When the HSR purchased its first buses in the mid-1920s, it numbered its buses starting at one, and kept going in a rough sequence. (Trolley buses were numbered starting at 700, an extension of the older HSR streetcar numbering series). Gaps were left between bus models, so that by the mid 1970s, HSR buses were in the high 900s
Starting in 1977, the HSR began numbering its buses based on year of arrival and order received, with the first two digits of a bus’s number representing the year of arrival. For example, HSR 9715 was the 15th bus that arrived in 1997. Any buses that were bought secondhand were numbered according to year of manufacture, but instead of the bus numbers starting at yy01, they started at yy51. (i.e. HSR 8251 was built in 1982 and was the first bus bought secondhand)
Following the amalgamation of Hamilton with the other communities of Wentworth County in 2001, this numbering scheme was slightly modified as the new city numbered all city owned vehicles in a common six-digit scheme. HSR buses were given a '51' prefix to go in front of the already existing four-digit number. In order to save money, older buses were not renumbered unless they were repainted (For example, the rebuilt GM Artics). The '51' was dropped in the spring of 2007, and over the next few months those buses that had been delivered with the six-digit numbers were "renumbered" (the 51 was scraped off) to four digits.
Feel free to email me at hamiltontransithistory@rogers.com if you have your own HSR bus photos that you’d like to share!
Hamilton Street Railway Bus Roster
Leased Buses in/from Hamilton, and Demonstrator Buses
Dupont Champlain 1608 (HSR #70-71)
NFI D40LF (HSR #0401-0414 (ex 510401-510414), 0501-0520 (ex 510501-510520), 0701-0722, 0801-0822, 0901-0917, 1001-1015)
NFI DE60LFR (HSR #0610-0616, 920-937)
NFI XD40 (HSR #1101-1117, 1201-1224)
NFI XN60 (HSR #1420-1437, 1820-1830, 2351-2370)
Nova LFS Natural Gas (HSR #1501-1524, 1601-1643, 1701-1719, 1801-1811, 2101-2120, 2201-2231, 2251-2292)
Grande West Vicinity CNG (HSR #1840-1850)
Yellow Coach X (HSR #1-10, 17-21)
Ford bus (HSR #31-38)
Yellow Coach TG-2401 (HSR #51-56)
Ford 19-B (HSR #70-87, 135-144)
Ford 29-B (HSR #88-92, 130-134)
Ford 72-T (HSR #93-99, 121-128)
GMC TGH-3102 (HSR #80:2-89:2, 91:2-96:2)
Mack RB (HSR #101-115)
Ford 99-T (HSR #151-169)
CC&F C-36 (HSR #90:2, 181-210:2)
White Motor 788 (HSR #201-208, 251-258)
White Motor 798 (HSR #209-228, 259-278, 901-939 (odd))
CC&F C-36A (HSR #211:2-218:2)
CC&F CD-36A (HSR #301-310)
CC&F CD-44A (HSR #401-411, 421-434, 481-488)
CC&F CD-45 (HSR #451-462)
Twin Coach 41-S (HSR #491-492)
Flxible 29BI-47 (HSR #493-497)
GMDD TDH-4512 (HSR #501-530, 551-562)
GMDD TDH-4517 (HSR #601-612)
NFI DE41LF (HSR #0601-0605)
GMDD TDH-4519 (HSR #621-629, 631-655, 661-672, 681-695)
GMDD TDH-4521 (HSR #801-812, 821-835, 841-852, 861-872)
Rek Vee Club Car (HSR #1215-1216)
GMDD T6H-5307N (HSR #901-906, 911-931, 941-962, 971-982, 7701-7727)
Arboc SOM26D (HSR #1020-1024)
MCI TC40-102A (HSR #2204-2208)
Flyer D900 (HSR #7901-7930)
GM TA60-102N (HSR #8201-8215, 518203, 518206)
Flxible Metro (HSR #8251)
GM/MCI TC40-102N ‘Classic’ (HSR #8501-8515, 8601-8615, 8701-8715, 8801-8815)
Orion V (HSR #8901-8915, 9101-9115, 9201-9215)
Ford E350D (HSR #9151)
NFI C40LF (HSR #9601-9625, 9801-9810, 0201-0215 (ex 510201-510215), 0301-0320 (ex 510301-510320))
Nova LFS Transit (HSR #9701-9720)
Orion VI (HSR # 9901-9925)
El Dorado National Hawk PM (HSR #140551)
Ford E450 (HSR #510261-510264)
CNIB/Main West Loop
West Hamilton Loop
Scenic & Lavender Loop
Princess Point Loop
Glancaster Road Loop
Valley Park Loop
Titan Loop
Levi Loop
Lakeland Loop
McMaster University
Limeridge Mall
Eastgate Square
MacNab Transit Terminal/Frank A. Cooke Transit Terminal
Gore Park
Sandford Shops
Mountain Transit Centre
Wentworth Garage
