Fageol

Fageol Motors was a United States manufacturer of buses, trucks and farm tractors.

History

The company was founded in 1916, in Oakland, California, by Rollie, William, Frank and Claude Fageol, to manufacture motor trucks, farm tractors and automobiles. It was located next to Oakland Assembly, then a Chevrolet factory originally built in 1916 by William Durant, which later became part of General Motors.

Fageol produced two luxury automobiles, but production was halted when the supply of Hall-Scott SOHC six-cylinder engines was diverted to build airplanes for the war in World War I.

The first Fageol farm tractor was a re-labeled Hamilton walking tractor, designed and built by Rush E. Hamilton of Geyserville, California. As a result of the many tractor performance trials of the day, the tractor was redesigned to be more compatible with the needs of the West Coast. The Fageol version was designed by a team led by Horatio Smith with the cooperation of Hamilton. In about 1923, the tractor business was sold to the Great Western Motors Company of San Jose, with Hamilton and Smith joining Great Western.

In 1921, Fageol became the first company to build a bus from the ground up. The new-style bus was initially called "Safety Bus", and the goal was to build a bus that was resistant to overturning when cornering. It had a wide track, and was lower to the ground for ease of entry and exit. Following their successful introduction, the vehicles were renamed "Safety Coaches", a term intended to imply greater value.

Fageol trucks became favorites of the industry owing, in part, to the dual range, mid-mounted transmission. That gearbox allowed for extreme ranges in gearing, ranging from slow-speed heavy hauling to highway speeds with lighter loads. The vehicles were easily spotted, due to the large number "7" painted on the front of the radiator.

The Fageol brothers left the company in 1927 to form the Twin Coach Company, manufacturing buses in Kent, Ohio. Leadership of the business was taken over by company president L.H. Bill, but during the Great Depression the company went into receivership. The bank assumed control and reorganized the company under the name Fageol Truck and Coach. In 1938, T. A. Peterman bought the factory and its contents.Fageol Production Ends Truck & Bus Transportation March 1939 page 25 In 1939, the first Peterbilt was produced.

The South Australian Railways (SAR) operated a number of Fageol buses. In 1932, that system introduced the first of four railcars, converted from road buses at Islington Railway Workshops. The vehicles initially operated on the SAR gauge Eyre Peninsula Railway, but some were transferred to the Kingston to Naracoorte line, prior to the line's conversion to broad gauge. Because the buses were not designed for rail use, the ride was very rough. The last Fageol railcar was condemned in 1961.Port Lincoln Division - Withdrawal of Passenger Service The Recorder August 1968 pages 1-4Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin October 1986 pp219-238

Production

Year Production figures Model Load capacity Serial number 1917 53 2,5 to 1001 to 1053 14 3,5 to 3001 to 3014 9 5 to 5001 to 5009 1918 130 2,5 to 1054 to 1183 82 3,5 to 3015 to 3096 19 5 to 5010 to 5028 1919 84 2,5 to 1184 to 1267 102 3,5 to 3097 to 3198 27 5 to 5029 to 5055 1920 15 1,5 to 25000 to 25014 164 2,5 to 1268 to 1431 119 3,5-4 to 3199 to 3317 31 5-6 to 5056 to 5086 1921 49 1,5 to 25052 to 25100 62 2,5 to 1432 to 1493 43 3,5 to 3318 to 3360 9 5-6 to 5087 to 5095 1922 37 1,5 to 25101 to 25137 55 2,5 to 1494 to 1548 46 3,5-4 to 3361 to 3406 40 5-6 to 5096 to 5135 ↓ 10001 to 1923 45 1,5 to 25138 to 25182 102 2,5 to 1549 to 1650 108 3,5-4 to 3407 to 3514 16 5-6 to 5136 to 5151 260 10001 to 10260 1924 43 1,5 to 25183 to 25225 160 2,5 to 1551 to 1710 45 3,5-4 to 3515 to 3559 5 5-6 to 5152 to 5156 516 10261 to 10550, 20001 to 20225 33 35001 to 35033 1925 36235 2 to 25225 to 25260 94 340 3 to 1710 to 1803 25 360 3 to 6001 to 6025 42445 4 to 3560 to 3601 13645 6 to 5156 to 5168 580 10551 to 11029 , 20266 to 20366 27 35039 to 35065 1926 46230 2 to 8012 to 8057 235 2 to 25261 to 52 340 3 to 1804 to 1855 27445 4 to 3602 to 3628 360 3 to 6026 to 11645 6 to 5169 to 5179 490 6 to 4011 to 20367 to , 11030 to 35066 to 1927 355 Flyer 1,5 to B-117 to B-471 230 B 2,5 to 8058 to 29 340 3 to 1856 to 1884 107370 3 to 9023 to 9129 27445 4 to 3629 to 3655 14485 4 to 4071 to 4084 645 6 to 5180 to 685 6 to 5180 to 36 10-66 10 to 13001 to 13036 20456 to , 11046 to 35083 to 1928 Flyer 1,5 to B-472 to (~ 1,000) 130 1,5 to B-472 to 135 2 to C-37 to 250 2,5 to E-3 to 230 B 2,5 to 340 3 to 1885 to 370 3,5 to 9130 to 445 4 to 3656 to 485 4,5 to 4085 to 645 6 to 5192 to 685 6,5 to 7213 to 10-66 10 to 13037 to 1929 100 1 to (~ 1,000) 130 1,5 to 135 2 to 250 2,5 to 340 3 to 365 3 to 370 3,5 to 445 4 to 485 4,5 to 645 6 to 685 6,5 to 10-66 10 to bus bus bus 1930~ 484 1931 ~ 317 in angle bracket =

