(first posted 9/3/2016) If it’s been awhile since you’ve read Paul’s excellent post on the Kassbohrer-Setra Super Golden Eagle articulated coach, I’d encourage you to take another look – it’s a superb article on a very rare model. Re-reading it the other day inspired me to pick up the pen and scribe a few words on its descendants, the classic Eagle Coaches…
As Paul’s article highlighted, in 1956, Continental Trailways Corp. was looking for a bus to compete with Greyhound’s new 40 ft GM PD 4501 Scenicruiser intercity coach. Not finding any suitable alternatives in the US, they looked toward Europe, and the came across Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke, one of Germany’s largest motor coach manufacturers. Trailways was impressed with Kassbohrer’s coaches and placed an order for 51 special models (plus 4 articulated versions) – they were produced in the 1956-57 timeframe and named “Golden Eagles.“ These were high-end luxury coaches with quality (expensive) interiors and amenities.
One area where Continental was able to contribute was in the suspension – Continental had collaborated with Flxible on the Flx VL-100 VistiLiner coach which had the BF Goodrich “Torsilastic” rear suspension – Continental purchased 100 VistiLiners, however found them too small at 35 ft and also under-powered. But they shared the suspension design with Kassbohrer who incorporated it on later Eagle models. Continental advertising played up the smoothness of their buses with this suspension – I can still remember my father in the ’60s saying how much smoother riding Continental’s Eagles were compared to Greyhound’s GM and MCI units.
Pleased with the buses, Continental placed another order in 1958 for a less luxurious, more mainstream model – these were known as “Silver Eagles.” Golden Eagles came with MAN diesel engines which weren’t quite up to the stress of longer US routes. Silver Eagles had Cummins NRTO diesels but these were somewhat under-powered. As a result, with GM engines becoming available in the late ‘50s due to US government anti-trust action, all buses were re-engined with Detroit Diesel 8V71 diesels and Spicer manual transmissions.
In 1960, a slightly updated model was introduced as the “Eagle 01.” Then, in 1961, Kassbohrer decided to focus exclusively on the rapidly growing European market and withdrew from its production agreement with Continental. Kassbohrer sold the tooling for the Eagles to Continental and the company searched for another partner. They found Belgian manufacturer La Brugeoise, and a joint-venture assembly plant was constructed in the city of Brugge; and given the name Bus and Car, NV. The 01 series coach continued in production at this facility.
The next update came in 1968 with introduction of the “Eagle 05.” The major differences from the 01 model were a reversal in the location of the rear tag axle; from behind the rear drive axle to in front of it – increasing under floor storage space, and the front fascia was re-designed to the now-familiar Eagle look – a strong, boxed lower front bumper with square headlight recesses, with the eagle symbol in the center. Size remained 96 in wide and 40 ft in length, and powertrain was an 8V71.
With exchange rate fluctuations causing European production to become ever-more expensive, Continental established an assembly plant in Brownsville Texas in 1974. Model 05’s were assembled both in Europe and the US for two years until all US production switched to Brownsville in 1977. 1980 saw introduction of the “Model 10” which came with the DDA 6V92 TA engine and a more streamlined front upper area replacing the previous “notch” above the front windshield.
Model 15 45 ft
Model 15 40 ft
With the universal adoption of 102″ width maximum for buses and trucks, and a 45′ maximum length for buses, Eagle introduced its first 102′ in wide bus in 1985 – the Model 15. This model could also be ordered in both 40 and 45 ft lengths. Additional changes included a larger front windshield, a one-piece front skylight, and optional square front headlights.
The Model 20, introduced in 1986, was a Model 10 (96 in) coach with Model 15 styling updates.
In the late 80’s, New Jersey Transit ordered several special Model 20 Commuters with large destination signs and black transit-style bumpers for use on its suburban routes.
Unfortunately, from this point it was somewhat of a downward spiral for the company – Greyhound, not in the best of financial health, bought Trailways and Eagle Bus Manufacturing in 1987. Then in 1990, Greyhound declared bankruptcy – with Eagle following in Chapter 11 in 1991. Assets were sold to a Mexican conglomerate which re-started production at low rates in 1992, mostly as motor home shells. But by 1998 they too declared Chapter 11.
