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Year: 1956 Model: Superior Conventional on a Ford B-600 chassis with a V8 gasoline engine, manual transmission, and hydraulic brakes. ID: 2 Owner/Operator: Former St. Joseph & St. Patrick's School Location: Michigan Photos By: Mike's Bus Yard, 8 May 2007 |
This stop arm and the age of the bus are indications that the warning lights on the school bus roof caps are possibly retrofits. In 1958, the State of Michigan started using red, overhead warning lights on school buses in lieu of the current stop arms. Prior to this date, overhead warning lights had been optional. Once buses were retrofitted with the warning lights, stop arms were removed or, in this case, bolted down. Before the overhead warning lights became mandated in 1958, only traffic overtaking a bus was required to stop at bus stops. Traffic meeting the bus did not stop. For this reason, only the rear-facing surface of the stop arm would have a "STOP" message painted on it. Michigan did not require stop arms again until it became a federal requirement in 1992.
