While there were serious issues to deal with in the America of the 1950s, there was also a sense that it was a country on the move. Cars were getting larger, sleeker, and faster. The passenger aviation industry was beginning to lure customers away from the railroads. Highways were also becoming more suitable for high-speed travel. One of the most iconic vehicles of that era came from an unlikely source. Greyhound Lines collaborated with General Motors to create an exclusive bus that would symbolize both the bus company’s aggressive ambition and the country’s desire to travel unfettered across our great land. This 1954 GMC Scenicruiser is the very first one across the assembly line and is standing at the ready to begin another transcontinental trip today. Are you interested in a Smithsonian-level collectible with a big price tag?
The story of the Scenicruiser is both wonderfully unique and a symbol for the times in which it was born. America after World War II was a growing Colossus. Flush with the profits generated by its emergence as the only major country with a fully intact industrial base, American industry invested heavily in the future. For GM, that meant an aggressive period of expansion into the locomotive and bus sectors in addition to their ever-growing portion of the automobile market. The company was not shy about leveraging its industrial might to corner a market to the point that it constantly fighting off anti-trust allegations during this time. Making a splash in the over-the-road bus industry would almost immediately establish the company as a leader in that market.
At Greyhound, their management was always working to develop the next bus to both catch the eye of the public and maximize profits. Working with GM, Greyhound pushed the limits of the law quite literally. In many states, the maximum allowable bus length was 35 feet. Adding length meant adding passengers and, in a previously underutilized income stream, room for freight. GM brought to the table a bus that was large enough to require two 4-71 diesel engines that used fluid coupling to operate in tandem, two rear axles, air conditioning, a radically new chassis that was 40 feet long, and seating for 33 on its upper deck with 10 warming the seats on the driver-level deck. Room was also built in to carry packages to be delivered en route to increase the profitability of the trip. To give you an idea of the size of these technological marvels, they weighed in at a portly 29,000 lbs without passengers or cargo, were 8 feet wide, and were over 11 feet tall. Greyhound had to lobby many state legislatures to change the laws to accommodate their enormous new buses.
As futuristic and eye-catching as these buses were, they pushed the technologies of the day a bit too far. Greyhound had trouble with cracks in the buses that had to be reinforced with plates. The dual-engine system, thrown into service because no single GM engine was up to the Herculean task of pushing one of these Leviathans around at highway speeds, was eventually yanked out and replaced with a single Detroit Diesel engine with a similar horsepower rating and a better reliability record. While the public loved these brontosauruses of the highway, Greyhound drivers, managers, and mechanics struggled to keep the Scenicruisers on the road. These buses never lived up to their potential until the bugs were worked out during extensive rebuilds performed by Marmon-Herrington in 1961 and 1962.
Historians believe the Scenicruiser experience soured Greyhound on ever working with General Motors again. Despite the problems, 1,001 Scenicruisers were built in total and they served Greyhound until being steadily replaced in the early 1970s. Some of the last ones carried just a few passengers and the rest of the area was used to haul freight. By 1978, just three of these unique buses were on Greyhound’s roster. Management had wanted to sell surplus Scenicruisers overseas to keep these uniquely Greyhound buses out of the hands of rival American bus companies. While a few were sold outside our borders, some managed to end up in the domestic fleets of Greyhound’s competitors. Then and now there isn’t a huge market for a large and complicated over-the-road passenger bus. This is especially true when you have to dispose of hundreds of them in a short period.
The bus you see here is one of the remnants of Greyhound’s once sprawling historic fleet that was created to celebrate the company’s rich heritage. This bus holds special significance as the very first production Scenicruiser in a production run that lasted from 1954 through 1956. While many of its fellow buses succumbed to wrecks, scrapping, sales to rival lines, and conversion into motor homes by hobbyists, bus PD4501-001 has been solely owned by Greyhound up to this point thanks to it being rescued from the remnants of the Scenicruiser fleet. According to the seller, the bus went through a significant restoration and was used by the company to promote the brand and its rich history. Its updated 8V-71 Detroit Diesel engine is said to run and this now pampered bus is capable of being driven home by the buyer. Now that the company has changed hands numerous times and the appreciation for its heritage has become less of a priority, this Smithsonian-level icon is offered for sale through a broker at a reduced price from the original appraisal of $1,000,000.
