THE ORIENT EXPRESS

mchunt · 06-27-2011, 06:21 AM

Nice! What does it look like on the inside?

GreyEagle · 06-27-2011, 07:49 AM

What ?????????? no leaky windows! whats a man to do????
2 rooftop AC'S, no windows, no school bus yellow paint job, and a generator to boot! Great find
good looking bus.... I'm jealous already.

Tango · 06-27-2011, 10:02 AM

Hey Spencer --- What a great find! Terrific building platform that gives you a huge head start. Please keep us up on your progress.

lornaschinske · 06-27-2011, 11:07 AM

Since you are naming it the Orient Express, Will it look like the Orient Express cars? We recently watched the PBS "Murder On the Orient Express" and David Suchet (Poirot) hosted a documentary on the current Orient Express. They have several of the original cars beautifully restored (be still my heart... they even had the original Lalique art glass panels... amazing). If I had tons of $$, I would want to go ride the Orient Express (fan of trains, the book/movie and Agatha Christi)... beginning to end... and see Scotland (supposed to look like Western NC, or so I was always told when we lived in Western NC). Only things I would want to see/do in Europe.

lornaschinske · 06-27-2011, 03:56 PM

The One I referred to was the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice-...Orient_Express
http://www.orient-express.com/web/vs...nt_express.jsp
http://www.orient-express.com/web/vsoe/our_story.jsp

It has some of the original cars. The PBS episode I referred to was "David Suchet on the Orient Express" in which actor David Suchet hosts the Masterpiece Mystery episode about a real trip on this train which originally aired July 7, 2010"

Google Images: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&p...og&sa=N&tab=wi

lornaschinske · 06-27-2011, 06:56 PM

I think this train is totally different than what you took.

Quote:

Paris-Budapest-Bucharest-Istanbul
(6 Days/5 Nights)
The classic Orient-Express journey departing just once a year. Depart Paris for your overnight journey towards Budapest. After an overnight stay in Budapest, rejoin the train for an overnight journey to Bucharest, where you spend the next day and night. On rejoining the train the next day stop in the fascinating country of Bulgaria. Enjoy your last night and day on board as the train travels to your last stop, Istanbul.

Prices
2011
Shared Occupancy of a Double cabin US $9,470
Shared Occupancy of a Suite cabin US $14,290
2012
Shared Occupancy of a Double cabin US $9,750
Shared Occupancy of a Suite cabin US $14,710
Prices are per person and include all table d'hôte meals and accommodation on board based on two people sharing.

And then you can also take the trip in reverse!

Quote:

stanbul-Bucharest-Budapest-Venice
(6 Days/5 Nights)
The classic Orient-Express journey. Depart from Istanbul and travel through Turkey and Bulgaria. Arrive the next day in Bucharest for a one night stay, and continue your journey towards Budapest where you stay one night. Rejoin the train the next day and travel into Austria, stopping for a short city tour in Vienna before your overnight journey to Venice, where your journey ends.

Prices
2011
Shared Occupancy of a Double cabin US $8,080
Shared Occupancy of a Suite cabin US $12,260
2012
Shared Occupancy of a Double cabin US $9,750
Shared Occupancy of a Suite cabin US $14,710
Prices are per person and include all table d'hôte meals and accommodation on board based on two people sharing.

At those prices,I don't think you will see too many "country folk" and their chickens on the train. But if I ever won the lottery, you can bet I would be on it!

mchunt · 06-28-2011, 06:19 AM

If you are looking for a new name and want to work with what you have you could paint over the "K" and the "ILE" then go around solving paranormal cases with your friends.

lornaschinske · 06-28-2011, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mchunt

If you are looking for a new name and want to work with what you have you could paint over the "K" and the "ILE" then go around solving paranormal cases with your friends.

First off, you have to be able to scare yourself silly and have someone manning the camera who can''t seem to focus the thing or manage to point it anywhere except at they own feet or at the ceiling. Then you need to try for a TV show! I can see it now....

"Join Spencer and his incompetent camera person, while they travel the US in a converted bookmobile searching for haunted places...."

saldawod · 07-01-2011, 04:11 PM

I have actually had a fair amount of progress on the bus, im just posting all the step by step pictures here so i can see my full progress and hopefully it will help out other people that want to do the inside similar to my designs.

saldawod · 07-04-2011, 09:29 AM

The One I referred to was the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice-Sim ... nt_Express
http://www.orient-express.com/web/vsoe/ ... xpress.jsp
http://www.orient-express.com/web/vsoe/our_story.jsp

It has some of the original cars. The PBS episode I referred to was "David Suchet on the Orient Express" in which actor David Suchet hosts the Masterpiece Mystery episode about a real trip on this train which originally aired July 7, 2010"

rjz5400 · 07-19-2011, 10:16 PM

i got a 90 thomas with a 5.9 cummins right here in wilmington, but i did not get the skinned windows 2 HVAC units or a generator with mine. i got 27 seats. that i threw away. oh well looking good so far, i trust the bookmobile was well maintained and has no mechanical problems.

pipopak · 07-25-2011, 10:09 AM

Here are some more links/addresses for your viewing pleasure copied/stolen/lifted from this or other forums that might be useful:
* BRANDON AUTO SALVAGE
3159 State Road 60 E
Valrico, FL 33594
Phone: (800) 282-7462 or (813) 689-8131
All types of RV parts for all types of RV

* CONIBEAR RV CENTER
11636 N. US 98
Lakeland, FL 33809
Phone: (800) 981-2787
Email: conibear@atlantic.net
Available inventory of some original Avco motorcoach parts. Also, good supply of other hard-to-find parts.

