Crown Coach Corporation
Encyclopedia
Crown Coach Corporation was a manufacturer of school buses and fire trucks located in southern California. Crown closed in March 1991 due to declining demand for school buses at the time.
, eventually moving factory operations to Chino, California
in San Bernardino County
. Both factories have since been razed. The property in Los Angeles is now a manufacturing center but was once slated to be converted to a prison before concerns regarding contamination arose; the office and paint shed of the Chino property stood for a while longer, but were eventually torn down as well. Since a large number of 30-plus year old Crown school buses are still in service, replacement parts are supplied by West Coach, a company started by a group of former Crown Coach employees.
Crown Coach was the creator of the original large, flat nose (cab-forward transit style or "Type D"), high capacity school bus. Their first example appeared in 1932. That vehicle still exists today. Beginning as a wagon builder, and shortly thereafter a motorized truck
body outfitter, Crown expanded into passenger vehicles which then became its main focus. Working with Tanner Grey Line of Los Angeles, Crown designed the well-known Art Deco
coach that eventually led to a school coach using unibody construction, mid-ship underfloor mounted commercial truck engines (often by Detroit Diesel
or Cummins
; a handful of them had Caterpillar
engines) and off-the-shelf Class 8 truck parts, which made them economical to operate. Starting with steel skins, Crown later switched to rust-resistant aluminum panels.
Crown's Supercoach school buses were known for strength and durability, built of 90,000 psi steel, with an expected service life of 20 years. This became a factor contributing to Crown's shutdown in 1991, because competitors produced less expensive buses made of 45,000 psi steel. The service life of the average school bus today is approximately ten years. There are many Crown buses well over 20 years old still plying the roads of California, and in private use as converted coaches. Many Crown buses, retired by school districts in the U.S., continue to serve in Mexico as local transit buses, private charters, and even cross-country tour coaches.
From 1951 to 1985, Crown Coach Corporation was also a manufacturer of fire apparatus under the Firecoach brand; it was a 1965 open cab Crown Firecoach that was used to portray Engine 51, during the first two seasons of the NBC
/Universal
television
series Emergency!
. The coach actually belonged to LACoFD
Engine Company 60, which was located on the Universal Studios lot. In 1974, Emergency! Executive Producer Jack Webb
was able to purchase a fire engine, thereby allowing the Crown to return to the use for which it was intended.
After being purchased by General Electric in 1987, operation ceased in 1991. Crown's difficulty in competing with manufacturers of smaller, less durable and cheaper school buses was cited as a primary factor in GE's decision to leave the school bus market.
Crown also built Firecoaches on various truck bodies:
Crown also built custom fire vehicles from Supercoach and Firecoach chassis:
Pre-Supercoach
Crown Supercoach Information
Diesel
History
Crown Coach Corporation was founded by Don M. Brockway in 1904 as the "Crown Carriage Company" in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, eventually moving factory operations to Chino, California
Chino, California
Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
. Both factories have since been razed. The property in Los Angeles is now a manufacturing center but was once slated to be converted to a prison before concerns regarding contamination arose; the office and paint shed of the Chino property stood for a while longer, but were eventually torn down as well. Since a large number of 30-plus year old Crown school buses are still in service, replacement parts are supplied by West Coach, a company started by a group of former Crown Coach employees.
Crown Coach was the creator of the original large, flat nose (cab-forward transit style or "Type D"), high capacity school bus. Their first example appeared in 1932. That vehicle still exists today. Beginning as a wagon builder, and shortly thereafter a motorized truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
body outfitter, Crown expanded into passenger vehicles which then became its main focus. Working with Tanner Grey Line of Los Angeles, Crown designed the well-known Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
coach that eventually led to a school coach using unibody construction, mid-ship underfloor mounted commercial truck engines (often by Detroit Diesel
Detroit Diesel
As a corporation, Daimler Trucks North America has decided to rename the company "DETROIT".Detroit Diesel Corporation is an American-based diesel engine producer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, USA...
or Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
; a handful of them had Caterpillar
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
engines) and off-the-shelf Class 8 truck parts, which made them economical to operate. Starting with steel skins, Crown later switched to rust-resistant aluminum panels.
Crown's Supercoach school buses were known for strength and durability, built of 90,000 psi steel, with an expected service life of 20 years. This became a factor contributing to Crown's shutdown in 1991, because competitors produced less expensive buses made of 45,000 psi steel. The service life of the average school bus today is approximately ten years. There are many Crown buses well over 20 years old still plying the roads of California, and in private use as converted coaches. Many Crown buses, retired by school districts in the U.S., continue to serve in Mexico as local transit buses, private charters, and even cross-country tour coaches.