If you want to save a genuine American icon, this 1954 GMC Scenicruiser currently for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Los Angeles, California is certainly worth your consideration. This restored former member of Greyhound’s historic fleet, which was the very first Scenicruiser made, is being sold by a bus broker for the company and is offered for a heady $650,000. Thanks to Flint F. for this amazing find!
The LaMey out west in Tacoma and GM Heritage Center in Michigan are a few venues that this would fit in well. Imagine it parked next to a Futureliner and a GMC Motorhome….
Test
Well, there was a( nother) wasted 20 minutes, let’s see, “Error 403”, by gar it’s been a while. Apparently, these issues will never be resolved, and up to us to put up with it. I do enjoy the site, so I will,,,for now.
Okay then, dang, and I just bought that stupid hat too, everybody has a “Silver Dog” story, they were once kings of the highway, and we gave them the utmost respect. After all, they were responsible for 43 lives( 44 including their own) with practically no outside support. Unlike airplanes or trains, they were on their own. While most drivers were men, during WW2, almost half the drivers were women. That fell through when the war ended and it wasn’t until 1964 that Greyhound hired the 1st Black driver. There was a reason for the tandem rear axles, it not only prevented what was called “pogo sticking”, but before UPS and other package delivery, Greyhound was the #1 mover of small packages, and with passengers, pushed the limits of a single axle, not that I ever saw a “stage coach” in a scale. And they rolled like thunder. We’d hear it on the CB, “stage coach comin’ through at the 239 mm) and we’d all move over and let them by. A quick flash of the lights( off-on, NOT high beams) and they’d always respond with a single flash of the 4 ways, a practice later adopted by truckers. The “318(HP) fuel converter”, as we called them, made for a poor truck motor, but for a bus, not much could keep up. Greyhound drivers knew where they could “make up some time”, many times 80 mph, and the cops looked the other way. I never saw a bus pulled over for speeding.
Bus travel was so important, for many, it was the only way from Mayberry to the train station in Mt. Pilot. Didn’t pay a lot, I read, in 1960, a bus driver made about $85-$100/week, but was a respectable job, and moved millions of passengers, millions of miles, and all 2 lanes, it was a very demanding job as well. For years, Trailways lived in the shadow of Greyhound, but joined forces for 25 years, recently parted ways. While bus travel today is limited to the down trodden, poor, or still afraid to fly, it’s twice as fast as the train, but not saying much. 30 hours on a bus would be rough.
And re-submit, possible swear words to follow,,
Ta-da,,
My late Uncle Max drove for Greyhound 42 years. He moved to Billings to do the Billings to Seattle run, because it was their longest – and he was paid by the mile. When I was a kid he would stop by our house in West Seattle and give me and my buddies a ride around the neighborhood.
He was a skilled driver who worked long hours and made a good living. RIP Uncle Max
Great comment Howard. And these coach buses 🚌 had a stick shift that was really tricky to drive apparently. Even for truckers, long throw with that motor at the back.
Howard, Before you hit submit, use CTRL C to copy the text you wrote. That way when if it disappears, you can CTRL V and paste it and not have to write it all over again. I’ve been reading ( sometimes reluctantly) your post for many many years.
Excellent write-up Jeff. Lots of interesting historical context around both the vehicle and the unique times in which it did its duty.
