![]() ![]() Its "School Car" featured perimeter seating with wooden bench seats. In 1892, Wayne Works was commissioned by an Ohio school district to build a wagon designed for student transport. Kid hacks įollowing the closure of Wayne Agricultural in 1888, Wayne Works began focusing its product range from farm implements towards horse-drawn vehicles, including wagons and carriages. In 1902, Wayne Works was forced to rebuild after a fire destroyed the factory. In the late 1880s, Wayne Agricultural fell into receivership and was nearly closed in 1888, the company was reorganized as Wayne Works. In 1875, Wayne Agricultural relocated its operations to Richmond, Indiana. In 1871, Wayne Agricultural Company was founded out of a reorganization of the foundry ownership (deriving its name from Wayne County, Indiana). The 1870s saw two major events that would change the company forever. In 1868, the company produced its first vehicle, a horse-drawn utility wagon derived from the then-popular Conestoga wagon. ![]() Through the 1840s and 1850s, the foundry would undergo several changes of ownership. Alongside the initial manufacturing of stoves, the foundry expanded its manufacturing to farm implements. The ultimate beginning of Wayne Corporation traces back to 1837 in Dublin, Indiana, as the Witt family set up a foundry. Following millions of dollars of losses, Wayne Corporation declared bankruptcy in 1992.ĭuring the 1990s, Wayne was briefly reorganized as Wayne Wheeled Vehicles, with the Richmond factory utilized by rival manufacturer Carpenter, building school buses from 1996 until its closure in 2000.Įarly history (1837-1956) 1837-1900 Early Wayne logo During the 1980s, the company struggled against an industry downturn fueled by overcapacity and a difficult market cycle. In 1967, Wayne opened the largest school bus manufacturing facility in the United States adjacent to Interstate 70, the factory became a familiar landmark to millions of travelers. From 1955 to 1975 alone, the business underwent periods under the ownership of Divco (as "Divco-Wayne"), Boise Cascade, "Indian Head, Inc.", and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Group. Through nearly 160 years of existence, Wayne went through several ownership and name changes. In the years after, Wayne continued to be a leader in bus safety engineering. ![]() Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards ( FMVSS) for school buses, most of which became applicable on April 1, 1977. The body design helped pave the way for U.S. The crowning safety achievement was the "Wayne Lifeguard" structural body design introduced in 1973, which featured continuous interior and exterior longitudinal panels. The company was the first with a school bus based upon a cutaway van chassis, the Wayne Busette, a body design that would set a precedent for small school bus design, more than 40 years after its introduction. Wayne products eventually included school buses, transit buses, highway coaches, military and shuttle buses, ambulances and even huge bus bodies pulled by tractor trailers used to haul oil field workers in the Middle East.Īmong many innovations, Wayne pioneered the side-mounted guard rails of modern school buses, inboard wheelchair lifts, and high-headroom doors (a special accommodation for mobility-challenged persons requiring head and neck support from above). Beginning in the 19th century, craftsmen in Richmond, Indiana at Wayne Works and its successors built horse-drawn vehicles, including kid hacks, evolving into automobiles and virtually all types of bus bodies during the 20th century. Wayne is a name in school transportation that predates the familiar yellow school bus seen all over the United States and Canada. Overview 1988 Wayne/ International Lifeguard Later in 1992, the Wayne brand was reorganized as Wayne Wheeled Vehicles, doing business through 1995. Declaring bankruptcy, the company discontinued operations in 1992 and its assets were liquidated. During the middle 20th century, Wayne served as a leading producer of school buses in North America.Īmong innovations introduced by the company were the first application of cutaway van chassis for a school bus and an improvement in structural integrity in bus body construction, involving the use of continuous longitudinal panels to reduce body joints the design change happened before federal standards required stronger body structures in school buses.Īfter 1980, Wayne faced difficulty competing in a market with overcapacity. ![]() The corporate headquarters were in Richmond, Indiana, in Wayne County, Indiana. The Wayne Corporation was an American manufacturer of buses and other vehicles under the "Wayne" marque. ![]()
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