Yellowstone Yellow Bus
In the early years of motor vehicle travel in Yellowstone National Park, the yellow buses and touring cars of the Yellowstone Transportation Co (which later merged and became part of the Yellowstone Park Co.) were a common sight. The bus in this photo is a White Model 706 14-passenger bus built between 1936 and 1939. The White 706 buses had bench seating for 13 passengers behind the drivers seat. The 25 feet long and 8 feet wide buses have only a curbside door, which allowed for safe loading and unloading of passengers out of traffic on the narrow Yellowstone roads and parking areas. The buses had a canvas top that could be opened to allow visitors access to the sun and on-board viewing of wildlife and other sights. This feature resulted in the nickname "open-top buses." On chilly days lap robes were provided to help keep passengers warm but still allowing the roof to be rolled back. Any Luggage on longer trips was stowed in a canvas-covered wooden platform attached to the back of the bus. The elegant exterior of the model 706 was a product of the Bender Body Company. The eye catching radiator cowling and grill was the work of renowned industrial designer, Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky.
The White 706 was designed specifically for use in sightseeing of western national parks. In 1935 four companies were invited to participate in a product test in Yosemite National Park by the National Park Service. The 706, with its longer wheel base and 318 cc v-6 engine, out performed all the others and was selected as the new bus for Yellowstone. It was not only used at Yellowstone but also at Glacier National Park where they were called the “Reds” of "Red Jammers" because they were painted red. In total the buses were used at 7 national parks in the west. The bus was manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio (proving once and forever that good things can and do come out of Cleveland!)
The White Model 706 came in to service in 1936 right at the time of the merger that formed the new Yellowstone Park Company (YPC). In 1940 the YPC had 98 of the 706 buses in service. With time came modern buses and the old yellow fleet including the White 706’s was sold off in the 1960’s and spread around the country. In the late 1980 ‘s The Skagway Street Car Co was looking for a bus to do tours of Skagway, Alaska. They had seen the old Yellowstone Buses in photos and when they found a collector with one for sale they bought it in 1987. It was perfect for their needs so they started looking for more and ended up with 8 running Yellowstone White 706’s. They named each bus for the place they found it. Monty was named for the collector in Vermont who sold it to them. (When the bus at or near capacity the driver reportedly called it the “Full Monty”.) The other names, Hollywood (actually was used in the movie Chinatown), Big Rocky (Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO) Little Rocky (Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO), Great Falls (Montana), Yellowstone (West Yellowstone, MT), Cripple Creek, and Mason City, all bear the name of the place they were found. The buses became part of the Skagway culture. The names used by driver and visitor alike now are monogrammed above the front passenger seat in each bus. In the 1990’s Xanterra replaced YPC as the concessioner in Yellowstone. One thing Xanterra wanted to do was bring the Yellow Bus experience back toe Yellowstone. They contacted the tour company in Skagway and made an agreement to purchase the 8 buses and bring them back to The Park. After their purchase in 2001, the buses were overhauled and refurbished by Transglobal Design and Manufacturing in Lavonia Michigan. They installed a new Ford E-450 chassis and a 5.4-liter gasoline engine in each of the buses. Total Cost to purchase and refurbish the 8 buses was around $1.9 million (US).
In 2007 the Buses returned to tour duty in Yellowstone. This bus was picking up visitors at the Old Faithful Inn for a tour in the Old Faithful area on a beautiful July day in 2012. Besides the 8 refurbished buses there are reportedly two 706's and 3 older original White models that have been maintained at Yellowstone. But now, It is nice to see the yellow buses back at Yellowstone working. Several of the red buses at Glacier have been refurbished also and are back on duty. Gettysburg National Battlefield operates 2 of the original Yellowstone White model 706 buses. These 2 buses are still working in the National Park System but along way from home.
References:
redOrbit (s.tt/15Zcc)
www.busesofyellowstonepreservationtrust.org/http://web.ar...
www.geocities.com/geysrbob/Transportation_History4.html
174.120.5.156/~yellowhc/cars-buses.php
www.yellowstonegallery.com/news.php?id=5
www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/wyoming/yellowston...
