The Canada Coach Lines, Limited

The Union Bus Terminal-Second Section

The Canada Coach Lines, Limited

Long the interurban arm of the Hamilton Street Railway Company of Hamilton,Ontario, The Canada Coach Lines often swapped buses with the HSR when needed to cover certain routes, such as Buffalo-Fort Erie-Crystal Beach and other local service routes operated by CCL. Canada Coach Lines is best remembered for its extensive use of GMC SDM4501 and 4502 suburban coaches on most of its intercity route network, particularly Hamilton-Niagara Falls-Fort Erie-Buffalo. CCL operated 37 of these buses systemwide, along with MCI MCC5As and Bs, a couple dozen TDM4515s from the late 1950s, and a pair of S8M5305A suburbans, which were the last GMCs the company would buy. In addition, a pair of New Flyer Canuck 500 coaches (similar to MC5) were in the fleet of the 1960s and 70s. In most cases, CCL buses carried odd numbers as they were delivered. What follows is a description of the company as the author remembers it.

Operationally, Canada Coach Lines was divided into four operating zones, each had garage facilities to support those buses assigned to that division. These were as follows:

Section A. Consisting of the following routes:

1.Buffalo-Fort Erie-Niagara Falls- St. Catherines-Hamilton

2.Niagara Falls-Crystal Beach

3.Niagara Falls-Welland-Fonthill-Hamilton

4.Hamilton-Winona Belt Line

5.Niagara Falls-Chippawa

Section B. Consisted of the following routes:

1.Hamilton-Guelph

2.Hamilton-Milton

3.Hamilton-Aldershot-Waterdown

4.Hamilton-Rock Chapel-Waterdown

Section C. Consisted of the following routes:

1.Hamilton-Kitchener

2.Hamilton-Ancaster

3.Hamilton-Ontario Hospital

Section D. Consisted of the following routes:

1.Hamilton-Tilsonburg-St.Thomas

2.Hamilton-Cayuga-Dunnville

3.Hamilton-Binbrook

This route structure prevailed throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. The following shows Canada Coach Lines' route structure in the company's final year of operation before Trentway Wagar bought the company:

1.Buffalo-Fort Erie-Niagara Falls-Hamilton

2.Waterloo University-Kitchener-Hamilton

3.Cambridge Hamilton

4.Hamilton-Guelph

Buffalo-Crystal Beach service ended in the 1980s prior to the closing of that old and beloved amusement park on the north shore of Lake Erie. The last of the TDM4515 suburban "Old look" buses often used on that route were withdrawn and retired in 1978. The 'new look' suburbans lasted awhile longer before they,too were retired.

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