GM TDH-4801 & TDM-4801

The GM TDH-4801 & TDM-4801 were a special series of GM "old-look" transit buses that were produced between 1953 and 1958 and which were designed to maintain a maximum rear axle weight load of no more than 16,500 pounds. The reason for this was due to a requirement in California at the time that buses more than convert|35|ft|m in length or convert|96|in|m in width could only be operated under special authorization from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and the CPUC had denied authorization for the TDH-5105 (a convert|40|ft|m|sing=on long, 102-inch wide bus) partially due to its weight. Both the TDH-4801 and TDM-4801 have an unusual vehicle length of 37¾ feet (rather than the normal 35 or 40 feet) and a seating capacity of only 48 (rather than 51 for a comparable convert|40|ft|m|sing=on bus). Both models are convert|102|in|m wide. The TDH-4801 was equipped with an automatic transmission and 547 were built between 1953 and 1958. The TDM-4801 was equipped with a manual transmission and 75 were built in 1954.

ee also

*GM "old-look" transit bus

References

*Stauss, Ed (1988). "The Bus World Encyclopedia of Buses", Woodland Hills, CA: Stauss Publications. ISBN 0-9619830-0-0

*McKane, John H. & Squier, Gerald L. (2006). "Welcome Aboard the GM New Look Bus", Hudson, WI: Iconografix. ISBN 1-58388-167-0

*Bail, Eli (1984). "From Railway to Freeway - Pacific Electric and the Motor Coach", Glendale, CA: Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-61-0
* [http://www.omot.org Ohio Museum of Transportation] , "omot.org", retrieved on 2006-12-20