BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

This is probably the first time this writer has ever seen a snow plow attached to the front of a transit bus - this is not to say that it's never been done before - it's just that I've never seen it!

Shown at one of its company's many facilities in the 'Windy City' is fleet # BA-144 which appears to be a post war ACF Model C-36 operating in the maintenance division of the Chicago Transit Authority.

Attaching a plow to a bus isn't such a bad idea except that in this particular case I'm wondering how effective it was considering that this bus had an underfloor amidships mounted pancake engine which afforded little additional weight to the drive axle (an even more important factor than just a set of chains).

Of course, we don't know that ballast in the form of either weights or sand had not been placed on the floor over the rear axle.

Also of note is the absence of auxiliary headlamps usually mounted atop the plow frame to afford light when the plow is blocking the regular headlights in its lifted position.

Photo courtesy of '90mac' and is up for auction on eBay as item # 380596752129.

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