The last gasp was made in the mid-2000s with a company named Silver Eagle Bus Manufacturing Inc which produced one Model 25, an ungainly, high-roof model maximized as a motor home – no sales resulted and this company also folded.
A sad end – but with over 8000 buses built over four decades, there are still quite a few Eagles still rolling smoothly down the road…
Related:
CC 1958 Super Golden Eagle: Strike Two For The Articulated Highway Bus PN
CC GMC PD-4501 Scenicruiser: Everybody’s favorite Bus Except Greyhound and GM PN
Another great one, keep them buses rolling and coming Jim ! (If you can find the time to write them up, that is)
Belgium has a rich history of bus- and coach manufacturers. Products of the highest quality. Jonckheere (now part of the Dutch VDL company), Van Hool and LAG (taken over by Van Hool in 1990) are some of the renowned names in this line of business.
The German Kässbohrer company desintegrated in the mid-nineties. Daimler-Benz (who else ?) bought Kässbohrer’s Setra bus division in 1995. The buses still wear the Setra name. Below one of their current models I found on their website, the S431DT.
Thanks Johannes – yes, I’ve always wanted to visit Belgium given its rich manufacturing heritage – hopefully will make it one day.
My current Volvo C30 was made in Ghent – its very well built. Jim.
i spent many happy hours seeing the american heartland through the window of a trailways ”silver eagle”
Beautiful coaches, I am really loving these posts. Any plans to cover the Neoplan or T.A.M. marques?
I’ll definitely add them to the list Erik. Jim.
After reading this great article I just had to do some more searching on the interwebs…
Originally La Brugeoise (La Brugeoise et Nivelles, BN) was a Belgian streetcar and train manufacturer. As Jim mentioned, the new bus joint-venture was called Bus & Car.
Below a 1966-1971 Eagle Model 04, developed and built for the European market. The “EAGLE service” transported American tourists across Europe. This one was owned by Traen from Brugge, Belgium. The company had a few of these EAGLE service-buses.
Source, plus a few other great photos: http://www.zone01.be/artikel/bus-en-car-mol
There was a small Israeli footnote somewhere in the story – we did get a few Mol/Eagl/Jonkheere city and inter-city buses fitted with Detroit Diesels, total freaks on the local scene which by that time (1980s) was dominated by Leyland, MB, MAN and Scania. I remember trips in them, so very different in noise and feel from the others. However, it did not lead to any significant orders and that was that, although I believe one survives at an operator’s museum.
I was used to the typical Detroit Devil Sound, basically since my early childhood, because nearby truckmaker FTF equipped their heavy-duty trucks and tractors with them Dirty Six / Eight / Dozen.
But I can certainly imagine a WTF-moment if you had never heard them before in your life….
Oh, I am familiar with them but in trucks, not buses. We had GMC 760 buses in the 50s but by the time I was growing up the 4-71 engines were replaced by Leyland 600 or 680 units to standardize with the rest of the operator’s fleet – and because of passenger complaints. Those were really truck chassis bodied in the US school bus style and you can imagine what the longer trips were like with the constant din of that two-stroker…
I always loved these big Eagles. And I had a most memorable ride in one from Davenport, Iowa all the way to St. Louis in one, in 1968, sitting in the front seat across the aisle from the driver, which gave the best view of the road, the Mississippi, and the the driver, as he wheeled (and shifted) the big bus along the curving highway along that mighty river. A lunch stop in Hannibal allowed me to see some of that historic river town.
The Eagle is historically significant, as it set the formula for all US intercity coaches to come: a raised passenger area, from front to rear (unlike the Scenicruiser) to give a huge cargo area. Everyone else eventually adopted that, but the Eagle was first.
I spent several years living on Eagle 15’s. Some good number of them were converted into 12-bunk, rock-and-roll style touring coaches.
That business mostly belongs to Prevost now, and a little bit to Van Hool, but my days of entertainment touring are long behind me.
Prevost is owned by Volvo. That’s the Swedish manufacturer of trucks, buses and construction machinery, not the Chinese owned automaker Volvo Cars.
