New England Greyhound Lines
Encyclopedia
The New England Greyhound Lines (called also NEGL), an intercity highway-coach
carrier
, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, from 1937 until 1955, when it became a part of the Eastern Division of The Greyhound Corporation (called also the Eastern Greyhound Lines, the first of four huge new divisions (along with Central, Southern, and Western).
of the NET Company – the Berkshire Motor Coach Lines and the Victoria Coach Lines, two discount-price carriers which NET had previously bought (not later than 1932) – plus the Quaker Stages and the Old Colony Coach Lines, two independent unrelated firms.
The NET Company was the bus subsidiary of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford (NYNH&H) Railroad
, commonly known as the New Haven Railroad.
The railway
firm bought a one-half interest
in the New England GL.
in 1930, by forming the Eastern GL (EGL) of New York [as a subsidiary of the undenominated main Eastern GL, which had come into existence in the previous year as a holding company
(rather than an operating company), to own a number of Greyhound subsidiaries (both existing ones and future ones) to the east of Chicago (in Illinois
) – other than the Pennsylvania GL, in which the Pennsylvania Railroad
soon bought a large but minority interest
].
The EGL of New York ran in part between Albany
(in New York
) and Boston, via Pittsfield
, Springfield
, and Worcester
(all four in Massachusetts
).
, the EGL of New York, and the EGL of Michigan
).
In that same year, 1930, the new EGL of New England (different and separate from the EGL of New York) started running, on two intercity routes acquired from the Gray Line
of Boston (a part of the famous sightseeing organization), two routes between Boston and New York City
– the inland route, via Worcester and Springfield (both in Massachusetts) and Hartford
and New Haven
(both in Connecticut
), and the shoreline route, via Providence
(in Rhode Island
) and New London
and New Haven (both in Connecticut).
[In 1935 the main (first) Eastern GL plus three subsidiaries, the EGL of Ohio, the EGL of New York, and the EGL of Michigan, became renamed respectively as the (second) Central GL
, the CGL of Ohio, the CGL of New York, and the CGL of Michigan, whereas the EGL of New England (due to its eastern
or northeastern
location) continued to use its same name.]
In 1936 The Greyhound Corporation began to eliminate its multiple (and often complex) intermediate holding companies (between the parent firm and the operating companies) – to avoid a hugely increased federal
income tax
on the undistributed earnings of corporate subsidiaries – one under the Revenue Act of 1936, which the U.S. Congress had passed as a means by which to cause (or force) a simplification of complex corporate structures in the public-utility
industries (including the transportation industries).
In one response (among several others) to the new legislation
, in that same year, 1936, Greyhound merged the EGL of New England (as a division
rather than a subsidiary) into The Greyhound Corporation, the parent firm.
[Thus The Greyhound Corporation, previously merely a holding company rather than an operating company, became a carrier in its own right and under its own authority with its own ICC-MC number.]
While waiting for the mandatory approval (for the investment
, the acquisitions
, and the mergers
pertaining to the NEGL) of the federal Interstate Commerce Commission
(ICC), the EGL of New England (in operation since 1930) and the New England Transportation Company began to coordinate their scheduled trips (between Boston and New York City) with each other, and each company began to accept the tickets of the other.
In 1939 the ICC announced its decision to allow the proposed actions, and the two companies (the NEGL and the NET Company) moved forward by carrying out their plans.
via Middletown
and Marlborough
(all four in Connecticut), and the one between New York City and Pittsfield (in Massachusetts) via Danbury
, New Milford
, and Torrington
(all three in Connecticut).
The NEGL acquired also (likewise from the NET Company) the Berkshire and Victoria firms (each of which ran between Boston and New York City on an inland route via Hartford).
The NEGL further acquired the Quaker firm [which ran between Boston and Bangor
(in Maine
) via Portsmouth
(in New Hampshire
) and Portland
and Augusta
(the last two in Maine) and between Portland and Belfast
(both in Maine)] and the Old Colony firm [which ran not only between Boston and New York City but also between Boston and Saint Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, just across the border from Calais, Maine
, via Portsmouth (in New Hampshire) and Portland, Augusta and Bangor (all three in Maine)].
