Ikarus 250: specifications and photos

The growing Soviet state at one time was in dire need of roomy and comfortable buses. There was not much personal automobile transport among the citizens, and therefore long distance travel was considered quite problematic. The Hungarian plant Ikarus volunteered to help, where they began to produce the legendary Ikarus 250.

It should be noted that their release did not start from scratch, since back in the late 1960s the concept of the 200 series buses was developed, which were the foremost word for road transport for its time. The main idea, which predetermined the prevalence of the Ikarus 250 bus, was modularity and high unification, which allowed to introduce new models into production quickly and inexpensively. Simplification of the construction allowed to put on the slipway a new bus already in the early 70-ies of the last century.

A living legend of Soviet routes

Model "Ikarus 250" stood in production from 1971 to 2003! More than 32 years! It is believed that during this time the walls of the plant left about 150 thousand cars. Initially, this bus was widely imported into "sister" republics for the organization of long-distance traffic, but soon, because of the accelerated growth of cities, cars were put exclusively for domestic flights. Because of the capacity and comfort, these Ikarus are very fond of various tourist organizations that used them for organizing excursions.

In the southern republics, it is still practiced to remove all passenger seats in the cabin with the subsequent transformation of "Ikarus" into a huge lorry. True, for normal operation it is necessary to sort through and re-weld the whole suspension, since the old one with the increased loads can not handle the banal. However, this situation is typical not only for our country: "Ikarus 250" is found even in the US and Latin America. Of course, most of the buses of this series are now in such a deplorable technical condition that their operation is of a purely periodic nature.

Basic information about the model

Strangely enough, but even the painting of the body in red with a white line at the bottom in due time was regulated by a separate GOST. The new model differed from its predecessors not only by this, but also by a much more elongated body. On each side there are five extended windows, which (in recent years) could be tinted at the request of the customer. The windows are located through the window, on the roof there are quite massive air intakes, one of which can be used as an emergency hatch. It should be noted that the bus "Ikarus 250" initially differed from its urban "colleagues" with four round headlights (two on each side). On some varieties put the searchlight on the roof.

The latest modifications are characterized by the presence of two completely glazed doors. The first was equipped with a pneumatic actuator, triggered by a button on the panel. The door moved parallel to the board. It is interesting, but on some buses the pneumatic drive was not originally, and therefore it had to be opened and closed manually. The second door is located in the "stern" compartment, it opens and closes with the help of a hand lever.

About salon

Of course, the bus "Ikarus 250" is not equipped with a salon, which at least to some extent can be called modern, but nevertheless there are no gross defects. It can be installed from 43 to 57 pairs of seats with wooden armrests, and the distance between the seats is very small, only 65 cm. The seats are tough enough and did not work well for long flights. But each pair of armchairs have individual air ducts and small lamps, which for the 70s in the USSR was something "cosmic".

Convenience / inconvenience to passengers

For the general lighting of the salon, there are three plafonds with eight lamps in each. Heating - the radiators installed under each pair of seats, the heating of the liquid is responsible for the cooling system of the motor. The bus is noteworthy because the floor in it is much lower than the level of the seats. This not only allowed to significantly expand the luggage compartment, but also completely isolate the "bulges" from the wheels. However, it is the design of the cabin that makes the Ikarus 250/40 (and its other variants) practically unsuitable for urban operation, since passengers who often have to enter and leave in a narrow passage are extremely uncomfortable.

In normal trim levels, blinds were mounted on the windows, which were very convenient for long flights during the day, when the sun could prevent people from taking a nap. The front part of the cabin is distinguished by the presence of an additional folding chair, which is used by guides, inspectors, or there is an additional driver sitting there. In the export versions of "Ikarus 250/40" (photo of the bus shown in the article) at the end of the building a special room with a toilet and a small refrigerator was mounted. Unfortunately, in the European part of the USSR such a variety was no more common than any "Cadillac". In the back of the cabin, an additional five seats were set, although it was extremely difficult to ride them because of the strong vibration of the engine and the heat from it.

Driver's seat

Steering - type ZF S6-90U. The driver's armchair in style and function practically does not differ from the passenger one. The only nuance is the height adjustment. From the cabin the driver's workplace is not separated, except for a small wall of glass. The instrument panel is characterized by large dimensions and good readability of all sensors: a speedometer, a tachometer, a voltmeter, and a fuel gauge.

