By: Rénald Fortier
Ingenium – Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
Several thousand words on Versare Corporation of Albany, New York, and the monster of Atwater Street / Montréal’s beast, the ginormous 8-wheel gasoline-electric bus operated by Montreal Tramways Company, part 2
A Versare 6-wheel gasoline-electric bus as seen in an advertisement issued by SKF Industries Incorporated of New York City, New York. Anon., “SKF Industries Incorporated.” Electric Railway Journal, 21 January 1928, between pages 10 and 11.
Good morning, afternoon or evening, my reading friend, and welcome to the 2nd and final part of our article on Versare Corporation of Albany, New York, a part in which we shall dwell upon the saga of Montréal’s beast, a ginormous 8-wheel gasoline-electric bus operated by Montreal Tramways Company of… Montréal, Québec, and also known as the monster of Atwater Street. Mind you, we shall also dwell upon on other vehicles.
And here is a reminder of what the monster of Atwater Street / Montréal’s beast looked like…
The ginormous Versare bus operated by Montreal Tramways Company of… Montréal, Québec, Spring 1927. Anon., “Avtodorozhny ekran – Amerikanskiye chetyrekhosnyye avtobusy.” Za Rulem, 1st issue of December 1929, 29.
Impressed by the principles of its body design and the engineering features of its power system, Montreal Tramways ordered that Versare behemoth in early Spring of 1927. Indeed, in February of that year, the president of the Comité exécutif of Montréal, Joseph Adélard Azarie Brodeur, had announced that the firm would put in service a number of buses capable of carrying as many people as a streetcar. Those vehicles would replace many smaller vehicles in service at the time, which were deemed to be too small.
Indeed, some people thought that the great size of the new buses could lead to a decision by Montreal Tramways to replace its streetcars with buses on a number of busy routes. It might even prove possible to replace with those same buses the streetcars which went up Mount Royal, a hill in the centre of the city, or so thought the director of public works and chief engineer of Montréal, Henri Auguste Terreault.
And yes, the giants in question were probably 8-wheeled Versare buses, and…
Yes, yes, Mount Royal is a hill, not a mountain. The highest of its three peaks, Mount Royal per se, is, after all, only 233 metres (764 feet) high and… Yes, again, three peaks, Mount Royal / Colline de la Croix, Mount Murray and Westmount Summit, but back to our story.
The megabyte, sorry, megabus ordered by Montreal Tramways arrived in early May 1927, and…
You know what, I had not thought of Megabyte for quite some time. Who is Megabyte, you ask, my reading friend? Who is Megabyte?! Are you kidding me?
That command and conquer type infectious computer virus was the main baddy of the Canadian science fiction animated television series Reboot, which aired between September 1994 and November 2001. Did you not know that Reboot was apparently the first three dimensional computer-generated imagery television series in the world? Sigh…
I presume that you did not know either that a couple of items linked to the production of that series can be found in the collection of the Canada Science and Technology Museum, in Ottawa, Ontario, a sister / brother institution of the indescribably great Canada Aviation and Space Museum, also located in Ottawa, but I digress, sighing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh. Jingle bells, jingle bells. Sorry.
You did not think I could find a way to insert my old haunt in a text about buses, now did you? Well, where there is a will, there is a way, but back to our story.
And yes, my delightfully insightful reading friend, someone drove Versare’s behemoth from Albany to Montréal, two agglomerations separated by 360 or so kilometres (225 or so miles). It must have been quite a sight. The trip, incidentally, lasted 13 or so hours, food stops and, err, other stops included.
On board were two Québec engineers, Kenneth B. Thornton, assistant general manager of Montreal Tramways, and David Edward Blair, general superintendent of the firm and organiser of its bus department, from 1925 onwards. Also on board was a Versare representative by the name of A.F. Law.
And no, I doubt that these gentlemen spent much time at the wheel. A now forgotten driver presumably performed that deed.
