Downtown Terminal – 1957

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• I remember these beautiful old Fageol Twin Coaches of the 1950's and 1960's very well, even the headache-inducing gaseous smell you would get when sitting in the back rows. If you went over a bump in the road, you would bounce right up off the back seat and back down on your derriere faster than you could blink after having nearly reached the ceiling. The downtown terminal used to have a large triangular wooden platform (before these photos) with numbered signs for different bus routes. I would take the Lauzon bus. The dispatcher in his glass cage would announce the departures with his loud microphone, beginning with an ear-piercing "click," like this: (Click, click) "Lauzon, Riverside, platform 18" (click - click - bang!). And you better have your fare ready! Some of those drivers knew how to get the most efficient speed out of their buses and going over the Peabody Bridge was a real exciting experience, especially if you were sitting on the rearmost seat! They'd rev the bus up on the straightaway along Riverside Drive and approach the bridge with a breathtaking gusto.

• To finish my above comment, I have to say that going over the Peabody Bridge in this manner, half-gassed with bus fumes and sitting on the rearmost seat where you got the full bounce as you flew over the bridge, was quite an experience, one to never forget.