[After those acquisitions by the NEGL, Berkshire, Victoria, Quaker, and Old Colony all ceased to exist, although the NET Company continued to operate on several other routes (albeit on shorter ones) in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, until 1958.]
The Greyhound Corporation, the parent firm, promptly transferred all the new routes north of Boston (to Portsmouth, Portland, Belfast, Augusta, Bangor, and Saint Stephen) from the NEGL to the EGL of New England, which still ran several trips each day between Boston and New York City alongside the NEGL.
In 1940, however, Greyhound transferred to the NEGL the remaining trips of the EGL of New England between Boston and New York City.
The NEGL made several minor acquisitions and dispositions of routes during the following years.
On the last day of October 1950 The Greyhound Corporation bought back the one-half interest of the New Haven Railroad in the New England GL.
On the last day of December 1950 the parent firm merged the EGL of New England into the NEGL.
In 1953 the New England GL bought the International Coach Lines (ICL), based in Rumford, Maine, which ran between two points in Canada
– Montréal, Québec, and Saint John, New Brunswick
– along a route (a shortcut of sorts) mostly through northern New England – via Stanhope (in Québec
), Norton (in Vermont
), Colebrook
, Lancaster
, and Gorham
(all three in New Hampshire), Rumford, Bangor, Lincoln, and Calais (all four in Maine), and Saint Stephen (in New Brunswick
).
With that purchase the NEGL received five new MCI coaches (of the model 95-D), which the ICL had already ordered, but which had not yet become delivered before the merger of the ICL into the NEGL.
Thus The Greyhound Corporation (through the NEGL as a wholly owned subsidiary) acquired and began to operate its first MCI coaches in the USA.
[The Motor Coach Industries
(MCI), then based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in one of the “prairie provinces
” of Canada, north of North Dakota
and Minnesota
, was then a Canadian coach builder and was then a subsidiary of one of the Greyhound carriers in Canada.]
[In 1948 the Western Canadian Greyhound Lines, Limited, had bought the MCI as the supplier of its coaches for its operations in Canada (and for sale to others); in -58 The Greyhound Corporation (the parent firm in the US) bought a controlling interest
in the MCI (thereby taking an important step toward developing again its own source for its future equipment).]
However, the NEGL took part in only a few interlined through-routes in cooperation with other operating companies – those between Boston and both Richmond
and Norfolk
(both in Virginia
), both with the Pennsylvania GL and the Richmond GL, and between New York City and both Bennington and Burlington
(both in Vermont), with the Vermont Transit Company, in which The Greyhound Corporation then owned a minority interest
.
[In the previous year, 1954, Greyhound had already merged the Capitol GL and the (second) Central GL into the Pennsylvania GL.]
Thus ended the New England GL, and thus began the (second) Eastern GL.
In 1987 The Greyhound Corporation (the original parent Greyhound firm), which had become widely diversified far beyond transportation, sold its entire highway-coach operating business (its core bus business) to a new company, named as the (second) Greyhound Lines, Inc., also called the (second) GLI, based in Dallas, Texas
– a separate, independent, unrelated firm, which was the property of a group of private investors under the promotion of Fred Currey, a former executive of the Continental Trailways (later renamed as the Trailways, Inc., also called TWI, also based in Dallas), which was by far the largest member company in the Trailways association.
Later in 1987 the (second) Greyhound Lines, Inc., the (second) GLI, the new firm based in Dallas, further bought the Trailways, Inc., the TWI, its largest competitor
, and merged it into the GLI.
Later in 1987 the Greyhound Lines, Inc., the GLI, the new firm based in Dallas, further bought the Trailways, Inc., the TWI, its largest competitor, and merged it into the GLI.
The lenders and the other investors of the GLI ousted Fred Currey as the chief executive officer
(CEO) after the firm went into bankruptcy
in 1990.
The GLI has since continued to experience difficulties and lackluster performance under a succession of new owners and new executives
while continuing to reduce its level of service – by hauling fewer passengers aboard fewer coaches on fewer trips along fewer routes with fewer stops in fewer communities in fewer states – and by doing so on fewer days – that is, increasingly operating some trips less often than every day (fewer than seven days per week) – and by using fewer through-coaches, thus requiring passengers to make more transfers (from one coach to another).
