# For Our Bus Fans: Hostesses On Board?



## ehbowen (Dec 26, 2014)

Found this little gem while looking up information on Continental Trailways's "Golden Eagle" buses of the 1960s and 70s:

http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2010/07/a-red-carpet-ride-courtesy-of-continental-trailways/

It shows a picture of the "new" bus station which opened in 1960. It didn't last very long; it was replaced with the current Trailways (now Greyhound) station on Main Street in the mid-to-late 1970s.


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## Bob Dylan (Dec 26, 2014)

I remember riding on one of those Golden Eagle buses back in the 60s, it really was similar to the way " stewardesses" operated on planes and the food was actually comparable to Coach meals on a plane, overall it was a nice way to roll if you had to take a bus!!!

IIRC the "old" Greyhound/Kerrville Bus Station was on Texas Avenue close to Union Station which is now Minute Maid Park where the Lastros play baseball!


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## ehbowen (Dec 26, 2014)

jimhudson said:


> I remember riding on one of those Golden Eagle buses back in the 60s, it really was similar to the way " stewardesses" operated on planes and the food was actually comparable to Coach meals on a plane, overall it was a nice way to roll if you had to take a bus!!!
> 
> IIRC the "old" Greyhound/Kerrville Bus Station was on Texas Avenue close to Union Station which is now Minute Maid Park where the Lastros play baseball!


It certainly was and apparently (from connections notes that I've seen in the old _Official Guides_) it had been there since at least the 1930s. Once Greyhound swallowed up Trailways they consolidated operations (in Houston) at Trailways's much more modern station on Main Street. It used to be a nice place, but as one commentator on that article observed, these days I wouldn't feel comfortable walking in without a bodyguard....


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## fairviewroad (Dec 26, 2014)

The concept lives on in some parts of the world, including Argentina.

Riding First Class on the Buses in Argentina


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## Swadian Hardcore (Dec 26, 2014)

Too bad the Argentines use body-on-frame buses.

I ought to ride an Eagle sometime. Heard they were really nice vehicles. I haven't found any in scheduled service.


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## rickycourtney (Dec 26, 2014)

Interestingly the concept of first class bus service between Dallas and Houston will return in March when Vonlane starts its second route. Hopefully it will last longer than this service did.


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## Ind Ben (Dec 26, 2014)

Continental also had this service between Atl & Wash.D.C. And Memphis & Knoxville,TN


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## Swadian Hardcore (Dec 26, 2014)

Seems like Vonlane will be more luxurious than the Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles had regular 4-abreast seating, which makes them more similar to a regular High-Cap (H3-45) with reduced seating for extra legroom and a galley, unlike the luxury High-Caps that Vonlane uses, which have oversized seating.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Dec 26, 2014)

Atlanta-Washington?! Overnight or daytime?


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## railiner (Dec 27, 2014)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> Atlanta-Washington?! Overnight or daytime?


From the August 1971 Official Bus Guide:

Depart Atlanta 10:30 AM Arrive Washington 10:45 PM

Depart Washington 9:00 AM Arrive Atlanta 9:15 PM

This was one of the few Five Star Luxury Service trips operated in a pool with a non CTS Trailways carrier...

Continental Trailways from Washington to Richmond,

Carolina Trailways from Richmond to Charlotte,

and Continental Trailways again from Charlotte to Atlanta.

The hostesses all worked for CTS, and the Golden Eagles in the pool were also all CTS.....

Going back earlier in history, Carolina Trailways also participated in a NewYork-Washington-Richmond-Norfolk Five Star trip. This was a pool between Safeway Trails, Virginia Stage Lines, and Carolina Coach, using GMC PD-4104's and later PD-4106's. This ended prior to the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel shortcut route.


