The year was 1964 and I was 12 years old when my parents drove me to violin lessons at College Park, Maryland. I'd see this forlorn shorter than usual bus each Saturday morning at a residence and I kept wondering how much fun it would be to ride to school in this vehicle.

After frequent conversations about the bus, my Dad indulged my interest and we stopped by for a closer look. My Mother took this picture (later scanned and colorized)of me and my wannabe bus that drove for Barrie School.

Alas the front end was missing (can see the awkward angle) so no way for a hood ornament identification and I didn't know about Wayne or Carpenter bus bodies at the time. I've been corresponding with friends in the shorty bus community over the Internet in hopes to identify the body type, someday.

Roll the clock forward to Summer 2004 and I still had this Dinky Bus fascination after restoring an antique fire engine and tractor. My flying buddy, Jeff, alerted me to a shorty bus in Southern Maryland that was worth further investigation.

This bus turned out to be the Real Deal with a 1956 Chevy Chassis and a 20 passenger extra window Wayne Body type. Added benefits were that "she" was located only 200 miles from my residence, started and drove, and the price of $1500 was right. After finalizing the moving arrangements with a local towing company, "Penelope", as we now call her, arrived on 3 March 2005 on Diamond Towing's big roll-back truck.

Jeff and his family visited soon after she was on station and we drove Penelope in her unpainted condition around the block to the delight of the neighborhood. I asked Jeff to make a few more laps with Penelope while family was aboard while I watched from the sidewalk…and what a sight to behold !!!