BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

Below is a list of Mack Buses delivered to New York area operators between 1935 and World War II.
The within information has been supplied to me by The Mack Truck Museum for educational use only.
Unfortunately the list does not contain fleet numbers, and the only ones that will be inserted are those that are known to me personally;

Listed from left to right will be the model number, customer, number of units purchased and date of delivery (any remarks will follow each entry);


6CL3S, East Side Omnibus Corporation, (15), 12/36
6CL3S, Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation, (15), 12/36
6CG3S, Scarsdale Bus Company, (5), 8/36
6CG3S, Club Transportation, (unk), 3/37
CY3G, Nassau Bus Lines, Inc., (4), 1/38
RB3G, Nassau Bus Lines, Inc., (4), 10/41
CM3G, Bronx/Flushing Bus Company, (16) 2/39 (For World's Fair)
CM3G, Green Bus Lines, Inc., (25). 2/39 (801 to 825 for World's Fair)
CM3G, Green Bus Lines, Inc., (10), 2/40 (850 to 859 for World's Fair)
CM4D, Surface Transportation System, (30), 1/41 (Diesel Electrics)
CM4D, Surface Transportation System, (10), 3/41 (Diesel Electrics)
CM4D, Surface Transportation System, (150), 7/41 (Diesel Electrics)
6CT3S, Yonkers Bus, Inc. (1), 10/36
6CT3S, Green Bus Lines, Inc., (35), 12/36 (601 to 635)
6CT3S, Manhattan and Queens Bus Corporation, (30), 12/36 (101 to 130)
CT3G, Green Bus Lines, Inc,. (35), 3/38 (701 to 735)
6CT3S, Club Transportation, (1), 12/38
CT3G, Brooklyn Bus Corporation, (75), 1/39
CT3G, Club Transportation, (3), 6/39
6CX3S, Avenue B and East Broadway Transit, (5), 4/36
6CX3S, Green Bus Lines, Inc,. (35), 8/35 (G501 to G535)
6CQ3S, New York Street Railway Company, (5), 10/36
6CQ3S, Yonkers Bus, Inc. (1), 12/36
6CQ3S, Club Transportation, (1), 7/37
6CQ3S, Long Beach Bus Company, Inc., (4), 5/36 (46 to 49)
LD3G, Yonkers Bus Line, (1), 10/40
LD3G, Yonkers Bus Line, (1), 10/41
LD3G, Schenck Transportation, (8), 2/42
LD3G, Hempstead Bus Corporation, (11), 4/42
CW3G, Yonkers Bus, Inc. (2), 11/39
CW3G, Club Transportation, (2), 6/40
CW3G, Yonkers Bus, Inc., (1), 6/40
CW3G, Club Transportation, (2), 4/41
CW3G, Yonkers Bus, Inc., (1), 8/41
6CW3S, Nassau Bus Lines, Inc., (1), 4/36 (Flagged to Long Beach Bus Company).
6CW3S, New York Street Railway Company, (5), 11/36
6CW3S, Nassau Bus Lines, Inc., (1), 2/37
6CW3S, Rockville Centre Bus Corporation, (2), 3/37
6CW3S, New York Street Railway Company, (7), 5/37
6CW3S, Nassau Bus Lines, Inc., (1), 6/37
6CW3S, Club Transportation, (5), 10/37
6CW3G, New York Street Railway Company, (10), 5/38
6CW3S, Yonkers Bus Company, (1), 7/38
6CW3S, Westchester Surface Railways, (3), 7/38
CW3S, Yonkers Bus, Inc., (2), 9/38
CW3G, Yonkers Bus, Inc., (2), 9/38
CW3D, Westchester Coach Company, (1), 5/39 (Diesel)
CW3G, Steinway Omnibus Corporation, (20), 8/39 (2000 TO 2019)
CW3G, Yonkers Bus, Inc., (1), 8/39
CW3G, Club Transportation, (1), 9/39

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"

[Cyberider]

Was Mack the pre-dominant bus manufacturer for lines in the NYC area before the war? Looks like they had pretty good market penetration.

I don't think Cleveland had any Macks and Phoenix certainly didn't so I missed out on the Mack era.

[Mr. Linsky]

Dave,

You are correct when you say that Mack had a 'preeminent' presence in the New York metropolitan area especially during the thirties (and while 'Yellow' was still in its infancy).

The first buses built by Mack back in 1902 were created in a makeshift carriage shop on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, and while their success precipitated a move to Allentown, Pa. to larger quarters by 1905, they never forgot their roots and kept their main sales offices in Manhattan.