It would have been interesting to ask that individual for his opinion on the stretch of bad roads to the north of Elizabethtown, New York. Thornton, Law and Blair seemed very pleased. The driver might perhaps have thought otherwise, but I digress.
Journalists who saw the vehicle the day after its arrival in the metropolis of Canada were suitably impressed. To quote, in translation, an unidentified journalist from La Presse of Montréal, one of the most important dailies in Québec, “It is difficult to overstate that there is nothing more perfect in terms of solidity, sophistication, comfort and even beauty in the bus industry.”
Montréal thus became the 1st city in Canada, and the 2nd one on planet Earth, to be blessed by the presence of a Versare megabus.
Incidentally, the capacity of that vehicle was apparently slightly inferior to what it could accommodate in theory, namely 72 people, including 35 sitting.
One or more drivers of Montreal Tramways put the new bus through its paces to see what it was capable of. The firm initially considered the possibility of using it in areas where its streetcars did not operate.
In the end, the management decided to operate its new vehicle on Atwater Avenue / Street, a North South thoroughfare which linked Montréal to the neighbouring city of Verdun, Québec. It has been suggested that it did so because many streets or avenues of Montréal were not quite wide enough to accommodate the Versare giant.
It should be noted, however, that Versare’s megabus was only one of the buses operated by Montreal Tramways on that 5.5 or so kilometre (2.4 or so miles) long route. Indeed, those buses ran every 5.5 minutes at regular time, and every 4 minutes at rush hour. Wah! Now, that was service. (Hello, Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission!)
Oddly enough, in December 1927, the Commission des tramways de Montréal, a public entity whose function was to supervise the activities of Montreal Tramways, authorised that firm to operate a Versare bus on Sherbrooke Street.
Given the arrival in Montréal of what yours truly thinks was a 6-wheeled Versare bus that we have yet to encounter in this amaaazing article, I have a feeling that it was in fact that vehicle which ended up on Sherbrooke Street, and not its 8-wheeled stablemate.
Before I forget, the fuel consumption of Versare’s megabus when operating in the winter of 1927-28, on an avenue / street which was said to be in very bad shape, was 94 or so litres per 100 kilometres (3 or so miles per imperial gallon / 2.5 or so miles per American gallon).
In May 1934, that giant allegedly suffered a massive structural failure while on duty. Would you believe that the Versare vehicle allegedly split in two as it came down a renowned hill on Atwater Avenue / Street, a hill at the bottom of which many streetcars had derailed in past years? The vehicle’s very long wheelbase and the weakening of some welds might have contributed to that splitting.
The catch with that eye-popping story is that yours truly has found no account of that eminently newsworthy event in Montréal newspapers. Not one.
In any event, the giant vehicle was seemingly scrapped around 1937.
As you might have imagined, the commercial failure of Versare’s 8-wheel behemoth had been obvious well before 1937. Indeed, one could argue that it had been obvious since 1927.
Dare yours truly suggest that the Versare giant was a solution looking for a problem?
The management of Versare was painfully aware of that failure. To stay afloat, the firm would have to develop other types of vehicles. Versare’s staff completed the first example of a high capacity (up to 74 passengers, including 37 seating) 6-wheel gasoline-electric bus no later than September 1926.
The main structure of that vehicle was a very strong bridge-like truss similar to that of its 8-wheeled stablemate. Said truss consisted of a series of interchangeable monocoque aluminium alloy boxes, covered in aluminium alloy, which were welded together.
It has been suggested that some components of the Versare 6-wheel bus were made of magnesium, a metal which was even lighter than aluminium. And yes, such a use was a tad unusual for the time, especially on a bus.
The gasoline engine of the vehicle, mounted crosswise at the rear, under the hindmost seats, could easily be removed and replaced in 30 or so minutes. That configuration maximised the number of seats for a given vehicular length.
Speaking (typing?) of rear, you will of course have noticed that the front axle of Versare’s 6-wheeled bus was located behind the driver of that vehicle, a feature common on buses found throughout the world in 2025 and which facilitated turns.
