I’ve wanted to do a post on SCM for some time, but information online was pretty sparse. Luckily a few things have popped up recently, so let’s take a look at this small regional bus manufacturer – one of many that were commonplace throughout the US during the 1920’s to the late 1950’s.
GM, Flxible-Twin Coach, Mack, White…these were the big national players in the urban transit bus market in the pre and post-war years. But there were also a significant number of smaller, regional bus manufacturers that primarily sold to transit companies in their section of the country. One, headquartered in Evergreen Alabama, was SCM.
SCM was established in 1941. During the war it provided overhauls and re-builds for the many war-weary, well-used trucks and buses moving people and materiel. After the war, it broadened into manufacturing and began production on a line of small urban transit coaches.
These early versions were 30 feet in length and could carry 32-passengers. While the front twin grilles gave the appearance of a front-engined bus, these coaches were powered by a mid-mounted underfloor 404 cu in Waukesha gas six cylinder putting out 125 hp, with a Spicer four speed manual transmission.
Customers were mostly from the South – one example being Columbus Georgia which had a mostly SCM fleet. Birmingham and Dallas also has some SCM models. Sales were never large but they were steady.
SCM gradually introduced 35, 41, 45 and even a large forty foot 50 seat model, which in addition to the Waukesha, could be had with Fageol Twin-Coach gas/propane engines or a Leyland or Cummins diesel.
Even with support from large government contracts, the dominance of the big national players, mostly GM, took their toll – sales started to dwindle after 1956. The company held on until 1964 when it sold out to Flxible. Over the course of eighteen years, it manufactured approximately 1400 coaches.
Flxible discontinued the SCM model and used the factory to build its small Flxette minibus, however in 1968, a fire accidently started that consumed the entire facility.
Fortunately, an off-shoot of the company still exists, Southern Coach Parts, now in Birmingham Alabama, which provides replacement parts and upgrades for most coaches in use today.
As always, a great writing Jim. Bus Stop Classics is one of my favourite sections at cc. I learned so much here about US busses and their manufacturers, most of them i didn´t knew before.
+1
Nice .
I always enjoy travel by bus in new places…
-Nate
Didn’t the Southern plant build some 30′ Flxible New Looks after 1964?
Flxible bought the Southern Coach plant after the company ceased building buses. They built the Flexette buses at the old Southern plant. We had a small fleet of Flexette buses here in Dallas that operated on the Downtown Dallas circulator routes (originally called the “Shoppers Special” and later renamed to “Hop-A-Bus”). They had Chrysler 440 engines and the TorqueFlite automatic transmissions. I’m not sure what happened to the Flexettes, but they weren’t in the fleet that long, being replaced by the famous pink “Bunny Buses” that were standard GMC 40′ New Look buses.
This is totally new to me, and quite fascinating. The number of smaller regional truck and bus manufacturers is such a change from today. Thanks for this.
Dallas bought a number of Southern Coaches to “update” the fleet, and because the streetcars were totally phased out by 1956. Until the Southern purchase, the bus fleet had a variety of builders represented – Ford/Marmon and White, which were gasoline powered, and ETB built by Pullman-Standard and Marmon-Herrington. The Southern coaches were placed in service starting in 1950-51 and were in the fleet until 1966 when they were replaced with GMC New Look buses. The majority of the Southern buses had Air Conditioning units added by Thermo-King, which was a welcome addition for those hot, humid, Texas summer days. The Southern buses also were powered by Cummins “pancake” diesel engines. A number of the buses were sold to the Wichita, KS transit system upon their retirement in Dallas. (The attached picture shows the original Dallas Transit Company paint scheme before they went to the green and creme paint scheme.)
Video of ‘the last’ SCM coach bus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6y864LlmKA
i’ve got some 30,000 miles in the late 1970s driving a USAF Southern Coach. 36′ 40-passenger reclining seats. 672 Detroit Diesel pusher, originally with a supercharger. 5-speed manual Spicer transmission. I’m told some 60 were purchased for commuter type use on routes around larger air bases. Coach I drove, I’m told, was built for the Air Force Academy Brass Band, based in Colorado Springs, ergo, need for the supercharger running the mountains. Michigan Civil Air Patrol inherited it around 1976 when it got an engine replacement, without the supercharger. In the early 1980s I found another Southern Coach in the serial number sequence of the 60 purchased. It was in Dallas, being used as a courtesy coach for a large hotel. Roof air conditioning units and civilian paint had been added.
Thanks for providing a picture of the Southern that you drove while in the service. Dallas Transit System started taking the Southern’s out of the fleet in 1966 when they began receiving the bulk of their first order of GMC New Look coaches.
I understand that a large group of the old Southern’s went to Wichita, KS to the city owned and operated Wichita Municipal Bus company. I would be curious to know how long they were used in Wichita before being replaced, and what brand/make coach replaced them? What was the final disposition?
I am the proud owner of a 1961 SCM Air Force Coach with the same gear as the one you drove. ” BERTHA ” was based at Tinker AFB in Ok City and was used on the Flight line. Still has the 671, the Spicer 4 + Granny and the Thermo King AC . Homemade Rv conversion when I found her. She tops out at 57 MPH @ 2100 RPM. Very quick 0-55.
Wherever she goes old truckers materialize just to hear the Detroit.
Jyeshua1@aol.com
Nice that a few of these 60+ year old machines are still running. I don’t think that any were built with air conditioning. Few transit coaches before the 1970s had a/c. The one I drove was hot when rolling through Kansas at 105F on a July 4. Governor on mine, also, limited top speed to 58mph. I believe that it can be adjusted for today’s highway speeds, or removed. I ran it in the days of the National 55mph speed limits. Mine wasn’t well maintained. In all my miles, it never had a working alternator – we charged batteries every night and never drove with lights. In Philadelphia the engine compressor sprang an oil leak and I couldn’t get authorization to repair it. We leaked 50 quarts of oil getting home.
I know one transit operator that had Southerns a long way from Alabama and another country to boot. West Vancouver, BC, Canada had some back in the late 50’s early 60’s. Don’t know how many they had but I remember riding in them when I was little. They also had Fageol Twin Coaches before the GM New Looks arrived. They are one of the oldest transit systems in North America and were run by the municipality at the time. They are still semi-independent as a contractor for Translink which oversees all the public transit in the metro Vancouver area…West Vancouver BlueBus.
In an era of so many GM ‘Old Look’ bus look-a-likes, the grille adds a lot of character. Good looking buses.
I have a 1956 Southern Manufacturing Coach that was converted into an RV in the late 1970’s. The couple that owned it, lived in it full time as they traveled up and down the West Coast from California to Canada. I am I. The process of getting it road worthy for local camping and outings with family and friends in Southern California. If you’re interested in seeing it, my Instagram is @thelegendbus. Like many of you, I haven’t been able to find a lot of information online. I know there is a running and beautifully restored 1955 bus in Texas but other than that, I have not been able to find others. I would love to hear from anyone else that has one or knows of one.
Post a pic, Shawn. We’d love to see it. I haven’t seen a Southern in 40 years.
Hi Shawn, I’m Stan with the Busboys Collection Museum in Minnesota. A gentleman just contacted me today to see if I could identify a bus he stumbled upon, I believe somewhere in Montana. I don’t know the story yet if he just wanted to see what it was out of curiosity, if he has an interest in buying it, if its even for sale, but I know for sure is one of the SCM products. The photos were taken too far away to see any detail, though it didnt look bad, nor can you tell if it’s still seated or not? I sent him a link should he want to know the history of SCM. Stan – busboys59@gmail.com