GilligCoaches.Net - 318D-Series Gilligs

South Kitsap School District Bus No. 35, Port Orchard, Washington

This 1971 Gillig was retired from service from South Kitsap School District in Port Orchard, Washington and photographed on June 10, 2006. It is powered by a Detroit Diesel 6V53 diesel and a manual transmission. Since the bus was locked, I could not get any real good interior shots, so I photographed the interior from the outside. This bus now serves the First Lutheran Church in Port Orchard, Washington. This Gillig is one of the nicest I have seen, and is equipped with the personally coveted high-capacity air intake scoop. Its serial number is E-0154-2, was manufactured on February 4, 1971, and its model number is 318D-12.

Left Rear view
Rear head-on view
Right rear view
Right front view
Front head on view (Note the missing emblem)
ID Placard
Interior view looking forward (photographed from the rear exit window)
Left Rear View #2
Left front view
High-capacity air intake scoop detail
Interior view looking rearward
High Capacity Air scoop profile view.
Looking through the rear exit window forward (added on November 20, 2006. Tim Olsen photo)
Instrument Panel photo (looking through the door windows; Added November 20, 2006. Tim Olsen photo)

Valley School District Bus No. 4 Washington State

This is perhaps the rarest Gillig I have ever seen and photographed. It is a 30-foot 318D-series Gillig Transit Coach. This bus served Valley School District in Washington State and was retired in June of 2006. These photos here were photographed on June 10, 2006 at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, where the bus was going up for auction on June 22nd. . What makes this bus rare is the fact that it A.) a 30-foot Gillig Transit Coach school bus, an option Gillig hardly ever built, and B.) that it had extremely-rare-for-a-Gillig manual service door controls. This bus is now under GilligCoaches.NET stewardship and owned by Mike Forbragd and Tim Olsen.

The serial number of this bus is E-2088, model number is 318D-12 (even though it had ten rows of seats), and it was manufactured on Halloween Day 1973. (October 31, 1973).

Interior view looking forward. Note the metal back seats! :)
Driver's Compartment photograph
Instrument Panel photo
Manual door control photo. Ultra rare in a Gillig of this body style.
ID placard
Gillig oval shot including the model number emblem. (Look at how mint that oval is!)
A "#25 shot" showing the doors opened outward. GilligCoaches.NET co-chairman Tim Olsen at the controls.
Left front view showing the stop paddle retracting back inwards.
Right Rear View Closeup.
Left-side profile
Interior view looking rearward (Look at how mint those seats are!)
Stepwell photo
Left front view
Right front view.
Secondary ID placard (above driver's side slider window. Added November 20, 2006. Tim olsen photo)

Castle Rock Public School District Bus No 3. Castle Rock Washington.

This Gillig is one of two former Castle Rock Gilligs currently in negotiation for purchase by the GilligCoaches.NET web team for restoration. It is a 1974 Gillig equipped with a Detroit 6V53 diesel engine. Interestingly, this bus had the engine overhauled and was driven a cumulative total of 5000 miles afterwards when the bus was retired. It was retired along with three other Gilligs, one of which being Bus No. 15 over at the C-Series page of this website. This bus was manufactured on May 31, 1974, its serial number is E-2447, and it is a 318D-12 model. It is one of few Gilligs equipped with the Detroit 6V53 diesel that I have seen not equipped with the high-volume air intake scoop. These photos were taken on June 10, 2006.

Right front view
Front head-on view
Driver's Compartment view
Interior view looking forward
Interior view looking back
Instrument Panel photo
Right front view #2
Right front closeup
Main ID placard
Secondary ID Placard (above side driver's window)
Right front view closeup
Right rear view (view partially obscured by vegetation overgrowth)
View down the left side of bus (Added November 20, 2006. Tim Olsen photo)

Bus No. 41.    Olympia School District, Olympia, Washington.

This bus, which was retired several years ago, was owned and operated by the Olympia School District in Washington State. It is a 1971 Gillig 318D-13 with 72 passenger capacity, and equipped with an Allison automatic. Several years prior to its retirement, Olympia School District spent nearly $20,000 on a high-detail restoration that left this bus looking practically brand-new. Sadly, the bus was retired several years ago as a new law went into effect in Washington State barring all pre-1977-built school buses from being in service. (UPDATE Posted March 9, 2008 It has been rumored that this bus, dspite not being able to legally serve as a school bus anymore due to changes in Washington State law, may still be sitting at the Olympia School District bus yard lot, and may very well still run. I am investigating this rumor and will post details!)