And yes, that bus was indeed quite similar in appearance to buses found throughout the world in 2025.
And yes, again, you are quite correct, my reading friend, a 6-wheel Versare vehicle was on display at the American Electric Railway Association convention and exhibition held in Cleveland, Ohio, in October 1926, an event mentioned in the 1st part of this article. A similar vehicle was on display at the convention and exhibition held in October 1927.
Better yet, an early example of a fully electric streetcar was also put on display in 1926, in Cleveland, by Versare. Like its road stablemates, with which it shared some basic ideas, that vehicle was primarily made of aluminium alloy. It was the lightest vehicle of its class in the world, according to Versare. The new streetcar could accommodate up to 64 passengers, including 32 sitting.
A typical Versare 6-wheeled trolley bus operated by Utah Light & Traction Company of Salt Lake City, Utah. The building in the background was the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Anon., “Versare Corporation.” Electric Railway Journal, August 1929, 39.
Eager to add to its product line, Versare developed a fully electric, 6-wheeled trolley bus at some point between 1926 and 1928.
In December 1927, Grand Rapids Railroad Company of… Grand Rapids, Michigan, began to operate the streetcars it had ordered earlier that year. Although regular in nature, that service was deemed to be experimental. In turn, Utah Light & Traction Company of Salt Lake City, Utah, began to operate its streetcars in July 1928, I think.
It is worth noting that Versare’s streetcar had been jointly developed by that firm and Grand Rapids Railroad, and this between 1925 and 1927.
One of the Versare 6-wheel buses operated by Surface Transportation Corporation of New York of… New York City, New York. Anon., “Third Avenue System Prepares for Bus Service in New York.” Electric Railway Journal, 28 January 1928, 160.
In January 1928, Surface Transportation Corporation of New York of… New York City, a subsidiary of Third Avenue Railway Company of New York City, ordered no less than 28, if not 40, Versare 6-wheel buses. Those vehicles were delivered that same year – and in 1929, perhaps.
Other firms ordered that type of Versare vehicle in 1928. One only needed to mention two public transit firms, Boston Elevated Railway Company of… Boston, Massachusetts, and Capital District Transportation Company of Albany, the bus operating subsidiary of a streetcar operating firm also based in Albany, United Traction Company, as well as an intercity transit firm, New England Transportation Company of Boston, a subsidiary of New York, Haven & Hartford Railroad Company of New Haven, Connecticut. They respectively ordered 14, 4 and 5, I think.
Although regular in nature, those services might, I repeat might, have been deemed to be experimental.
And yes, there might have been some additional orders, or re-orders. One only needed to mention the 1929 order signed by Cincinnati Street Railway Company of… Cincinnati and the 1930 order for 20 vehicles signed by Cincinnati & Lake Erie Railroad Company of… Cincinnati.
Mind you, Montreal Tramways ordered a trio of Versare 6-wheel buses which entered service from December 1927 onwards. And yes, that service was deemed to be experimental, and this even though it was regular in nature.
If those vehicles performed as planned, and that initially seemed to be the case, Montreal Tramways planned to operate up to 55 more by February 1928. For some reason or other, Versare failed to obtain that order. Indeed, Montreal Tramways eventually operated but a quintet of Versare 6-wheel buses.
Even so, as the number of orders increased, Versare had to move into a second facility, and employ a double shift of workers.
Hoping to boost its sales, the firm shipped a bus and a completely “skeletonised” but still capable of movement vehicle to the American Electric Railway Association convention and exhibition held in Cleveland, Ohio, in September 1928. Here are those two vehicles…
The Versare 6-wheel bus, seen from the front, and its “skeletonised” brethren, seen from the rear, on display at the American Electric Railway Association convention and exhibition held in Cleveland, Ohio, in September 1928. Anon., “Seen at the Exhibit.” Bus Age, October 1928, 217.
All in all, Versare might have delivered close to 100 6-wheel buses, which was not a huge number.