After the sale to the GLI, The Greyhound Corporation (the original parent Greyhound firm) changed its name to the Greyhound-Dial Corporation, then the Dial Corporation, then the Viad Corporation
. [The contrived name Viad appears to be a curious respelling of the former name Dial – if one scrambles the letters D, I, and A, then turns the V upside down and regards it as the Greek
letter lambda
– Λ – that is, the Greek equivalent of the Roman
or Latin
letter L.]
The website of the Viad Corporation (http://www.viad.com) in September 2008 makes no mention of its corporate history or its past relationship to Greyhound – that is, its origin as The Greyhound Corporation.
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
carrier
Common carrier
A common carrier in common-law countries is a person or company that transports goods or people for any person or company and that is responsible for any possible loss of the goods during transport...
, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, from 1937 until 1955, when it became a part of the Eastern Division of The Greyhound Corporation (called also the Eastern Greyhound Lines, the first of four huge new divisions (along with Central, Southern, and Western).
Origin
In 1937 The Greyhound Corporation, the original parent Greyhound firm, formed the New England Greyhound Lines (GL) to take over three routes of the New England Transportation (NET) Company, along with two subsidiariesSubsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of the NET Company – the Berkshire Motor Coach Lines and the Victoria Coach Lines, two discount-price carriers which NET had previously bought (not later than 1932) – plus the Quaker Stages and the Old Colony Coach Lines, two independent unrelated firms.
The NET Company was the bus subsidiary of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford (NYNH&H) Railroad
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
, commonly known as the New Haven Railroad.
The railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
firm bought a one-half interest
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
in the New England GL.
Eastern GL of New York
Already, however, Greyhound had made its first presence in New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in 1930, by forming the Eastern GL (EGL) of New York [as a subsidiary of the undenominated main Eastern GL, which had come into existence in the previous year as a holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
(rather than an operating company), to own a number of Greyhound subsidiaries (both existing ones and future ones) to the east of Chicago (in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) – other than the Pennsylvania GL, in which the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
soon bought a large but minority interest
Minority interest
Minority interest in business is an accounting concept that refers to the portion of a subsidiary corporation's stock that is not owned by the parent corporation...
].
The EGL of New York ran in part between Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
(in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) and Boston, via Pittsfield
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
, Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, and Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
(all four in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
).
Eastern GL of New England
In 1930 The Greyhound Corporation, the parent firm, during its rapid growth, formed another subsidiary, the EGL of New England (different and separate from the EGL of New York), then placed it under the undenominated main EGL (the holding company) – along with three other operating subsidiaries (the EGL of OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, the EGL of New York, and the EGL of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
).
In that same year, 1930, the new EGL of New England (different and separate from the EGL of New York) started running, on two intercity routes acquired from the Gray Line
Gray Line Worldwide
Gray Line Worldwide operates local sightseeing tours across the world using trolley coaches, double-deckers and standard single deck coaches. It also offers charter services, airport transfers and convention services....
of Boston (a part of the famous sightseeing organization), two routes between Boston and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
– the inland route, via Worcester and Springfield (both in Massachusetts) and Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
and New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
(both in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
), and the shoreline route, via Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
(in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
) and New London
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
and New Haven (both in Connecticut).
[In 1935 the main (first) Eastern GL plus three subsidiaries, the EGL of Ohio, the EGL of New York, and the EGL of Michigan, became renamed respectively as the (second) Central GL
Central Greyhound Lines
Central Greyhound Lines is a name used in six different contexts or applications in the intercity highway-coach industry in the USA. In each of the first five instances, the name was used for a regional operating company of The Greyhound Corporation...
, the CGL of Ohio, the CGL of New York, and the CGL of Michigan, whereas the EGL of New England (due to its eastern
Eastern United States
The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
or northeastern
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
location) continued to use its same name.]
