BusTalk

frankie · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:08 am Post subject: How asture are you?

I'm sure Mr. L will know this - but we'll see who else does.

Has Queens ever been served with double decker service that didn't original in Manhattan? Answer tomorrow if no one comes up with the answer.

Frankie

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:22 am Post subject:

Frankie....

I'll admit, ya have me STUMPED (like THAT's realy difficult to do!) Rolling Eyes

At first I thought of FACC Route #15, but that connected with Manhattan, and was not a route that only served Queens.

Yep, let's leave this one up to our highly-esteemed resident experty, Mr. "L"....... Wink

NYO

andy47 · Joined: 17 Feb 2011 Posts: 96 Location: New York State

FACO Route #16, Elmhurst Crosstown. It was started the same day as the much more well-known #15 5th Ave.-Jackson Heights line, and until 1935 may have used the same double deckers as the #15 used. #16 was a short feeder route to bring transfer passengers to the #15 at 82nd Street and Roosevelt Ave. After 1935 it used single deck Yellow 728 and 740 models when FACO bought those for its three crosstown routes, #16, #6 (72nd St.), and #20 (57th St.).

frankie · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:20 am Post subject:

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:23 am Post subject:

Frankie:

Yep, Andy INDEED knows his buses!

As his was not the answer you were looking for, my curiosity is REALLY running high now!

NYO

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:17 pm Post subject:

This is really a 'Stump The Stars' job but I'll take my best shot!

How about one early thirties 'Pickwick Duplex' operating for North Shore Bus Company until city takeover in 1947.

A photo can be seen on page 8 of the April/May 1977 Motor Coach Age devoted to the history of that company but the attachment is a reasonable facsimile.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

frankie · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:56 pm Post subject:

BINGO! Mr. L comes through again.

This is the bus I had in mind. Acquired by North Shore in 1931, this lone Pickwick Duplex was outfitted for city service and carried 62 passengers. Originally numbered 626, it was renumber 700 in 1932 and 500 in 1936. The accompanying photo (as mentioned by Mr. L) shows it at Flushing Terminal in 1947.

Frankie

Photo courtesy of MBS for educational purposes only

NorthShore · Age: 77 Joined: 18 Mar 2012 Posts: 113

Fifth Avenue Coach originally ran FACCO Model "J"single deck buses on both Rt. 15 Fifth Avenue-Jackson Heights and Rt. 16 Elmhurst Crosstown
when service began in July 1925 until 1936 when the "J" series were replaced with Yellow Coach model 720 Queen Mary lowbridge double deckers on Rt. 15 and Yellow Coach single deckers on Rt.16. In 1950, the Queen Marys were replaced by Mack C-50's and GMC 4509's replaced the pre-war single deckers on the Rt.16.

traildriver · Joined: 26 Mar 2011 Posts: 2701 Location: South Florida

While the Pickwick Duplex coaches may appear from the outside to be "double-deckers", they were not quite true double-deckers....they had one aisle with a few steps leading up and down to sets of seats. Very similar in concept to the early Long Island RR 'double decker' MU cars, for those that remember them.....

NorthShore · Age: 77 Joined: 18 Mar 2012 Posts: 113

As a follow-up the the replacement of the Queen Marys on Rt.15 with Mack C-50's. Even though Fifth Avenue was a defacto subsidiary of GM, and FACCO helped develop the 5501 and tested the 5102, in 1950 when the Queen Marys were due for replacement, GM was offering only the 5103, a 102" wide bus. It was tested in NYC and determined it was too wide for the then 2-way streets. It was even "outlawed" by NYC. Finally GM produced the 96"wide 5104 in 1952. Fifth Avenue replaced the majority of Queen Marys in 1952 with 5104's. By the time the fishbowls came out in 1959 most NYC streets were one-way and able to handle the 102" wide buses.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:54 am Post subject:

NorthShore,

Don't forget that Fifth Avenue Coach ran the only 'White' buses to have ever carried their flag - which were five 1953 Model 1150-D-7's numbered 2600 to 2604 - on the #15 Jackson Heights line until they were sold off to Memphis in 1960.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

X-Astorian · Joined: 19 Feb 2009 Posts: 173 Location: Central NJ

Hi Mr. L,

And let's also not forget that FACCO had an orphan White 788 (#1086) which ran mostly on the 57th Street Crosstown according to Motor Coach Age.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 2:56 pm Post subject:

X-Astorian,

I am not aware of nor have I ever seen a White Model 788 numbered 1086 operating under the flag of Fifth Avenue Coach - that is not to say that there wasn't one!

However, I am very aware of a 1938 White Model 788 that carried the flag of the New York City Omnibus Corporation (NYCO) as fleet # 499 (as rostered and pictured in the February 1969 issue of Motor Coach Age devoted entirely to NYCO).

What you may not know however is the fact that the bus was bought on a friendly wager between two of NYCO's 'top dogs' and that bet said that it would never make five years under grueling conditions in Manhattan - the Post Script on that was that it did and its last known photo was taken in June of 1948 in service on the 79th. Street Crosstown Line.

I would further venture to say that with a little TLC it would still be running today! (the pre war White was one tough bus!).

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 3:14 pm Post subject:

BTW:

For anyone listening in that has never seen one of Fifth Avenue's 1953 White Model 1150-D-7's, I present # 2602 attached.

Enjoy,

Photo by White Motor Company.

Mr. 'L'

frankie · Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:46 pm Post subject: