BusTalk

[MaBSTOA 15]

Great photo!

I remember these buses quite well... loved the rear lounge seat and the aluminum partition the drivers had.

Thanks Mr. L.

[traildriver]

I vaguely remember these, but not as well....IIRC they also had flourescent lighting, one row of tubes down either side of the ceiling, replacing the classic incandescent fixtures....and of course the passenger operated safety exit doors...and I think I remember new formica interior paneling with new designs, as well as a 'streamlined' paneling on the dashboard, and those subway style 'straps' for standees....quite a lot of changes, considering the New Looks were replacing them in no time.....

[X-Astorian]

Tomorrow's New York Times Real Estate section has an article about Shubert Alley which includes a great photo of the Astor Hotel Bus Terminal which used to abut the alley (see URL below). I was aware of the terminal but haven't seen a photo of it in action. You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/06/realestate/shubert-alley-star-gazing-but-maybe-not-on-mondays.html?ref=realestate&_r=0

[Mr. Linsky]

Seen in downtown Manhattan sometime in 1975 and signed for the M-9 Line - FDR Drive via Madison Street - is fleet # 604 - a 1965 45 passenger Flxible modeled as an FD6V5-351-1 and one of five likenesses numbered 601 to 605 delivered to the Avenue B and East Broadway Transit Company (AB&EB) of New York City.

Throughout the history of AB&EB the company relied strictly on mostly used but some new Mack equipment and when those resources began to peter out in the early sixties, it decided to take the plunge and buy its first brand new buses since the early fifties.

These very special Flxibles were those to arrive and in spite of their general appearance, passenger capacity and 35 foot length had little in common with their standard cousins in that they were five of only six of the model ever built and were fabricated at the Evergreen, Alabama plant of what was originally Southern Coach Mfg. instead of at the company's main facility in Loudonville, Ohio.

Evergreen production was primarily distinguishable by the use of two headlamps in lieu of the dual design utilized by Loudonville, one large passenger window aft of the rear door and a GM 6V-53 engine in place of the standard 6V-71.

The headlamp and turn signal arrangement resembled those used by Southern Coach and some misclassified these buses as Flxettes although a true Flxette was an entirely different entity.

While AB&EB found the FD's to be underpowered they were otherwise solidly built and served well until 1979.

Some information culled from Ohio records.
Photo courtesy of '4509bus' and has been sold on eBay.

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

[Mr. Linsky]

Go find your magnifier for this one because you're going to need it!

This really interesting photo (top) was taken at the end of July 1940 on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst looking in the direction of Jamaica with the confluence of Grand Avenue and Broadway as the next main intersection.

There's so much about this image that I really don't know where to begin so, of course, we'll start with the bus standing in front of the Strauss Store at the corner of Broadway (upper left) which was a 1937 37 passenger Mack modeled as a 6-CT-3S and one of thirty likenesses numbered 101 to 130 and operating for the Manhattan and Queens Bus Corporation (M&Q) then of Rego Park, New York.

The bus, signed for the Q-60 line, was heading toward 2nd. Avenue and 60th. Street in Manhattan - this company was purchased by Green Bus Lines in 1943 but continued operation under the M&Q flag until its State Public Service Commission permit expired in 1947 (for your convenience the lower image shows a closeup example of an M&Q Mack seen in Long Island City).

The cars in the photo are marvelous but I can't figure out how they made the Jamaica bound express section of the boulevard into four lanes from three and traveled at speed so close together - it must have been something like the Indianapolis 500!

The large building (right of frame) with the neon gas flame shaped sign was home to the Brooklyn Union Gas Company where this writer's parents bought all their kitchen appliances.

And, of course, Schaefer was still the 'one beer to have when you were having more than one'!

Upper image thanks to 'Old Images of New York' at Facebook
Lower image courtesy of 'Judahpraise' at eBay

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

[Tony A]

Very interesting pic Mr. L ---------whenever I see pics of pre-1950 NYC roads I am amazed at the lack of lane markings on even the widest boulevards! I could not have dealt with that chaos.

[MaBSTOA 15]

Besides ending on the scrap heap... Did the 35 foot Flxibles serve anywhere else?

What about the GM New Looks?

Thanks for any and all feedback.

(PS... If any of these Flxibles are still around rusting away, they would be a welcome addition to the Transit Musem fleet - they were unique in New York City transit service)

[Mr. Linsky]

[roymanning2000]

After Avenue B went out of business in 1980, their TDH4519's 606-610 and T6H4521A's 611-625 were acquired by the Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority in Dayton. They served until the late 80's or early 90's. I have the front roll sign out of one of those buses.

