What Type of Bus? Coach or school bus?

[KeithHall]

We had our own school buses. When I first started with the Royal Coachmen they took coaches everywhere, even to local parades. Then we purchased school buses...sleeping on the floor or in the seats with no padding on the top of the seat in front of you. In 1976 we had three buses and the third one broke down in Canada so everyone piled into the other two..very cozy.

[Martybucs]

I remember our green and white with stainless steel beauties.

We had 2 1947 GMC motor coaches and a 1949 GMC Greyhound model, (I forget the model name).

Velour seats, little windows, and no air conditioning or bathrooms. They were fairly comfortable, though. You can maybe makeout the name CRUSADERS painted on the bus. We would pull up and people would go, "Cool, Crusaders are here!!" Then, they'd notice the corps colors, green and gold and the PA plates and go, "Oh, it's just Brookhaven."

Below is a picture of one of them after getting stuck trying to do a U turn on a highway in Texas, in 1971 and all the kids trying to push it out. BTW, that's the way we started them too. (the guy standing with his hands on his hips in the middle is, Bob Hannum, brother of percussion guru, Thom Hannum, who also marched that year - I think he was 12 years old.

Edited July 10, 2008 by Martybucs

[Ryan H. Turner]

I just had to add to this--the pic above is of a model of bus which is very similar to the original VK busses that we used in 1985 and 1986. In 1987, if I'm not mistaken, we went with all coaches that we either leased or something...there were white and really big and we put "VK" in stick 'em letters on the side. Otherwise they were unmarked busses.

Anyway, in 1985, enroute to a show in Colorado (and I can't remember which one but I THINK it was Glenwood Springs), I was on the lead bus. The bus driver was some younger guy that was a real hothead. Very impatient driver. Anyway, apparently he was in a mood and honked at a car in front of us to move over to the left so we could get over to the right to make a right turn at an intersection. The driver of said car pulled over but wasn't especially happy with our driver's decision to honk. So...he did what any good driver would do.

He pulled a gun on us. Myself and the bus driver were the ONLY ONES that saw the gun--a really big silver .357--and our driver yelled "OH ####!!!" and I ducked from my front seat. He "punched it" as much as you can punch a bus, and we sped away. Pretty freakin' scary. Everyone on the bus was like "WTF ARE YOU DOING UP THERE!?"

Of course the other "bad story" of my time with VK in relation to our busses was the memorable crash in Pennsylvania early in the morning enroute to Allentown in 1987 for DCI East. Those on the bus that crashed were pretty banged up, but we marched semi's and finals anyway. I don't know why, but as I sit here and type this in 2008, I seem to recall that in 1987, no one seemed in the drum corps community seemed particularly concerned we were in a major accident the morning before DCI East. Could have been VERY tragic for us...but it wasn't.

[tommytimp]

I just had to add to this--the pic above is of a model of bus which is very similar to the original VK busses that we used in 1985 and 1986. In 1987, if I'm not mistaken, we went with all coaches that we either leased or something...there were white and really big and we put "VK" in stick 'em letters on the side. Otherwise they were unmarked busses.

Anyway, in 1985, enroute to a show in Colorado (and I can't remember which one but I THINK it was Glenwood Springs), I was on the lead bus. The bus driver was some younger guy that was a real hothead. Very impatient driver. Anyway, apparently he was in a mood and honked at a car in front of us to move over to the left so we could get over to the right to make a right turn at an intersection. The driver of said car pulled over but wasn't especially happy with our driver's decision to honk. So...he did what any good driver would do.

He pulled a gun on us. Myself and the bus driver were the ONLY ONES that saw the gun--a really big silver .357--and our driver yelled "OH ####!!!" and I ducked from my front seat. He "punched it" as much as you can punch a bus, and we sped away. Pretty freakin' scary. Everyone on the bus was like "WTF ARE YOU DOING UP THERE!?"

