Does anyone know if any manufacturer has ever made a Crown bus in HO? The company that built the prototype has been out of business for almost 20 years but there are still a lot of their products out on the road toiling away on a daily basis. I rode in them back in the stone age when I was in elementary school and it seems like a no-brainer that it would be popular with modelers over a wide range of years. The company also built firetrucks that were pretty popular. I know both Athearn and Classic Metal Works have been producing buses over the past few years but nothing in the school bus realm.
I don’t know of any bus of that type made.There does seem to be alack of school buses,unless you buy the cheapo generic lifelike or Bachman ones that pop up in the scene master packs,which beyond being yellow and say school bus leave a lot to be desired.One suggestion is perhaps contact classic metals,many manufacturers have a suggestion box sort of thing on their websites where hobbyists can suggest possible models to them. I’m sure they have already been considered ( or a school bus of sorts anyway ) but the more they hear requests the more they may likely produce something.
Just a thought.
Rob
Although a well known name in California (their fire equipment was quite recognizable from TV emergency serices shows a couple of decades ago), I don’t believe their motor coach line sold all that widely in the rest of the U.S. While I have seen diecast models of Crown fire apparatus in O scale, I don’t recall anything, FD or motor coach, every being offered in HO scale.
CNJ831
In fact, here in the east, ThomasBuilt has the school bus business pretty well locked up, and has for some 40 plus years.
Sheldon
Is this what the bus you’re speaking of looks like?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXqrTegso-I&feature=related
The scale is not given, but I’m pretty sure larger than HO.
Actually, over the past 40- years or so I’ve seen nothing but Blue Bird Corp.
Actually, throughout the Northeast I haven’t seen anything but Blue Bird Corp school buses making the rounds for as long as I can remember…and that’s a long time! [;)] And I think that may largely be true of most of the Mid-Atlantic states, as well.
CNJ831
Around here we have the mix of ThomasBuilt and Blue Bird although ThomasBuilt is number 1 up here. Woodstock ON was home to ThomasBuilt up until a few years ago when they closed up shop—
Oddly enough as well Bluebird was a long time builder here in Brantford and closed up shop a couple years back as well.
Rob
These are 5" long which translates into 35’ in HO might do the trick, the second link is of a video of a crown bus that look much nicer maybe u can figure out who makes it. I met a guy a while back a model railroader who collect school buses. he has over 2700 school bus models of al scales and yes even has two real ones I’ll see if I can dig up his number if anyone would know it would be this guy.
Found one site that has em for sale $20.00 heck now I want one of these suckers
http://retrotoys.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74_75&products_id=389
http://www.vidoemo.com/yvideo.php?i=eVhxclRlcWuRpZ3NvLUk&crown-coach-school-bus-model
We called these Twinkie buses cause they kind of look like a Twinkie.
These were everywhere all over Southern California. However they are becoming somewhat rare to find still being used by school districts now.
But I’d love to see a quality made version of this classic California bus in HO scale. It would be perfect for my 1950s Southern California layout.
While on the bus topic, I’d also like to see a 1936 Yellow Coach in 1:24 or 1:25 scale (which I’d paint for Rio Grande Trailways for our G scale layout).
I had never heard of Crown until this topic came up. I had seen their design before. Around here we have Blue Bird and Navistar. In fact my uncle works for Navistar. They also are going to start building RVs and charter buses.