Rode “The Hound” a number of times in my Ute, never a good experience, can’t imagine it’s gotten any better, as now flying commercial is about like the Bus used to be. Worst part was how they sold more tickets than seats and just left it up to the Scrum to sort things out. Last time I rode one was 1990, Camp Lejeune to Atlanta, 8 hr car ride, 16 on the bus because we stopped literally everywhere in between. Still remember some demented old man (Probably 50, had a hard life) yelling “Rockingham! Rockingham! I goin to Rockingham” must have had a Guardian Angel not to end up with a knife in him
One thing not said in the write up is that this iconic bus design as well as the redesigned greyhound logo was designed by Raymond Loewy.
Raymond Loewy (1893-1986). “The “Father of Design “. The designer of arguably the most progressive 1960’s automobile design the Studebaker Avanti. As well as early Coca-Cola machines and one of the most famous shapes, the early Coke bottle.
Always, similar to the VW beetle, a car spotter’s dream on any sixties road trip! What a treasure.
Can’t overlook Loey’s 1947 Studebaker Starlight coupe!
“First by far with a post war car!” rang their ad in a 1946 issue of National Geographic I have. As a child, I recall asking my dad if he was in WWII
(he wasn’t due to heath issues) But he replied, “Why yes Will! I was a tail-gunner on a `50 Studebaker!” Mom & Dad would chuckle and so would I. Even at 6-8 yrs old I knew of the wrap-around rear window they were famous for!
That same Greyhound from Lejeune to Atlanta, before we left the Driver, an old Black Man, had to be near 70, said “The Bus is just like Church, no Cursin, no Fightin, no Drinkin, I think by the time we made it to the front gate there was Cursing, a Fight, and I was Drinking (remember in “Heartbreak Ridge” Clint Eastwood drinking his Beer on a Bus? How was I to know you weren’t supposed to drink on a Bus?) later on the driver just pulled over and said he wouldn’t drive any further till the Cursin, Fightin, Drinkin, stopped, at first the passengers thought he was kidding, and continued, after 20 minutes in the Carolina heat (he turned the engine off) they got the message and kept it to a dull roar
What a incredibly well-kept treasure!! Can you imagine parking in the shadow of one of these at a Cars @ Coffee?
Where’s Jay Leno?
I have a great story to tell about one of my adventures on a tour bus. .( not Greyhound ) ..Back in the late 1980’s I was on a bus heading south on Rt-81 in Pennsylvania. Our bus was speeding right along when up in front of us break lights.
On the CB truckers were saying a jerk in a car was not letting anyone pass. Swerving on purpose. Our bus driver got on the CB and told the truckers to slow down and stay out of the left lane. That we were going to pass this jerk even if it ment bumping him off the road into the weeds. ..The bus driver told us to hang on ! ..We got into the left lane doing probably 90 MPH and sure enough that jerk move to the right very fast. ..We flew by him like he was standing still. ..Our bus driver was NOT joking around ! ..🤣🤣🤣
Howard, Many years ago outside Baltimore on I- 95 the Trailways bus I was riding on was pulled over by the Maryland HP… The trooper got on board and was being booed so much that he had to step off with the driver to issue him a ticket. A few single hand digits showed up on the windows as the bus moved out on the road ahead of the trooper’s car..
Rode in one of these from Ft. Ord, CA, to San Diego back in the 60’s. That top deck was great! But, you didn’t want to sit too close to the rest room!
Don’t get splashed by the blue water.
Excellent write up. Very educational and entertaining. Good job. That is why I read BF every day out of the 150 emails I get daily.
Wasn’t a top decker like this but remember the news story “vividly”. A woman was suing G-Hound for a sustained (butt not life threatening) incident while using the on-board restroom on the bus. According to the news story she was using the restroom and the bus swerved causing her to somehow(?) getting launched into unknown territory and her bare posterior ended up knocking out the window and rendering that portion of her anatomy exposed to all passing traffic. Gosh, if there had been a courtesy bar instead of a restroom maybe the story would have been titled “bottoms up”. Anyone else remember reading or hearing about that incident?
I rode on Senicruisers and don’t recall a window in the john at all. It was cramped and smelly. There was a lot of motion though. But I could be wrong and it makes for a good story.
I really liked the commanding seating. But the bus took long trips and made them a lot longer.
