FROM THE LATE LELAND "LEON" BUKER: THE ULTIMATE TRENTON MASS TRANSIT HISTORIAN

Lee was a dear friend of mine during my many years as a parishioner at St. Anthony Parish in Hamilton. He was also the ultimate local transportation historian and his family has very graciously and generously donated many of his historic photos and scrapbooks. Above is a fascinating and very clear copy of one of the Trenton trolley "work cars." Note that it is the same coming or going, with a driver cab on either end. It is parked in the building on Lalor and Davis (now Stokeley Avenue) where the roller skating rink was later located.

1934: FROM TROLLEYS TO BUSES

One of the questions I often receive is information on when Trenton converted from the trolley to those rubber tired buses. Trolleys were before my time, and as you can see by the interesting and historic article above, they were converted in the latter part of 1934 and the conversion was completed in 1935. Every time I encounter a trolley or bus photo or article, I am reminded that my friend, the late Leland "Leon" Buker was the recognized historian of the mass transit history of Trenton. He along with my HHS classmate of 1951, John Hoschek were local transit historians; however, Lee maintained a comprehensive collection of the history of Trenton Transit from trolleys to buses.

REMEMBERING LELAND "LEON: BUKER'S TRENTON TRANSIT

How my friend, the late Leon Buker would love to see the collection he labored over and carefully preserved for so many years being on display for posterity! Thanks to Tom and Rosemary Buker, much of Lee's collection has become an integral part of the Hamilton Township Public Library's "TROLLEYS-BUSES-RAILROAD" folder in the Local History Collection. The colored graphic on the left is only a small part of Lee's incredible collection of Trenton Transit bus and trolley memorabilia. The photo of the old familiar Trenton bus terminal (AKA "Union Bus Terminal" will be forever remembered by Tom Glover. The very last time I was at that terminal was in 1955 when I waited for a "Trailways" bus to take me to my new assignment as a cloak and dagger operative at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.

Tom,
My brother and I spent many a hour playing against the brick wall waiting for my dad to get his assignment. Saw many Trailways, Greyhounds, Royal Blue Coach, and Public Service buses running in and out of the terminal and of course your favorite bus. "LIBERTY ST." Thanks for the posting.
Tom Buker

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Anonymous said...

What always amazed me (as a kid), was how they managed to squeeze the bus from the rear lot and between those brick buildings out onto Front Street, as the buses got larger and larger, like the Greyhound and Trailways I think it was a combination of luck and/or skill.

In the early 1950's we still didn't have a car and used my Uncle Tom's Airstream Trailer down at Holgate at the tip of Long Beach Island. Our trip for a week at the shore involved a few bus rides and took almost the entire day. We would take Trenton Transit (S-Colonial), to the Cathedral and then over to "The Terminal" where we would get a bus to Philadelphia. Often it was a hot ride with no AC but there was one refreshment/potty stop by Route 72 in Lebanon. Then it was on to the end of the line at Beach Haven leaving about 5 miles to go to Holgate and with no bus or cab service you were left with an outstretched thumb. Back in the 50's, the stretch between Holgate and Beach Haven was essentially deserted; just dunes and grass till you got to Lindhal's Trailer Park (that still survives today). Holgate had the Coast Guard tower for coastal defense against Kraut subs and such from WWII. During the big storm of (62?) the owners perished when they left the safety of the tower, but essentially is was not much of a "resort" with a single bar, one hot dog stand and a small sit down small burger place and of course the obligatory boat repair shop. Aside from that, just a few dozen trailers and a one street of houses. To go fishing for snappers off the Beach Haven dock, well Dad was quite resourceful and we rode into town on the milk truck, bottles clanking (standing room only), and returned on the "summer school bus" in the afternoon. Tom, seeing that old photo sparked the memory. Then there were the fires, at times you could barely see the road. Hard to imagine but it took all of the day to make that "journey" back then. When LBI was so quiet and heaven to a city kid. The only "entertainment" aside from snapper blues and splashing were the cheap comics, old ones and for 10 cents you got a pack of 12 with the covers torn off. Thanks ...

Ed Millerick

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Tom Glover said...

VERY INTERESTING RETROSPECTIVE, TOM AND ED. .ALL THESE COMMENTS ENHANCE THE GRAPHIC VERY NICELY.

TOM GLOVER

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Publish Post

TRENTON TROLLEY ACCIDENT FROM THE LELAND BUKER COLLECTION

Over the years, I have met many history-minded people who have specialized in advancing the history of their particular interest. One of my dear friends from my St. Anthony Trenton New Jersey years was the late Leland "Leon" Buker. Lee, along with my HHS '51 classmate John Hoschek were both THE historians when it came to mass transit. I know not what happened to John Hoschek's collection, which as I recall concentrated on bus photos and articles. Thankfully, the Buker family saw to it that Lee's remarkable collection will be preserved for the ages.

From the years of the trolley, to Rankin Johnson's Trenton Transit, Lee Buker kept a remarkable series of scrapbooks which reveal an incredible amount of local history as it relates to the city of Trenton and its mass transit program dating back to the 19th and into the 20th century. Lee spent his career as a Trenton Transit bus driver, and probably knew more about the streets of Trenton than most local residents. I have set up a special folder in the Hamilton Library Local History Database entitled, "TROLLEYS-LELAND BUKER COLLECTION.) It will take some time to digitize some of the incredible photos in his collection. We in Hamilton and Trenton should be very grateful to the Buker family for making sure Lee's lifetime collection will be shared by those interested in Trenton, Hamilton, and Mercer County transit history.

1940'S LEON BUKER COLLECTION

There are a number of pages in Lee's scrapbook which I have re-arranged and enhanced in the graphic above. Perhaps one of the buses in this, and future posts will be the bus you rode when you journeyed to "downtown Trenton!"

Thcomment below from Tom Buker, Leon's son, without whom, (along with Leon's wife "Ro" Buker), there would be no Hamilton Library Leland Buker Collection:

Tom,
Great to see the old bus pictures. I rode and played on all except the charter bus. Who needs day care when your pop is a bus driver. Happy New Year.
Tom

1979: FROM THE LEON BUKER COLLECTION

Many thanks to Tom Buker and his mom Rosemarie for numerous memorabilia relating to the the transit history of the Trenton area. Leon (Leland) Buker was a driver for the Trenton Transit Company and also a renowned Trenton transportation historian.