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“By 1921 bus transportation in the US was growing and poised for greatness. All it lacked was… a bus.
From 1900 when Mack mounted seats on a truck chassis, through the beginnings of Greyhound that used 1914 Hupmobiles… buses were wood bodies mounted on truck or automobile chassis (or just jam packed cars)
Enter the Fageol brothers who had been manufacturing trucks, cars and farm tractors in Oakland, California.
In 1921 they became the first to build a “complete” bus. Fageol designed a chassis that had a wide track and low center of gravity making it resistant to rolling and easier to enter and exit. It had special springs and axles that improved ride and handling as well as powerful hydraulic braking.
Fageol mounted their own specially designed bus bodies on it, and were early adopters of optional air brakes and steel bodies. Renamed the “Safety Coach” they were a leap forward in the safety and comfort of passenger transportation.
There are only 4 examples of these groundbreaking buses known to exist, and the Museum of Bus Transportation/AACA Museum has two of them in its’ historic fleet. Although early examples had multiple side doors, Fageols rapidly evolved into the center aisle configuration used today.
Fageol built a number of body styles, Their innovative ‘Streetcar’ concept is a precursor to modern transit buses, and the ‘Parlor’ type was the premier highway coach of the era.”
Dave Millhouser – Museum of Bus Transportation/AACA Museum
March 14, 2022
“Reportedly there only four Fageol buses still exist… and (one is in the historic bus collection of the AACA Museum in Hershey PA and another is in the collection of the Pacific Bus Museum in Fremont, CA).
By 1921, bus transportation in the US was growing and poised for greatness. All it lacked was…a bus.
From 1900, when Mack mounted seats on a truck chassis, through Greyhound’s beginnings that used 1914 Hupmobiles, buses were wood bodies mounted on truck or auto-mobile chassis (or just jam-packed cars).
Enter the Fageol brothers, already manufacturing trucks, cars, and farm tractors in Oakland, CA. In 1921, they became the first to build a “complete” bus. Fageol designed a chassis with a wide track and low center of gravity, making it resistant to rolling and more comfortable to enter and exit. It had unique springs and axles that improved ride and handling as well as powerful hydraulic braking.
The innovative “low floor’ concept is a precursor to modern transit buses. Although early examples had multiple side doors, Fageols rapidly evolved into the center aisle configuration that we use today. Fageol mounted their own specially designed bus bodies on it and were early adopters of optional air brakes and steel bodies.
Renamed the “Safety Coach,” they were a leap forward in passenger transportation’s safety and comfort. There are only four examples of these groundbreaking buses known to exist, and the AACA Museum, Inc. has two of them in its historic fleet. Fageol built several body styles. The “Parlor” type was used on intercity runs and featured an interior luxurious for the times. Parlor coaches stored luggage in rear compartments or on overhead roof racks.
The Museum’s 1927 model, acquired and donated by the late Dick Maguire, came from Empire Lines in Spokane, WA. Fageol offered, at the time, both Waukesha and Hall Scott engines. The bus is powered by a Hall Scott 6-cylinder that developed approximately 90 HP at 2200 RPM.Fageol also built a “Streetcar” body, a precursor to modern transit buses. It featured different seats, entrance doors, and other details. It was intended to re-place streetcars on routes where it wasn’t practical to lay tracks.
The Museum’s 1924 Fageol is an example of this model, donated by Peninsula Charter Lines of East Palo Alto. CA. It was reported to have originally operated for the Pacific Electric Railway of Los Angeles. A Hall Scott 4-cylinder engine initially powered it, and it was replaced somewhere in its long service life by a Hercules.
Production records are scant and incomplete, but Fageol built a wide variety of specialty coaches, including sightseers and double decks. In addition to the Oakland, CA plant, some Fageols were built under license in Kent, OH.
In 1927, the Fageol brothers left the company to form Twin Coach that manufactured in Kent. Twin, named due to two engines’ arrangement to compensate for the lack of power, built transit and trolleybuses and small delivery vehicles until the Flxible Company bought it in 1955.
After the departure of the brothers, the leadership of Fageol fell to company president L. H. Bill. After going into receivership during the Great Depression, in 1938, T. A. Peterman purchased Fageol’s Oakland factory and inventory. In 1939, they built the first Peterbilt truck.
Now part of PACCAR, Peterbilt remains a highly respected builder of heavy-duty trucks. While these buses seem quaint by modern standards, they were a giant leap forward in transportation safety, reliability, and comfort.
The (AACA Museum & PBM) Fageol’s represents the peak of front-engine bus design. It took more than a decade for technology to advanced enough to allow the building of coaches with rear diesel engines, underfloor baggage storage, and air conditioning that we take for granted today.”
Dave Millhouser – Museum of Bus Transportation/AACA Museum
December 15, 2020