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## railiner (Dec 27, 2014)

Ind Ben said:


> Continental also had this service between Atl & Wash.D.C. And Memphis & Knoxville,TN


And a whole lot more other places.....From New York City to Boston-Portsmouth, NH-Portland, Me., also to Hartford-Springfield,, as well as to Worcester-Nashua, and Manchester, NH. Going south to Baltimore, Laurel, Silver Spring, and Washington. Going west to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. There was also an earlier transcon from New York to Cleveland, Chicago, Des Moines, Omaha, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Reno, San Francisco. On the West Coast, there were Los Angeles-Fresno-San Francisco and Los Angeles- Sacramento-Portland-Seattle runs. Later, a San Francisco-Portland run was added. There were Denver-Colorado Springs-Pueblo trips, as well as a Stapleton Airport-Denver- Broadmoor Hotel trip. There was a couple of trips between Kansas City-Topeka-Wichita. In Texas, there were four, 3 hour and 45 minute trips between Dallas and Houston. Other routes in Texas included Dallas to San Antonio, Houston to Corpus Christi, San Antonio to Corpus Christi, and Corpus Christi to Brownsville.

Another unusual pool was between Continental Trailways (Dixie Lines), and Oklahoma Transportation Company on a Dallas to Oklahoma City Five Star...

Because Continental Dixie pooled with OTC on that local route changing drivers and carriers at Ardmore, Ok., when they started the Five Star nonstop, they still considered it a pool run. To balance mileages, a CTS driver based in Dallas did one roundtip each day, and an OTC driver based in OKC did one roundtrip from there each day. All the hostesses were CTS, as were the Golden Eagles. Each driver had to prepare two trip report envelopes each way...

What makes it even more interesting, is that CTS also had another division, American Buslines running one local 'franchise trip' each day on that same route all the way from OKC to Dallas on its own rights. They could have cut OTC out of the run by letting ABL operate both nonstop Five Stars,, but I am guessing that they did not want to antagonize their pool partner that way...

There were some other Five Star runs....at one time I believe there was a Memphis-Jackson-New Orleans trip. And Adirondack Trailways ran New York-Albany-Schenectady, a couple of times a day....

The Knoxville-Nashville-Memphis trip was first promoted as the "Golden Holiday Five Star Service".....besides the city terminals, it also stopped at Knoville's Holiday Inn - Central, Nashville's Holiday Inn - Vanderbilt, and Memphis's Holiday Inn -Poplar.

When Kemmons Wilson, Chairman and CEO of Holiday Inn purchased TCO Industries, the holding company that included Continental Trailways, he had visions of Golden Eagles connecting selected Holiday Inn's nationwide. This run was the pilot of that proposal. Alas, it never expanded much beyond that run....


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## railiner (Dec 27, 2014)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> Too bad the Argentines use body-on-frame buses.
> 
> I ought to ride an Eagle sometime. Heard they were really nice vehicles. I haven't found any in scheduled service.


I think you would have loved the propietary seats in them.....besides the seats reclining an ample amount, the full width winged headrests could be adjusted into three positions. The footrests could also.....


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## Swadian Hardcore (Dec 27, 2014)

railiner said:


> Swadian Hardcore said:
> 
> 
> > Too bad the Argentines use body-on-frame buses.
> ...


Any pics of the seats?

Where have you been?


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## railiner (Dec 27, 2014)

I don't have any, but maybe you can find some on google...don't be confused by the last series built which offered the same as you might find in an MCI...

I was on another vacation (cruising again  )...


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## Swadian Hardcore (Dec 27, 2014)

Where'd you cruise?

Can't find any pictures of the old Eagle interiors. 

Anywhere I could take a look at those old Russell's Guides? They seem really interesting.


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## railiner (Dec 27, 2014)

Went on the new Royal Caribbean "Quantum of the Seas", 8 days from Bayonne ("Cape Liberty") to Florida and Bahama's... 

Yeah...I tried a quick search, for photo's, and most of the Eagle's for sale had converted interiors...

Try searching ebay for copies for sale....other than that, perhaps some big libraries? The NY Public Library has a collection of them in a special branch that mostly keeps old newpaper's, etc....


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## Swadian Hardcore (Dec 27, 2014)

What's your favorite cruise line? Cunard? I know Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian are popular. I've always been interested in the smaller ones, or in freighter travel, though have never found the time.

Sorry, I know it's OT.


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## railiner (Dec 27, 2014)

Right...I'll answer in a PM...


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