|
BusTalk A Community Discussing Buses and Bus Operations Worldwide!
|
View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
Mr. Linsky BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 5071 Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.
|
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:27 pm Post subject: 'PACIFIC GREYHOUND LINES # 1013' |
|
|
Seen sometime in 1939 meandering its way from San Jose to San Francisco is fleet number 1013 - a 1939 Yellow Coach Model 740 and one of twenty-four (1001 to 1024) operating for the Pacific Greyhound Lines (PGL) of San Diego, California.
Suburban commuter service to San Francisco was operated by PGL from the time it succeeded Pickwick Stages in 1929 and these twenty-four model 740's were the first to be bought specifically for this purpose.
Built to Greyhound specifications, the single door 42 passenger 740's were among the first from Yellow to use Detroit Diesel (6-71) power plants coupled to fully automatic hydraulic transmissions.
The comfortable interiors were fitted with standard transit seating of mohair, window curtains and a magnified reading light for each passenger.
The Model 740, which was the last of Yellow's pre Old Look heavy duty transits, was most popular among major operators with the bulk of the nearly 400 manufactured going to 'Omnibus' affiliates in New York and Chicago.
Photo by Greyhound Promotion Department.
Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
timecruncher
Age: 73 Joined: 23 Dec 2008 Posts: 456 Location: Louisville, Kentucky
|
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Greyhound owned anything with an automatic transmission? Before the MC8 was built? Say it ain't so!
timecruncher |
|
Back to top |
|
|
traildriver
Joined: 26 Mar 2011 Posts: 2462 Location: South Florida
|
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Another gem, Mr. 'L'. Thanks!
timecruncher, it is so....
While GL used buses with manual transmissions on their various commuter buses in California and other places, when the special World's Fair Greyhound division operated in 1964 and 1965, they had a large fleet of GMC transit and suburban 'fishbowls' with automatics. Most of those were sold off after the fair ended.
In addition, the mainline fleet first automatics were a few late model MC-7's around 1972. I recall riding some that were dedicated to the non-stop St. Louis-Kansas City "VIP Executive Limited". These were also fitted with the Motorola sound-tube individual headset radio's. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Mr. Linsky BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 5071 Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.
|
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
timecruncher,
These 740's were actually the first fully automatic transmissions for Yellow and it's probable that they talked Greyhound into trying them out.
Whether they worked well for the company or not I can't say but the next order for PGL which were 107 TD 4502's delivered between 1940 and 1941 came equipped with mechanical transmissions.
traildriver,
You're right about the 5300's Greyhound used at the 64/65 World's Fair having automatics which made a lot of sense considering the fact that this was a low speed operation within the grounds with many starts and stops.
Greyhound may also have thought that they would be easier to resell with automatics.
Incidentally, nearby Triboro Coach bought sixteen of the 5303's at the end of the show! (although not the one pictured below).
Thanks boys,
Regards,
Mr. 'L'
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
timecruncher
Age: 73 Joined: 23 Dec 2008 Posts: 456 Location: Louisville, Kentucky
|
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Great photo there of the World's Fair bus. $3 was a lot of cash for a bus ride back then - would have paid for one-way from Louisville to Cincinnati in 1964...
I knew about the World's Fair buses, and posted a photo a long time ago that I took with my trusty Brownie camera. I wasn't aware that any MC-7s came with automatics, since all of the ones I rode out of Louisville were gear jammers.
timecruncher |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Mr. Linsky BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 5071 Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.
|
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I've just received this dispatch from 'Guru' Michael T. Greene of GMOldLookBus which will close the case on Greyhound's Yellow 740 transmissions;
"The trannies on the Dog 740's were changed to sticks due to their troubles in pulling the Waldo Grade on U.S. 101 N. of San Francisco. This influenced Pacific Greyhound to go with sticks on their commuter bus fleet in the Bay area, a pattern that lasted into Fishie days-MTG"
Regards,
Mr. 'L' |
|
Back to top |
|
|
roymanning2000
Age: 75 Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 198
|
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 7:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
That photo of the World's Fair Greyhound reinforces my belief that the Anniversary or Gold Stripe scheme looked good on every model that Greyhound applied it to. One of the best bus paint schemes ever.
Among the PD 4107's delivered to Greyhound were five with automatic transmissions. I believe these were assigned to Southern Greyhound. I don't know if they remained automatics for their entire service life or were later converted to sticks.
As for transit buses, Greyhound had ten TDH-5301 fishbowls for service in California. Also, both the Great Lakes and Overland divisions had GM old-looks with automatics.
Roy |
|
Back to top |
|
|
traildriver
Joined: 26 Mar 2011 Posts: 2462 Location: South Florida
|
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
timecruncher wrote: | I wasn't aware that any MC-7s came with automatics, since all of the ones I rode out of Louisville were gear jammers.
timecruncher |
That is understandable, as there were only a handful of them, sort of prototypes for the coming MC-8's. Besides the ones I mentioned, there was also a couple of MC-7 "Turbocruiser"'s with Allison gas turbine engines that ran between Detroit and Indianapolis. I believe they all had Allison HT-740 trannies. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Mr. Linsky BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 5071 Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.
|
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 2:17 am Post subject: |
|
|
They say that 'Old Hounds' never die, they just keep on busing!
Pictured is what's left of one of the 24 1939 Yellow Coach Model 740's originally operated by Pacific Greyhound Lines of San Francisco and showcased earlier in this thread.
It's new fleet number is 401 and it carries the flag of Eastshore Lines - a long time charter service in the Bay Area.
The photo, taken by Jim Husing at Eastshore's San Francisco depot, is dated 1971 meaning that this 'old dog' was still learning new tricks at the age of 32 - an achievement that would certainly be difficult to duplicate in this day and age!
Long live # 401!
Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You can attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|