DuMont Telecruiser Historic Pictures

The "Golden Telecruiser"
Historic Pictures

This is the way we found this DuMont Telecruiser. It's "Model B, Serial Number 101" built on a 1949 Flxible coach. We found it parked in a lot near downtown Dallas. The folks at Dallas's Sixth Floor Museum let us know about its presence. It is thought to have been used during part of the ABC TV/WFAA coverage of the Kennedy Assassination, but we have not been able to verify that. Even if it wasn't, there is a lot of Dallas history to it. It was used by WFAA-TV well into the early 1970's. We purchased it from the estate of Edward Terry, of Dallas, who purchased it at auction from A.H. Belo Corp, parent company of WFAA. That makes us the third owner. (Perhaps the fourth owner, since Belo purchased the bus when they acquired Channel 8 in 1950). Mr. Terry intended to make a motor home out of it, but never got that far. It seems he used it as a traveling store, visiting numerous flea markets with it. To his credit, Mr. Terry saved most of the electronics that came with the bus. We are still missing quite a lot, but the equipment we acquired from Mrs. Terry is certainly a good start to restoring this to a working black and white TV Mobile Unit. That is our goal.

This TV Mobile unit was originally built for Channel 8 in Dallas, Texas by Allen B. DuMont Labs in Passaic, New Jersey. (Parent company of The DuMont Network).

Channel 8 was originally called KBTV, before it was purchased by A. H. Belo Corp. (The Dallas Morning News) in 1950. The coach originally said KBTV on it. KBTV was originally owned by Tom Potter, an East Texas oil man who lived in Kilgore. The funny thing is, is our mailing address is Kilgore, so in a way, the Flx has "come home."

Part of the KBTV crew outside the door of the bus. If you can identify any of the people, let us know.

Master Control inside the bus. It must have been quite hot inside during the summer.

At Burnett Field Doing a baseball remote

Downtown Dallas in front of Sewell Motors

Interior View 1953 with DuMont Equipment

Parked outside the Cotton Bowl 1953. Note that to the left of the Telecruiser is an RCA remote truck, most likely belonging to WBAP-TV, Channel 5

One of the crew

Telco and WFAA Microwave Dishes at the Cotton Bowl

A spectacular shot of the Cotton Bowl, Texas - Oklahoma Weekend 1953. The Telecruiser is parked to the right of the main gate.

The Picture is labeled: "Ken, Me, AL, John, Doug, Carl -Golf Tournament"
A visitor has informed us that "Al" is Al Pettus, "John" is Johnny Craft and that Carl is probably Carl Thompson.
All were former WFAA Engineers during that period.

Cotton Bowl, Jan 1, 1953