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'PACIFIC GREYHOUND LINES # 1013'

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

PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:27 pm    Post subject: 'PACIFIC GREYHOUND LINES # 1013' Reply with quote

Seen sometime in 1939 meandering its way from San Jose to San Francisco is fleet number 1013 - a 1939 Yellow Coach Model 740 and one of twenty-four (1001 to 1024) operating for the Pacific Greyhound Lines (PGL) of San Diego, California.

Suburban commuter service to San Francisco was operated by PGL from the time it succeeded Pickwick Stages in 1929 and these twenty-four model 740's were the first to be bought specifically for this purpose.

Built to Greyhound specifications, the single door 42 passenger 740's were among the first from Yellow to use Detroit Diesel (6-71) power plants coupled to fully automatic hydraulic transmissions.

The comfortable interiors were fitted with standard transit seating of mohair, window curtains and a magnified reading light for each passenger.

The Model 740, which was the last of Yellow's pre Old Look heavy duty transits, was most popular among major operators with the bulk of the nearly 400 manufactured going to 'Omnibus' affiliates in New York and Chicago.

Photo by Greyhound Promotion Department.

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

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timecruncher



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

PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Greyhound owned anything with an automatic transmission? Before the MC8 was built? Say it ain't so!

timecruncher
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traildriver




Joined: 26 Mar 2011
Posts: 2452
Location: South Florida

PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another gem, Mr. 'L'. Thanks!

timecruncher, it is so....

While GL used buses with manual transmissions on their various commuter buses in California and other places, when the special World's Fair Greyhound division operated in 1964 and 1965, they had a large fleet of GMC transit and suburban 'fishbowls' with automatics. Most of those were sold off after the fair ended.

In addition, the mainline fleet first automatics were a few late model MC-7's around 1972. I recall riding some that were dedicated to the non-stop St. Louis-Kansas City "VIP Executive Limited". These were also fitted with the Motorola sound-tube individual headset radio's.
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Mr. Linsky
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

timecruncher,


These 740's were actually the first fully automatic transmissions for Yellow and it's probable that they talked Greyhound into trying them out.

Whether they worked well for the company or not I can't say but the next order for PGL which were 107 TD 4502's delivered between 1940 and 1941 came equipped with mechanical transmissions.


traildriver,

You're right about the 5300's Greyhound used at the 64/65 World's Fair having automatics which made a lot of sense considering the fact that this was a low speed operation within the grounds with many starts and stops.

Greyhound may also have thought that they would be easier to resell with automatics.

Incidentally, nearby Triboro Coach bought sixteen of the 5303's at the end of the show! (although not the one pictured below).

Thanks boys,

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

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timecruncher



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

PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great photo there of the World's Fair bus. $3 was a lot of cash for a bus ride back then - would have paid for one-way from Louisville to Cincinnati in 1964...

I knew about the World's Fair buses, and posted a photo a long time ago that I took with my trusty Brownie camera. I wasn't aware that any MC-7s came with automatics, since all of the ones I rode out of Louisville were gear jammers.

timecruncher
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Mr. Linsky
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
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Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've just received this dispatch from 'Guru' Michael T. Greene of GMOldLookBus which will close the case on Greyhound's Yellow 740 transmissions;

"The trannies on the Dog 740's were changed to sticks due to their troubles in pulling the Waldo Grade on U.S. 101 N. of San Francisco. This influenced Pacific Greyhound to go with sticks on their commuter bus fleet in the Bay area, a pattern that lasted into Fishie days-MTG"

Regards,

Mr. 'L'
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roymanning2000



Age: 75
Joined: 01 Aug 2007
Posts: 198

PostPosted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 7:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That photo of the World's Fair Greyhound reinforces my belief that the Anniversary or Gold Stripe scheme looked good on every model that Greyhound applied it to. One of the best bus paint schemes ever.

Among the PD 4107's delivered to Greyhound were five with automatic transmissions. I believe these were assigned to Southern Greyhound. I don't know if they remained automatics for their entire service life or were later converted to sticks.

As for transit buses, Greyhound had ten TDH-5301 fishbowls for service in California. Also, both the Great Lakes and Overland divisions had GM old-looks with automatics.

Roy
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traildriver




Joined: 26 Mar 2011
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Location: South Florida

PostPosted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

timecruncher wrote:
I wasn't aware that any MC-7s came with automatics, since all of the ones I rode out of Louisville were gear jammers.

timecruncher


That is understandable, as there were only a handful of them, sort of prototypes for the coming MC-8's. Besides the ones I mentioned, there was also a couple of MC-7 "Turbocruiser"'s with Allison gas turbine engines that ran between Detroit and Indianapolis. I believe they all had Allison HT-740 trannies.
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Mr. Linsky
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 2:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

They say that 'Old Hounds' never die, they just keep on busing!

Pictured is what's left of one of the 24 1939 Yellow Coach Model 740's originally operated by Pacific Greyhound Lines of San Francisco and showcased earlier in this thread.

It's new fleet number is 401 and it carries the flag of Eastshore Lines - a long time charter service in the Bay Area.

The photo, taken by Jim Husing at Eastshore's San Francisco depot, is dated 1971 meaning that this 'old dog' was still learning new tricks at the age of 32 - an achievement that would certainly be difficult to duplicate in this day and age!

Long live # 401!

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

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