Lockport Bus Lines

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Lockport Bus Lines
Founded 1939
Deceased 1975
Headquarters Lockport, New York

Lockport Bus Lines is a former public transportation operator that operated city bus services in the city of Lockport, New York, and inter-city bus services between Lockport and Buffalo, and Lockport and North Tonawanda between 1939 and 1975. The services of Lockport Bus Lines were created after service previously offered by the International Railway Company was abandoned in 1939.[1] Service in the City of Lockport and the intercity service was absorbed into the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, on March 15, 1975, after being purchased for the amount of $103,000.

At one time, Lockport Bus Lines and it's subsidiary Ridge Road Express were owned by the Weeks family, the same owners of Grand Island Transit.

Routes

This section is incomplete, you can help!

  • Lockport City routes: Started in 1939, at the discontinuance of streetcar service by the International Railway Company. Service transferred to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority in 1975, as a newly-created route named 58-Lockport City. The service on route 58 continued until 1988, when it was eliminated due to low ridership. The service was reinstated after a number of years, however, it was part of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's route 55-Pine Avenue bus service. As of 2014, service was again eliminated, due to budget cuts.
  • Lockport-North Tonawanda: Started in 1939, Lockport Bus Lines served North Tonawanda from Sweeney and Webster, over Sweeney, Oliver, Wheatfield, Erie Avenue, Shawnee Road and Saunders Settlement Road into Lockport. Part of this service, along Wurlitzer Road from Sweeney and Webster continued as part of route 33, with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority in 1975. Service past Wurlitzer, along Shawnee Road was discontinued February 19, 1950. Service on Saunders Settlement Road for NFTA Metro service continued as part of route 58.
  • Lockport-Niagara Falls: Known to be in operation from before 1934, this line served Pekin, Sanborn and Bergholz along the way, and continued operation as Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority route 58-Lockport-Niagara Falls, until 1988. Service reinstated as part of route 55-Pine Avenue. As of 2014, service was again eliminated, due to budget cuts.
  • Lockport-Jeddo: Originally the Lockport-Lyndonville route, operated by Ridge Road Express (from 1924), the Lockport-Jeddo route was known to be operating approximately 1943, serving Lake Road and Ridge Road to Jeddo (Google Maps approximation).[2] Jeddo, according to area records had approximately a dozen industrial factories along the Jeddo Creek, likely necessitating the need to transport workers from Lockport to these factories. It would be safe to assume that once the factories had closed, the service was eliminated.
  • Lockport-Buffalo: Started in 1962, from Central Greyhound Lines, which took over inter-city service from the Buffalo-Lockport interurban of the International Railway Company in 1937. Two route patterns existed; one pattern used Millersport Highway as a direct route between Buffalo and Transit Road, while the second pattern operated on a less-frequent (rush-hours) basis over Millersport, Sheridan and Transit to Lockport. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority adopted this service as their newly-created route 44 service. The portion over Millersport Highway continues to this day, albeit on a shorter, truncated route, ending it's Buffalo terminal at University Metro Rail Station. There, passengers board the Metro Rail to continue to Downtown Buffalo, or other points along Main Street.
  • Buffalo-Lockport-Medina: was operating approximately 1970, with one trip each direction per day (Buffalo-bound AM, Medina-bound PM). Line truncated to end at Ambleside Drive by the time the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority took over operations in 1975.[3]

[4]

All-time roster

During the entire operation of Lockport Bus Lines, the agency relied heavily on General Motors brand buses, in varied models and types. In addition, Lockport Bus Lines purchased at least five Flxible Clippers and one Flxible VisiCoach buses used on their line run services.

Buses were typically painted, showing silver sides, with an orange stripe underneath the windows and an orange roof with a simple typeface of "Lockport Bus Lines" on nameplates in the front of the bus. One bus, numbered 23, displayed a different paint scheme of a cream base underneath the windows with a green roof, and a green diagonal along the side of the bus near the front.

This list is incomplete. You can help! (Missing fleet numbers 1-6, 8-22)- January 2014

Fleet
Number		 Thumbnail Serial

Numbers

Year Mfg Model Engine Transmission Notes
6326 1944 Flxible Clipper (29BR44) ---- ----
  • Built and delivered between 1937-1942 or 1944-1950)
  • parlor bus assigned to inter-city services
6673 1945 Flxible Clipper (29BR45) ---- ----
  • Built and delivered between 1937-1942 or 1944-1950)
  • parlor bus assigned to inter-city services
7682 1947 Flxible Clipper (29B147) ---- ----
  • Built and delivered between 1937-1942 or 1944-1950)
  • parlor bus assigned to inter-city services
8860 1948 Flxible Clipper (29B148) ---- ----
  • Built and delivered between 1937-1942 or 1944-1950)
  • parlor bus assigned to inter-city services
9169 6/1950 Flxible Clipper (37B749) ---- ---- parlor bus assigned to inter-city services
30739 6/1954 Flxible VisiCoach (218B1-54-3350) ---- ---- parlor bus assigned to inter-city services
7 0047 1941 Yellow Coach TG 2405 ---- ---- assumed to be operated on City of Lockport services, possibly short-line inter-city services.
23 [5] 0153 1950 GMC TGH-3101 ---- ----
  • assumed to be operated on City of Lockport services, possible short-line inter-city services.
  • bus converted to diesel fuel during its service life
  • to Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, renumbered 223.
24-25 0388 1951 GMC TGH-3101 ---- ---- assumed to be operated on City of Lockport services, possible short-line inter-city services.
26 0001 1953 GMC TGH-3102 ---- ---- assumed to be operated on City of Lockport services, possible short-line inter-city services.
27 0280 1954 GMC TGH-3102 ---- ---- assumed to be operated on City of Lockport services, possible short-line inter-city services.
28 [5] ?0804) 1955 GMC TDH-3714 ---- ----
29 1957 GMC PD-4104 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed
  • parlor bus assigned to inter-city services
  • previously Grand Island Transit, earlier, Greyhound Lines.
?30-33? GMC PD-4103
  • parlor bus assigned to inter-city services between Lockport and Buffalo
  • previously Greyhound Lines.
34 [5] 4095 1959 GMC PD-4104 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed
35 [5] 1959 GMC PD-4104 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed
36-39 [5] 1956 GMC PD-4104 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed
  • parlor bus assigned to inter-city services
  • previously Grand Island Transit, earlier, Greyhound Lines.
40 [5] 1956 GMC PD-4104 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed
41 [5] 1957 GMC PD-4104 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed
42 [5] 1956 GMC PD-4104 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed
  • parlor bus assigned to inter-city services
  • previously Grand Island Transit, earlier, Greyhound Lines.
43-48 [5] 1956 GMC PD-4104 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed
49 [5] 1961 GMC PD-4106 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed
50 [5] 1961 GMC PD-4106 Detroit Diesel 6V-71 Manual 4-speed

Note: Some buses transferred to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority may not have seen service, due to the condition of the coach, upon time of the transfer. These buses may have been stripped for parts for other other buses.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.chicagorailfan.com/aatnybuf.html
  2. ↑ Union Sun Journal article from 1943
  3. ↑ Buffalo-Lockport-Medina bus timetable known to operate around November, 1970
  4. ↑ Lockport Bus Lines, Inc. timetable - May 29, 1949
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 Western New York Transfer Points, James Mancuso (Deceased), date unkown
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