In 1936 The Greyhound Corporation began to eliminate its multiple (and often complex) intermediate holding companies (between the parent firm and the operating companies) – to avoid a hugely increased federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
on the undistributed earnings of corporate subsidiaries – one under the Revenue Act of 1936, which the U.S. Congress had passed as a means by which to cause (or force) a simplification of complex corporate structures in the public-utility
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
industries (including the transportation industries).
In one response (among several others) to the new legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
, in that same year, 1936, Greyhound merged the EGL of New England (as a division
Division (business)
A division of a business entity is a portion of that business that operates under a different name. It is the equivalent of a corporation or limited liability company obtaining a fictitious name or "doing business as" certificate and operating a business under that fictitious name...
rather than a subsidiary) into The Greyhound Corporation, the parent firm.
[Thus The Greyhound Corporation, previously merely a holding company rather than an operating company, became a carrier in its own right and under its own authority with its own ICC-MC number.]
While waiting for the mandatory approval (for the investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
, the acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
, and the mergers
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
pertaining to the NEGL) of the federal Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
(ICC), the EGL of New England (in operation since 1930) and the New England Transportation Company began to coordinate their scheduled trips (between Boston and New York City) with each other, and each company began to accept the tickets of the other.
In 1939 the ICC announced its decision to allow the proposed actions, and the two companies (the NEGL and the NET Company) moved forward by carrying out their plans.
Development
The New England GL acquired three routes from the NET Company: the shoreline route between Boston and New York City via Providence, New London, and New Haven, the one between New Haven and WillimanticWillimantic, Connecticut
Willimantic is a census-designated place and former city located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was estimated at 15,823 at the 2000 census. It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University, as well as the Windham Textile and History Museum....
via Middletown
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
and Marlborough
Marlborough, Connecticut
Marlborough is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the census-designated place of Terramuggus. The population was 5,709 at the 2000 census. Marlborough is a suburban/rural upper middle class bedroom community of Hartford...
(all four in Connecticut), and the one between New York City and Pittsfield (in Massachusetts) via Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
, New Milford
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in southern Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly . The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates...
, and Torrington
Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the northwestern Connecticut region. It is also the core city of the largest micropolitan area in the United States. The city population was 36,383 according to the 2010 census....
(all three in Connecticut).
The NEGL acquired also (likewise from the NET Company) the Berkshire and Victoria firms (each of which ran between Boston and New York City on an inland route via Hartford).
The NEGL further acquired the Quaker firm [which ran between Boston and Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
(in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
) via Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
(in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
) and Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
and Augusta
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
(the last two in Maine) and between Portland and Belfast
Belfast, Maine
Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,668. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River on Penobscot Bay, Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County...
(both in Maine)] and the Old Colony firm [which ran not only between Boston and New York City but also between Boston and Saint Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, just across the border from Calais, Maine
Calais, Maine
Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The city has three United States border crossings or also known as a Port of entry with the busiest being on the St. Croix River bordering St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada...
, via Portsmouth (in New Hampshire) and Portland, Augusta and Bangor (all three in Maine)].
[After those acquisitions by the NEGL, Berkshire, Victoria, Quaker, and Old Colony all ceased to exist, although the NET Company continued to operate on several other routes (albeit on shorter ones) in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, until 1958.]
The Greyhound Corporation, the parent firm, promptly transferred all the new routes north of Boston (to Portsmouth, Portland, Belfast, Augusta, Bangor, and Saint Stephen) from the NEGL to the EGL of New England, which still ran several trips each day between Boston and New York City alongside the NEGL.
In 1940, however, Greyhound transferred to the NEGL the remaining trips of the EGL of New England between Boston and New York City.
The NEGL made several minor acquisitions and dispositions of routes during the following years.
On the last day of October 1950 The Greyhound Corporation bought back the one-half interest of the New Haven Railroad in the New England GL.
On the last day of December 1950 the parent firm merged the EGL of New England into the NEGL.
In 1953 the New England GL bought the International Coach Lines (ICL), based in Rumford, Maine, which ran between two points in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
– Montréal, Québec, and Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
– along a route (a shortcut of sorts) mostly through northern New England – via Stanhope (in Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
), Norton (in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
), Colebrook
Colebrook, New Hampshire
Colebrook is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,301 at the 2010 census. Situated in the Great North Woods Region, it is bounded on the west by the Connecticut River and home to Beaver Brook Falls Natural Area....
