RTD Los Angeles Route 485 1980 Grumman 870 Transit Bus 1/87 Scale Diecast Model

Southern California Rapid Transit District  RTD #7634, Route 485 Destination Los Angeles, 1980 Grumman 870 Transit Bus 1/87 Scale Diecast Model by Iconic Replica.

This Grumman 870 Advanced Design Transit Bus model features detailed interior and exterior is made of Diecast with plastic parts. This model is officially licensed and features authentic markings and livery. The model is 1/87 scale or HO Scale and measures about  5 5/8 Inches long x 1 1/2 Inches Wide x 1 1/2 Inches High.  

Rohr Industries the original manufacturer of the Flxible 53102 transit bus began development of what would become the Grumman 870 Advanced Design Bus in 1975. The Grumman 870 bus would become one of two advanced-design buses available in North America, the other being General Motor's RTS II. Both models were a result of initiatives begun by the Urban Mass Transit Administration (UMTA), which sought to have a transit bus design developed that was "attractive, roomy, comfortable", and easier for elderly and disabled customers to board. Prior to the 870, the government would only subsidize transit agencies buying the RTS. 

In 1978 Rohr sold Flxible to Grumman which included the 870 prototype design. Grumman immediately ceased production of the 53102 New Look and began producing the 870. By June of that year, the first 870 ADB buses were rolling off the assembly line. Grumman-Flxible as the company was initially called, received their first major order of buses from the New York City Transit Authority along with other agencies. The MTA order is notable because this batch would expose the design flaw in the bus's frame and its inability to withstand wear and tear in cities where potholes were a problem, forcing all 870s built until that time to be taken out of service so frame repairs could be made. A total of 2,656 buses, including buses in Atlanta, Chicago, Connecticut, Houston, Los Angeles and Orange County, California needed to be fixed.

After only five years, Grumman sold their transit bus division to General Automotive Corporation in 1983 after developing the "Flxible Metro" which addressed all of the shortcoming of the Model 870 in 1982. Production continued until late 1995, when financial problems prompted the company to suspend production and lay off most of its workforce at their Delaware, Ohio factory. In 1996 Flxible was forced into Chapter 11 bankruptcy and liquidated. Parent company General Automotive would meet the same fate as Flxible in 1997.

The last Flxible Metros were delivered in November 1995 to Monterey-Salinas Transit (Monterey California), and the Baltimore Metropolitan Transit Authority (Baltimore, Maryland). The official production total for the 870 and Metro models is 9,814 units.

ADULT COLLECTIBLE MODEL - Not intended for children under 14.