Van Hool, on the other hand, is still owned by the Belgian Van Hool family. A true and independent family business with 4,500 employees, founded in 1947.
eggsalad – me too as to having spent time in the bunks of rock band touring Eagles. The first touring I did was in 1978 and the Eagle was the standard or only tour bus at that time.
The touring coach into which bus driver Andy Aycock crashed a Beech Bonanza, killing himself and an Ozzy band musician Randy Rhoads in 1982, was an Eagle.
It’s sure not a Plymouth RTS. I think their emphasis was on “Rapid.”
Another killer write up. It is sad, but true, that buses and other commercial vehicles while always there, were taken for granted, and just there in the background of the fabric we call life.
Great write up and it cleared up a question on bus widths for me, we had many european buses in use here but when disposed of they had to be severely altered or scrapped for being too wide. Now the max width of any regular vehicle is 2.5M so I still wonder when that changed as its a world wide thing not regional.
In the US the maximum width for buses changed from 96 inches (2.44M) to 102 inches (2.6M) in 1976. In 1982 commercial trucks were also changed to this standard.
2.5 metres is the maximum for trucks all our trucks come from foreign suppliers and all fit into the maximum width which corresponds with the size of shipping containers for transportation by road worldwide, Buses for some reason got and extra 59mm but then once out of commercial service cant be used on our roads because they are permanently overwidth.
Great write up, I love all the little details .
The first ones pictured , Golden Eagles, look the best to me .
I’ve traveled a lot by bus and I can’t _ever_ recall a line of clean, well dressed happy looking Passengers like t5hose pictured here =8-) .
Keep these great articles coming please .
-Nate
When the 05’s introduced the re positioned drive axle, did they also change to a V-drive? It seems that with the change there was very little room for a straight-in drivetrain. Sadly, there are not many Eagles smoothly riding down the road anymore. The ‘Torsilastic’ suspension is now totally obsolete, new bushings and rubber torsion springs are no longer available. The one of last Eagles I saw (a shady motorhome ‘conversion’) had a very pronounced lean to one side, I suspect the suspension on one wheel had failed completely. I did see a very nice Eagle motorhome conversion where the owner had completely retrofitted Peterbilt Air-Leaf suspension. It was beautifully done, and likely cost more than the owner paid for the coach.
I’m pretty sure they remained in a T drive orientation Bob – but you’re right, it must have been a tight fit. Also, there are a few vendors out there still marketing Torsilastic torsion springs, though they are not cheap – about $2200 per spring. Jim.
I stand corrected, it does indeed look like at least the springs are currently available. Thanks for the info..
I only mentioned it Bob because I know from your posts you have a great deal of experience in the transportation field and imagine are asked for advice often – just wanted to make sure you had latest. Jim.
I rode on MCIs Prevosts with their air suspension but when you combine the 05 type seats and torsion bar suspension it is the best US bus made !
We had later model Silver Eagles here in Australia in the fleet of the local Greyhound line. I think it was late ’70’s? Greyhound still exist here but in much smaller form and there are no longer any real national competitors, whereas there used to be quite a few (Pioneer, actually taken over by Greyhound, Red line, Continental, Skennars just to name a few). All casualties of cheap air travel I guess.
Greyhound Down Under was not related to Greyhound USA. They got their first Eagle 05’s around 1975 from Bus & Car in Belgium. Later on they got more from Eagle International in the USA but these were Model 10’s. They stopped making them around 1996. they were bought out by a Mexican company and stopped selling in the USA as Mexico had a strong market for seated coaches at the time. Later on they went under and the tooling and parts were returned to the USA. Problem was the guy was a fraudster who didn’t have the money to continue and he built only two coaches, one of which was a motorhome shell for conversion. The second one was never finished.
While working for Greyhound in the early ’90’s, we had quite a number of Eagles taken over from Continental Trailways. Most senior Greyhound drivers wouldn’t take out an assigned Eagle because they had transit doors, and it was beneath a Greyhound driver to drive a “transit” bus, so the drivers would find a fault with their Eagle’s,
and take out an MCI. The Eagles drove and rode much better than an MCI.
