BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Appreciate as always your always-interesting input! regarding trailers- I know GREYHOUND in Australia (perhaps not these days) had buses hauling trailers; the "BRUCK" of course was another (oft-forgotten) passenger/cargo carrier--------I did not know about GREYHOUND using older "7's" into passenger/cargo carriers; of course in past discussions we discussed "package express" which for decades has been offered on quite a few carriers-this is another aspect of intercity bus operations I find quite interesting----"NYO"

[traildriver]

Back in the late '60's, Continental Trailways, which had a rather minor presence in Detroit, especially as compared to EGL, they ran three daily Eagle equipped schedules from Detroit thru Toledo and on all the way to the Gulf Coast.

In addition to these, they ran three "shuttles" to Toledo, using an old "air-ride", (Continental's nickname for PD-4104's), which had about half its rear seats removed, and a bulkhead installed to carry bus package express. It did have a door at the aisle thru the bulkhead, but they mainly used the existing emergency exit door to load and unload the express.

I can't recall if they had removed the restroom, moved it forward, or simply did not use it for the approximately one hour trip.

In practice, they loaded the bus first at a nearby Ford plant with auto parts, and then loaded passengers at the Detroit terminal. At Toledo, they unloaded the parts, and reloaded them on east, west, or southbound trips.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

QUITE interesting for certain-------had no idea of this operation-----first I heard of a 4104 passenger/cargo coach; here again it only further goes to show just how fascinating the intercity bus industry was so long ago-speaking of "cargo" I would-indeed- also say that the hard-working porters and redcaps at GREYHOUND/TRAILWAYS depots were "unsung heroes" looking dapper and sharp as they handled the unending parade of luggage-really old photos show one porter tossing up a suitcase to his brother porter when the buses still had rooftop luggage racks--------NOT an easy job for certain------sadly these hard-working fellows long since passed on to their rewards; think of the stories they could tell! "NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

-------------------In Your's Truly's historic intercity bus tt collection there is a GREYHOUND LINES-WEST tt (5/70) for "WASHINGTON LOCAL" runs-SEATTLE-BUTTE-FARGO-CHICAGO-PORTLAND/SALT LAKE CITY; the front of this tt is graced by a "Buffalo" and a "7"------------the connecting carriers listed in this tt also include these operators: BLACK BALL TRANSPORT/GREYHOUND LINES OF CANADA/J J LAFFERTY STAGE Co (and others); an "X" denoted a bus which would stop at an Interstate Interchange to pick up/discharge passengers-----------"NYO"

[traildriver]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

That 1970 regional folder was actually "#1" Yours truly has always found the "footnotes" and tt "icons" to be quite interesting on their own-----for instance-in a (thick!) 1957 GREYHOUND "TRANSCONTINENTAL" tt-a solid triangle denoted "non-stop express"-an "f"(d) denoted: "stops to discharge on call"-a solid circle: "change buses"-------"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

In a "TECHE GREYHOUND tt issued late 1952 a few of the connecting carriers listed are: "ATLANTIC GREYHOUND LINES" (AGL)/"PACIFIC GREYHOUND LINES"(PG)/"DIXIE GREYHOUND LINES"(DGL)/"NEW ENGLAND GREYHOUND LINES":(NEG)/"GREAT LAKES GREYHOUND LINES"(GLG)/"PENN GREYHOUND LINES OF INDIANA" (PGI)/"CONTINENTAL TRAILWAYS"(CBS)/"CROWN COACH Co"(CCo)/"CONTINENTAL SOUTHERN LINES" (SoB)/"WHITE EAGLE LINES"(WE)/"ALGA COACH LINES"/(ALCL)"NORTHWEST GREYHOUND LINES"(NWG)-----------(that long-lost era indeed HAD to be a true "treasure chest" for the bus enthusiasts of the day!) "NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Think also of all of the connecting intercity outfits that once connected with GREYHOUND-so long ago-also all the "though line" operators which either no longer exist-disappearing eons ago--or--were long-ago absorbed by another operator (ditto the other long-gone intercity operators that connected with TRAILWAYS)---------"NYO"

[traildriver]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Great links----thank you! Think of all the rich history that each carrier has to its credit! Back in the days when folks went to sunny Florida during the cold northern winters-I would guess that both GREYHOUND and TRAILWAYS-back in the day-did pretty well-carrying northern folks down to the sunny beaches of Florida------ "NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

In an earlier post-I'd called attention to a 1951 photo in the book "CHICAGO'S LOST 'L's" (Sadowski) where a GREYHOUND 4102/03 is seen alongside a CTA prewar PCC on the 63rd Street line; closer inspection of this old photo show a portion of a neon sign which reads"GREYHOUND BUS DEPOT" underneath the Jackson Park "L" structure (structure here also held the Stony Point "L" station-at the end of the line)--------"NYO"

[traildriver]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

I would guess this Chicago "storefront depot" is long OOS by GREYHOUND-perhaps the structure itself still stands-but I think it is a reasonable guess that GREYHOUND stopped calling at this depot eons ago (in 1966-the 1950's-era 6000s and 1920s 4000-series cars were then the bulk of the CTA's rapid transit fleet)-----------"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Speaking of bygone "storefront depots"----------the one such depot Your's Truly knew back in the 1960's was the one used by CONTINENTAL TRAILWAYS on 32nd St in Union City (where Your's Truly hails was raised!) For years they had three or four tin-litho TRAILWAYS buses in the display window (of course-I recall this well!)------------I think that-today-this "depot"/ticket office is (was?) used by a Spanish operator running buses to Florida; Your's Truly has not been down that way in at least 20 years-----------"NYO"

[traildriver]