I grew up on a State highway connecting Toledo and Cleveland and loved watching the cars go by… along with as many trucks and the daily buses. When the Scenicruiser was introduced it was like s aspce ship compared to the old buses…. My mom took me on a couple of trips to Detroit to visit her sister… one of the trips was on a Scenicruiser… it was a big deal to me….
ROGER DLO, it always a treat. I first rode on one of these from Denver in19 1949 at 17 year sold on my way to my 43 year life in the US NAVY.
You know, as busses go, those are some good looking rigs. Hollow it out and convert it to an RV and you’ll be crapping in tall cotton.
There were no SceniCruisers on my route, just the standard GM bus. 1967-69, it was Greyhound from Bridgeport CT to college in Franconia, NH via Boston. The Boston stop was cool, there was a magic shop next to the bus station to look at unusual tricks and toys, but I don’t remember anything seeming pejorative or low-class at the time. Riding up through Franconia Notch in the White Mountains was always a sight-seeing treat.
In February 1966, on a solo trip from NYC home to the Bay Area, I rolled and totaled my ’64 VW on I70 near Goodland KS. Rode one of these buses 40 hours to Oakland. Some real characters on that bus. Also, the lady across the aisle with 2 small kids had been on the bus from Boston, headed to LA. She was catatonic.
My first ride on the big dog was in January 1964 from Redding California to Tacoma Washington. They had two routes: 1) the milk run that stopped at every town along the way. 2) the express route that made one stop at Portland Oregon and then on to Tacoma. I was on the express run. Interstate 5 was still under construction so most of the time we were on Highway 99.
It was quite a ride. When we got to Portland everyone got off the bus for a about half an hour for refueling and change of drivers. We crossed the Columbia river from Oregon into Washington over a bridge with steel over and around the highway bridge. To me it was a bit scary as I had never seen a bridge like that before. The trains used the same bridge at a lower level. We made the trip in less than a day. It was about 550 miles total. The seats were very comfortable and would recline. There wasn’t any food service or even a porter on the bus, everyone brought their own food and drink.
God Bless America
I took a ride in one of these as an 8-year-old from N.Y.C. to Washington D.C. in 1970 w/ my father. still remember my self say wow when I first step onto the 3-4 flight of stairs up. all front seats taken! A/C was cold both ways, my arm always on the window vent / gears grinding. first time saw a 70 Corvette stingray being push on I95 N. at the time didn’t know it was a Stingray/I95 until later on. Thanks to my dad a great memory.
i was on the Ohio and Pa Turnpikes alot in 1970…. and those Scenicruisers were always passing everything…. The Pa. Pike ..was 2 lane… so it turned into ”the great uphill truck race”…. both lanes.. 50 mph…. and it rained often… at night… great fun !!
The name of the Facebook seller sounded familiar to me.
Michaud used to run passenger as well as school bus services in NH.
Jim decided to branch off into bus sales and is still based out of NH.
I’m guessing that when Greyhound sold their business to a foreign company a few years back, it did not include their bus collection. Now, Jim must be working with them to sell of this collection. Hence, the L.A. location of the bus.
My one and only bus trip.1970 S.Jersey to Philly to see The Doors.I was 16.Front seat opposite the driver.A lady runs a red light,we hit her broadside, she is killed and later I’m called to testify in the driver behalf.
PS : then sent another bus and I made it to the concert on time.
Great write up. Always wanted to ride in one but the opportunity was never there. Wanted to turn one into a motorhome but were out of my price range. Still love that design.
This should be in the Smithsonian a monument of American transport equal to the Ford trimotor and DC 3 and Boeing 707
Great article. The bus company I work for, Driver Bus Lines in Melbourne Australia also has a heritage fleet with some real interesting buses. You can check out their website at driverclassics.com.au
Victor, I just glanced at that site and will spend a loads of time really checking it out! I’ve had lots of birthdays, and remember hours inside some neat rides so many years ago. Thanks!
