OK, I admit I’m biased, but really, who doesn’t like an old bus picture? The ones below are courtesy of the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport Maine, a great organization doing a superb job of preserving our mass transit history; both motor and rail. They have a huge collection of both operational and non-operational equipment. The goal for all is to restore them to their former glory, given money, time, and volunteers available. All photos are by the Museum staff and used with their permission.
A trinity of titans. 1) A late 30’s/40’s Ford Transit bus, powered by a transverse 239 cubic inch flathead V8. This one is an ex-Detroit unit. 2) A “Bulldog Tough” Mack C-series, with likely an END 672 or 673 diesel six-cylinder – the larger engine part of the “Thermodyne” family. 3) Lastly, an iconic GM Old Look.
A rare early GM New Look that hasn’t been modified with an A/C unit on the back.
Another rare GM “Baby Fishbowl” TDH/TGH 3301/02 thirty-footer. Though you could get a 351 gas V6, most came with a Toroflow in the back. Of the 510 produced between 1967-73, over 90% had the diesel.
A 1975 Flxible “Shorty” New Look 31 footer. Transit agencies that needed a small bus with more power for routes with steep hills usually chose Flx, as they could specify a GM 8V71 – which GM didn’t offer in their smaller New Looks.
Another magnificent GM Old Look – possibly one of the 3630 forty-foot TDH 5105’s built between 1953-59.
Another Mack C-series – still with its circular bulldog symbol on the front. An additional way to recognize these Macks is by the front jutting “curvy” destination signboard. An AM General Metropolitan is in the background.
Former Cape Ann Transport (Gloucester MA) GM RTS “Slantback” – a 1979 model. One of the early batches to come out of the Pontiac Michigan assembly plant.
GM of Canada New Look “Classic” articulated 60-footer, purchased by Hamilton Street Railway Co. in 1982 and donated to the museum in 2009.
A 1987 Orion I formerly used as a charter coach. I always liked the basic, traditional styling of these.
Former Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) Neoplan AN440LF ETB purchased in 2003 and donated to the museum in 2023.
These buses were unique in that they had three doors – the usual two and one midway on the opposite side. Why? They operated in the Harvard Tunnel, which had single lane sections where passengers could enter/exit on both sides. MBTA ended their trolley bus operations in 2022.
The museum was recently selected as Yankee Magazine’s Best Specialty Museum in New England. If you’re in the area, I’d definitely recommend a stop by. The museum’s website is here.
I wonder if you need exact change to get into the museum. These are great, Jim, another walk (around the woods this time to see the subjects in the outdoors. While the long buses are imposing, the short ones are rather endearing, especially the New Looks.
Minor detail about exact change: When I drove for Iowa City Transit, the fare was 15 cents. We drivers had to make change, and had to buy our own change dispensers as well as supply them with a reserve of coins. That was a PIA. Endlessly having to change quarters. But the office was at least willing to trade their nickels and dimes for all the quarter we took in to replenish our change dispensers.
Near the end of my 9 month stint, the fare was raised to 25 cents. Hallelujah! Change-making essentially ended except for the occasional dollar bill.
Thanks for this Jim; you know what I like. And these are wonderful, especially knowing that they will be cared for to the extent possible by the resources available.
As to the rare New Look GM bus without ac, here in Eugene none of the New Looks ever had a, and that was the case until quite late in their run. They were still some in operation here until about 15-20 years ago. But then here in Oregon almost no one had ac in their houses either, although that’s changed in the past couple of decades due to hotter summers and changed expectations.
That 30′ Flxible with the available 8V-71 must have been quite the hotrod in its time. Was the 8V-71 even available in the 35′ GMC buses?
Regarding the Canadian New Look articulated bus, it clearly had the engine in the way back, so it must have had an early versions of anti-jackknifing technology.
That big old 40′ Old Look GMC brings back the memories…what a beast to drive, and such mediocre visibility after being used to driving 35′ New Looks. The steering was so much heavier too.
Yes, the New Look articluated buses did have an ‘anti-jackkinfe’ mechanism in the flexible joint. A friend of mine that worked at GM’s Canadian Diesel Division was involved in that project, he commented that it took some effort to get it to work right.
