BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

N4 Jamaica,

Great pictures from Westchester and believe or not one on page two is a Mack Model CG just like the Reservoir above.

A bit of post war nostalgia from Reservoir below;

Photo courtesy of The Mack Museum.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

[Mr. Linsky]

N4 Jamaica,

BTW; here's Fordham Bus Corporation #21 and about the only thing I'm half sure of is that it's from the mid to late thirties!

I haven't the foggiest notion as to the make of either the chassis or the body and I've scanned my vast truck spotters guides to no avail!

Whatever it is, is was certainly streamlined for its time.

Be my guest on this one.

Image borrowed for educational purposes only.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

[frankie]

[Mr. Linsky]

frankie,

Nice find and thanks for the hint - it fooled me because the radiator grille was not traditional White.

And now, I can give you a little more information on what White dubbed as being their 'Airstream Hyway Coach' series.

Your bus #186 was one of five of two different lengths (some with four windows and some with five) delivered to the Sunshine Bus Lines of Dallas, Texas in 1934.

My Fordham #21, which was originally one of 30 five window jobs built for The Union Pacific's Interstate Transit Lines, and all including Sunshine's were fitted with bodies by Bender on modified White 54A chassis.

Interestingly, the Sunshine bodies were composites with aluminum panels attached to wooden frames whereas Interstate's were believed to have been all metal as specified by Union Pacific.

Both the 17 (four window) and 21 (five window) passenger models came equipped with air brakes and power derived from White built model 3A overhead-valve six cylinder engines displacing 396 cubic inches and developing 75 horse power.

Due to an influx of new and more spacious parlor cars in the mid to late thirties, operator paid little attention to White's Streamlined offerings and it is believed that only the thirty five described above were ever built.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

[Old Look 4007]

Frankie,

Thanks for the picture of the White bus!

I found several copies of the Over Road Book on Amazon and ordered a used copy. Prices for the book are very reasonable.

Sincerely,

Jeff (Old Look 4007)

[frankie]

Great info Mr. L. Thank you.

Sorry to be off the subject. I hesitated on posting this since this is suppose to be New York buses only, but here's a few more examples of the White including a Union Pacific 6-window version courtesy of retrobuses. Unfortunately the site is in Spanish.

http://retrobuses.blogspot.com/2010/06/palace-highway-coaches.html

Frankie

[Mr. Linsky]

frankie,

Gracias!

Pictures are great but note that while the Union Pacific job (pictured below) does carry the similar Bender streamlined body, the front end is of conventional (upright) White stock.

BTW; Bender Body Company of Cleveland did a great deal of work with White and was practically next door to White's factory but was never associated with them in any corporate manner.

Also BTW; I wouldn't exactly call this line of discussion Off Topic - let's just say that it's a slight detour!

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

[Mr. Linsky]

Surface Transportation System of New York - a subsidiary of the Third Avenue Railway System - purchased seventy six of Mack's new high capacity Model CM-4D's (Diesel Electrics stretched by one window from 40 to 44 passengers) which were numbered from 600 to 675 and delivered in increments between 1939 and 1941.

An order placed for another 150 likenesses in 1942 was diverted in pipeline by the Office of Defense Transportation (ODT) for distribution to the U.S. Navy and other operators engaged in critical transportation for the war effort.

Most of these buses went to the Navy and were divided between San Diego Naval Base and Mare Island Ship Yards in California and military installations in Hawaii.

In the top image we see a specimen standing in Downtown San Diego still carrying its original Surface livery but with a U.S.N. license plate and awaiting it pretty young lady driver to take the wheel.

In the center image we see another of the order in full U.S. Navy dress readying for its next assignment at Mare Island just north of San Francisco.

The last image was taken in Honolulu showing Navy paint although without identifications and, astonishingly, still carrying Surface roll signs.

Interstingly, operation of the Mare Island group was contracted to Pacific Greyhound who provided drivers and maintenance for the buses.

These Mack's, which were dubbed as 'improved' because of their angled windshields and round edged passenger sashes, were among the last pre war models from the company.

Top photo courtesy of Motor Coach Age Magazine
Center and lower frames borrowed for educational purposes only.

