U.S. Air Force #54B17

Background

In the years after World War II, as streetcars were being phased out of American cities in favor of transit buses, General Motors’ bus division was reaping the benefits. By the 1950s they were dominating the bus market. Seeing the writing on the wall, truck and bus manufacturer Fageol needed to innovate. In 1950 they designed the TC Cargoliner, a self-propelled trailer with an onboard engine. The driver’s compartment was located up front and the engine mounted in the middle of the vehicle below the floor. It was designed as an alternative to standard tractor-trailer trucks.

The F-32-F was a variation of the TC Cargoliner, built specifically to meet domestic military transportation demands. The TC Cargoliner ultimately failed to impress any buyers, but Fageol landed a military contract and produced 1,650 F-32-Fs.

Service History

#54B17 served at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in the 1950s. After being sold as surplus by the Air Force, it was used by the Tucson Boys Chorus for many years.

Post-Service History

#54B17 was acquired by OPT in 1997.