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'GREYHOUND AT THE FAIR'

 
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 12:50 am    Post subject: 'GREYHOUND AT THE FAIR' Reply with quote

Pictured below with no visible fleet numbers are three specimens of 1939 Yellow Coach Model 1207's and part of a 100 tram delivery to ‘Exposition Greyhound Lines’ division of the Greyhound Corporation at the World’s Fair site at Flushing New York in spring of that year.

Exposition Greyhound was formed specifically by contract to shuttle Fair goers from pavilion to pavilion and to perimeter terminal connections for subways, buses and parking lots.

The very streamlined looking 1207’s were 45 feet in length (well over legal ‘street’ limits at the time), 9 feet wide with longitudinal benches that provided seating for 50 passengers (and more if some were children - see bottom photo).

Powered by 308 cubic inch gasoline engines located beneath the driver’s seats, these sightseers were slow and ponderous but they met the need adequately and their styling and livery fit perfectly with the atmosphere of the Fair.

Note that passenger doors were not part of the original design as shown on page 18 of 'Bus Nostalgia' in this forum - however insurance underwritters required the added protection for the many children expected to ride these trams.



The records show that a handful of the coaches did find their way to beach resorts including Atlantic City once the Fair officially closed – as to what happened to the balance of the equipment is not known.

One thing is for sure; had there been a Disneyland in 1940, that's where they all would have gone!

Photos courtesy of the New York Puiblic Library.

Mr. Linsky – Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY




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timecruncher



Age: 73
Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 456
Location: Louisville, Kentucky

PostPosted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Greyhound had a big presence at the New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Long Island in 1964 as well.

They provided circulator buses (at the unholy high fare of 25 cents per ride!) and "tour" service using fishbowl GM transit coaches, and also provided 'tram' service throughout the fair using mule-and-trailer sets that had musical horns that played (naturally) the "Go Greyhound, and leave the driving to us!" jingle.

Someone on another forum revealed where the transit buses ended up going after the fair -- these were all 2-door transits with 2-speed city transit trannies, so there was no place for them in the [then] expansive Greyhound fleet.

I have a photo here somewhere of one of them, and Corgi did one in a limited run for their series of GM newlook transit models as well.

timecruncher
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 3:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

T. C.,

Let me help you out a bit here;

There was an assortment of Greyhound New Looks at the 64/65 World's Fair including single door, double door, glass roof and plain roof (some pictures below).

Fifteen of the plain roof two door TDH 5303's were sold to neighboring Triboro Coach of Jackson Heights, Queens and renumbered from Greyhounds 200's to TCC's 900's.

The rumor had always been that the buses were to be California bound after the fair but there is no substantiation of that or, for that matter, where the rest of the fleet wound up.

BTW; none of the three buses depicted below went to Triboro.

Naturally, we have famed bus photographer Jim Husing to thank for the great shots.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY




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timecruncher



Age: 73
Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 456
Location: Louisville, Kentucky

PostPosted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 5:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah yes.

Thanks for posting. I didn't remember clearly if those glass-top units were transits or suburbans. The photo clears that up -- high back seats and all!

timecruncher
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ripta42
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Age: 44
Joined: 15 Apr 2007
Posts: 1035
Location: Pawtucket, RI / Woburn, MA

PostPosted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a slide of one of the Greyhound trams at the '64 Fair, but alas, not scanned.
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tovinman




Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 8:32 am    Post subject: Greyhound Worlds'Fair SDH5302 Reply with quote

The SDH5302 glasstops went to Pioneer Coach Lines in Texas. In 1976 Pioneer sold several of them to BC Hydro Transit in Vancouver, where they ran in service until 1989.

I drove several of these old girls in service; they weren't geared for hills and
were slow on takeoff but once up to cruising speed they were as happy as a
6V71N can be (yep, they were 6V71Ns, not 8V71N)

These were the seven units operated in Vancouver and/or Victoria, BC:

G.M.C. SDH5302 016 PBC 272
G.M.C. SDH5302 017 PBC 273
G.M.C. SDH5302 018 PBC 274
G.M.C. SDH5302 024 PBC 280
G.M.C. SDH5302 031 PBC 287
G.M.C. SDH5302 038 PBC 294
G.M.C. SDH5302 043 PBC 299
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