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322:. It began in mid-1948 as a 35-foot design, but, in part to accommodate more passengers, Greyhouse President Orville Caesar directed his engineering department to add five feet in length to the upper deck of a PD-3751 obtained from GM. After Greyhound's initial experiences with GX-1, a 50-seat double-decked bus, Caesar decided that the next prototype would be a deck-and-a-half style, which led to the silhouette of the Scenicruiser.
346:' styling section. The final design was 40 feet long, eight feet wide and almost 11 feet tall. It weighed 26,100 lb unloaded and 34,485 loaded. Unlike the future Scenicruiser, the GX-2 had its driving wheels at the very back of the coach. The intermediate tag axle, also called the dead axle, differed in having two wheels instead of four later.
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six upper-level skylights provided illumination from the windshield to the rear, which had windows in the roof at the sides in a U-shaped configuration around the top back of the bus. A lounge with leather seats provided a table for playing cards. The new bus had many innovative features for the time, including a toilet and a
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Greyhound, from the GX-1 testing, had determined the value of a dual-engine approach as well as air-leveling and shock absorption, so the focus for the GX-2 was on style and function, using a standard coach, and increasing its height and length. Constructed during 1948 and early 1949, it was revealed
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and a cooling fan. The hydraulic system operated the steering gear, but unlike the 4501 to come it also worked the brakes and the six windshield wipers. The seven gallons of fluid were pumped at a rate of 11 gallons per minute and generated a maximum pressure of 1500 PSI, with 900 PSI the norm. The
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The bus seated ten on the lower deck and 33 on the top deck. One of its most striking design improvements was that the passengers in the rear compartment "are seated in a raised dome with a wide windshield curved around the entire forward section to give an unobstructed view of the road ahead." The
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The design, introduced to
Greyhound's executives in the fall of 1948, was "a coach with an observation dome following somewhat the general idea of the astrodome cars recently put in service by some of the railroads." Or, as Orville Caesar later summarized, "the observation dome model coach is
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to the public on July 1, 1949, as the
Greyhound Scenicruiser. It toured the country for testing and refinements, in addition to encouraging the remaining state legislatures to pass laws permitting 40-foot-long buses, during the following year. By June 1950, it had visited 46 states.
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at the rear with three rubber mounts, it connected via angle drive to the rear axle through a 4-speed transmission. During the testing time, Greyhound added a two-speed clutch that had become part of the original
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used by the driver to make announcements and to play tape-recorded music. It increased both heating and cooling temperatures automatically by four degrees when the headlights were turned on.
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After two to three years of testing, Greyhound and GM finalized the design of the
Scenicruiser that would enter service in July 1954. GX-2 went into Greyhound service around 1952 with
335:. Albert Boca, the patent holder, was a GM designer. The design patent D160059, submitted and granted in 1950, was assigned to General Motors.
542:"Greyhound 'Scenicruiser' Features an Unusual Air Conditioning System". Heating, Piping & Air Conditioning. November 1949. p. 104.
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Presented to the
Society of Automotive Engineers National Transportation Meeting, the Sheraton Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts, October 18–20
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basically a
Silversides coach with a dome and the Model GX-1 front end added." Unlike GX-1, the design patent for GX-2 did not name
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Greyhound Motors & Supply
Company plant with the active cooperation of industrial designers Raymond Loewy Associates and
394:. It then disappeared; the first of the iconic Scenicruisers, the only hand-built example, was most likely scrapped near
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553:"General Specifications and Description of Greyhound 'Scenicruiser' Experimental Coach Model GX-2".
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muffler was mounted behind the rear bumper and the radiator was on the left rear side.
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Orchestra for several years, and then sold by
Greyhound to Sterling Stages in
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314:(Greyhound Experimental #2 – The Scenicruiser) was a prototype bus built for
568:"Test runs started on a 43 passenger bus with a raised dome at the rear".
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382:(GLGL), running as G-7483 until around 1957. It was leased to the
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6-71 (426 cubic inches, 220 horsepower @ 2000 r.p.m.). Mounted
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The GX-2 was built by
Greyhound engineers and mechanics in the
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in 1954. The diesel also drove the hydraulic fluid pump, the
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The (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Berkshire
Evening Eagle
445:"Meeting of Greyhound Executives September 13 and 14".
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Sills, Joseph (1954). "The Two Level
Intercity Coach".
527:"Greyhound Line's New Cruiser To Be Displayed Here".
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512:"New Greyhound Bus Last Word in Comfort, Luxury".
497:"New Greyhound Bus Allows Rider To See Over Top".
279:11,839–15,642 kg (26,100–34,485 lb)
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607:The First Greyhound Scenicruiser - GX-2 Film
449:. Minnesota Historical Society: 26–27. 1948.
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69:Learn how and when to remove this message
32:This article includes a list of general
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318:that was eventually developed into the
16:Prototype bus built for Greyhound Lines
583:"Scenicruiser Bus is Displayed Here".
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228:10 on lower level, 33 on upper level.
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514:Helena (Montana) Independent Record
240:1x 4-speed manual + 2-speed clutch
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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531:. October 8, 1949. p. 11.
220:7 L (426 cu in)
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129:GMC Truck and Coach Division
516:. May 16, 1950. p. 10.
380:Great Lakes Greyhound Lines
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587:. June 6, 1950. p. 2.
501:. July 1, 1949. p. 1.
499:The Weimar (Texas) Mercury
447:Laurence A. Rossman Papers
555:The Greyhound Corporation
585:Janesville Daily Gazette
53:more precise citations.
253:12 m (40 ft)
602:www.scenicruising.com
269:3 m (11 ft)
609:(video from YouTube)
482:"The Scenicruiser".
396:Nashville, Tennessee
303:PD-4501 Scenicruiser
261:2 m (8 ft)
212:2x 7.0L (281 ci) GM
557:: 4. July 15, 1949.
484:Mass Transportation
357:The engine was the
131:, Pontiac, Michigan
486:: 57. August 1949.
392:Blue Ridge Quartet
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275:Curb weight
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465:. Retrieved
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388:Warren, Ohio
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320:Scenicruiser
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236:Transmission
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97:Manufacturer
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467:18 February
289:Predecessor
142:Albert Boca
51:introducing
617:Categories
411:References
372:alternator
284:Chronology
245:Dimensions
218:I6 Diesel
202:Powertrain
196:High-floor
107:Production
59:March 2023
34:references
359:GM Diesel
352:PA system
316:Greyhound
299:Successor
120:1947-1949
225:Capacity
159:Tri-axle
137:Designer
125:Assembly
92:Overview
402:Testing
368:PD-4501
340:Chicago
47:improve
326:Design
266:Height
250:Length
208:Engine
110:1 unit
36:, but
258:Width
184:Doors
178:coach
162:coach
154:Class
469:2017
431:: 4.
312:GX-2
310:The
215:6-71
101:GMC
619::
437:^
419:^
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66:(
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