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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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traildriver
Joined: 26 Mar 2011 Posts: 2460 Location: South Florida
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 2:45 pm Post subject: |
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How about 'fallen flags', due to merger's and acquisition thru the years?
Take the route from New York City to Harford via Danbury...
There was Flying Eagle Whiteway Lines then
Providence Arrow Line, then Super Service Coach Corp., then
Bonanza Bus Lines, then Coach USA, and currently, Peter Pan...
Not even sure of how many preceded the Flying Eagle Whiteway name... |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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traildriver:
Was not at all familiar with "Flying Eagle"; I don't think I recall even Jim Lehrer mentioning that one in his book.
As far as "conglomerates", look at how many long-established New Jersey suburban companies disappeared into NJT, almost 40 years ago.
Some of the companies that became part of NJT:
TNJ (PSNJ)
ORANGE & BLACK/INTER-CITY (MAPLEWOOD)
SOMERSET
SUBURBAN TRANSIT/SUBURBAN TRAILS
MANHATTAN LINES
WESTWOOD COACHES
"NYO" |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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From Jim Lehrer's "A BUS OF MY OWN":
"........'American' was a delightfully unique bus company that provided free pillows and free meals and a by-the-minute refund system for late arrivals on its main line between New York and Los Angeles......."
".......it disappeared into 'Trailways without much of a trace in the 1950's......"
Also (from the same book):
"........I once spent an afternoon rummaging through some priceless old files of 'Burlington Trailways' and 'American Buslines', two companies that had been headquartered in Lincoln before they merged, went broke, and disappeared into the 'Continental Trailways' system........
"NYO" |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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Also from Jim Lehrer's book:
".......'American' was one of those rare and special creatures of intercity bus travel. it had been a one-route operation that went from New York to Los Angeles, through Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Indianapolis to St. Louis. There, it picked up Highway 66 through Missouri to Springfield and Joplin, and then gone on to Tulsa and Oklahoma City, where it had turned straight, south to Dallas......"
"........from Dallas, it gone west on Highway 80 out to El Paso to Arizona and California. 'American' had been independent of both 'Greyhound' and 'Trailways', and had operated out of its own depots everywhere......"
".......the company had went quietly out of business in the 1950's, completely disappearing. A driver's strike had shut it down, and 'Continental Trailways' took it over......."
"NYO" |
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traildriver
Joined: 26 Mar 2011 Posts: 2460 Location: South Florida
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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There are a whole lot more 'fallen flags' not mentioned in your earlier posts...if you ever peruse thru a 'Russell's Guide from the 50's, you would be amazed... |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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traildriver wrote: | There are a whole lot more 'fallen flags' not mentioned in your earlier posts...if you ever peruse thru a 'Russell's Guide from the 50's, you would be amazed... |
traildriver:
I have no doubt that you are correct; in fact, many years ago, Your's Truly once had a RUSSELL'S GUIDE from 1970.
In a gesture I came to regret, I presented this RG to a fellow bus historian/friend on his 70th birthday.
Not two months later, he simply "dropped" me as a friend (as well as a few other fellows from a forum we had all belonged to) with no explanation at all given.
To this day, I thoroughly regret parting with that RG; I remember I bought it an an antique shop in Jersey close to 20 years ago, and paying $5.00 for it.
I was BEYOND blown away, when I first saw what was between the covers of this big, thick book.....oh, well.......
"NYO" |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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traildriver
Joined: 26 Mar 2011 Posts: 2460 Location: South Florida
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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Regarding American Buslines history...here's a more complete (and accurate) accounting...
scroll down a ways...
http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/c/columbia_coach/columbia_coach.htm
Note that it was the first coast to coast bus line under one ownership...not a pool of partner's like Yelloway-Pioneer, which ran the first coast to coast thru bus. Even when Greyhound absorbed Yelloway and Pickwick under the Greyhound banner, they were under different ownership.
All American was able to get the coast to coast franchise, because they did it with "interstate only" rights, with a few exceptions, like Missouri. This later came back to bite them even until the end of regulation. For example, if you wanted to buy a ticket from Pittsburgh, clear across the state to Philadelphia, you had to buy it to Camden, NJ. Greyhound spotters made sure they adhered to their restrictions.
All American more than doubled in size, when they bought Burlington Trailways from the CB&Q in 1946. That was when the ICC started forcing all the railroads that owned parallel bus lines to divest their ownership. That finally was completed in the late fifties.
Fortunately, Burlington enjoyed local rights on their routes. At that time, All American brought their former independent routes into the National Trailways bus system, and renamed themselves, American Buslines, first dba American Buslines/Burlington Trailways, and later simplified to American Trailways. Then in 1954, Transcontinental Bus System bought ABL, and ABL became the largest division of Continental Trailways...a single division that extended coast to coast (New York to California), and border to border (Detroit to El Paso).
One legacy from American that Continental adopted, was their eagle holding a streamer logo..... |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 9:19 pm Post subject: |
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traildriver:
Many thanks for both the great link and your (as always!) in-depth input; always a great deal to learn!
Speaking of coast-to-coast bus service, I'm reminded of a 1960's Warner Brothers "Daffy Duck" cartoon, where Daffy found himself stranded in an sizzling, Arizona-ish desert.
At first, he was nonchalant, and casually remarked:
"Oh, well, I'll just wait for the transcontinental bus!"
Then, as he begins to see mirages, he adds :"And, if the bus is late, I'll go by steamship!"
In an early 1960's "Road Runner" cartoon, the ever-hapless Wile. E. Coyote (with greased feet, courtesy of "ACME AXLE GREASE"!) is seen just barely staying ahead of a Scenicruiser-ish bus as he scurries along the highway.
On the front of the speeding bus is a prominent sign proclaiming "NEW YORK EXPRESS NON-STOP"!
Looking back, these two now-classic cartoons recall a time when long-distance bus travel was still quite commonplace, and easy to identify with.
After reading your post, I am willing to wager that many of the (younger) GREYHOUND enthusiasts today have little concept of the company's tremendous and diverse history; nor, am I sure, they have little or no inkling of the large number of intercity bus companies that once operated long-distance buses throughout the country.
All the more reason to preserve what remains today from the "Golden Days" for future generations......
"NYO" |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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Though this page is NOT on the American "YELLOWAY" of years past, I thought that this might be of interest (there are, also, many links on this page, also, interesting reader's memories and comments)........
www.old-bus-photos.co.uk/?cat=118 |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 9:43 pm Post subject: |
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A British SCENICRUISER, perhaps?
www.old-bus-photos.co.uk/?cat=253
This one was too good not to share here (I have a vintage DINKY TOYS miniature of this coach in my collection) |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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