Monday, January 18, 2010

More on the Golden Eagle:

There were no more Golden Eagles until 1969, when 50 Model 05's were built. The last group of 11 were built in 1971 without the Golden Aluminum. They used the Silver Aluminum and painted it gold. Overall, there were about 150 Golden Eagles built from 1956 to 1971.

5-Star Service was terminated several years later. The Interstate Commerce Commission and Regulatory Agencies had kept the fare surcharge so low in most cases that Continental could not recover the extra cost of the 5-Star Service even when the buses were full.

Our Golden Eagle was purchased new by CONTINENTAL PANHANDLE LINES, INC. in 1971 and was used as an extra in the Trailways pool and in charter service out of the Amarillo, TX, area. This was the last Golden Eagle in revenue service and operated until 2001, when it was donated to us by the late Richard Allison.

Wednedsay, October 21, 2009

Throughout our move -- what a glorious backdrop our Golden Eagle made---here are a few pictures taken before all the buses were moved back in.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

As a follow-up to yesterday's blog--I've dug up some more information about our bus. First, here is a picture of the original driver and hostess on our bus: 5-Star Hostess Marsha Plexico and Operator Al Plexico.

Of course, food service on board a bus was the main attraction. The menu included chilled fruit juices (tomato, orange and grapefruit), hot consomme, assorted sandwiches, donuts, cookies and various beverages (coffee, hot chocolate, iced or hot tea, milk and soft drinks). The additional 5-Star service charge between Los Angeles and San Francisco, a nine hour and fifteen minute run in 1956, was only $2.00 and included all you cared to eat!

Our particular bus was the last Golden Eagle set up as a 5-Star car. The bus originally ran in the New York City-St. Louis-Los Angeles service but since that schedule's end, it was used as a charter car out of Panhandle's Amarillo home base.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

We are privileged to have a very special bus in our collection--one that gets a lot of attention on the floor--that is the 1971 B&C GOLDEN EAGLE 05 5410 Continental Panhandle Lines 42303. As you can see from the map above--it went from NY to LA through Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, OK City, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff and then onto LA (see the other stops and connections in between). The Five-Star ticket for this ride included: Hostess aboard; reserved seat; snacks and beverages. The brochure stated the hostess "will bring you snacks, magazines or pillows; help you adjust your seat and give you the time, temperature and show you points of interest...just above the cars at scenery level...all the way." Sounds pretty luxurious, doesn't it?

The brochure also notes "plush, plump, adjustable seats keep you comfortable throughout any trip...the Golden Eagle is climate controlled for any season with plenty of fresh, clean air. You'll find a completely equipped rest room aboard that features a well-lighted make-up mirror to help you arrive as crisp, clean and comfortable as you were when you stepped aboard." Too bad they discontinued these