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The Carpenter Body Company also known as the Ralph H. Carpenter Body Company, Carpenter Body Works, Inc. , Carpenter Manufacturing Company, and Carpenter Industries, Inc. was a bus body builder based in Mitchell, Indiana, United States that started building buses in 1923. Mitchell is a city in Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Years later, Carpenter purchased rights to build Crown Coach Buses, and in the late 1990s, relocated to the former Wayne Corporation plant in Richmond, Indiana. Crown Coach Corporation was founded by D Brockway in 1904 as the "Crown Carriage Company" in Los Angeles California, eventually moving factory operations to The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 Wayne Corporation was a large manufacturer of Buses and other vehicles branded with the Trade name "Wayne Richmond (ˈrɪtʃmənd is a city in Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, which borders Ohio. However in 2000, it closed down and ended school bus production. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. A school bus is a Bus used to transport Children and Adolescents to and from School and school events After relocating to the former Wayne plant, Carpenter began to base many of its buses such as Carpenter 2000 on some of the designs used earlier on buses built in the plant by Wayne Corporation where the driver's areas were based on those of a Wayne Lifeguard. The Carpenter Body Company, also known as the Ralph H Carpenter Body Company Carpenter Body Works Inc Wayne Corporation was a large manufacturer of Buses and other vehicles branded with the Trade name "Wayne

In 2003, a serious problem with roof welds in some of the units produced at Mitchell was discovered following a roof failure during a rollover accident in Florida. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Owners of Mitchell-manufactured buses were urged to check for NHTSA safety alerts for more information, since a recall campaign by a defunct manufacturer cannot be made. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA, often pronounced "nit-suh" is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U Late model units made by Carpenter at the Richmond, Indiana plant were not involved with the potential flaw.

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Founded by Ralph H. Carpenter

The organization which built Carpenter branded bus bodies was founded in Mitchell, Indiana in 1919 by Ralph H. Mitchell is a city in Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Carpenter, a blacksmith by trade. blacksmith is a person who creates objects from Iron or Steel by Forging the Metal; i He began his career building hauling wagons for two cement factories located near his southern Indiana hometown of Bloomington. Bloomington is a city and the County seat of Monroe County in the south central region of the U

As his business grew, he began to expand into building horse-drawn "kid hacks" with wooden benches to transport children to school. A kid hack was a Horse -drawn vehicle used for transporting children to school in the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States. As wagons became obsolete, he adapted his bodies for automobiles.

Carpenter's first true school bus was built in 1923. A school bus is a Bus used to transport Children and Adolescents to and from School and school events Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The first stop arms used on these buses were in the shape of a clenched fist with the index finger painted red. A combination of steel and wood replaced all wood construction and in 1935, a change to all-steel construction was made, joining Wayne Works and Blue Bird Body Company and others in this regard. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Wayne Corporation was a large manufacturer of Buses and other vehicles branded with the Trade name "Wayne The Blue Bird Corporation is a large manufacturer of school and activity Buses Blue Bird's corporate headquarters are in Ft Valley, Georgia, US

Frank W. Cyr: father of the yellow school bus

Most school buses turned the now familiar yellow in 1939. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In April of that year, Frank W. Cyr, a professor at Teachers College in New York who became known as the "Father of the Yellow School Bus," organized a conference that established national school-bus construction standards, including the standard color of yellow for the school bus. Frank W Cyr, PhD ( July 7, 1900 – August 1, 1995) was an American Educator and Author known especially for In a meeting, two or more people come together for the purpose of discussing a (usually predetermined topic such as business or community event planning often in a formal setting

Engineers from Blue Bird Bird Body Co. , Chevrolet, International Harvester, Dodge, and Ford Motor Company, as well as paint experts from DuPont and Pittsburgh Paint showed up. Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM International Harvester Company ( IHC or IH; now Navistar International Corporation) was an agricultural machinery construction equipment Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following E I du Pont de Nemours and Company (,) is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a Gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée Together with the transportation administrators, they met for 7 days and agreed on 44 standards, including the color and some mechanical specs such as body length, ceiling height, and aisle width.

