'Bus Force One'

[Mr. Linsky]

When the President of the United States takes the bus, I have to believe that the fleet number changes to Bus Force One!

Seen seated in the famous Rosa Parks bus on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan is our Chief Executive Barack Obama who is probably deep in thoughts surrounding the historic events of 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama that turned an ordinary transit bus into a cherished object.

The bus, a 1948 36 passenger GM Coach modeled as a TDH-3610 and carrying fleet #2857, was purchased by conglomerate National City Lines (NCL) and, with its standard NCL 'Fruit Salad' livery, saw service in a number of cities before reaching retirement in Alabama.

Interestingly, historians are not absolutely certain that #2857 was the actual bus probably because they could find no photographs in which the fleet number was discernible.

However, in October 2001, a member of the Museum’s conservation staff personally inspected the bus, ensuring that its markings and identification were original and a certified forensic document examiner employed by the Museum examined scrapbooks of original images and saw no reason to doubt the authenticity of the accompanying notations.

Photo and information courtesy of 'cdlocks4all' and is available at eBay as item # 231390290715.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[patfromigh]

This is going to seem like a really dumb question. What bus is at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN?

[MAX BRT]

One from Montgomery AL in the 1950s. I believe its a sister bus to the one that Rosa Parks was on when she refused to give up her seat to a white man.

Google Rosa Parks bus images.

[140 Southshore]

I believe its a sister bus to the one that Rosa Parks was on when she refused to give up her seat to a white man.

That one, of course, is at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI.