This is the location to find photos and information regarding Gilligs built with the VTF555-DT model number designation. These Gilligs were originally equipped with Cummins VTF555 diesel engines, but many were later repowered to Caterpillar 3208 diesels for more horsepower.
VTF555DT-Series Gilligs
Shelton School District Bus No. 1-07, Shelton, Washington

This bus, a 1979 Gillig, was the last Gillig operated by the Shelton School District. It originally was powered with a Cummins VTF555 (known as the triple-nickel) diesel engine but in the mid 1980s it was repowered with a Caterpillar 3208.  Its serial number is E-3171, it has a 78 passenger capacity, and it was manufactured on March 14, 1979.

A few years ago, rumors began flying that Shelton had retired this bus because of its age and the fact that it also originally came with a Spicer 5-speed manual transmission. However, a recent photo excursion revealed that this bus is still very much alive and still very much in service. (UPDATE - DECEMBER 2007: 1-07 has now been reduced to a spare, and is rarely used according to sources within the Shelton School District. This could mean possible retirement. Stay tuned!) - - - (UPDATE JANUARY 22, 2008: 1-07 has indeed been retired) (UPDATE February 26, 2008: 1-07 is NOT retired. Details below)

It has had some retrofits done in the last several years. When I rode this bus in middle school, it had the 5-speed transmission and high-back seats with a small portion of metal seat backing still exposed in the very bottom center of the seat back. That has now changed to a 4-speed automatic, and no signs of the metal seat backing are evident.

There are two sets of photos that are being displayed. The first series of photos were taken in March of 2001 right as this website hit the 'net. They were shot on a manual 35MM SLR camera with a wide-angle lens, and the photos were low-res scans from a WalMart image scanner.

The second series in this set, photographed in March of 2006, show 1-07 as it looks five years later. You can see that the paint looks very sharp, and that they've also added a huge rectangular vent on the left rear corner of the body. These photos were shot on a Minolta DiMAGE S414 digital camera at maximum resolution (2272x1704), and then resized and enhanced for a 1024x768 image.

FIRST SET

Left Front view
Left Rear view
Right Rear View
Inner front body wall (note the gear shift lever for the manual transmission)

SECOND SET  NEW AS OF 2006

Front head-on view
Rear head-on view
Left rear view
Right front closeup
Left front closeup
Instrument panel (note the absence of the manual gear shift lever and the updates done to the driver's area)
Instrument panel (from a driver's perspective)
Inside view looking forward
Inside view looking backward

THIRD AND FOURTH SET (Posted March 6, 2008  - FAUX RETIREMENT DETAILS INCLUDED)

The following photographs of 1-07 were taken quite incidentally while I was out running errands, and was merely passing the lot where 1-07 is kept.  The first set of photos, taken on Thursday, December 10 2007, were photographed late in the afternoon during a break in some rather stormy weather. Since it was sitting out in the lot, and with no other buses parked nearby, I set up the camera for a photoshoot. I only shot four photos on this day, which is unusual since I shoot 30 or more images and use about half per each bus I photograph. You'll note that in these photos, it still has the original Gillig-unique style "SCHOOL BUS" roof lettering.

Left Rear View
Rear head-on view
Right rear view
Left side profile

In late January, 2007, GilligCoaches.NET had discovered that #1-07 had been listed on Craigslist (despite not listing the bus specifically, but some key ironies were played out). The ad ran for one week, and stated that "Up for sale is a 1979 Gillig school bus, CAT3208 diesel, Allison Automatic. Runs and drives, just recently retired from the local school district." The previous week, it was announced in the Shelton-Mason County Journal that the Shelton School District had secured a $450,000 purchase grant to buy five new type D school buses, and since 1-07 is the oldest active school bus in the district's fleet, the above information, and the fact that the ad was posted as listing the item in Shelton, would've meant that 1-07  for all intents and purposes had seen its final run, and was retired. To further the situation, I also e-mailed the person who'd posted the listing and received no e-mail. It was then determined that 1-07 had officially been retired.

On February 24, I was passing through the Shelton High School/Shelton School District Transportation yard on yet another errand run, and had noticed 1-07 sitting in the same spot as the photos directly above. However, it struck me as odd since in all technicality, 1-07 shouldn't have been there. So, I stopped and shot off more photos two days later, this time noticing that since the last photos above were taken, new "SCHOOL BUS" roof lettering had been applied. While taking the following photos, I abruptly learned through a district mechanic as well as a few bus drivers that 1-07 was still actively being used. I've since confirmed this with the transportation director for Shelton School District. These photos also show 1-07 through camera angles that were previously impossible to achieve on previous visits.

Right front semi profile
Right front view (shot using telephoto mode)
Right front view #2
Direct-head-on view
Right side (near right rear of bus)
Right rear view
Semi-distant right-front view
Right front view #3
Right front view #4
Right rear view #2 (seen from near eye level with the back bumper)
Right side view


Toppenish School District, Bus Number 3, Toppenish Washington (retired)

This 1979 72-passenger Gillig, built in October of that year, is formerly out of Toppenish, Washington. It's serial number is 05289, and it appears that this Gillig was built immediately prior to Gillig adopting the black, split window design seen in later models due to the textured paint seen on the ceiling - which was also common in later Gillig Transit Coaches of this design. You'll note that this bus reads "CALVARY COMMUNITY CHURCH" along the sides; it now serves the small church just outside downtown Longview, and is bus number 4 now. It's unladen weight is 21,850 pounds and is gross weighted at 32,760.

Gillig Coach Historical Society co-founder Tim Olsen and I, on the day I purchased my Kenworth-Pacific, photographed this bus in high-resolution out in their lot on the way back. However, due to a case of vandalism involving phallic images and the Nazi swastika, I chose not to run those photos. These lower resolution photos are sent in by longtime GilligCoaches.NET contributor Mark Obtinario of Castle Rock, Washington. (Added December 19, 2007)

Near-direct right-side profile
Left-front quarter view
Right front quarter view
Direct rear view
Engine bay opened. Looks like a Detroit Diesel in there!
Left-rear quarter view
Right-rear quarter view
Direct right-side profile
Driver's-eye view of the instrument panel
ID placard
Looking towards the back from the inside

Poway Unified School District Bus No. 109, Poway, California

This is an extremely rare tandem-axle Gillig. The reason? Hardly any tandem-axle Gilligs were built with a rear engine configuration. This one was equipped with a Caterpillar 3208 diesel engine and a Fuller Roadranger 10-speed transmission. Unlike many other Gillig tandem-axles which had a 97 passenger capacity, this one had a 90 passenger capacity rating due to its engine location. Eric Gregory photo

Left side view

Cabrillo Unified School District Bus No. 7, California.

This is perhaps the saddest state of a GIllig ever seen in any photo submission. This bus had been retired by the Cabrillo Unified School District in perfect running condition, but the bus was relegated to a parts bus. As seen in this photo, one of the windows on the entrance door is covered up by plywood, the headlight rings on the driver's side are missing, and the overall condition is in a state of poor disrepair. This photo was taken in 2000 by Trina Falk.

Left front view
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