Roy

[Hart Bus]

WCA Great picture of Queens Blvd. Brings back a lot of memories and raises a few questions.

1 - Was that bus stopped at the Srauss auto store, to collect the zone ticket or did that come later.

2 - Sadly Schafer Beer and Reingold Beer shut their NYC breweries both shut down in 1976 leaving NYC without major brewery. Also Strauss later R&S Strauss went bankrupt in 2012 and went out of business.

3 - I think that there was a gas station on the s/w corner into the early 1980's. Don't know what is there now. The Brooklyn Union Bldg may still have bee there in the 1980's, because my brother-in-law worked at the Seaman's Furniture Store probably in the old BUG appliance store.

4 - From where was the picture taken? Since is seems to be right behind the sedan, it must have been from the window or top of a moving truck, not the roof of a building.

5 - I think the Elks Club is just to the right out of the frame. Its too far east to be at the merger of Maurice Ave and QB which comes in on an angle.

ECA

[Mr. Linsky]

[Free-transfer]

When my brother and I would take the bus home from our
grandmothers, we took the Q-11 to Queens Blvd and crossed
the street for the Q-60 in front of the bank bldg. and handed
the transfer to the driver. The bus went a half a block (literally)
and pulled over where Fairyland was and the driver got up and
walked from the front of the bus to the back, collecting the
extra fare as he went.

On the trips to Woodhaven blvd from the Q-60 to the Q-11,
we just handed the driver on the Q-11 our transfer and no
extra fare. That was in the early to mid-sixties.

[Mr. Linsky]

This presentation may answer at least some questions as to where the special 1939/1940 New York World's Fair Greyhound sightseers wound up after the expo ended.

The top photo below is representative of the 100 special such vehicles custom built for the Exposition Greyhound Lines division of the Greyhound Corporation by Yellow Coach in 1939 and were exclusively modeled as 1207's

The 1207, powered by a 308 cubic inch Chevrolet gasoline engine located beneath the driver's seat, measured 45 feet in length with a 108 inch width and featured two longitudinal back to back wooden benches that sat 50 adults.

Road worthy these vehicles were not with only a single forward gear and a 'cruising' speed of about five to seven mph - however, they were ideal for the purpose they were designed for and rumor has it that many although not all found new homes at amusement parks in the southern tier after the fair closed.

At least two are known not to have followed the same path as shown below;

In September 1942 during World War II the Army Air Forces was assigned its first women as members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), for work in the Aircraft and Warning Service which operated listening posts when enemy attacks on the United States were expected.

In the center image a 1207 is seen in 1942 dressed in Army Olive Drab and transporting a group of uniformed ladies presumably within a military compound - it is unclear as to how many of these buses the government bought but you can bet that it was certainly more than one.

In a change of pace, the lower frame below shows a 1207 in the service of La Guardia Airport Tours - note that the terminal building still carries the 'New York Municipal Airport' name which would be changed by the Port Authority in 1947.

Top photo courtesy of the World's Fair Corporation.
Center photo courtesy of Library of Congress.
Bottom photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Some information culled from Wikipedia and the Motor Bus Society.

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

[Mr. Linsky]

Seen in Jackson Heights sometime in 1948 traveling along 82nd. Street on the #16 route between Northern Boulevard and Queens Boulevard via Baxter Avenue and Broadway is fleet #1079 - a 1937 40 passenger Yellow Coach modeled as a 740 and operating for the Fifth Avenue Coach Company (FACCO) of Manhattan, New York.

Route #16, a/k/a the Elmhust Crosstown, was established in July of 1925 as was the company's Jackson Heights to Manhattan route #15 and the buses assigned to both lines were stored and maintained at an old car barn along Northern Boulevard.

With the exception of a suspension in service between June of 1943 and November of 1945 caused by wartime cutbacks, the #16 line ran continuously into the MaBSTOA era when it was renumbered as the Q-89 but was eventually terminated due to low ridership in 1982.

Seen following #1079 is a company double decker that will turn at Roosevelt Avenue on the #15 line for its trip over the Queensboro Bridge to 5th. Avenue and 25th. Street in Manhattan.

Photo courtesy of 'bk.sales' and is available at eBay as item # 390813495152.

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

[frankie]