, Lancaster
Lancaster, New Hampshire
Lancaster is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, USA, on the Connecticut River named after Lancaster, England. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,507, the second largest in the county after Berlin. It is the county seat of Coos County and gateway to the Great North Woods Region...
, and Gorham
Gorham, New Hampshire
Gorham is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,848 at the 2010 census. Gorham is located in the White Mountains, and parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the south and northwest. Moose Brook State Park is in the west. The town is crossed by the...
(all three in New Hampshire), Rumford, Bangor, Lincoln, and Calais (all four in Maine), and Saint Stephen (in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
).
With that purchase the NEGL received five new MCI coaches (of the model 95-D), which the ICL had already ordered, but which had not yet become delivered before the merger of the ICL into the NEGL.
Thus The Greyhound Corporation (through the NEGL as a wholly owned subsidiary) acquired and began to operate its first MCI coaches in the USA.
[The Motor Coach Industries
Motor Coach Industries
Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...
(MCI), then based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in one of the “prairie provinces
Canadian Prairies
The Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are largely covered...
” of Canada, north of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, was then a Canadian coach builder and was then a subsidiary of one of the Greyhound carriers in Canada.]
[In 1948 the Western Canadian Greyhound Lines, Limited, had bought the MCI as the supplier of its coaches for its operations in Canada (and for sale to others); in -58 The Greyhound Corporation (the parent firm in the US) bought a controlling interest
Controlling interest
Controlling interest in a corporation means to have control of a large enough block of voting stock shares in a company such that no one stock holder or coalition of stock holders can successfully oppose a motion...
in the MCI (thereby taking an important step toward developing again its own source for its future equipment).]
Through-coaches on through-routes
The New England GL ran a number of through-coaches along its own routes, including those between New York City and Boston, New York City and Portland, New York City and Bangor, New York City and Saint Stephen, and Montréal and Saint John.However, the NEGL took part in only a few interlined through-routes in cooperation with other operating companies – those between Boston and both Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
(both in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
), both with the Pennsylvania GL and the Richmond GL, and between New York City and both Bennington and Burlington
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
(both in Vermont), with the Vermont Transit Company, in which The Greyhound Corporation then owned a minority interest
Minority interest
Minority interest in business is an accounting concept that refers to the portion of a subsidiary corporation's stock that is not owned by the parent corporation...
.
Meeting other Greyhound companies
The New England GL met the EGL of New York in Boston and the Central GL and the Pennsylvania GL in New York City.Merger with Pennsylvania GL
In 1955, during a time of consolidation, Greyhound merged the New England GL (and the Richmond GL, another regional subsidiary) with the Pennsylvania GL, all of which became redesignated as the Eastern Division of The Greyhound Corporation [called also the (second) Eastern GL], the first of four huge new divisions (along with Southern, Western, and another Central)].[In the previous year, 1954, Greyhound had already merged the Capitol GL and the (second) Central GL into the Pennsylvania GL.]
Thus ended the New England GL, and thus began the (second) Eastern GL.
Beyond New England GL
Later (about 1966) The Greyhound Corporation reorganized again, into just two humongous divisions, named as the Greyhound Lines East (GLE) and the Greyhound Lines West (GLW); even later (about 1970) it eliminated those two divisions, thereby leaving a single gargantuan undivided nationwide fleet.In 1987 The Greyhound Corporation (the original parent Greyhound firm), which had become widely diversified far beyond transportation, sold its entire highway-coach operating business (its core bus business) to a new company, named as the (second) Greyhound Lines, Inc., also called the (second) GLI, based in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
– a separate, independent, unrelated firm, which was the property of a group of private investors under the promotion of Fred Currey, a former executive of the Continental Trailways (later renamed as the Trailways, Inc., also called TWI, also based in Dallas), which was by far the largest member company in the Trailways association.
Later in 1987 the (second) Greyhound Lines, Inc., the (second) GLI, the new firm based in Dallas, further bought the Trailways, Inc., the TWI, its largest competitor
Competition (economics)
Competition in economics is a term that encompasses the notion of individuals and firms striving for a greater share of a market to sell or buy goods and services...