It became known officially as National School Bus Chrome. The color was selected because black lettering on that hue was easiest to see in the semi-darkness of early morning and late afternoon. Black is the Color of objects that do not emit or Reflect Light in any part of the Visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of

The conference met for seven days and the attendees created a total of 44 standards, including specifications regarding body length, ceiling height and aisle width. Cyr's conference, funded by a $5,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, was also a landmark event inasmuch as it included transportation officials from each of the then 48 states, as well as specialists from school-bus manufacturing and paint companies. Grants are funds dispersed by one party (Grant Makers often a Government Department Corporation Foundation or Trust to a recipient, often (but not always The Rockefeller Foundation (RF is a prominent Philanthropic organization and Private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue New York City. The conference approach to school bus safety, as well as the yellow color, has endured into the 21st century.

Growth in school bus use after World War II

Following World War II, there was a nationwide movement in the U. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including S. to consolidate schools into fewer and larger ones. This meant that fewer students were attending school in their immediate neighborhood, particularly as they progressed into high school. A neighbourhood or neighborhood (see spelling differences) is a geographically localised Community within a larger City, Town or High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution This led in turn to a large increase in the demand for school buses.

Carpenter was a leading name in church bus and school bus safety efforts for many years. A school bus is a Bus used to transport Children and Adolescents to and from School and school events The company became a major school bus body builder in the post-World War II period.

1956: Fire destroys plant, workers rebuild

On March 12, 1956, at Mitchell, Indiana, a fire broke out in the Carpenter Bus Body Company factory. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The plant was virtually destroyed. With the help of factory workers (some worked for no pay until later compensated), the factory was re-built and expanded in just 89 days.

Throughout the next twenty years the business prospered and grew into a national competitor to other 5 major school bus body builders in the United States in the 1970s: Blue Bird Body Company, Superior Coach Company, Thomas Built Buses, Inc., Ward Body Company, and Wayne Corporation. The Blue Bird Corporation is a large manufacturer of school and activity Buses Blue Bird's corporate headquarters are in Ft Valley, Georgia, US Superior Coach was once a School bus body and Professional car manufacturer but today it focuses on building Hearses and is located in Lima in Thomas Built Buses Inc is a Bus manufacturer based in High Point North Carolina, United States and a subsidiary of Daimler AG. IC Corporation is a builder of School buses in the United States which was established in 1933 Wayne Corporation was a large manufacturer of Buses and other vehicles branded with the Trade name "Wayne

1980s Bankruptcy and Dr. Beurt SerVaas

In the early 1980s, there was a downturn in U. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. S. public school enrollments as the baby boom generation became older than school-age. A baby boom is any period of greatly increased birth rate during a certain period and usually within certain geographical bounds and when the birth rate exceeds 2% of the population U. S. school bus sales declined, a situation compounded by over-capacity in the bus body industry. The company unsuccessfully attempted to diversify into the small transit bus market. A transit bus (US (also known as a commuter bus, city bus, or public bus) is a Bus used for Public transport purposes Carpenter was forced to enter bankruptcy in the mid-1980s.

Salvation came to Mitchell in the form of an Indianapolis-based industrialist, Dr. A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, baron, or industrialist, is a person who has reached a prominent place in Beurt SerVaas, who led a refinancing and revitalization program to attempt to restore the company's role in the national school bus market. The company's unionized workers made major concessions, and production of school buses continued. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming

Crown by Carpenter

In the early 1990s, Carpenter Industries (formerly Carpenter Body Company) of Mitchell, Indiana purchased the tooling and product rights to build Crown Coaches, long a product of a defunct U. Mitchell is a city in Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. Crown Coach Corporation was founded by D Brockway in 1904 as the "Crown Carriage Company" in Los Angeles California, eventually moving factory operations to S. bus builder in California. Around 1996, Carpenter leased the former Wayne plant at Richmond, and moved from its aged facilities in Mitchell, Indiana. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) At the former Wayne plant, the company began producing Crown by Carpenter buses and delivery trucks.

