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'READING BUS COMPANY'
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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

LOL, Where is Grampa when you need him. My Girlfriend's grandfather (Robert Rhoads) was a shop foremen of some sort at the bus barn, I believe he retired before these events, probably before BARTA), but he probably still had some connections.

The Bud Bus will remain for speculative ideas. I may have some connections in the Berks County Emergency Management team that can dig a little up about the command center bus operation.

Reading must have been a haven for good mechanics. I guess our Pennsylvania Dutch ingenuity for ressurecting the dead ( also read too cheap to buy new) must have gotten around the government ears. The Reading Railrod shops, right down the street from the bus company also had part of a program to rehabilitate Budd Co. Rail Diesel Cars (RDC's) for Amtrak and there was an odd assortment of Sante Fe, Amtrak and other foreign road RDC's in various conditions sitting around their shops. RDC's coincidently had two GM Bus engines strapped semi sideways to their chassis running a driveshaft configuration for power.
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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is another clue to date the photo of RBCo 719 at 5th & Penn. If you look behind the bus across Penn St. you see the one story yellow grocery store which was (I believe) an Acme. If you look at the back of the yellow/red 809 (x GBL310) in the RBCo/BARTA photo gallery which is taken from virtually the same spot just swinging a tad north, you see the same store. and beside the store in both photos is a pile of dirt, tha same pile of dirt and the construction in general around the area with cones and barricades is pretty much the same, indicating that the person who took the one photo, took both photos and probably the same day in close time proximity.
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JimmiB



Age: 81
Joined: 19 Apr 2011
Posts: 516
Location: Lebanon, PA

PostPosted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That was an Acme. I wonder if this was at the time the old diner was removed from next to the Acme? That was the 4th and Penn Diner and that was removed somewhere around 1966.
Also, they did have some great mechanics. Reading used to build some of their own trolly cars and had a complete machine shop, although mostly antique equipment.
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JimmiB



Age: 81
Joined: 19 Apr 2011
Posts: 516
Location: Lebanon, PA

PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BTW Rob, just came across a link to a photo of a Reading bus with the soda ad on the front. You were correct. It was Green Spot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidwilson1949/3495977100/in/set-72157616566330646/
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



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

PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just another nice day at the Reading Bus Company yard in Reading, Pennsylvania where we see #'s 700 and 720 readying for their next assignments although # 720 seems to be at the end of a tow bar.

# 700 to the right and signed for the 10th. Street route is a 1944 GM Coach Model TG-4007 and one of three (700 to 702) purchased by the company new in that year - records show that these three buses were eventually converted to Diesel.

# 720 to the left is a 1946 GM Coach Model TDH-4008 and one of twenty (718 to 737) also purchased new.

Interestingly, these buses were still active roster members as late as early 1969.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

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JimmiB



Age: 81
Joined: 19 Apr 2011
Posts: 516
Location: Lebanon, PA

PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As I remember these were still in service when I got laid off in 1971 during the "wind down" of service before the operation was dumped on the transit authority. This happened after the sale of Reading Bus to Reading Bus Co., Inc. Tom Cahalan, president.
Had a retired mechanic tell me one time when I was driving #700, that these were delivered with gasoline engines and due to the war-time shortage of steel, it had standee handrails and posts made of hardwood. These were replaced along with the engines.
The tow wagon in the photo was (I believe) an old International semi cab with a box body built over the back where the 5th wheel used to be.
Around 1970 we had a lot of bus fans coming to Reading to take photos as this was considered the oldest operating fleet in the country. The average year of the fleet was 1947.
Interestingly, the next time I drove bus was in Lebanon, PA starting in 1980 and we had bus fans coming here because we were running 11 ex-Harrisburg TDH 4512's and 2 early fishbowls.
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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jimmie, please comment on the lack of a red stripe on the #700. My girlfriend's grandfather was a big home movie camera fan. Her brother had the family movies converted to VHS and distributed them to his siblings. In one of the videos a bus appears at the then new Reading Airport Terminal and it had a light blue stripe. At the time I saw the video I didn't want to appear to excited about a bus in a video so I didn't ask her to rewind so I could investigate it. (At the time I was working on other priorities-if ya know what I mean..lol) This looks like it could also be a blue stripe.

