Red Star Way, Inc. A-60

Twin Coach built No. A-60 for Red Star Way in 1935. Twin Coach was formed by brothers Frank and William Fageol in 1927 after American Car and Foundry acquired their previous firm, Fageol Motors. Twin Coach was based in Kent, OH and became a major builder of trolley buses and motor buses. Twin introduced their Model 23-S in 1934. The Model 23-S was an early example of streamlined design that was becoming popular in the mid-1930s for railroad trains and other products. Another innovation was the model’s aluminum body. The bus had a single gasoline engine in front next to the driver. The Model 23-S was small; it was 25 ½’ long and only 6’ 4” wide. The A-60, designed for intercity service, had parlor style plush reclining seats with two seats on one side of the aisle and one seat on the other. Twin Coach also offered the similar Model 23-R which was slightly larger and designed for local transit. Red Star Way was based in St. Clairsville, OH, which is 11 miles west of Wheeling, WV. An article in The Dispatch indicates that Red Star was a successor company to Lake Shore Coach, the bus operation of the Lake Shore Electric interurban, but histories of Lake Shore Coach on the internet do not mention the relationship with Red Star. No. A-60 was one of four model 23-S buses acquired by Red Star. In the 1950s, No. 4 ran on a route to Barnesville, OH, 20 miles west of St. Clairsville. In 1959, Red Star was sold to Ohio Rapid Transit of Columbus, OH. In 1959, Ohio Rapid Transit donated No. 4 to the National Capital Trolley Museum which was then in the process of being formed. The museum used No. 4 on fan trips until 1963. National Capital decided not to keep No. 4 in its collection, and bus went to museum member Bill Bateman, who stored in outdoors. In 1994, Bateman donated No. 4 to Seashore.