that was Rehabbed & Restored to its Original Colors From the Original M.T.A. before the Name Changed to RTD in 1964, & went back to the Old MTA Name or Metro in 1993, the Only time I See 5193 is at the Kingdom Day Parade on M.L.K.'s Holiday or a Major Metro Function.

[@swt32567]

This is the true bus sound. Detroit Power! ! ! This old 671 sounds some kind of good. Listen to her cluck @ idle. Those fellows @ The Baltimore Streetcar Museum really know how to restore vehicles. The Baltimore Trolly Museum should be listed as a "National Treasure".

[@chuckschafer6728]

THAT IS HIS PERSONAL BUS THE B S M HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT

[@waynepickhardt4975]

Common rail injection in 1938 guys, way ahead of its time.

[@TC-uy8ng]

I remember these 2 cycle diesel busses growing up. We would always get stuck behind one at a stop light. They would leave a huge black cloud of smoke when taking off.....and stink! They were nasty.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

But they were super reliable, but electric streetcars are better for routes that are fairly straight and flat.

[@toddk1976]

awesome bus and engine,good luck with it,i love it!

[@philepstein524]

I will be uploading a video on a 671 engine change-out on one of our TDH 5105's in a couple weeks. Look for GM 5105 Engine Swap.

[@Kitfugl]

Damn that starts nice....

[@camelmanjd2671]

I believe that old Detroit started not a full rotation of the crankshaft.

[@Cali_Lux_Cruiser]

Love how the engine sounds!

[@TwinStickFilms]

Great sound!

[@acoow]

Each cylinder has a mechanical injector that is actuated by a cam - much like the valves operator. The injector is in the head (like a spark plug) and injects directly into the cylinder. The fuel "dose" is meters via a rack and pinion system. If it is well maintained, it is a most efficient means of delivering fuel than the distributor-type of injectors.

[@jeffbear1472]

I have a bus almost exactly like that in my collection. I have a 1946 TD-4008, which is slightly shorter than yours. I even have the vent screens and Cats Eye stop lights on the engine doors. Where do you keep your 4507? I'm a BSM member and I don't recall seeing your 4507 there. But I have seen their BTC Pullman trackless trolley in the car barn. My Pullman {from Dayton} is post war....their's is pre-war.

[@kjchicago1]

@hoteldennis One of the nicest old buses ever! Listen to that Detroit scream on this one!

[@woody95124]

killer old bus...

[@knightrider1545]

Its when fuel is directly injected into the piston rather than it be injected in the intake valve.

[@HenkAnnieNaald]

@hoteldennis Fuel goes directly into the engine. Some egines have a pre-burn chamber before the injector. Direct injection doesnt have such a chamber.

[@hoteldennis]

My bus is about 10 miles outside of Baltimore on the east side. Where is yours?

[@ukkfayooyay]

Why did you start it with the rear switch? Isn't there a start button on the dash?

[@kenhanson4015]

Love your bus but, will it blend?

[@jorgetangosanchez7930]

Estos omnibus cuando vinieron 🇦🇷Argentina en 1947,su motor hacia un ruido muy diferente a este que se escucha.

[@JimTheZombieHunter]

The six people who didn't like this are still waiting for unicorn farts to power their organic tofu factories.

[@SteveCarras]

Well, with Joe Biden in office (I noted you posted this only a few months, not years) in office, appartnetly, maybe we won't have ANY of these..:-( Love these forever and the New looks, a nd Flxible's knockoffs, and the Macks's,mtoo

[@JimTheZombieHunter]

@@SteveCarras Never mind Joe .. The powers here in Canaja have been doing everything in their power for decades to make certain we all lease Kias and turn them over every three years. I have 3 classic trucks returning to the earth because as "commercial" vehicles, I can't insure them for less than $6000/Yr apiece .. No small irony that my '68 Mercury pickup weighs a quarter ton less than a modern RAM and eats half the fuel as the same equipped with the 5.7. This not the century for old gearheads.

[@hoteldennis]

Yes. It has a two speed Spicer.

[@PrePaidTeam]

May be an Allison 2 speed if it is a HydraMatic.

[@urgentcareguy3]

Is this a 2 cycle diesel? Love the sound.

[@SteveCarras]

urgentcareguy3 Sure is

[@michaelbenardo5695]

Yup!

[@thevacuumtubejunky9774]

Is that an auxiliary start station in the engine compartment or is that the standard way to start the bus engine?.

[@jamesshanks2614]

All GM coaches have a rear engine control panel so the mechanic doesn't have to walk to the front of the bus 30 to 55 feet away to start her. As soon as you flip the switch to rear control it prevents the front panel from being activated from the drivers panel. The mechanic must flip the rear switch to the up front control position before closing the hatch in the engine compartment.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

That's for the shop to easily start it while working on it. The operator starts it inside his compartment.

[@ag6371]

I think this is a GM old look bus

[@alansklenar2848]

Was the Baltimore Transit System part of the Key Transit System.I ask because of the colors.

