Here, you'll find photos of Gilligs bearing a 743 model number designation. These Gilligs were equipped with a Cummins NHH220 underfloor diesel engine and either a five or six-speed manual transmission or an automatic transmission. Typically, these buses were rated at either 73 or 78 passenger capacities, but some 743DT tandem-axle models were produced with either 90 or 97 passenger capacities.
Shelton School District Bus No's. 20, 21, 9, and 18, Shelton, Washington (all retired)

While attending a local antique car show in Shelton, Washington back in June, I decided to take a peek into the stacks of Shelton High School yearbooks ranging from the '30s to the present. Seeing as how they might be a good source of Gillig photos since they ran an all-Gillig fleet at the time, I decided to focus on the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s, as well as the '90s. While looking through the 1974 yearbook, I located a black-and-white photo of four Gilligs parked in a row outside Shelton High School's Student Union Building (commonly known as the cafeteria), in the bus loading zone. Boy, things sure haven't changed much, except the scenery! But, I digress...

Each bus here, with the exception of bus 18 (in the very far right, and partially outside of the frame), is a 743D-series Gillig powered by a Cummins NHH220 midship engine and a Fuller 5-speed transmission. (Bus 18 was a 1965 Gillig C-180 with a Spicer 6252).  Bus 9 is the oldest bus in the photo, and was a 1967 model. Buses 20 and 21 were both 1971 units, and each bus was identical. They served their last year of service with the Shelton School District at the end of the 1995-1996 school year, and were retired together along with seven other Gilligs.

Bus 9 was most interesting out of the lot featured here. It had a distinction of being able to be heard more than a mile away on a moderately quiet day due to the lack of an exhaust muffler, and was especially unique due to its unusual shade of teal green for an interior color.

Interestingly, the bumper paint style was done away with sometime in the late '80s or perhaps the very early '90s. When I rode these buses in middle school (and later on in high school), the bumpers on all of them were solid black, instead of the yellow with three black stripe design seen here.

Pictured at the student loading / unloading area

Peninsula School District Bus No's. 17, 20, and 25., Purdy, Washington

These buses were part of a once all-Gillig / all-Crown SuperCoach fleet operated by the Peninsula School District in Washington State. They have since been retired. Every Gillig Peninsula School District owned was a mid-engined Gillig equipped with an NHH220 diesel engine and a Spicer 5-speed manual transmission with the exception of one, which was equipped with a CAT 3208 and a Fuller RT610 10-speed.  As every Gillig Peninsula School District was a pre-1977-built bus, they were required by a new Washington State law to be taken off the road for regular service, and this is the reason they were retired.  When they were retired is not known at this time, although a recent visit to the yard as recent as 2004 showed that they were no longer there.

It should also be duly noted that until their retirement between 2001 and 2005, Peninsula School District had the oldest Gillig school bus fleet in Washington State, with more than 15 Gilligs in regular service at any given time.

Bus # 17 in this series was, at the time these photos were taken in May 2001, the oldest known Gillig in operation in Washington State. It was a 1964 Gillig with a 79 passenger capacity with the 72 inch headroom. (1965 marked the year Gillig stopped building buses with the 72 inch headroom, as they adopted a higher roofline and ceiling.  Bus No. 20 and Bus No. 25 were identical "sister buses." Each bus was a 1968 Gillig with a Cummins NHH220 and a Spicer 5-speed transmission, and a 79 passenger capacity. Even though the location of #20 is no longer known, it holds a sentimental value to me as I rode it every day for four consecutive school years from 1987 to 1991.

One note for longtime website visitors... For a few years you may have noticed "dark links" to photos that were planned for release, but never made it to release status. This is because some time ago, I had lost the masters and their negatives during a move to a new location.

Now.. Here are the photos...

Bus 17 - Left front view
Bus 20 and 25 - right front view
Bus 20 and 25 - right rear view
Bus 20 - Instrument panel photo*
Bus 25 - semi-distant shot

For Washington State visitors of this website, especially those in Pierce, Kitsap, or Mason Counties (or those who attended or worked within the Peninsula School District), anyone with information leading to the whereabouts of these Gilligs, or where they went to, can send an e-mail to webmaster@gilligcoaches.net.  Special thanks go to the Peninsula School District for letting me gain access to their yard.

* Every Gillig Peninsula School District owned had this dashboard setup.

Unidentified Gillig

No information is known about this bus, except for the fact that it bore a 743 series model tag.

Bus 7 - Left front closeup

Adventist Christian School Bus No. 72, California

This is a 35-footer with a Cummins NHH220 and a five-speed manual transmission. Contributed by Trina Falk.

Left front view

Former Paramount Studios Grip Equipment bus

This bus is a custom-built Gillig Utility Coach with a Cummins NHH220 and a Fuller Roadranger RT-910 10-speed manual transmission. It is also equipped with an air-override interlock switch for the rear axles, and it has 4x4 rear axles.

This bus is a former Paramount Studios Grip equipment transport bus. The bus portion was built by Gillig, and the utility box was built by Aluminum Body Construction Corporation of Los Angeles, California. There were several units like this bus built, and were purchased and used by major broadcasting companies like ABC Sports, ESPN, and Paramount Studios.

Pictured with its owner
Inside looking forward
Instrument panel view
Interior view
Head-on view
Right-side profile.

Former Monrovia Unified School District Bus No. 11, California

This is a 1967 Gillig 743D-13. It has a Fuller U-572 direct-in-fifth manual transmission, and hails from the Monrovia Unified School District in California. It was retired in June of 1999 and later purchased by the schools mechanic. He then sold it to Aaron Gold, who sent in these photos. Aaron Gold's intentions were to convert it to an RV, but I have since lost contact with him, so I have no idea if he still has the Gillig.

Front closeup view
Left front view
Right rear view
Inside view - looking back
Inside view - looking forward
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743D-Series Gilligs