1947 Fageol Twin Coach Bus

[Glennman]

I am a board member of our local Yakima Valley Trolley organization. Among some of their equipment, they have a 1947 Fageol Twin Coach bus that has been sitting for many years under a tarp. I had the privilege of getting a tour of the bus last Friday. It is in very rough shape, as it has been exposed to the weather due to tarps rotting off over the years exposing the interior to the weather through the many missing windows. The body is in remarkable shape, no dents that I could see (there were still some tarps covering parts of it).

They all know about my love for buses. And, they know that I just pulled my 1974 MCI out of my shop so that I can sell it (or attempt to), therefore leaving room in the shop. They would like to see the bus restored, but this would not only have to be volunteer work, but also a very time consuming endeavor.

They were hinting at me at least starting a restoration. Obviously, the drive train would need to be gone through before anything else to see if it's even worth the trouble. One thing I am not is a mechanic, so that work would need to be performed by someone who knows that stuff. I was thinking about having it towed to my shop, get it all cleaned up, remove broken glass, remove rotted wood and go through it enough to at least make an assessment of it. They believe they can get some grants to get parts and materials and maybe have some professional companies such as auto glass and upholstery companies perform some of that work.

If I was to do any of that, I would need to get rid of my '74 bus first. There's no way I am going to have three buses on my property. It actually might be kind of fun, but I certainly wouldn't want to take any time or effort away from my '02 MCI.