BusTalk

[traildriver]

Every time I see the classic film, "Breakfast At Tiffany's", in the scene where Buddy Ebsen's character leaves New York on a Scenicruiser, with Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard's character's seeing him off; I always look at the terminal, and try to figure out if it was the Capitol Greyhound Terminal, or more likely somewhere in "Hollywood"...

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The 1990's HALLMARK movie, "Love Field" (which took place at the time of JFK's asassination in 1963) also features vintage "Hounds" and station scenes (one frightening scene has a DC-bound SCENICRUISER swerving off a near-empty rural highway, to avoid a catastrophic accident, where a 1960 Chevy gets sheared under the trailer of a big rig, heading in the opposite direction)

Also, recall the opening scenes in "THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS" (1957?) where we see Burt Lancaster's (another of my favorite actors) character aboard a NYC-bound SCENICRUISER, near the Lincoln Tunnel........

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

..........too, we cannot forget the many old "documentry" films that GREYHOUND was "starred", in back in the day, such as "THE BUS DRIVER"* (late 1940's), "FREEDOM HIGHWAY"** (circa-1955)

*This b/w film begins at the old GREYHOUND terminal opposite Penn Station, and ends in steel-mill Pittsburgh; a "SILVERSIDES" stars in this film!

** In this color featurette, a SCENICRUISER (in living color!) is most prominent (I have both on DVD, and never tire of watching them.......vanished America!)

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Appearances are indeed deceiving, even when regarding what was once thought as "ultimate development" of highway coaches, regarding the SCENICRUISER.......

The mechanical problems that plagued the original SCENICRUISERS eventually led to a civil lawsuit. TIME magazine reported the following on August 6, 1956*:

"......A suit against G.M. is planned by GREYHOUND, the automaker's best customer. GREYHOUND charges that 570 out of of 1,000 double-deck SCENICRUISERS purchased from G.M. for $53 million developed lubrication troubles....."

Within two-and-a-half months, TIME printed the following:

".......the G.M.-GREYHOUND feud is being patched up out of court. GREYHOUND gets a settlement for dropping its threat to sue the automaker on charge that half of the 1,000 SCENICRUISER buses purchased by GREYHOUND developed mechanical trouble....."

".....the rebuilding of the SCENICRUISER fleet lasted 11 months, starting in October, 1961. Most of the work was completed at Indianapolis, but about $3 million more was spent at various GREYHOUND garages across the country......."

(It is also interesting to note that GREYHOUND also experimented CUMMINS, MERCEDES-BENZ, and MAN engine combinations as possible replacements for the original power plants. MARMON-HERRINGTON was awarded the $10 million contract to rebuild the SCENICRUISER fleet)

*Information courtesy of "GREYHOUND SCENICRUISER" (McNally/Rayman)

"NYO"

[traildriver]

One thing that always made me feel good, was seeing a particular bus, that I "knew well", far away from home. I especially felt nostalgic, while stationed in San Francisco, and seeing EGL transcontinental pool Scenicruiser's or MC-7's coaches arrive on the thru trip from New York City, or Washington, DC. The same for Continental Trailways ABL-Eastern Eagle's.

It was also a neat experience to ride a coast-to-coast thru coach, and see the same number painted on it, every time returning from a rest stop, in such varied location's...felt like you were 'at home', even though you were far away...

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[traildriver]

NYO--

When I got into the business in 1968, the Scenicruiser's had already been rebuilt with the Detroit Diesel 8v-71 and the Spicer 4-speed, for 6 or seven years. At that time, I wasn't too knowledgeable about the former setup, and so the subject didn't really come up in my conversation's with those that were around prior to the rebuilding. But I'm sure everyone involved liked the vast improvement...

[traildriver]

NYO--

I think you know already, that driver's, and probably mechanic's as well, preferred to drive or work on the PD-4106...it was like a sports car in comparison for the driver's, and much less complicated for the mechanic's, even after the rebuild....

What the passenger's preferred, is another matter....

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

From "AIRPORT":

"......Mel braked hastily, avoiding a speeding 'honey wagon' , on its way from the ramp area to disgorge its malodorous four-hundred-gallon load from aircraft toilets......."

"........the load would eject into a shredding machine in a special building, a building which other airport employees avoided, and then pumped into city sewers......."

".........most times, the procedure worked most efficiently, except when passengers reported losses of various items, including dentures, wallets, purses, wallets-dropped into aircraft toilets. It happened at least once or twice a day. Then, loads had to be sifted, while everyone hoped that the missing item could be located quickly........"

Cannot help but wonder how GREYHOUND and TRAILWAYS handled such noisome "procedures".......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Without a doubt, the siphoning off of toilet waste from GREYHOUND and TRAILWAYS buses had to be one of the least-desired tasks that, quite simply had no getting around it.

This is an "operating procedure" that (AFAIK) has never been discussed in detail, previously (and, perhaps, for good reason!)

"NYO"

[traildriver]

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Personally, I always wondered why ice-water dispensers were not available on SCENICRUISERS or EAGLES......seems such a basic "frill".........

"NYO"