BusTalk

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 2:33 am Post subject: 'MARQUETTE T A #2'

Shown on a sunny spring day in the late seventies is fleet # 2 - a 36 passenger, 30 foot long 1978 Flxible New Look Model 35096-6-0 and one of three (number 1 to 3) operating for the Marquette Transit Authority of Marquette, Michigan.

I won't say that the city of Marquette, which is also the seat of Marquette County, is small but its buses have destinations signs that only read either North-South (as seen on #2) or East-West! (only kidding, but I don't think it's a lot more than that!).

Marquette, located on Michigan's upper peninsula along Lake Superior, is home to Northern Michigan University, the famous Michigan Regional History Museum and it's average snowfall of over twelve feet ranks it as number five on the list of the snowiest cities in the U.S.

Picture post card thanks to eBay (item # 360281006519).

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

JimmiB · Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 2:14 am Post subject:

They can't have too many destinations since that looks like it's not even a curtain, but a lettered sign placed behind the glass.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 12:49 pm Post subject:

JimmiB,

Well, I won't say that Marquette is small but the 'entering' and 'leaving' signs are on the same post!

I will say this though; Years ago I visited a friend in Escanaba, Michigan that's also on the upper peninsula and the countryside up there is among the most beautiful I've ever seen!

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

Free-transfer · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 8:35 pm Post subject:

Looks like the front door is at the first stop and the back door is at the last stop...

timecruncher · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:37 am Post subject:

True to my craft as a scheduler, that makes for good on-time performance!

timecruncher
Schedulers give you the runs!

andrethebusman · Age: 70 Joined: 27 Dec 2011 Posts: 21 Location: Chicago IL

Marquette has since gone county-wide and has 30 or so buses, but all are van-based I'm afraid. The three Flx's were used on what were then the two in-town routes, NORTH-SOUTH and MARQUETTE-ISHPEMING interurban.

When service started a couple of years earlier, fleet was a couple of Hydramatics and two ex Triboro (!) 4509's, plus an ex Grand island Transit suburban 4509. The Hydramatics stayed in town, while the 4509's ran the interurban. When the Flx's were ordered, the then-current private contract operator Marquette Bus Service was given the choice of either becoming strictly a transit contract operator or becoming strictly a charter operator. Soon after the Flx's came in (which were initially run by MBS!) MBS went charter, and MTA began running the FLX's themselves. MBS is long gone, but MTA still runs.