Products

Fageol produced tractors, buses and trucks, at least three luxury cars, as well as engines for land vehicles and ships. The company went through several stages, names, and location changes that included Fageol Motors Company, from 1915 to 1932 in Oakland, California; Fageol Motor Sales Company, from 1916 to 1932 in Oakland, California; Fageol Truck and Coach Company, from 1932 to 1938 in Oakland, California; Fageol Motors Company of Ohio, from 1920 to 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio and 1922 to 1926 in Kent, Ohio.

Tractors

The brothers had originally sold the Hamilton Walking Tractor, rebranded as the Fageol Walking Tractor, without much success. They were contracted to solve a transportation issue at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition. The fair covered over 600 acres, with two and a half miles of water front property. From February to December over 18 million people visited the fair. The solution provided by the brothers ended up being the Fageol Auto Train, also called the Trackless Train, powered with a Ford motor, pulling two or three low to the ground 20 passenger open-sided cars. The financial backer chose to use a different spelling, for ease of pronunciation, so the company was registered as The Fadgl Auto Train Inc.

This led to the founding of the Fageol Motors Company of Oakland. The company reached an agreement with Rush Hamilton of Geyserville, California to manufacture a tractor with spiked rear wheels.

Trucks In 1950, the company manufactured a unique truck, the TC CargoLiner – touted as "A Trailer Without A Tractor". In 1953 the Twin Coach Company was awarded a patent for what would become the standard in straight truck design. The inventor was Louis J Fageol. The company produced -ton, -ton, 3 1/2-4 ton, and 5-6 ton trucks.

Cars Since the founding of Fageol Motors Company, there had been a plan to build automobiles. Frank R. and William B. Fageol, with Louis H. Bill, built and marketed what was to be the most expensive luxury car of the time using the Hall-Scott aircraft engine. Marketed as the "Fageol Four Passenger Touring Speedster", only three were known to have been produced before the government took over the engine manufacturing plant to build war planes, ending production. Other cars built by the company were:

Fageol 100 Fageol Supersonic PataRay, also known as Fageol Special

Buses

Fageol produced buses until 1953, when the bus-manufacturing portion of the Fageol Twin Coach Company was absorbed by Flxible.

Twin Coach 44S co-manufactured with JG Brill Company and Twin Coach Safety Coach Cruising coach dubbed "America" Canopy covered double-decker "Sight-Seeing" bus Fageol Flyer Parlor Car Rear double-decker Parlor Car Super Twin (introduced in 1938) was a 14-ton 58-passenger diesel-electric that was hinged in the middle.

References

External links

Oakland History Room, photo collection. Fageol Motors. Groundbreaking ceremony at Foothill Blvd and 106th, Oakland, California, June 9, 1917 Oakland History Room, photo collection. Fageol Motors. First unit under construction in Oakland Oakland History Room, photo collection. Fageol Motors. Another view of the factory under construction, with a Fageol truck in the foreground Oakland History Room, photo collection. Fageol Motors. Second unit under construction Oakland History Room, photo collection. Hall-Scott Motor Company. 150 horsepower straight-6 engines being assembled were formerly destined for Fageol products Fageol.com