The Buses of Kingston, 1930-1962

Trying to get photographic context that shows Kingston, in somewhat-recognizable places, given the changes that have taken place over the years in our street scenes! Photos in this post, unless otherwise noted, courtesy of former Colonial Coach Lines mechanic and transit enthusiast Kingston's own John Carey. Posed on the hill just east of Kingston Penitentiary, two Kingston City Coach buses with Portsmouth-Princess route-signs (top photo - 1930 Reo; below - possibly Leyland).

Two views of what appears to be the same 29-passenger Leyland, parked outside the LaSalle Hotel, Bagot and Princess Streets (above and below). John noted that the old and newer parts (yellow brick) of the hotel were discernible above the bus roof. Cheese it! It's the coppers!

A Whig clipping from September 6, 1930 described the new buses: 

On a wintry February 23, 1934, a procession of three Leylands lined up for a charter outside Ban Righ Hall, on what was formerly Queen's Crescent:

A 1935 GMC numbered 352 posed in front of the Frontenac County Court House. Notice the patriotic flag-draped decorating job and '21st Battalion' on the front bumper. Perhaps this was for a major 21st Battalion Club service, held at the Cricket Field on May 7, 1935 marking the Silver Jubilee of King George V and the 20th anniversary of the battalion's departure from Kingston overseas for World War I. John noted that the Coast to Coast - Montreal to Vancouver - New York to L.A. lettering pertained perhaps to connecting routes grandiosely.

A 1934 GMC product, possibly a Model U, takes on passengers at Royal Military College:

Coach 39 was a GM Yellow Coach, built in Pontiac (Detroit), Michigan with a Buick or Cadillac engine. Converted to city use in Kingston, having wooden-slat seats, it continued in use until after World War II. John mentioned that he rode in this vintage bus many times coming home from St. Mary's school in 1945-46. Route-sign says 'Barriefield'. A route begun in 1946 gave Kingston City Coach the right to reach Barriefield, Vimy, the nylon plant and Norman Rogers airport. This coach was also used on an extra run to the Front Road nylon plant at the same time to pick up workers coming off-shirt at 4:30 in the afternoon. John remembers driver Alfie Ball picking him up at Clergy and Princess Streets, thence to Victoria or John's home on Mack Street heading out to the nylon plant. For a lark, he would turn the ignition off, then turn it back on! The Kingston Armoury in Montreal Street can be seen in the background behind this parking lot used for bus storage.

Photographed at Oscar Cook's garage near Ontario and Queen streets, a 1930 Reo:

Kingston City Coach's 1935 Macks were built in Allentown, PA and carried across the St. Lawrence River by Ogdensburg-Prescott ferry. As delivered with no back door, this page shows John's post-it notes with additional information pertaining to each photo. These photos came from Ted Baker, the most senior Colonial driver who started in 1930: 

Photographed at the Queen Street-side Colonial Coach Lines garage entrance (below) driver Merrill Weekes was also a noted vehicle enthusiast in this area in later years. A World War II veteran, Merrill left us in 2022 at the age of 99, and his obituary mentions that he usually had either a wrench or a steering-wheel in his hands! Bus 397 is a 1939 GM model 742, among the first equipped with a pusher 707 six-cylinder diesel engine with dual ignition.

Bagot & Princess Streets - August 24, 1948. An expensive Lincoln sedan rear-ended by a Kingston City Coach Ford at one in the afternoon. The Whig gave the incident about one column-inch, noting that the car was driven by C. Leounis of Binghamton, NY and that the bus's air-brakes may have led to the collision. 

The Topnotch feed mill's tower is visible in background, with Fort Frontenac's wall and limestone quarters  behind four 1937 GMC buses destined for Montreal, stylish but no longer in service during John's tenure as a mechanic:

A 1947 photo showing all-new coaches open for inspection in Market Square, likely taken from upper storeys of the Whig building. Is that the ferry peeking out from between the west wing of City Hall and the Prince George Hotel? These are model 3702-3703, model years 1945-48, powered by GM 4-71 diesel engines. John says, "They were real workhorses", and that "If there's a better bus built, GM builds them".

While viewing the photo above, John noted that the Prince George and the Frontenac Hotel, next to it, were rough beer parlours. The British-American Hotel was one street over on Clarence Street. His uncle Ace was in charge of the Brock Street firehall the night the B-A burned down, nearly losing his life becoming disoriented in the upper stories of the 60-room hotel on March 19, 1963. Photographer George Lilley's studio at 34-40 Clarence Street was fortuitously undamaged. Expanded in the 1960s, the B-A still had some fireplace-equipped rooms!

Two old Kingston City Coach Leylands posed along the Inner Harbour. John said that #44 (above - route sign Portsmouth) used to make the nightly run to Vimy and Norman Rogers, and that #45 (Portsmouth-Princess - below) was right-hand drive and did passenger runs in the city during World War II.

Another photo of Kingston City Coach Mack 54, posed at Market Square, route-sign 'Sightseeing':

Built in 1944, (i.e. 4400-series) GM 3608's came from Montreal suburban routes, renumbered, then used in service in Kingston. John noted that they were in service for a long time, with a six-cylinder gas engine. This photo print is dated Sep-1962, taken near the site of the former electric railway carbarns, with the Ontario Street Topnotch feed mill in background - after Colonial had left their garage. The city acquired 15 Brill buses from Colonial in 1962, paying $411 each to repaint them at Edwards Ford.

A 1952 Kingston Public Transit System Brill AEC English Diesel bus that began its service in Montreal. Revamped in 1956 with rear door added then sent to Kingston City Coach. John noted that these European engines required Metric tools to be ordered in order to work on them!