From 1951 to 1985, Crown Coach Corporation was also a manufacturer of fire apparatus under the Firecoach brand; it was a 1965 open cab Crown Firecoach that was used to portray Engine 51, during the first two seasons of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
/Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series Emergency!
Emergency!
Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
. The coach actually belonged to LACoFD
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
Engine Company 60, which was located on the Universal Studios lot. In 1974, Emergency! Executive Producer Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
was able to purchase a fire engine, thereby allowing the Crown to return to the use for which it was intended.
After being purchased by General Electric in 1987, operation ceased in 1991. Crown's difficulty in competing with manufacturers of smaller, less durable and cheaper school buses was cited as a primary factor in GE's decision to leave the school bus market.
Firecoach
Crown built approximately 880 Firecoach products in the line's lifetime (1951–1985)- Firecoach 1951-1985 — pumpers, tillers, aerials and tenders
- 50, 65, 75 and 85-foot Snorkels
- 54, 55 and 75-foot TeleSqurts
- 100-foot mid- or rear-mount aerials
- 100-foot tillered aerial-ladder truck
- Firecoach Squad
- Water Tenders (tankers)
- enclosed or open cab pumpers
Crown also built Firecoaches on various truck bodies:
- Ford C850, C700
- International Harvester
- Pierce-Crown
- Chevrolet Silverado chassis pumper
Crown also built custom fire vehicles from Supercoach and Firecoach chassis:
- 28-foot bus for Los Angeles County Fire Department 1958
- Custom-built bulldozer transport using Firecoach tractor for Los Angeles City Fire Department 1960
- Two open-cab rescue trucks using Firecoach chassis for Honolulu, Hawaii Fire Department 1965
- Heavy Utility tow truck using Firecoach chassis for Los Angeles Fire Department 1967
- Mobile hospital/ambulance for Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC, using Supercoach body 1971
- 2-axle trailer water tank/50-foot TeleSqurt for Tulare, California Fire Department 1975
City transit buses
During the Post-war period Crown built Ford Transit buses. Crown built the Coachette City Bus from 1961 to 1962.Transit buses
Buses were built in 35-foot and 40-foot lengths:- Transit Coach — Crown Ikarus 286 and Crown Ikarus 416 from HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
School buses
Crown's school buses were built with various chassis configurations. Lengths included 32, 35, 36, 38, and 40 feet. Axle configurations included 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4. The buses seated 33 to 97 passengers (90 passengers after 1977).Pre-Supercoach
- Crown Model B-3
- Crown Model D
Crown Supercoach Information
| Model | Length (ft) | Picture | Year Introduced | End of Production | Fuel Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Supercoach (C-body) |
35 36 38 40 |
1948 | 1991 | Gasoline Diesel |
Along with introducing the transit-style school bus in 1932, Crown introduced diesel engines (Cummins) to school buses in 1955. | |
| Crown Supercoach Series II (N-body) | 40 | 1989 | 1991 | Methanol Diesel |
The Series II was originally designed as a way to accommodate a methanol-fueled version of the Detroit Diesel 6V92 Series 92 The Detroit Diesel Series 92 is a two-stroke cycle, V-block diesel engine, produced with versions ranging from four to 16 cylinders. Among these, the most popular were the 6V92 and 8V92, which were V6 and V8 configurations of the same engine respectively. The series was introduced in 1974... in the rear; it would not fit in the tapered rear end of the Supercoach. |
|
Specialty vehicles
- Security Jail Coaches 1950s — 35-foot and 40-foot chassis; 42-64 passengers
- Mobile Command unit/Crown Coach HPO Bookmobile for Apple Valley
Engines
Gasoline- Waukesha
- Hall-Scott
- International
- Ford
Diesel
- Caterpillar 3208 (rear-engine Supercoach II and Firecoach only)
- Cummins NHH (743 & 855 c.i.)
- Cummins C8.3 (rear-engine)
- Detroit Diesel 6v53, 6n71, 8v71, 6v92, 8v92
External links
- Crown Coach Historical Society
- http://www.crownfireengine.com Bruce Vanderhorst Crown Fire Engine Website
- http://www.crownisking.org Paul Krot's Crown Firecoach Photo Archive
- http://www.crownfireapparatus.com Chris Arnolds Crown Firecoach Website