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Extensive Renovation Transforms Passenger Bus Into the Lung Express
(July 19, 2001) – From the chassis up, the Lung Express is a different vehicle from its origin as a passenger bus. "The engine and chassis are the same, but almost everything else has been changed," says Kathy Sullivan, manager of the Lung Express project for the American Lung Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties.
The Lung Express began life as a demonstrator model for Orion Bus Industries of Canada, boasting key features such as a Clean Natural Gas engine and a deluxe "kneeling" mode of accommodating wheelchair traffic. After the Association purchased the bus in May of last year, extensive work began at Complete Coach Works (CCW) in Riverside. "After many years of customizing buses, this was amongst one of the most dramatic changes that we did to this vehicle," says Dale Carson, the owner of CCW.
The Lung Express required sufficient power and driving range to travel over the mountains to the Imperial Valley, operating in desert temperatures. It also needed an independent power supply, HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter to minimize asthma-inducing allergens, and it had to be durable enough to withstand groups of rambunctious school kids, the world's toughest customers.
Macy Neshati, CCW Vice President of Sales and Marketing, oversaw the extensive work performed by CCW. Windows were replaced with metal plates, and an interior framework was installed as the backbone of the museum displays. The sophisticated exhibits and state-of-the-art air filtration and cooling equipment demanded that CCW find and install a special generator, also powered by Clean Natural Gas.
Once CCW had finished these preparations, the vehicle was shipped to the Portland, Oregon workshop of OMSI. Teamwork between CCW and OMSI identified several issues and helped get them resolved on time.
"The exhibit designers had to think about durability from the standpoint of the visiting audience, and also consider the vibrations of a running vehicle. OMSI and CCW had to team up early on to identify how the weight of the exhibits would affect the dynamic load on the bus," Sullivan says.
"We also benefited from the help of the manufacturer, Orion Industries, and from San Diego Transit, who introduced us to an entire new world of roadborne infrastructure!" she adds. San Diego Transit is training the new Lung Express coordinator, a respiratory therapist, as a fully-licensed bus driver in lessons that begin next month.
The Lung Express will be visiting schools in San Diego and Imperial Counties beginning in September 2001. It is a flagship project of the American Lung Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties, the community leader in lung disease prevention, research, and education.
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