No, GM did not offer an 8V-71 in a 35′ New Look, not even a suburban model. When the New Look was first introduced, the 8V was only available in 40′ suburbans with Spicer 4 speed manual transmissions. Later on it was available in 40′ transits with the ‘Super-V’ transmission.
Thanks Jim for another excellent article!
The Flxible bus was a 35096-6-1, from 1976, built for SEPTA in Philly. (I may have ridden this bus on occasion.) The 40′ GM was a TDH5103, built in 1951 for Pacific Electric, and sold off by SCRTD in 1969 to a Portland, ME operator, which was controlled by Union Street Railway, whose President was Dale Barrett, who had been President of Eastern Mass. Street Railway (its operations were bought out my MBTA on 4/01/1968-Union Street Railway wasn’t part of that buyout. Prior to Eastern Mass, he was on the Board of Directors of PTC in Philly (one of SEPTA’s predecessors, and the 5103’s paint (minus the rust) was the PTC bus scheme from 1955 until SEPTA bought out PTC on 9/30/1968 (keeping the scheme on their ex-PTC “Old-Looks). I saw this bus in 2003, during a Motor Bus Society trip; I was bombarded by my fellow trip riders with questions; I looked at the builder’s plate, and knew it had never been a PTC/SEPTA bus.
I’m pretty sure our AC Transit New Look buses had no AC, despite the name which refers to Alameda and Contra Costa counties of the East Bay (east of San Francisco). At least I remember always opening the windows in summer. I don’t recall ever riding in a locally-owned car with AC until the Eighties, and I’ve never lived in a house with AC either.
You’re right, the 50 footers (500, 600, and 900s) didn’t have A/C, and neither did the shorties, but the express and transbay (100s & 400s) models did. Such a long time ago.
About a dozen Brill trolley busses from Vancouver ended up in Sandon BC, a ghost town in the Kootenays with a checkered history, an interesting side trip if you’re ever in the area.
https://globalnews.ca/news/1412027/ghost-town-mysteries-the-old-trolley-buses-of-sandon-b-c/
I’ve been to this museum several times, and it’s definitely worth a stop (and you don’t have to pull the Pull For Stop cord either!) if you’re ever in Down East Maine.
Furthermore, I’ve actually ridden that Baby Fishbowl GMC bus many a time when it was in service. “PVTA” stands for Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, and that’s one of the 5 College busses. They ran shuttle between the different campuses, and this one has my recently-departed alma mater on its sign board. It used to shuttle between Northampton, MA (Smith) and Hampshire. Having taken several courses as Smith, that’s the one I rode. It was a diesel.
Another sad memory…and there are a lot of those nowadays re. Hampshire.
That green Old Look reminds me of a PCC car, especially the windshield. Was there any overlap in parts? This is so cool, I’ve never seen so many old buses in one place. I always wonder what made someone save them.
Exact change to get into the museum? Receptionist sees enough coin in the stand alone coinbox and then depresses a lever: KACHING, KACHING.
These folks have an interesting channel on YouTube,
https://m.youtube.com/@BusGreaseMonkey
if you’re into old busses.
Nice to see they’re not crushed but parking over dirt pretty much guarantees they’ll rust to scrap before too long =8-( .
I’m lucky in that I grew up in New England in the 50’s and 60’s when the older trolley buses and PCC trolleys were still running daily =8-) .
-Nate
I finally got to visit here a few years ago. I came for the streetcars, so the buses were a pleasant surprise. Their streetcar collection is extraordinary, and they were the first streetcar museum in the US.
Now we have them all over the country. If you’re ever in the Pittsburgh area I can highly recommend the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum https://pa-trolley.org/ outside Washington, PA, which I’ve been a member of since high school. From the scruffy place to an impressive collection and operation including a just-opened visitors center, it’s a great day’s visit. They even have a vintage bus weekend once a year.
Also, that Baby Fishbowl went through a Federally-funded rehab in the 80s, because for some reason the Feds specified the black trim around the windows. We had a bunch of those in Pittsburgh.