Portland Coach Co. 4

Mack Trucks (originally named Mack Brothers Company) built its first bus in 1900 and continued in the bus business until 1960. No. 4 is a Mack model CW bus. This model was an early, low floor bus with the rear axle behind the passenger compartment and with a gasoline engine in the rear . It was designed for 25 seats and has an emergency exit on the left side. Mack manufactured the CW model between 1935 and 1942. Mack Trucks built No. 4 for the Portland Bus Company in 1936. Portland Bus Company began operating in 1932 on a few routes where the Portland Railroad (Portland, Maine’s streetcar operator) had abandoned streetcar service. Portland Bus was independent of the Portland Railroad and had a fleet of 19 buses in 1936. Its routes were along Ocean Avenue, Washington Avenue and Pleasant Avenue in Portland. Portland Railroad abandoned more trolley lines in 1939 and replaced these streetcars with its own buses while Portland Bus continued its separate operation. Portland Railroad motorized its last streetcar lines in 1941. Portland Railroad’s parent company, Cumberland County Power & Light, then sold its bus operations to Salzberg Industries of New York City which named its Portland, Maine bus system Portland Coach. Then, probably in 1942, Portland Coach acquired Portland Bus Company. At the time, Portland Bus had 17 buses, including four Mack model CWs. Thus, bus No. 4 became part of the unified transit system. Portland Coach used an orange, black, cream and silver paint scheme. No. 4’s retirement date is unknown but is believed to be in the early 1950s. Portland Coach continued operating until 1966 when the city of Portland acquired the transit system. After retirement, No. 4 was used as a construction trailer. No. 4’s owner gave the bus to Seashore in 2006. No. 4 joins four other Portland, Maine buses at Seashore: Nos. 310, 700, 504 and 8801. It also joins Portland Railroad streetcar No. 615 and Portland-Lewiston interurban Narcissus which operated partly in Portland.