The firm also delivered more than 50 trolleybuses, both 4-wheel or 6-wheel versions included, I think, to a quintet of American firms, namely Chicago Surface Lines Company of… Chicago (6), Louisville Railway Company of… Louisville, Kentucky (12), and New Orleans Public Service Incorporated of… New Orleans, Louisiana (11), as well as the aforementioned United Traction (?) and Utah Light and Traction (18).
Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company supplied the generators and electric motors for almost all of those vehicles. For some reason or other, Boston Elevated Railway went with another firm. Other operators might have done the same, of course.
Yours truly does not know the number of streetcars delivered by Versare. This being said (typed?), a 1931 order for 50 vehicles coming from United Railways and Electric Company of Baltimore, Maryland, failed to materialise, courtesy of the Great Depression which was walloping much of the world.
Sadly enough, Versare’s trolleybuses proved more incident-prone than its streetcars and 6-wheeled buses. Passengers boarding or leaving them received more or less nasty electric shocks, for example, an easily fixed if embarrassing problem. The vehicles’ rear axles also proved to be prone to failure, until replaced.
In December 1928, Versare merged with a manufacturer of streetcars and locomotives, Cincinnati Car Company of… Cincinnati, Ohio, to form Cincinnati Car Corporation of… Cincinnati, a subsidiary of the newly created Cincinnati Traction Building Company of… Cincinnati. Production of all vehicles was soon centered in, you guessed it, Cincinnati, I think.
The reason for that takeover might have been Cincinnati Car’s belief that gasoline-electric buses and trolleybuses had a bright future.
And so it was that a 4-wheel fully electric trolley bus whose prototype was completed around March 1929 became known as a Cincinnati Car vehicle rather than a Versare one.
That prototype was delivered to Utah Light and Traction that very month. The latter soon ordered 7 identical vehicles which entered service in December 1929. And yes, they too were prone to rear axle failures.
And yes, again, the 8 trolleybuses operated by Utah Light and Traction from 1929 onwards were indeed included in the list of trolley bus operators you read (saw?) not too, too long ago. Apologies for any confusion.
It is worth noting that Cincinnati Car designed a new model of streetcar in cooperation with United Traction. That prototype was delivered to the latter in 1930.
The Great Depression was not kind to Cincinnati Car. Competition was fierce, fiercer than before the Great Crash perhaps, and many potential customers chose to buy second hand equipment rather new buses, streetcars or trolleybuses. Worse still, Cincinnati Car proved unable to compete with other American manufacturers of buses and trolleybuses.
Cincinnati Car was declared insolvent in early January 1937. Its assets were gradually sold over the following months.
The aforementioned Warhus had left his post with that firm well before that.
Indeed, Warhus set up General Car & Bus Corporation during the Summer of 1930. He initially planned to make streetcars in a leased abandoned facility in Rensselaer, New York. A better facility located in Glen Falls, New York, soon presented itself, however. Even so, the Great Depression was not kind to that small firm either. It went belly up around November 1932.
No later than December 1933, Warhus was an assistant director, based in Albany, New York, for the Civil Works Administration (CWA), an American agency which provided short term employment to more than 4 million unemployed workers, both men and women, and this to carry out countless public works projects.
Created as a stop gap measure in November 1933 and dissolved in March 1934, the CWA was one of the so-called alphabet agencies set up by a newly elected American President mentioned several / many times in our presidential blog / bulletin / thingee, namely Franklin Delano “F.D.R.” Roosevelt, and this in order to battle the Great Depression.
No later than April 1937, Warhus was a reviewing engineer for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), another alphabet agency, that one created in May 1935 and dissolved in June 1943.
The WPA employed 8.5 or so million unemployed men and women, most of them men who did not have all that much education actually, and this to carry out countless public works projects of long term value to the United States.
In any event, Warhus seemingly passed away in late October 1944, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a month or so before his 58th birthday.
This writer wishes to thank the people who provided information. Any mistake contained in this article is my fault, not theirs.
Rénald Fortier
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