Yellowstone Yellow Bus
In the early years of motor vehicle travel in Yellowstone National Park, the yellow buses and touring cars of the Yellowstone Transportation Co (which later merged and became part of the Yellowstone Park Co.) were a common sight. The bus in this photo is a White Model 706 14-passenger bus built between 1936 and 1939. The White 706 buses had bench seating for 13 passengers behind the drivers seat. The 25 feet long and 8 feet wide buses have only a curbside door, which allowed for safe loading and unloading of passengers out of traffic on the narrow Yellowstone roads and parking areas. The buses had a canvas top that could be opened to allow visitors access to the sun and on-board viewing of wildlife and other sights. This feature resulted in the nickname "open-top buses." On chilly days lap robes were provided to help keep passengers warm but still allowing the roof to be rolled back. Any Luggage on longer trips was stowed in a canvas-covered wooden platform attached to the back of the bus. The elegant exterior of the model 706 was a product of the Bender Body Company. The eye catching radiator cowling and grill was the work of renowned industrial designer, Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky.
The White 706 was designed specifically for use in sightseeing of western national parks. In 1935 four companies were invited to participate in a product test in Yosemite National Park by the National Park Service. The 706, with its longer wheel base and 318 cc v-6 engine, out performed all the others and was selected as the new bus for Yellowstone. It was not only used at Yellowstone but also at Glacier National Park where they were called the “Reds” of "Red Jammers" because they were painted red. In total the buses were used at 7 national parks in the west. The bus was manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio (proving once and forever that good things can and do come out of Cleveland!)
The White Model 706 came in to service in 1936 right at the time of the merger that formed the new Yellowstone Park Company (YPC). In 1940 the YPC had 98 of the 706 buses in service. With time came modern buses and the old yellow fleet including the White 706’s was sold off in the 1960’s and spread around the country. In the late 1980 ‘s The Skagway Street Car Co was looking for a bus to do tours of Skagway, Alaska. They had seen the old Yellowstone Buses in photos and when they found a collector with one for sale they bought it in 1987. It was perfect for their needs so they started looking for more and ended up with 8 running Yellowstone White 706’s. They named each bus for the place they found it. Monty was named for the collector in Vermont who sold it to them. (When the bus at or near capacity the driver reportedly called it the “Full Monty”.) The other names, Hollywood (actually was used in the movie Chinatown), Big Rocky (Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO) Little Rocky (Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO), Great Falls (Montana), Yellowstone (West Yellowstone, MT), Cripple Creek, and Mason City, all bear the name of the place they were found. The buses became part of the Skagway culture. The names used by driver and visitor alike now are monogrammed above the front passenger seat in each bus. In the 1990’s Xanterra replaced YPC as the concessioner in Yellowstone. One thing Xanterra wanted to do was bring the Yellow Bus experience back toe Yellowstone. They contacted the tour company in Skagway and made an agreement to purchase the 8 buses and bring them back to The Park. After their purchase in 2001, the buses were overhauled and refurbished by Transglobal Design and Manufacturing in Lavonia Michigan. They installed a new Ford E-450 chassis and a 5.4-liter gasoline engine in each of the buses. Total Cost to purchase and refurbish the 8 buses was around $1.9 million (US).
In 2007 the Buses returned to tour duty in Yellowstone. This bus was picking up visitors at the Old Faithful Inn for a tour in the Old Faithful area on a beautiful July day in 2012. Besides the 8 refurbished buses there are reportedly two 706's and 3 older original White models that have been maintained at Yellowstone. But now, It is nice to see the yellow buses back at Yellowstone working. Several of the red buses at Glacier have been refurbished also and are back on duty. Gettysburg National Battlefield operates 2 of the original Yellowstone White model 706 buses. These 2 buses are still working in the National Park System but along way from home.
References:
redOrbit (s.tt/15Zcc)
www.busesofyellowstonepreservationtrust.org/http://web.ar...
www.geocities.com/geysrbob/Transportation_History4.html
174.120.5.156/~yellowhc/cars-buses.php
www.yellowstonegallery.com/news.php?id=5
www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/wyoming/yellowston...