Glenorie Coaches

20/06/2025

In this week’s episode of what’s next in our mad house, we have a screaming 2-stroke Detroit in a GMC RTS direct from Oklahoma. Come join us on a quick tour around a very cool and unique bus to have down under in sunny Australia

12/06/2025

What’s new in our depot this week. We do love our MANs purely due to the support we get out of Lachie and Hace at Sieder’s Truck Repairs. When this ex-Mt Gravatt MAN turned up at Manheim Auctions we were expecting another uninspiring NL202 style vehicle. After a quick call with Lachie, we realised this was something else. Check out our first walk around after it turned up!

23/05/2025

Look what has turned up this week! Despite looking like a classic Austral Tourmaster, underneath this one is actually an MAN 22.280 with, in my opinion, the best transmission ever for a bus - the ZF 6-speed splitter. Here’s a quick tour and demonstration of how it drives. We’ve yet to run it through our workshop but it definitely needs work on its gearshift linkages.

15/05/2025

Following delay after delay in our panel shop (all due to an unprecedented amount of body damage since the start of the year), we have finally finished another B10 resto. Our brief was for a seat-belted day coach to transition away from non-belted buses for customers requiring 3x to a seat, all in a simple to drive package. As we have moved towards training drivers from scratch, this was absolutely essential. It also had to be a thoroughly enjoyable unit to drive, and we do test drive each one and reject a lot. To learn more about our latest project, and a pictorial history of this Volvo, feel free to scroll through our photos with commentary. On the last photo you'll see our next B10 project in the pipeline!

23/03/2025

A bit of a rare combo to be out together, our two manual B10m’s were paired up on an emegency charter this week moving a school group hiking in bush affected by backburning. As the only two spares left in the yard, it was up to the Ops team to get behind the wheel. Always funny confusing the passengers as they try to load their luggage into the mid-engine bays!

14/03/2025

Another one that got away..... It was back in 2011. We had a good chunk of the local seat-belted market whilst Hillsbus did all the local bus charter. We were beginning to venture into regular shuttle sport work in buses, and air-conditioned buses were extremely rare. On eBay, a Scania K92 from Torrens Transit appeared with a brand new retrofitted Lou-air AC system on the roof, a Mobitec desto and a freshly rebuilt motor which was only about 12 months old. To get it out of Admet colours we were going to put it in the new TfNSW colours for $hits and giggles rather than respray the whole vehicle. We had written confirmation and were waiting on the invoice. Alas, Torrens Transit suddenly reversed their decision and decided to scrap it, removing the AC-pod to retrofit onto some ex-Brisbane MAN SL202. With a screaming loud ZF-auto, it would've been a very cool bus. Who knows if we would still have it now?

08/03/2025

Australia’s meanest sounding bus? Our Hino CM277K with an EK200 has an exhaust crackle only a big, lazy, naturally aspirated diesel could achieve; rivalling the unique note of British diesels buses of yesteryear. Taken at Sydney Central Station around Railway Colonnade.

07/03/2025

Recently re-registered and out on its first job for 2025 is our ex-Countrylink Hino. Together with Berry Bus Service we took advantage of some scenic shots and videos in Countrylink’s spiritual home at Sydney Central Station. Living up to its reputation as an unreliable bucket of $hit, it failed to operate its 2nd revenue day with an air-conditioning failure. Clearly wanting to keep up with its record of being broken down 1/2 the time it is needed……. Stay tuned for a video over the weekend!

28/02/2025

The ones that got away...... Under the Todd family, the Glenorie Bus Company ventured into coaches with #40, a 1984 Volvo B10M Mk1 with a Custom Coaches Mk90 body. Fitted with a manual 6-speed splitter, Konvecta underfloor air-conditioning and 49 high-back coach seats, it was really only a glorified school bus. One driver recalled, getting called out at last minute to take over a Deane's snow weekend when brand new and copping massive complaints the whole weekend as they were expecting a Denning or Austral. In 1993, I travelled in it to Bathurst and Hill End on a school tour. Coach 2, a Southtrans semi-coach broke down on the way home and I was so jealous when a Denning Landseer rescued the other unappreciative classmates! Little did I know I would cross paths with it again in 2011.........

23/02/2025

For anyone wondering what our ex-Countrylink Hino CM277K sounds like, Greg Travers recorded Busfest 2023 hosted by the Sydney Bus Museum at White Bay in Sydney. Our Hino took pride of place, featuring at the very first minute of this video:

The Hino EK200 motor shared a similar design to early British underfloor buses, renown for their unique sound. The Hino being a large, lazy, naturally aspirated motor with an antique style exhaust manifold, is capable of some unique sounds - particularly if the exhaust is a bit more free flowing than from factory.

Some 40 buses from the 1970s to 2023 were displayed at the Sydney Bus Museum's Busfest 2023. Against the stunning harbour backdrop we see and hear the exhibi...

21/02/2025

Look what's back! Over the last year and a half, we've had to completely reinvent our workshop and we've now got an unreal team that share the same passion and desire to run a serious operation but with a willingness to have a bit of fun on the side. After a short hiatus, our irresponsibly loud Hino is ready to hit the road again in 2025.

09/02/2025

The tale of two Irizars.... Following our highly unsuccessful gamble with imported Scania Higers, in 2021, through the absolute midst of COVID, we took another uneducated gamble by picking up even more imports. This time, two Irizar Scania's who had served time in the mines with Rio Tinto. To learn more about the 4-year long story and our thoughts on Irizars, feel free to scroll through the photos, each with captions.