Body

Assembled of pipes of square section, wagon type. Designers have been provided with a service life of at least three decades. Alas, this design entails unpleasant consequences. If the bus was operated in difficult climatic conditions without major repairs, the body sections in its rear part literally sagged, greatly deforming the interior. On the sides there are two large luggage compartments (one on each side), the volume of each is 5.3 m ³ . You can open the compartments in two ways: either by using a hand lever directly on the body, or by using the key on the dashboard.

The rear bumper on the bus "Ikarus 250" (photo you see in this material) is metal, fixed to the body by means of welded fasteners. At the first buses of the series in front was installed almost exactly the same bumper, differed by some minor details. Due to the practical constructive uselessness of the metal, plastic structures were subsequently installed, which allowed the construction to be made cheaper.

About engines

Most often, the Ikarus 250 engine is notorious for Raba-MAN D2156HM6U drivers, there are also cars equipped with Raba D10 and D11. They were in-line, had six cylinders, turbocharged. Their power was varied, the most advanced modifications were given up to 220 liters. from. In recent years, the bus was put diesel Raba-MAN D2156HM6. The power of these motors was slightly higher, but their main characteristics remained the same. The general lack of engines - poor power and even more sad thrust at the bottom. These factors cause both poor acceleration and extremely negative characteristics when moving uphill.

Many remember how the "Ikarus" almost hours by storm took those lifts, which even "MAZ" managed with completely "killed" motors. However, in a straight line these diesel engines could provide a constant speed of 100 km / h, which for Soviet buses was a very good result.

Advantages and disadvantages of Raba D10 (D11)

The main drawbacks are the same - the dynamics and overclocking, although these engines still show much better results. But they were equipped with better parts, which provided quite acceptable reliability, durability and maintainability of the motor. That's only a weak dynamics, coupled with the winding roads spread over most of the USSR with frequent climbs, negated all the advantages, quickly devouring the resource. The engines start to vibrate very strongly and smoke when they wear out. In addition, the "Slaves" had a sad glory in Soviet drivers, as oil was consumed on a space scale. The real dream of the drivers was the Detroit DieselCummins VT350DAF LT120 engine, which lacked practically all the disadvantages of the "Slave", was more economical and more powerful, but was practically not found in the mass-produced cars on the territory of the USSR.

CPR

Gearbox mechanical, six stages, synchronization in the backstroke is absent, sufficiently reliable. The peculiarity of this box is that, although it does not contribute to rapid overclocking, it provides stable and relatively economical movement at high speeds, which was a rarity for Soviet buses. The drive includes reinforced cardan shafts with hinges. Clutch dry type, equipped with a hydraulic drive and a pneumatic amplifier.

Brake system characteristics

The bus "Ikarus 250", the technical characteristics of which we are considering, was equipped with a two-circuit drum brake mechanism. The brakes were actuated by a pneumatic drive. Brake drums had a radius of 21 cm, their thickness was respectively 14 and 18 cm. When driving with a maximum speed of 60 km / h for a population center, the stopping distance was up to 37 meters. Parking brakes on the rear wheels - mechanical spring with pneumatic drive. There is an auxiliary brake drive, whose functions have duplicated the parking brake. Compression in the drives of the system is from 6.2 to 7.4 kgf / cm ² . That the condensate formed there does not block the work of the brakes in the winter, a special liquid is used based on technical alcohol.

Other characteristics

The driving lights are equipped with lamps with a power of 45 W, for dipped lights 40 W lamps are used. In the parking lights installed a series of Villtes 5 watts. If there are any malfunctions in the engine cooling system, or there is a drop in compression in the hoses of the brake system, a red light will immediately flash on the instrument panel . Battery discharge is also signaled by a separate indicator. For repair, the bus is convenient in that all the electric fuses are located directly on the driver's seat, in the form of a single unit.

In principle, the Ikarus 250 bus (the photo of which you will see in the article) had a good reputation among the passengers, who most of all did not like only the insufficient work of the heater in the winter. Other factors did not noticeably decrease comfort on the trip. Advanced for those times, the salon and soft chairs, reliable suspension and a normal ventilation system - these are the factors that gave with relative comfort to travel a long distance. Not surprisingly, here and there Icarus 250/59 is still in operation.