BusTalk

[Dieseljim]

Among the interesting items from Empire Trailways that I picked up recently on eBay was a copy of the 1968 Balance Sheet for Empire Trailways then known as Western New York Motor Lines and its subsidiary, Wirth Bus Service, which used both school bus type equipment and GM PD4103 highway coaches for charter service, I don't believe the parent company ever used the 4103 in their line run operations. I do remember one being in Wirth Bus Service markings though. Financial Statement notes offer some interesting information about the financing of the revenue vehicle fleet. M&T Bank had an interested in eleven of the buses, totalling $267,916 with monthly payments of $6493, while Central Trust had an interest in Bus No.6802, which was a PD4903, one of the first 40 foot "buffaloes" purchased by the company. Max Cowan was the company president at the time. He is the man who was instrumental in the merging of Blue Bus Lines and Valley Bus Lines into Blue Valley Trailways. The document is entirely typewritten and it is evident that copies were distributed to company officers and Ted Wirth, owner of Wirth Bus Service, which WNY was in the process of buying out. The accounting firm of Cortland L. Brovitz and Company was the auditor for the company. Cummulative statement in the document goes from 1968 back to 1963 of which it was 1968 the company showed a net loss. Thus after perusing this document, I have found that it takes more than timetables to go into a bus company's operations and represent only part of the picture. Empire Trailways was still purchasing GMC coaches for its over the road service and did not get its first MCI, the MC7 until 1972, which marked the beginning of the conversion to an all MCI fleet, which is what Empire Trailways wound up with before the company went under in 1994. I am also working on a booklet about that company that will cover the operational aspects. How Mrs. Christiane Park allegedly "French Fried' the company won't be covered. Enough has been said about THAT.