As a note, Trailways was developing an Eagle Freighter bus, where the back upper half of the Eagle was going to be devoted to freight haulage. Thus, the Houston Greyhound (Trailways) terminal was designed with a unique freight unloading system, which can still be seen in the back of the terminal
Great tale. I’ve long had an attraction of the American long distance coach, and the European connection is quite fascinating.
It also interesting that a bus’s nationality is often discernible from its styling and appearance.
While I don’t remember seeing many Eagles in revenue service (probably too young for that) I do remember seeing many, many of them retrofitted for touring musicians, shows, or RV/motor home conversions. They completely dominated that scene in the 80’s and 90’s, or at least that’s what it seemed like. Probably a good number of those were former coaches, but I’m sure quite a number were purpose-built also.
Haven’t seen any in a while now, it occurs to me. Nice write-up to jog the memory and increase the precious little I know about these buses.
Having lived in Bruges, Belgium since 1969 I do remember the Bus and Car Co very well
and specially the live ‘testriding’ trips through the area with the new coaches. Maybe on their way for shipment to the States. the roar of the engine is still music to my ears.
Yes the high idle plus shifting the 8v71s was the best!
Houston’s MTA (or whatever they called themselves at the time) purchased Silver Eagles and used them locally for “Park N Ride” routes. But there was a time starting in the late seventies, when they initially purchased the Silver Eagles, they were used on regular routes. I was a regular rider back then and every day was an adventure because anything could and did happen. The whole bus system was unreliable and the drivers were not familiar with the routes. I remember one morning the driver taking a turn into a street that ended in a cul de sac. The bus was too big and in the process of trying to turn around the driver dropped one side of the rear wheels into a ditch. At that point the driver asked everyone to get out and push the bus out of the ditch.
I too have fond memories of these Big Eagles. Not knowing much about busses until coming to this wonderful site, where I’ve learned much from the fine writers here, I had to do some digging. Something about the 10th thru the 12th pictures looked very familiar…
When I was in the 6th grade in 1972, we had a teacher that was HUGE on field trips, and no lame old school bus would do. When we went away, whenever possible, he scored us a nice Silve Eagle 05 tour bus from an old local Baltimore company called Monumental Motor Tours, which sadly went belly up in 1992. Like Paul’s comment above, my favorite seat was across from the driver where I could watch him do his job, and also look out the big windshield. It was a rude awakening getting to junior high school where we were back on the basic Bluebird to take any field trips.
My father worked for Monumental Motor Tours from the 1930s until he retired in 1974. He loved driving the Eagle coach, and also found it a good mechanical piece of equipment.
Johny RECOUR, you and I need to talk!!!!!!!
I’m in Belgium and would be delighted to meet with you!!!
Let’s say that I’m what passes for Eagle’s official historian these days. I used to write for Bus World Magazine in the 80’s and that got me access to people in Trailways back then. I wrote the Bus World Eagle Special, which was the history of Eagle up to 1981, or the first 25 years. I have a lot of info on Eagle, Bus & Car and Continental Trailways plus the Flxible Vista-Liner 100 or VL 100, the Eagle’s direct American predecessor.
I’m also very interested to learn the exact role that Traen played back then. I know they had a lot of Eagle 04’s and that Bus & Car may have owned a part of their bus business at the time.
And no, that’s not my real email.
You can contact me via the Eagles International webside. My name on there is Bus & Car and I’m the only member in Belgium. Here’s a link to their forum…
http://eaglesinternational.net/eagles-international.net/forums/index.php?sid=39ab53c17caa43eb4414a92c1674c5b1
When you find me, just leave a Private Message
See You Soon!!!!!!!
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Hi Bus & Car!
I’m looking for a copy of the Bus World Eagle Special!!!
Do you know if any are still left in circulation that I can find for purchase?
Thanks! Great posts!
Jackson Browne sang about Silver Eagles, as a rock tour-bus.
“Nothin’ But Time” was recorded on a Continental bus, with the drummer “playing” a cardboard box among other percussion.
https://youtu.be/aJOVhd-31OI