Right Quarter View (Mark Obtinario photo)

NEW PHOTOS, MORE INFORMATION

On March 10, 2008, after hearing through the grapevine that #41 was still alive, I decided to investigate the rumors by paying a visit to the Olympia School District's transportation office in West Olympia, Washington. Upon arrival, I discovered that #41 was still alive and well, and rather intact save for a heavy layer of moss on one side of it. The interior of this bus STILL looked brand new even though it has sat in this exact spot (compare the following highlighted photo with the Mark Obtinario photo from above) for the last eight years without insomuch as moving a single inch. The district transportation director has said that the ultimate goals were to keep #14 around as a mobile first-aid command unit in case of a natural disaster, but did note that he fully intended to keep the bus intact.

On this day, I decided to shoot #41 using both digital and 35MM film using a professional-level SLR film camera as the selected medium, and I'm posting both the 35MM and digital shots here as a comparison of photographic style. The digital shots were photographed using my trusty ol' Minolta DiMAGE S414 digital camera (which has proven itself many times over for many of the high-quality photos seen here), and the film camera is a Konica Autoreflex TC. Since there's no EXIF file data, I am posting in parenthesis the film and exposure settings next to each link.

These photos were photographed on a rather overcast March 10, 2008. You'll notice very similar or nearly identical shots in this set; I was experimenting with various angles and zoom techniques and decided to post my best shots here.

First, let's start with the digital set, which I photographed first.

Left front quarter view
Right front quarter view
Right front quarter view #2 (from a different angle)
Right rear quarter view
Direct-on rear view photo
Direct-on rear view photo #2 (zoomed in)
Left rear quarter view
Left rear quarter view #2
Stepwell photo (Isn't this the cleanest Gillig stepwell ever?!)
Driver's compartment
Interior view, looking back
Photo of the air intake duct from the inside
Interior Gillig oval emblem - without flash
Interior Gillig oval emblem - with flash
ID placard photo
Driver's compartment #2
View from the driver's eye
The switchplate on the instrument panel
Front exterior Gillig oval emblem
Rear exterior Gillig oval emblem
A view from outside looking in
A view from outside looking in #2
Looking up towards the front interior bulkhead
The side emergency exit from inside
And finally, the back seat.

And now, the 35MM film photos. These were taken with a Konica Autoreflex TC 35MM film camera fully metered, and were photographed without the aid of a flash. (Lens type and aperture/exposure settings in parenthesis).

Right front quarter view        (Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.4 lens, 1/500th sec, f5.6 aperture)
Left front quarter view          (Vivitar Telephoto 135mm f2.8 lens, 1/250th sec., f 4 aperture)
Left rear quarter view           ( Vivitar Telephoto 135mm f2.8 lens, 1/250th sec., f4 aperture)
Direct-on rear view             (Vivitar Telephoto 135mm f2.8 lens, 1/250th sec., f5.6 aperture)
Right rear quarter view       (Tokina 80-200 f4 zoom lens, 1/250th sec., f8 aperture with a 55mm UV filter)
View of the right side of the bus, rear half.     (Tokina 80-200 f4 zoom lens, 1/250th sec., f5.6 aperture, 55mm UV filter)
Left front quarter view #2       (Vivitar Telephoto 135mm f2.8 lens, 1/250th sec., f5.6 aperture, Vivitar Auto 2X Teleconverter)
Right front quarter view #2     (Vivitar Telephoto 135mm f2.8 lens, 1/250th sec., f5.6 aperture, Vivitar Auto 2X Teleconverter)
Left rear quarter view #2        (Vivitar Telephoto 135mm f2.8 lens, 1/250th sec., f5.6 aperture, Vivitar Auto 2X Teleconverter)
Right rear quarter view #2     (Tokina 80-200 f4 zoom lens, 1/250th sec., f8 aperture with a 55mm UV filter)
Interior of the bus, back seat area         (Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.4 lens, 1/500th sec, f4 aperture)
Interior, side emergency exit                  (Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.4 lens, 1/500th sec, f4 aperture)
Driver's compartment                              (PRO 28mm f2.8 lens, 1/60th sec, f4 aperture)

South Kitsap School District, Port Orchard, Washington

These two, no.'s 41 and 42, are excellent-looking late-70's Gilligs bearing the 318D-series model number designation. These two, photographed here at the Court D in Tacoma, Washington on May 3rd, 2002, were retired from South Kitsap School District some time ago. Currently, South Kitsap does not have any remaining Gilligs on their fleet.

Both buses, left rear one-quarter view
Both Buses, left front one-quarter view
Both buses, viewed from the right side (Please note: A concrete wall partially obstructs the view of both buses)