History of General Motors - Yellow Coach – Part 3 of 5

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

 

Diesel engines were becoming popular and getting a whopping 6-8 MPG, much better than the usual 3-4 MPG they were getting with the gasoline engines.

Air Conditioning was becoming more popular making for a more comfortable ride.

Buses and Trucks could be no longer than 33' back in the day.

Buses had sleeper births that came down from the ceiling and a large lavatory in the rear of the bus. They were trying to compete with the Pullman Sleeper cars back then.

Baggage was still being carried on the roof and tarped down during bad weather.  What a hassle it must have been getting all the luggage up and down from the roof aye?

All Service Vehicles, i.e. trolly cars that ran on electric, could also be run on diesel engines and these buses were very expensive to maintain.

In 1940 buses were starting to be built with monocoque chassis.

There was a serious flaw with flat windshields at nighttime back then. Watch the video to see what the problem was causing the windshield to be redesigned. They eventually started installing them at 24 degrees tilted inward at the top to solve the problem.

Battleship Grey was becoming a popular color for buses back then.  This color was very cheap because they made so much of it for the war. 

In 1939, Silverside buses were first seen at the World's Fair and only Greyhound could buy these buses.

35-foot Silverside buses were then allowed on the highways. WOW!

Roof baggage was then moved to under the floor in baggage compartments where it was more easily accessible.

This is a video by Robert Redden. Subscribe to our Channel to be the first ones notified as we upload weekly bus videos.

https://youtu.be/mVkEK1y1dzY?si=5MKYpUfopu3Jboa0

[Van]

Love these little history lessons. With out these Grand Daddy's of bussing we wouldn't be where we are today. Thanks Gary

Van
Bus Shop Mafia

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Love these little history lessons. With out these Grand Daddy's of bussing we wouldn't be where we are today. Thanks Gary

Van
Bus Shop Mafia

Yes, I too think it is fascinating to see how buses evolved over the years. Back then, they probably never envisioned everyone would be driving zero-emission, electric bus conversions, charged by the sun, lithium batteries, and windmills by the year 2040 all thanks to Gavin Newsom, and that fuel stations would all be converted into Charging Stations.