Imagine this, a Futureliner, Big Red, & the Turbo Titan parked side by side.
There is (or was) a bus museum in Hibbing, Minnesota, which is where the Greyhound line first originated, with a Hupmobile touring car transporting men to the iron mines. Number 1 should definitely be in that museum. A quick word about law enforcement stopping motor coaches. Unless it was a serious violation the motor coach was usually off limits – we couldn’t hold up a coach with passengers on it, not even at the US/Canadian border crossing – Customs didn’t want to be baby-sitting 45 passengers, especially if the coach was being placed out of service. I was federally certified as a coach inspector and to keep our certifications we had to inspect so many busses per year. There is a huge Norwegian festival held each fall in Minot, North Dakota called Hostfest. It was several days of entertainment and food and is the number one tourist attraction in North Dakota with tour busses bringing patrons from all corners of the county. Each year we gathered for a mass inspection of coaches. The drivers would drop their passengers at one of the entertainment venues and they would be escorted back to the NDDOT shops where we’d do our thing. I was the “meet and greet guy” – welcome, we’re going to inspect your coach – I need your registration, license, insurance, etc. We worked in teams,, I gathered the paperwork and my partner entered the information into the computer system while others did the actual bus inspection. When I handed him paperwork for our next inspection he looked at me and said “37”. I asked what he meant, his reply was the youngest driver inspected was 37. As most of the tour bus drivers were old gray-haired gents I said where is there a 37 year old driver in this group? He replied – no, not 37 years old – the youngest driver was born in 1937! This was in 2011. 74 years old and he was the youngest driver! And yes, we did put coaches out of service during these passenger-less inspections.
The Hibbing MN Greyhound Bus Museum is a great place to visit. And, this coming Saturday September 21 there is a special event taking place, celebrating 110 years of Greyhound and the 25 year anniversary of the Bus Museum. Been to the Museum a couple of times, well worth the trip.
https://greyhoundbusmuseum.org/
I hadn’t ridden a long distance bus for close to 45 years when I broke down late on a Friday afternoon in a brand new fire truck in Winnemucca, NV about 10 years ago. I spent the next day and evening trying to get home on the bus. Whereas “back in the day”, the passengers were a lot of young people (hippies), a few servicemen and some grandmothers, on this trip, it felt like I was riding on a prison bus. It felt like a large percentage of the passengers were formerly incarcerated or mentally ill. When I fell asleep, I put my wallet in my front pocket with my hand on it for security. Two young guys thought that they were so funny stealing the seat of an elderly gentleman across from the driver while he was in the restaurant at a stop. After a short time they jumped up screaming, as the seat was filled with lice. The rest of the passengers broke out in laughter at them. No thank you- I will probably wait another 50 years until I ride the bus again. Yuck. I took Amtrak back to pick up the truck. Ate in the dining car and enjoyed the slow crawl through the Sierra Mountains. What a difference…
My dad drove for Trailways until his career was ended in 1956 because of a heart attack . . He lived till 1995 . . . As a kid , I had quite a comic book collection . . Folks would leave ‘em on the bus . . I never had to buy any . . A classmate of mine (1959) drove for Trailways for years but took early retirement. . Said the passengers got too unruly . .,
As a child riding in these in the sixties, I can’t believe people weren’t getting sick from the incredible diesel fumes these buses created. Of course, most cars back then could wilt flowers too
I enjoyed the three week travel ticket for $99 and did NYC thru the South to LA back in ’83. I remember the stations seemed to be in the rundown parts of town! Texas took four days!
RWL tires on a BUS?! & back in 1954?!
Does its a/c system still use R12 refrigerant?
Imagine if back in the day if these were fitted with turbines instead.
I bet it would not fit in lanes today on some highways that have “gained a lane” – but have not been widened – even worse if concrete construction barriers are present!
Did they ever consider restoring this bus with its original dual diesel motors setup? Might be worth more, as would the ’73 4 rotor corvette with its totally wrong motor today.