Bus and Trackless News
June 15, 2007

Just arrived at the Museum, volunteers prepared to put Paris 2052 under cover in Central Carbarn

No. 2052 - Paris, France - 1932 Renault

Seashore Trolley Museum's latest acquisition, a 6-cylinder 1932 Renault bus from Paris, France, has just arrived in Kennebunkport. Bus 2052's journey to Kennebunkport was long and complex. Seashore first sought one of these iconic vehicles in the mid-1980s, and had reached an agreement with a French museum, to exchange a bus of this model for a Boston streetcar. The agreement was never fulfilled, due to a change in leadership and interest at the French museum.

However, in the early 1960s, bus 2052 was shipped to the US by a department store in Chicago, for promotional use.  The store later donated it to the Museum of Transportation in St Louis, where it was on display for many years. After the bus had gone off display, it went into "dead storage" and eventually appeared as surplus equipment on eBay. A collector from Barre, MA spotted this historical gem last year, and sold it to Seashore this year, so that it could be displayed to a wider audience.

Buses with open rear platforms were a tradition in Paris for decades. Bus 2052 has a design that was typical from 1911 through the late 1930s, with a separate forward compartment for the driver. Passengers boarded and alighted through an open area in the back.

Bus 2052 joins Seashore's extensive collection of international streetcars, buses and rapid transit vehicles, representing cities such as Liverpool, London, Berlin, Glasgow, Sydney, Nagasaki and Budapest. The bus will require some renovation, including a new roof canvas and some interior repairs. Seashore plans to complete this work within a year, and then place the coach on display.

Trackless Update

Johnstown trackless trolley No. 713 out for Seashore's Annual Meeting on May 26th

The Swiss Trackless crew of Henri and Charlie, with the help of Rick Sefarian, reinstalled the rebuilt components for the MG set and then serviced and diagnosed the coach. Their efforts could be seen by many of the Museum members as No. 713 could be seen moving about during the Annual Meeting on May 26th. The trackless crew had out Boston 8361 as well as the Swiss trackless No. 653 and matching trailer.