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By Mike Governale

This fully restored vintage Greyhound bus appeared in the movie Race , the recent film about Jesse Owens’ fight to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games where he won four gold medals. The bus will be open for visitors and tales from the restoration and filming of the bus will be told next Sunday at The New York Museum of Transportation…

The 1948 Greyhound “Silversides” bus, one of the featured vehicles displayed on the grounds of The New York Museum of Transportation was sought for the film by Les Voitures de Cinema Real, a supplier of vehicles for the movie industry. After being transported to Montreal last summer, the bus was readied for its movie debut.

Les Voitures de Cinema Real worked to meet every request from the film’s director, Stephen Hopkins. They applied a fresh coat of paint complete with lettering and gold striping done entirely to original Greyhound specifications. Not stopping there, they installed all new glass, repainted the driver’s console, repaired a spring retainer and the parking brake, and using NC machinery created a Greyhound emblem for the front and the classic stop light on the rear. The director then had the team scour and repaint all the luggage compartments below the bus.

During filming the bus operated under its own power for what was probably 15 individual takes. Although screen time in the movie was pretty minimal, the bus’ owner, Jim Dierks, was glad to see ol’ Silversides get the attention it did. And now that it’s all dolled up, he’s hoping it will get plenty of attention from museum visitors too.

Also at the museum and included with your admission this Sunday will be trolley rides and hands-on exhibits including century-old trolley cars, a steam locomotive, fire truck, and other antique vehicles (both horse-drawn and motorized). Three model railroads are sure to please visitors of all ages. Plus, countless photos and artifacts bring transportation history to life.

Details

WHAT: The New York Museum of Transportation
WHEN: May 22, 11am – 5pm
WHERE: 6393 East River Road )
ADMISSION: $8 adults, $7 seniors age 65+, $6 ages 3-12

The New York Museum of Transportation museum is run entirely by dedicated volunteers and is open Sundays only, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Weekday group visits can be arranged by appointment. Call (585) 533-1113.

Tags: 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, African-American history, Greyhound, Jesse Owens, Jim Dierks, New York Museum of Transportation (NYMT), NYMT, Race, vintage bus

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 14th, 2016 at 8:35 pm and is filed under Events, Rochester Destinations, Rochester History, Rochester News, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.