BECK

C. D. Beck & Co. (1934-1957)
Sidney, Ohio

This is a Beck bus emblem (c1938)     lktec
Size: 248mm wide 133mm high  MM: None

C. D. Beck organised a group of investors and bought the Anderson Body Company. Anderson built a range of buses from 12 to 33 passenger capacity, including a number of school buses, based on commercial chassis and using Airstream bodies, which carried the Beck name. By mid-1934, the Anderson name disappeared from company advertising.

Beck Airstream buses were updated and continued to be built on commercial chassis until 1939. New Beck bus models included the Fleetway passenger sedan and the COE Cosmopolitan bus in 1936 with the Metropolitan bus model appearing in 1937.   

Beck introduced new all-metal integral construction in 1938 for their Airstream and Steeliner models, although in appearance they looked the same as the previous body-on-chassis design. In 1939, Beck introduced the Super Steeliner, which was replaced in 1940 by the Mainliner and the Luxury Liner. Beck bus production stopped in 1942 due to wartime restrictions but special Commuter Express bus production began in 1943. 

A new factory was built in 1946 and regular bus production continued with new Mainliner models appearing in 1948. Beck acquired Ahrens-Fox in 1953 and relocated their fire engine manufacturing to Sidney, Ohio. Mack bought out Beck in 1956, essentially to acquire the Ahrens-Fox fire engine business. The Beck name disappeared in 1957.

Emblems

There are very few photos or illustrations of Beck buses clearly showing the emblem. However, the following photo of a 1938 Beck Super Steeliner shows an unusual shaped emblem above the radiator:

Beck Super Steeliner (1938)     curbsideclassic

This is the painted metal Beck emblem shown above at the top of this post. This Beck emblem is very rare.

The following original photo shows some Beck buses in Mexico probably in the early 1940's with a simple horizontal emblem with rounded ends:

Beck Steeliner Buses (c1940's)    curbsideclassic

Similarly shaped emblems were used on the front of some other Beck bus models, see example shown below:

Beck Model B-29 Transcontinental bus (1950)    transpressnz

The following is an example of one of the last Beck buses showing the Beck name displayed on the front of the bus:

Beck Bus showing front emblem (1956)    curbsideclassic

Close up showing the Beck name