I hope to get her to let me convert those tapes to digital soon. Maybe I can isolate the shop tours of his crew working on the old looks. She relates the names Dusty Rhoads and George as some of his mechanic buddies that probably show up in the videos.
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



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

PostPosted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 1:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Boys,

Doesn't Reading have an interesting history?

My great uncle Max Luria (my grandmother's sister's husband) owned Luria Brothers Steel Corporation - a mega scrap metal dealer who was almost single-handedly responsible for the demolition of every trolley car along the east coast in the thirties and forties.

His base of operations was in Reading and, when he wasn't in his Manhattan abode, you'd find him in his 'marble mansion' outside of Reading (the house was so big that the Navy commandeered it during the war for use as a sub acute hospital for returning injured sailors).

My last visit there with my parents was in 1945 just after the government returned the house to the family and just before Uncle Max died.

I remember the little buses that ran around town and I think they were Twin Coaches but I was only eight and the memories are vague.

Now, I have a question for you Reading experts; In 1968, Green Bus Lines (NY) sold ten 1949 TDH 4507's and one 1950 TDH 4509 (#341 center of photo below) to Reading.

The 4507's appeared on their roster but the 4509 did not - what happened to the 4509 (and I hope you don't tell me it was used as a parts car!).

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

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JimmiB



Age: 81
Joined: 19 Apr 2011
Posts: 516
Location: Lebanon, PA

PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob, There was one batch of buses delivered in the light green/blue paint scheme. I believe it was the order in 1958 of TDH 3714's numbers 671 through 675, although I may be wrong about that. A few other buses at that time were painted to match. I don't remember any with a stripe.

Mr. L, I won't tell you that the 341 was used for parts. I don't know for sure, but its a good bet since it never made the roster.
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



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

PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

J.B.,

You are correct; five 33 passenger 1958 GM TDH 3714's numbered between 671 and 675 were delivered in that year and, while I can't tell you for sure what colors they wore, I can tell you 661 to 665 - TDH 3612's from 1952 - sported an original color combination of silver with a red belt and were subsequently repainted to silver and green.

BTW; Green Line # 341 wouldn't have been the first surplus bus that they sold for parts - it hurts me personally though because I drove that bus many times during my summer stints with the company.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'
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JimmiB



Age: 81
Joined: 19 Apr 2011
Posts: 516
Location: Lebanon, PA

PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bow to your wisdom Mr. L. You are correct. It was 661 through 665 that had the green paint.
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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 Aug 26, 2011 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A question for you Reading Bus Company specialists;

Pictured below in the early sixties is fleet # 608 - possibly a 1944 or 1946 GM Coach Model TDH 4007 operating for the Beaver Valley Motor Coach Company of New Brighton, Pa.

The livery, you will note, is identical to that of Reading's buses of the forties and they did have eighteen 4007's numbered in the 700's on their roster during that period.

Is it possible that #608 shown is ex Reading?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

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JimmiB



Age: 81
Joined: 19 Apr 2011
Posts: 516
Location: Lebanon, PA

PostPosted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very possible. That definitely is the same paint, even the width of the stripe looks right.
Production records show that Reading bought #703 through 717 in 1946. We were still running the "early" 700's in the 60's...but...I only can remember them being numbered up to 712, so it's likely that 5 of them had been sold.
On second thought, I don't believe Reading had any coaches with the split side windows until the Green Line buses were purchased. I'm sure that all the 700 series had the solid one-piece windows.
While searching Beaver Valley's history, I came across the same picture. Looks like Beaver Valley ran mostly used Pittsburgh buses. The company went through several mergers and receivership's and had a variety of paint schemes on the property.
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JimmiB



Age: 81
Joined: 19 Apr 2011
Posts: 516
Location: Lebanon, PA

PostPosted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just found this in BusTalk Galleries.
Fade the white roof and repaint the stripe and it could be an ex-Pittsburgh Railways bus.

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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



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

PostPosted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JimmiB,

I have to agree with you on the split passenger windows but the paint job is surely the same as Reading.

Could there have been an affiliation between Reading and Beaver Valley at some point along the way? (nothing in Reading history in Motor Coach Age indicates that though).

We'll have to keep digging on this one.

The Beaver # 608 may also possibly have come from New Jersey originally where split sashes were required and could well have been one of the 110 1945 TD 4007's that Public Service had (one pictured).

Regards,

Mr. 'L'



Last edited by Mr. Linsky on Mon Aug 29, 2011 12:27 am; edited 1 time in total
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