BusTalk

[Ned]

Hi all. I'm a new member. I'm not sure if I should post this here, but I'm hoping to find photographs of the 165th Street Bus Terminal in downtown Jamaica, Queens during the 1950s, 60s, or early 70s. I lived very near there growing up, and used to walk through frequently, looking at all the TA and Bee Line buses, but unfortunately I have no pictures, only my memories.

I'd love to see anything that anyone might have along these lines.

Thanks,

Ned

[Mr. Linsky]

Ned,

You're on the right channel and welcome to BusTalk - glad to have you aboard!

Pictured below are two shots of Jamaica's 165th. Street Terminal and both showing Bee Line (L.I.) buses with the upper image being fleet # 622 - a 1959 Mack Model (Improved) C-49-DT and the lower image being fleet # 604 - a 1957 GM Coach Model TDH 5106.

You might also note that in the background of the lower frame can be seen three early New York City Transit Authority GM New Looks.

Hope this brings back memories.

Photos borrowed for educational purposes only.

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

[Ned]

Thanks for those photos - they are great. I do indeed recall seeing something like #622, as it really stood out from everything else in the terminal. Was it their only one?

By the way, back then I lived in one of those apartment buildings in the background. I recall waking up one morning to discover that overnight about half the NYCTA buses had been replaced by the New Looks. The evening before it was 100% Old Looks. As a kid then, I had never even seen a Fishbowl before, so it was quite a surprise, as you might imagine!

Ned

[frankie]

[frankie]

[Mr. Linsky]

I think this would be a good time to bring out 'My First Look At A New Look' for an airing - I had originally written this essay for BusTalk.net and would now like to reprise it for your enjoyment below;


'MY FIRST LOOK AT A NEW LOOK'

It had to be sometime in late 1959 when I had occasion to go into Brooklyn on personal business and spotted my first ?new look? dressed in dark green city colors and parked along Grand Army Plaza (probably on a layover). It had to have been among the first 5301?s delivered numbered 1 thru 190 that arrived toward the end of that year.

Of course, we had all heard about the ?radical? new buses from GM that were about to hit the streets but we had never seen any pictures and knew almost nothing of the details.

At first glimpse I was flabbergasted and thought that it was the ugliest thing I had ever seen. There was no question that it was ?light years? away from anything we were used to.

I was particularly taken by the starkness of the rear roof line and what seemed to be a completely misplaced window line (that was greatly improved and made much more handsome with the addition of the A/C condensers which came on later models).

There was one other point that struck me as beyond revolutionary and bordering on dangerous; I was concerned about the larger then life windshield and how little protection it would afford a driver (we were all used to the ?old look? design with a front end wrapped around us like a tank!). Unbelievably though, I don?t think many if any drivers through the years suffered any great injury because of the added exposure.

While I was still with Green Line in 1961 new looks proliferated the company but were only originally assigned to Q10 and Q60 (Mr. Cooper?s pet lines) and I never had the opportunity to drive one (they would never have wasted them on the summer shuttles to the Rockaways). However, I did have occasion to ride in a new look sometime in the seventies on 34th. Street in Manhattan, and was very impressed by the smooth ride, the modern interior and especially the tinted glass windows that made everything outside look so clean and fresh!

The drivers gave them excellent reviews and, as history will reflect, the '5300?s' turned out to be the backbones of virtually every major fleet in the country for nearly three decades!

Note; if anyone would like to add a representative image of a 5300 to enhance my article, please be my guest.

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

[Mr. Linsky]

[Ned]

Great shot of Bee Line #614. Thanks!

As for the location, it sure looks like the Jamaica Terminal to me. The only thing that throws me is the yellow bus behind it. Who had that color scheme? I don't recall seeing that in Jamaica.

Ned

[RailBus63]

[Mr. Linsky]

frankie,

RailBus63 is correct - the yellowish body with the red stripe along the belt line in the next slot was a 1970 Flxible Model 111CD-D5-1 and one of twenty likenesses numbered between 432 and 451 purchased by Nassau County in the name of Hempstead Bus Corporation of Hempstead, New York.

In my time Hempstead Bus did come into Jamaica Terminal but at Archer and New York and not 165th. Street - of course, that may have changed by the 70's.

I do have another interesting photo that might answer more questions but my web site photo manager is out for maintenance at the moment - perhaps it will be back later tonight.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

[Mr. Linsky]

Ned,

Just to add a little confusion to the terminal situation I have attached a photo of Hempstead Bus Terminal taken sometime not long after World War II.

Note that the canopy over the buses is similar in construction to the one covering Bee Line # 614 above.

Photo courtesy of Nassau County Library

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

[Robert Carroll]

The Green line terminal was in deed a terminal for Schenck and GBL.The 165 st. terminal was the end of the routes using the north side platforms,and the other {east side}platforms were just stops in route.Note the Bee Lines new Mack was boarding passengers from corner of the platform.Never saw that before...There was a small terminal in Freeport circa post WWII that serviced Deleo's Baldwin and Wantagh routes as well as Star's Camp ave.routes. Oddly Roosevlt Lines Freeport never used this terminal,nor Hempstead,or Utilities. It was located behind The Texas Ranger rest.on Main St between Sunrise and the LIRR...Prior to Flushings Gertz Dept.branch there was a North Shore terminal east of Main St,on Roosevelt ave.never used by Queens Nassau Nor North Shores Q44 Jamaica- Bronx..Hempstead Terminal was used by all lines except Bee Line at that time,they used Front Street.Hempstead's main line Freeport-Mineola used stops in front of the terminal.This info for 40's 50' time period. Lest we forget the Victor Moore Terminal of Triboro Coach...