[@hoteldennis]

They were both owned by a company named National City Lines. The colors were NCL colors. Los Angeles and many other cities were also NCL. NCL was noted for its replacement of streetcars with buses throughout the country.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

No, National City Lines used that paint scheme everywhere. They are the ones who really pushed hard to get rid of electric streetcars, and even electric trolley buses.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

@@hoteldennis And that caused a sharp drop in public transit use, as many people don't like riding in a motor coach. The rough ride, the rattles, etc.

[@jeffbear1472]

My transit vehicle collection is in South Jersey.....We should talk sometime.

[@hoteldennis]

@ukkfayooyay There is a button on the dash. I just used the rear button for the video.

[@SteveCarras]

These are practically the ONLY vehicles where I can appreciate an automatic transmission>:) [The Detroit Diesel engine has SOMETHING to do with it..:)] ANd look ma, only two speeds!

[@raymondpaquette]

Don't like the 4 speed, with the huge gap between 3 & 4?

[@ukkfayooyay]

I own two Fishbowls and I would love to buy an Old Look in good condition. If anyone knows of one for sale (especially the 30-footers) contact me.

[@davidcoty8518]

Looks like Rosa parks bus from Montgomery Alabama

[@jeffbear1472]

@gmcbuses Sadly, none of my buses are in running condition anymore. They need major, costly restoration. At this point, they're preserved for future, hopeful restoration.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

Hope you get to fix them!

[@Jeff-uj8xi]

@@michaelbenardo5695 11 years ago and you just reply...lol...... Don't rush !!

[@michaelbenardo5695]

@@Jeff-uj8xi I didn't even know what U-Tube was 11 years ago!

[@jeffbear1472]

@gmcbuses I don't have a video camera or the computer capability to post videos on KZbin. In addition, I don't know how to do it.

[@knightrider1545]

Whats the top speed of this bus?

[@hoteldennis]

knightrider1545 The fastest I have ever driven it is about 50mph. I've never tried to max it out.

[@knightrider1545]

Kevin Mueller is it unstable after 50 mph?

[@hoteldennis]

knightrider1545 It was stable at 50. I just never tried to go much faster.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

If the governor is maxed, and you can give it full throttle, you might get it up to 65.

[@knightrider1545]

Does this bus have that 2 speed transmission?

[@SteveCarras]

knightrider1545 it does

[@kjchicago1]

Can it go from 0 to 60?

[@neoplandude2932]

Eventually lol

[@trainrover]

Highly modern-sounding engines for that era, no? Britain still had nothing close even by the 1980s.

[@entreesonmaincourse]

ese omnibus es primo hermano del TEPSA

[@gmcbuses]

@hoteldennis Make a video of it running. Put it on You Tube, it will be a big hit.

[@hoteldennis]

What is direct injection?

[@felogarcia8992]

Kevin Mueller yes it is

[@jamesshanks2614]

Direct injection is as it sounds the injector injects a metered amount of fuel directly into the cylinder just before top dead center. Prior to direct injection a precombustion chamber was used usually with a glow plug to assist in cold weather starting. Precombustion chambers were once common in early diesel manufacturing because until the high pressure fuel pump was developed, early Diesels were used low pressure pumps until the early 20's then high pressure pumps and it was the unit injector that finally allowed the use of high pressure injectors. They operated up to 2500 pounds of pressure. Today's Diesels operate between 25,000 to 50,000 pounds of pressure or higher primarily to get a cleaner burn before emissions became an issue. Cheers!

[@michaelbenardo5695]

@@jamesshanks2614 Wow! 25,000 to 50,000 PSI. I guess that does a better job of atomizing the fuel.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

@@jamesshanks2614 That fragile Oldsmobile diesel had pre-chambers. Shame they didn't make it a long-stroke, and use nuts and studs instead of bolts for the heads.

[@gmcbuses]

@Jeffbear1 Make a video of it. Put it on you tube.

[@knightrider1545]

Idk maybe since its a bus.

[@tallpaul9475]

That paint scheme, I believe is known as 'fruit salad', and used at many different transit companies 'back in the day'.

[@chuckschafer6728]

NATIONAL CITY LINES LIVERY

[@chuckschafer6728]

IN BALTIMORE THAT PAINT SCHEME WAS CALLED"PUKE"

[@darinwilkerson7436]

WASHINGTON D.C METRO NEED TO REBUILD ALL DC TRANSIT GMC OLD LOOK BUSES DC TRANSIT WHITE MOTOR BUSES, DC TRANSIT ACF BRILLS BUSES,AND CREATED METROBUS AGAIN.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

At the San Francisco Municipal Railway, we still have a White with that V12 gas engine. It is nice and quiet, but on a hot day, you feel the heat, as it is under the floor.

[@BenDover-wu7ed]

Amazing,starts instantly and runs beautifully .Modern diesels are the most unreliable pain in the arse shit you could ever own,there days are numbered...

[@thevacuumtubejunky9774]

Ben Dover : I totally agree with you. Modern diesel engines are crap and designed to break down in my opinion. Those old Detroit engines are built like a brick SHIT house and love to work hard.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

Modern engines period, regardless of fuel type, are piles of trouble, due to their insisting on computerizing them.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

@@thevacuumtubejunky9774 FACTS. Today's engines are made to get you from point A to point B as fast as possible, and be scrapped, whereas yesterday's engines were made to serve you faithfully mile after mile, rebuilt over and over and over again. Most of them anyway.