The records show that during the spotlighted prewar period, they sold buses throughout the U.S. including Honolulu, Hawaii!, but not in the volumes that they did in the Northeast (Twin Coach and ACF Brill being their chief competition nationwide).

I have included an abstract below of prewar Macks sold in Ohio that should interest you.

I don't know about any other New York operators, but I believe I know why Green Bus Lines opted for Macks with their first and largest ever order being for forty eight buses in 1933.

It was about that time that the 'Omnibus Corporation' a/k/a The GM-Hertz-Yellow cartell was moving into Manhattan and beginning to gobble up (by hook or crook - and there were plenty of those in city hall) every franchise that they could get their hands on, and finally pushed Green Line out of the borough altogether! (this left a bad taste for anything GM/Yellow).

It's interesting to note that one of Mack's largest orders ever (400 C-50's) went to the New York City Transit Authority just prior to ceasing the manufacture of buses in 1960.

Ohio Abstract Of Prewar Macks

CG, Cincinnati Street Railway Company, (5) 7/36
CY34, Cleveland Railway Company, (5), 8/40
LY4, Cincinnati/Newport Company, (2), 8/40
RC6, Cleveland Railway Company, (25), 8/41 (Trolley Coaches)
CM3G, Cleveland Railway Company, (1), 6/39
CM3G, Cicinnati/Newport and Company, (12) 11/39
CW3G, Cleveland Railway Company, (5), 8/40
CM3G, Cleveland Railway Company, (20), 2/41
CM3G, Cincinnati/Newport and Company, (2), 4/41
CM3G, Youngstown Municipal Railway Company, (10), 1/42
CM3G, Akron Transportation Company, (15) 8/41
CM3G, Cincinnati/Newport and Company, (10) 9/41
CM3G, Youngstown Municipal Railway Company, (10), 1/42
CM3G, Cincinnati Street Railway Company, (15), 1/42
6CT3S, Cincinnati Street Railway Company, (7), 11/36
6CQ3S, Cleveland Railway Company, (10), 2/38
6CQ3S, Cincinnati/Newport and Company, (2), 1/39
LD3G, Cincinnati/Newport and Company, (5), 4/41
CR3S, Cincinnati Street Railway Company, (6), 7/36 (Trolley Coaches)

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"
Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[Cyberider]

Thanks for reminding me about the Mack New York connection. I forgot that's where they started. As for Cleveland, I remember the Twins and the PCC streetcars but not the Macks. Maybe they were retired by the mid-50's? Or maybe I wasn't observant enough at less than 4 years old.

San Francisco had a lot of Macks and they were still active when I travelled through that city in 1966. Was just passing through so didn't get to ride anything.

As always, great information, Mr. Linsky!

[Mr. Linsky]

Dave,

The reason that you saw so many Macks in San Francisco was because they were the other of the last two huge Mack orders before they faded away!

The records of the March-April 1974 Motor Coach Age show that the largest order of all time for Mack (450 C-49-DT's) went to San Francisco Municipal Railway between 1955 and 1959 and that, at the time the MCA issue was printed, nearly 200 were still on the property!

It wouldn't surprise me if some of them ran well into the early eighties!

Anyway, Mack's total postwar deliveries came to 7,123.

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"

[Q65A]

Nice job on this roster, Mr. L; thanks!

[GBL Rebel]

You sure you were not there supervising the sale of the Macks, because you got one hell of a list there!! OUTSTANDING -- Great job Mr. L

[Mr. Linsky]

And for my next act, I will recreate a roster of prewar Macks delivered to New Jersey operators. (this could go on for years!!).

Wait till I get to Peroria Transit! (just having a little fun! you get gitty at this keyboard after a while!).

Anyway, thanks to all of you for your compliments, and to The Mack Truck Museum for giving me information that I don't think exists anywhere else!, and the ability to share it with you.

It's just another piece of the puzzle that, once completed, should give us an accurate and permanent record of the history of bus transportation in the U.S.

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"
Operator, Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[Mr. Linsky]

[quote="Mr. Linsky"]
Wait till I get to Peoria Transit! (just having a little fun! you get gitty at this keyboard after a while!).




I'm Quoting myself! (I've done that a few times in the past!).

The 'bit' above about Peoria prewar Mack buses was really meant to be a joke (I had no intention of going that far).

But, as luck would have it, I happen to stumble upon the Peoria Illinois roster while searching for a particular model of an ACF Brill.

Sure enough, Peoria had Macks; five CQ-3G's in 1940 and twelve LC-3G's in 1942.

So Mack did play Peoria along with 'Burns and Allen'!

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"