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Don R Brown


From:
Rochester, New York, USA
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 5:10 am    
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Not specifically pedal steel, but I guarantee somebody on here will know the answer.

A member of one of my car forums is moving to Austin. Someone posted a picture of an ancient tour bus parked at the Broken Spoke. Another member was quite interested and wondering if it could be purchased and restored.

I said I THINK it's no longer there, but I'm probably 1,700 miles away and have never been there in person (yet!). Can anyone confirm or update the status of that poor old vehicle? Someone else thinks it's restored and displayed in San Antonio? Judging by the street views of today, and the trees in the background of the bus pic, it was taken a long time ago before the buildings went up.

Thanks!



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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 5:38 am    
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If I can make out the name on the front of the bus, I think it says the "Texas Top Hands".
Anybody have any information on that western swing band? Very Happy
Erv
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Don R Brown


From:
Rochester, New York, USA
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 5:41 am    
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Erv, here's the other pic that was posted:



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Adam Tracksler


From:
Maine, USA
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 5:42 am    
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Here’s the whole story... including the bus.

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-top-hands
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Jerry Jones


From:
Franklin, Tenn.
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 5:49 am    
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And this:

https://www.wilsoncountynews.com/articles/historic-top-hands-bus-now-parked-in-adkins/
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Don R Brown


From:
Rochester, New York, USA
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 6:06 am    
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Thank you! I have posted those for the car guys. Fascinating history of both the band and the bus.
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Joe Krumel

 

From:
Hermitage, Tn.
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 6:25 am    
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Very cool don. Thanks for posting this. Wish I was a billionaire and allowed to restore that piece of history.
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Craig Stock


From:
Westfield, NJ USA
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 6:51 am    
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Very cool, wonder if they ever did restore it.
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Tracy Sheehan

 

From:
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 8:10 am     Brings back memories of Miller Bros band.
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Any one here old enough to remember the Miller Bros swing band ? We froze in the winter time on an old Flex bus like this one. Bought it from Hank Thompson as i remember, We traveled from Wichita Falls,Tx to Ca for a one nighter The bus had no heat or AC. And that is called the good old days. lol. Tracy
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Don R Brown


From:
Rochester, New York, USA
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 8:15 am     Re: Brings back memories of Miller Bros band.
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Tracy Sheehan wrote:
Any one here old enough to remember the Miller Bros swing band ? We froze in the winter time on an old Flex bus like this one. Bought it from Hank Thompson as i remember, We traveled from Wichita Falls,Tx to Ca for a one nighter The bus had no heat or AC. And that is called the good old days. lol. Tracy


Texas to CA for a one nighter?!? Whoa!
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Tracy Sheehan

 

From:
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 8:36 am     Yes,for a one night stand.
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And that was one of the short trips. Crossed the
rockies in the dead of winter. Almost went off the summit in a blizzard. Good thing we has a pro driver. Tracy
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Lee Baucum


From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
Post  Posted 28 Mar 2021 9:17 am    
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More reading here:

https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Musician-Band/Texas-Top-Hands-Bus-1721070374830966/posts/
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Chris Brooks

 

From:
Providence, Rhode Island
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2021 7:13 am    
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Tracy, your saga reminds me of the 5 (or 6?) trips from Nashville to Nevada I made (with 3 other unfortunates) in the late 80s with Ira Allen--I think it was a Flxible.

Tracy wrote: "We froze in the winter time on an old Flex bus like this one. Bought . . .. The bus had no heat or AC. And that is called the good old days.

Ha. Our first trip, we all wrapped up in our sleeping bags, only noses sticking out. On another, the bus's injectors (?) went haywire outside of Hays, Kansas. Good old Ira went out in the cold and worked on them and we got going again.

Then there was the time that we pulled out of Tucumcari--and the differential went clunk! We left the bus there to be fixed, bought a big jeep--whose transmission went after a few hundred miles. So we rented a U Haul--and made the Mesquite casino gig!

Good times. Chris


Last edited by Chris Brooks on 30 Mar 2021 8:20 am; edited 1 time in total
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Scott Moon


From:
Canyon Lake, TX
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2021 2:24 pm    
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It is not restored and still looks pretty much like the photo by the Broken Spoke. Pretty cool to look at so if you are ever near San Antonio on 1604 go by and check it out. Good food, Good Music, and Good Cold Beer! Very Happy
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Bud Angelotti


From:
Larryville, NJ, USA
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2021 3:44 pm    
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That looks like more fun than a barrel of beer!!
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Larry Jamieson


From:
Walton, NY USA
Post  Posted 30 Mar 2021 4:48 am    
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When I was a kid, the Doc and Chickie Williams Band came to our high school auditorium and did a show. They we stars of the Wheeling West Virginia Jamboree. They were traveling in a Flex Bus just like that one.
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Duane Brown

 

From:
Reno,Nevada USA
Post  Posted 31 Mar 2021 4:31 pm    
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Tracy, I played bass with "Jake Miller" at the Legion Hall in Lubbock every Saturday for a while. I sure liked him. Hot jazz band and I knew nothing about jazz. He put up with me until I learned the songs and the feel of jazz.

Never traveled from Texas to California but closed Monday 3:00 AM in Vegas and opened Wednesday at 9:00 pm in Minneapolis then drove back to Vegas for the next gig. One fun trip was when we closed Sunday night in Concord Ca. and drove all night to Vegas for a 2:00 pm sound check.

I drove Monarch pass from Gunnison to Canon City in a blizzard one time. Never would have made it without a truck from Pueblo breaking trail for us.

It's crazy what you'll do when you're young.
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Mike Ester


From:
New Braunfels, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 3 Apr 2021 9:13 am    
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I believe that old bus is living at Texas Pride BBQ, in Adkins, TX (near San Antonio):

https://www.texaspridebbq.net/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIbxHAQHkuY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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David Weisenthal

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2021 2:51 pm    
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Wow this a great read. Thanks for posting everyone. I'd Never heard of the flexible bus company but I'd love an old one in my backyard.
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Dave Hopping


From:
Aurora, Colorado
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2021 8:31 pm    
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David Weisenthal wrote:
Wow this a great read. Thanks for posting everyone. I'd Never heard of the flexible bus company but I'd love an old one in my backyard.


Want more Flxible?
Look HERE:

https://sellabus.com/flxible/
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David Weisenthal

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 28 Apr 2021 5:34 am    
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😊
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