Eagle Bus - History

History

The first 54 Eagles were Golden Eagles built by the German company Kässbohrer. They were part of an order for 200 highway coaches manufactured under a contract with Continental Trailways. Of this original group, four were articulated. All of these coaches were of the "Setra Design" which meant that they had a chassis-less frame called selbst tragend (self-carrying). The bus was called Setra, a name formed from the first letters of those two words. A slightly less highly equipped model, called "Silver Eagle" because of its stainless steel ("silver") siding, became the standard fleet bus for Continental Trailways.

In the late 1950s, Kässbohrer announced its decision to concentrate on European coaches. At this point, Continental Trailways formed its own company, Bus & Car Co, N.V., in partnership with the Belgian company La Brugeoise and established its own factory in Belgium. Kässbohrer fulfilled its commitment under the contract with Trailways and Bus & Car picked up production. The Trailways Eagles provided a more comfortable ride than Greyhound Lines MCI coaches. During the middle 1960's, Trailways and Greyhound ran competitive services on the Boston and New York route with hourly departure schedules. This allowed frequent travelers to draw comparisons between the lines' equpiment. The Eagles were warmer in the winters, had a softer ride, better upholstery and cushioning on the seats and a quieter cabin.

A small number of other models were built in Belgium for different markets through 1968. In 1968 the Model 05 was introduced and was produced in Belgium.

In the early 1970s, drivers referred to Old Eagles and New Eagles. The Old Eagles had the tag axle behind the drive axle, like a MCI. The New Eagles had the tag axle located forward of the drive axle which made them interesting to drive. The front suspension was very soft with a lot of travel, and since the tag axle torsion bar was pushing the front end up also, some drivers said it was like driving a diving board. The front end went up and down at the slightest provocation and occasionally the driver had to grip the steering wheel to remain seated. Some New Eagles had air ride seats, and some drivers would take the hydraulic jack from the tool kit and set it under the seat to reduce its motion.

In 1974 Eagle International, Inc. started building coaches in Brownsville, Texas, and for two years, the Model 05 was built both in Belgium and Texas. Since 1976, all US-bound coaches have been built in Texas. The Model 10 was introduced with many design changes in 1980. In 1985 the Model 15 was introduced making the standard bus 102 inches wide, then four years later coaches could be ordered 45 feet long. In 1987 Greyhound purchased Trailways and Eagle International, Inc. The name was then changed to Eagle Bus Mfg. Inc. In the 1990s, Greyhound declared bankruptcy, which also included all of its subsidiaries including Eagle Bus Mfg. Inc. Some Eagles were being made, mostly "Entertainer Coaches" for celebrities.

In the late 1990s the company was split and moved to two locations in Mexico. Mexico has a high demand for seated buses and Eagles were built for that market - all with the Eagle Ride "Torsilastic Suspension".