* CREATIVE COACH
8250 State Road 33N
Lakeland, FL 33809
Phone: (88

234 3439 or (863) 984 3439

* DIXIE TRAILER SUPPLY
4135 N. Dixie Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
Phone: (305) 565 9210
New, used and hard-to-find trailer and RV parts.

* GIANT RECREATION WORLD
13906 W Colonial Drive
Winter Garden, FL 34787
Phone: (800) 654 8475 or (407) 656 6444
Email: parts@giantrecreationworld.com
Web: www.giantrecreationworld.com
Three locations with more than 1 million dollars in parts inventory. E-mail technical assistance online by RVIA-certified technicians. Hundreds of appliance manuals and service prints available. Coachmen dealer for more than 25 years.

* LAIRSON ENTERPRISES
10812 66 North
Pinnelas Park, FL 33782
Phone: (727) 541 1809
Web: lairsonenterprise.rnrws.com/
All kinds of Surplus RV parts from Appliances to Running Gear.

* http://www.bobsrvparts.com/

* http://www.marxrv.com/rvsalvage.htm

* http://www.green-trust.org/products/

* Food grade plastic & steel drums - All sizes from 5 gal to 65 gal. Real reasonable prices and good friendly people as well (father & son business)
They also carry pails and tubs as well as an occasional coffee bean sack or two.Only guys I found in VT who are doing this consistently, if they don't have it
in stock ask them and it may be on the way.
The Barrel Man
Charlie Hall
802.439.5519 (call for appointment and availability)
West Topsham, VT

Have fun!.

lornaschinske · 08-12-2011, 08:27 PM

Sorry, but I couldn't resist. I can't believe that you teach ENGLISH CLASSES at a university....

Quote:

Originally Posted by spencerforhire

Hey guys, I'm still alive! I was contracted to go down to Florida for about a month and teach a few English classes at a university for an exchange program so I have not had as much free time as I have wanted. And, of course, my bus is still in North Carolina, so I can not work on it. But the break has given me some new ideas as far as the layout of the bus goes. The day before I left, my father and my pal, Tyson, helped me lay down some laminate flooring from Home Depot which looks fantastic. Originally, I was going to go with a dark color but I realized that the lighter color reflects more light upwards, which improved the lighting inside the Orient.

I will have pictures posted as soon as I have internet in my room.

Granted my spelling and vocabulary are not great all the time, but I have only had a few college classes. I do not teach at the University level! SPELL CHECK! SPELL CHECK! Learn to use your "shift" key!

bus-bro · 08-12-2011, 08:52 PM

Stuff · 08-13-2011, 12:42 AM

lol he was off duty :P

Tango · 08-29-2011, 08:40 AM

Har-har! --- had to LOL! My entire living area (bed, bath & kitchen) is only about six -feet long! Enjoy a good soak for me.

lornaschinske · 08-31-2011, 01:43 PM

Let me get this straight... you are DELIBERATELY building an "all-in-one" bathroom? Have you ever used one? More than once or twice I mean? I hate the all-in-one we have in the Class C. The floor is always wet because someone has taken a shower. Or the floor is dirty when you go to take a shower because someone walked in from outside, wearing their shoes into the bathroom, which has a wet floor because someone took a shower. They left muddy prints all over the floor. Or are you going to wipe the floor down every time it gets wet (that lasted about three times). Or are you going to put a towel on the floor to keep it clean (you should see the towel I use. Nice thick floor towel I bought from Wal-Mart... I got three of them. They never get put back in the bath/shower floor because it's wet. So the floor gets muddy...

We separated the shower and toilet area in the skoolie.

Tango · 09-01-2011, 08:29 AM

Hey Spencer --- I am going the tankless propane route myself. Had a larger tankless at my old farmstead and absolutely loved it...you never run out of hot water and the gas consumption is very low. The only real consideration is the distance from the heater to the outlets since the cooled water in the lines must be displaced before the hot arrives. At my farm it was a very, very long run and took about two to three minutes but even the largest RV will be quite short by plumbing standards. The more central to all fixtures the better but I can't see even the longest run being much of an issue. Since I am building a "shorty" I plan on placing mine at the very rear of the bus but, hey...in my case that only means about 8 feet for the farthest fixture.

Stuff · 09-01-2011, 09:51 AM

cant be much harm to run one line from there to the kitchen. worth it in the end.

lornaschinske · 09-10-2011, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spencerforhire

... i do not care to hear anything about having to scrape off a few letters off the side of the bus when my entire unit is covered in 10 year old vinyl decals! The reside left from the decals is ridiculously hard to remove. i have to use acetone and scrub like there is no tomorrow and then repeat about 5 times to complete an area about the size of my hand.

I have had better luck using Kleen Strip's Deglosser to remove the vinyl letter residue. Paint thinner and acetone didn't seem to want to touch it. It left a shiny look to the paint that was under the vinyl lettering/graphics (protected from the sun and weather?) but it was clean and the paint adhered well.

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