The "Crown" design included a new roof design, utilizing one piece roof bows, as well as a redesigned driver's area, and slight changes to the exterior, including different rubrail mounting.


One interesting design that came during the "Crown" model years was the Crown by Carpenter rear engine, which was mounted on a Spartan chassis. This bus had the option of a rear emergency door, instead of an emergency window. To place the door in the rear, the floor was slanted up in the last few rows, in order to gain height over the engine compartment.

Carpenter Classic 2000

In late 1999, Carpenter unveiled a new model series to their line, called the Classic 2000 series. The Classic 2000 series featured an overall body redesign, including an entirely new driver's area (based on the Wayne lifeguard), as well as new rubrail mounts, a flat rear section, and new roof caps. Conventional and FEs received larger rear emergency doors.

Carpenter Classic 2000 buses
Carpenter Classic 2000 buses

The 2000 Carpenter Chancellor RE rear-engine Type D school buses were built on Spartan chassis, featuring full air ride suspension, smaller wheels, and a double height frame for a ride similar to a motorcoach as well as a flat floor inside the bus. The Chancellor series no longer included an option for a rear emergency door.

Fallen Flag

By 2000, Spartan Industries, primarily a speciality chassis manufactuer, owned the majority of Carpenter Industries. Despite the improved sales Carpenter had attained over the last few years, profitability continued to elude the body builder in the highly competitive U. S. and Canadian school bus markets. The body company was closed in mid-2001, ending a huge history in the bus business.

Carpenter school bus at Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC has a thirty-six passenger school bus built by Carpenter Body Works in 1936 on a chassis by made by Dodge in 1939. The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Dodge is a United States -based brand of Automobiles Sport utility vehicles and Trucks manufactured and marketed by Chrysler LLC

The bus carried students to the Martinsburg School (grade school) Martinsburg, Indiana from 1940-1946, and was owned and driven by Russell Bishop during that period. Martinsburg is an unincorporated town in Jackson Township, Washington County, Indiana. It was later used as a traveling grocery store until 1962.

The bus has a streamlined steel body painted double deep or Omaha orange with black trim. It was restored by Carpenter Body Works in the early 1980s under the supervision of Ollie Eager, who was Carpenter's plant manager in 1936 and John Foddrill, who worked in the Carpenter plant in 1936. The bus has replacement seats that do not match the originals exactly. The originals were black upholstery.

2003: Structural product flaws in Mitchell production discovered

On March 20, 2003 in Alachua County, Florida, an 83-passenger Carpenter school bus rolled over onto its roof, causing the roof to collapse down to the seat level. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Alachua County is a County located in the US state of Florida. Luckily, only the driver was on board at the time, and survived the accident. Later inspection of the crash vehicle revealed numerous broken and defective welds in the roof and pillar structure.

Inspection of Carpenter school buses in various parts of the country revealed cracked and broken welds in the roof structure. The problem is clearly not confined to Florida where it was first found.

The problem is broken or cracked welds in the roof structure that can cause the roof to collapse in the event of a rollover crash. Not all Carpenter buses have the broken or cracked welds. The problem is confined to all types of school buses built at the Carpenter plant in Mitchell, Indiana, prior to its closing in late 1995.

Normally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would conduct a full-scale investigation and if a defect determination were made, would order the manufacturer to conduct a safety recall. However, since Carpenter is no longer in business, there is no one that NHTSA can hold accountable to develop a remedy for this problem.

However, NHTSA is concerned about this problem, and has issued several advisories regarding certain Carpenter Buses.

NHTSA has indicated that virtually all of the production of Carpenter and Crown branded products from the Mitchell, Indiana plant could potentially have the same flaw. Due to differences in construction techniques, Carpenter and Crown by Carpenter buses built at the Richmond, Indiana were not included in several advisories issued.

The School Bus Information Council offered additional information about Carpenter Buses and the NHSTA advisory.


Carpenter/Crown by Carpenter Bus Models

See also

External links

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