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

[Q65A]

As usual, great stuff, Mr. L!
Mack transit buses frequently were spec'd with cast spoke wheels, a feature which, in my opinion, made them look "tougher" than other buses of the Old Look era.
It has been said that Mack exited the bus business in the early 1960's because the trucking industry was booming, while the transit bus market (even 50+ years ago) just was not as lucrative a proposition, and was diverting engineering and manufacturing resources that could have been used for truck building.

[Mr. Linsky]

[Q65A]

Good points, Mr. L.
Since you certainly know far more about GBL history than most others, I wonder why GBL didn't buy postwar macks (as JBI had done)?

[Mr. Linsky]

[Q65A]

Wow!
For the want of a paint job, the kingdom was lost!
It is really very interesting to see just how important it is to keep the customer satisfied. When an organization forgets this basic rule of business, some bad things inevitably will follow.
Thanks Mr. L!

[Mr. Linsky]

It's the summer of 1948 as we see fleet number 1055 - a 1935 31 passenger Yellow Coach Model 728 and one of only twenty likeness numbered from 1055 to 1074 operating for the Fifth Avenue Coach Company of Manhattan, New York.

The Yellow Model 728 was one of the most popular in the line with nearly twelve hundred built between 1935 and 1939 and gained power from a 450 cubic inch six cylinder General Motors gasoline engine mounted transversely at the rear which was slated to be tied to a semi automatic 'Banker' transmission' (somewhat akin to Chrysler's old Fluid Drive).

Unfortunately, early 'Banker' transmissions were less than successful and an 'Air Clutch' was used in its stead. However, several Model 728's including two of Fifth Avenue's were chosen for field testing of a new completely automatic hydraulic model from Spicer - the rest is history on that account.

#1055 and most of its likenesses had serviced the #16 Elmhurst Crosstown line in Northern Queens which had originally been established in 1925 along with the #15 Manhattan/Jackson Heights route and buses of both were assigned to a then new garage at 76th. Street and Northern Boulevard.

It might be that #1055 is standing on Grand Avenue in Elmhurst awaiting its next run to 82nd. Street and Northern Boulevard as evidenced by the Grand Avenue trolley car about to pass by and would continue to do so until its abandonment in late 1949 (note that I do stand corrected on the location).

The peculiar rectangular duct over #1055's front door was the fresh air intake for the New York required full time mechanical ventilation system.

Photo courtesy of 'Vintage-Vault75' and has been sold on eBay.

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

[Mr. Linsky]

In a 1951 Flxible Company ad from the pages of Bus Transportation Magazine, we see fleet #302 - a 1951 29 passenger Flxible Visicoach Model 218 B1-51 281C and among the first of fifty three likenesses delivered in increments between 1951 and 1956 to Carey Transportation, Inc. of Manhattan, New York.

The Visicoach, an updated version of the company's popular Clipper Line, featured panoramic passenger windows and power derived from a beefed up Buick Model FB320 straight eight 152 hp. rear mounted Fire Ball gasoline engine coupled to a five speed Syncromesh transmission with air clutch (a Hercules Diesel was an option).

Carey, the premiere Airport connection company from Manhattan to the three major New York metropolitan area airports, began service in the early forties to then only Newark and La Guardia using specially built twelve passenger Cadillacs such as is seen in the reasonable facsimile in lower frame (but sans the ridiculous flames all over it!).

Upon the opening of the then Idlewild facility in Queens in 1948 (now JFK), the company expanded its fleet to include thirty nine 29 passenger Clippers purchased between 1947 and 1951 bringing its Flxible fleet to a grand total of ninety two between 1947 and 1956.

Early Clippers that had reached retirement were replaced by GM PD 4104's and 4106's in the late fifties and sixties and the company eventually became a subsidiary of the Greyhound Corporation.

#302 in seen on the tarmac at Idlewild with an Air France Lockheed Super Constellation in the background.

Of note on #302 are the fresh air intakes at the forward end of the roof to feed the full time mechanical ventilation system and the lack of a destination sign (which was not uncommon on Airporters).

Carey ad courtesy of '4509bus' and is available on eBay as item # 350857249382.
Cadillac photo courtesy of selbst erstelltes Lichtbildwerk

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

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