Of course the other "bad story" of my time with VK in relation to our busses was the memorable crash in Pennsylvania early in the morning enroute to Allentown in 1987 for DCI East. Those on the bus that crashed were pretty banged up, but we marched semi's and finals anyway. I don't know why, but as I sit here and type this in 2008, I seem to recall that in 1987, no one seemed in the drum corps community seemed particularly concerned we were in a major accident the morning before DCI East. Could have been VERY tragic for us...but it wasn't.

I don't remember hearing that story at all. In 87 the big bus story in our camp was the fact that Sky Ryders had been impounded for almost a week and they were sitting around with nothing to do but practice. Your tale is phenomenal, and I have no idea why it didn't get around.

[neholgate]

I just had to add to this--the pic above is of a model of bus which is very similar to the original VK busses that we used in 1985 and 1986. In 1987, if I'm not mistaken, we went with all coaches that we either leased or something...there were white and really big and we put "VK" in stick 'em letters on the side. Otherwise they were unmarked busses.

Anyway, in 1985, enroute to a show in Colorado (and I can't remember which one but I THINK it was Glenwood Springs), I was on the lead bus. The bus driver was some younger guy that was a real hothead. Very impatient driver. Anyway, apparently he was in a mood and honked at a car in front of us to move over to the left so we could get over to the right to make a right turn at an intersection. The driver of said car pulled over but wasn't especially happy with our driver's decision to honk. So...he did what any good driver would do.

He pulled a gun on us. Myself and the bus driver were the ONLY ONES that saw the gun--a really big silver .357--and our driver yelled "OH ####!!!" and I ducked from my front seat. He "punched it" as much as you can punch a bus, and we sped away. Pretty freakin' scary. Everyone on the bus was like "WTF ARE YOU DOING UP THERE!?"

Of course the other "bad story" of my time with VK in relation to our busses was the memorable crash in Pennsylvania early in the morning enroute to Allentown in 1987 for DCI East. Those on the bus that crashed were pretty banged up, but we marched semi's and finals anyway. I don't know why, but as I sit here and type this in 2008, I seem to recall that in 1987, no one seemed in the drum corps community seemed particularly concerned we were in a major accident the morning before DCI East. Could have been VERY tragic for us...but it wasn't.

Of course there was that infamous shootout betwenn DC police and a suspect in '77 between the VK busses which left one bullet hole toward the back end of one of the buses (?#1). The suspect crashed and burned, VK buses never stopped. Police later found us in PA to get a few statements.

I loved those old buses.

[apoch003]

We had scenicruisers...

P.S. Sorry Marty. But there is no way to save that picture. I really tried.

Edited July 21, 2008 by apoch003

[Martybucs]

We had scenicruisers...

P.S. Sorry Marty. But there is no way to save that picture. I really tried.

Thanks.

You should see the orignal. It was a scarlet red with almost no contrast. I worked on it myself for quite awhile just to get it to look like a picture of something.

[Drack1cba]

I don't remember hearing that story at all. In 87 the big bus story in our camp was the fact that Sky Ryders had been impounded for almost a week and they were sitting around with nothing to do but practice. Your tale is phenomenal, and I have no idea why it didn't get around.

I do not remember hearing about it either out here on the East Coast. even though i think it was our first year back after taking 86 off to regroup the DC community was still pretty tight and I think former Bayonne members where still teaching VK at that time.

Dude we had our own crazniess to overcome as well.. 84' bus driver driving onto a interstate the wrong way and then doing a K turn, 85' bus driver not realizing that the lanes had switch back after a area of road construction and then going a few miles head on into un coming traffic, and my fav.. 87' waking up to find that one of our buses rolled down a hill into a brick wall since the parking brake failed...... :)

[apoch003]

Sometimes, removing the colour altogether is the best thing.

[Puppet]

We had scenicruisers...

P.S. Sorry Marty. But there is no way to save that picture. I really tried.

Ah, the memories! We tooled around in 3 like that. We practically lived in our before we got the big PROVOST models. Here's a pic from Miami.

I've got a story from that deep south tour, Just trying to find a PC way to tell it.

Puppet

Edited July 29, 2008 by Puppet