, and merged it into the GLI.
Later in 1987 the Greyhound Lines, Inc., the GLI, the new firm based in Dallas, further bought the Trailways, Inc., the TWI, its largest competitor, and merged it into the GLI.
The lenders and the other investors of the GLI ousted Fred Currey as the chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
(CEO) after the firm went into bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 1990.
The GLI has since continued to experience difficulties and lackluster performance under a succession of new owners and new executives
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
while continuing to reduce its level of service – by hauling fewer passengers aboard fewer coaches on fewer trips along fewer routes with fewer stops in fewer communities in fewer states – and by doing so on fewer days – that is, increasingly operating some trips less often than every day (fewer than seven days per week) – and by using fewer through-coaches, thus requiring passengers to make more transfers (from one coach to another).
After the sale to the GLI, The Greyhound Corporation (the original parent Greyhound firm) changed its name to the Greyhound-Dial Corporation, then the Dial Corporation, then the Viad Corporation
VIAD Corporation
Viad Corp is an S&P SmallCap 600 company that operates businesses that provide place-based marketing services in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United Arab Emirates, as well as travel and recreation services in the United States and Canada. Viad’s businesses occupy leading...
. [The contrived name Viad appears to be a curious respelling of the former name Dial – if one scrambles the letters D, I, and A, then turns the V upside down and regards it as the Greek
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
letter lambda
Lambda
Lambda is the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is related to the Phoenician letter Lamed . Letters in other alphabets that stemmed from lambda include the Roman L and the Cyrillic letter El...
– Λ – that is, the Greek equivalent of the Roman
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
or Latin
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
letter L.]
The website of the Viad Corporation (http://www.viad.com) in September 2008 makes no mention of its corporate history or its past relationship to Greyhound – that is, its origin as The Greyhound Corporation.
Conclusion
The routes of the New England GL made a major and significant contribution to the present Greyhound route network .See also
- The Greyhound Corporation
- Atlantic Greyhound LinesAtlantic Greyhound LinesThe Atlantic Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Charleston, West Virginia, USA, from 1931 until 1960, when it became merged with the Southeastern Greyhound Lines , a neighboring operating company, thus forming the Southern Division of The...
- Capitol Greyhound LinesCapitol Greyhound LinesThe Capitol Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, from 1930 until 1954, when it was merged into the Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company.-Development:The Capitol Greyhound Lines came into...
- Central Greyhound LinesCentral Greyhound LinesCentral Greyhound Lines is a name used in six different contexts or applications in the intercity highway-coach industry in the USA. In each of the first five instances, the name was used for a regional operating company of The Greyhound Corporation...
- Dixie Greyhound LinesDixie Greyhound LinesThe Dixie Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, from 1930 until 1954, when it became merged into the Southeastern Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company.- Origin :The Dixie Greyhound Lines began in 1925...
- Florida Greyhound LinesFlorida Greyhound LinesThe Florida Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, from 1946 until 1957, when it was merged into the Southeastern Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company.-Origin:The immediate predecessor of the Florida...
- Great Lakes Greyhound LinesGreat Lakes Greyhound LinesThe Great Lakes Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Detroit, Michigan, USA, from 1941 until 1957, when it merged with the Northland Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company, thereby forming the Central Division of The Greyhound...
- Southeastern Greyhound LinesSoutheastern Greyhound LinesThe Southeastern Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, from 1931 until 1960, when it became merged with the Atlantic Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company, thereby forming the Southern Division of The...
- Teche Greyhound LinesTeche Greyhound LinesThe Teche Greyhound Lines , a highway-coach carrier, was a Greyhound regional operating company, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, from 1934 until 1954, when it was merged into the Southeastern Greyhound Lines, a neighboring operating company.[Teche, pronounced as "tesh", is a word of French...
- Tennessee Coach CompanyTennessee Coach CompanyThe Tennessee Coach Company was a regional highway-coach carrier, founded in 1928 and based in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It was in operation until 1976, when it became merged into the Continental Tennessee Lines, a subsidiary of the Transcontinental Bus System, called also the Continental Trailways...