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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22512
Location: NEW JOISEY
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 Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 1:23 pm Post subject: NYCTA First Generation Fishbowls |
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All:
It is hard to fathom that, over 55 years ago, the first NYCTA Fishbowls (TDH-5301's) made their debut.
Numbers 1 through 190 represented the TA's first order of the new GM's, and certainly, were the most startling and futuristic buses ever to be seen on the streets of Gotham at that time.
I have two questions regarding these buses....
1: When were these "First Generation" buses retired?
2: Were these buses ever retrofitted for air-conditioning in later years?
Appreciate any info.....thank you.....
"NYO" |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22512
Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22512
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 10:08 pm Post subject: |
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....QUITE surprised that none of the highly-knowledgeable "Noo Yawk" fellows here haven't been able to shed any info on this topic thus far....... 
"NYO" |
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B53RICH
Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 254
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| Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 9:54 am Post subject: |
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NYC's first generation fishbowls last year of service was around 1974, the year after the old looks were retired. I'm almost certain that by 1975 they were gone. None of the non-AC buses were ever retrofitted with AC. Bus #100 has been preserved in the museum bus fleet.
I once saw bus #1 on the B53 route. late 60's. I pointed it out to my friend, "Look, there's bus #1." |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22512
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 12:18 pm Post subject: |
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| B53RICH wrote: | NYC's first generation fishbowls last year of service was around 1974, the year after the old looks were retired. I'm almost certain that by 1975 they were gone. None of the non-AC buses were ever retrofitted with AC. Bus #100 has been preserved in the museum bus fleet.
I once saw bus #1 on the B53 route. late 60's. I pointed it out to my friend, "Look, there's bus #1." |
B53RICH:
Many thanks for your input! 
14 years of age (IMHO) sounds quite "adolescent" for a Fishbowl, especially when I recall a number of old NJ companies that kept Fishbowls in service much longer.
Regarding the earliest Fishbowls, I have seen early 80's photos of some of PSNJ's "first generation" Fishbowls, clearly OOS, awaiting their final trip to the scrapyard.
They would have lasted some 20-odd years in service, retired either just prior to or just after the NJT takeover of TNJ.
I also appreciate learning that NYCTA's original Fishbowls were never retrofitted with a/c; a little odd, when when you consider that DC TRANSIT's Fishbowls "ARTICOOLERS" were equipped with a/c right from the get-go (1959/1960)
In fact, at that time, DC TRANSIT was hailed as being the largest operator of air-conditioned transit buses in the world.
Too bad only #1 was saved from the scrappers; it would have been great if at least one other bus was saved, especially #2!
Again, thanks for the info! 
"NYO" |
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Q65A
Age: 66
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 1768
Location: Central NJ
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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B53 Rich certainly has more knowledge about this subject than I do, but I recall as a kid standing near the corner of Grand Ave. and Queens Midtown Highway (i.e. the LIE service road in that neighborhood), and seeing the old TDH5301's running on the B58 and B59 (today's Q58 & Q59, respectively). The B58's were Fresh Pond buses, and there were a lot of very low-numbered units running at that time (this was about 1967-8, so those Fishbowls probably were only 8 or 9 years old at that time). Seeing such low-numbered buses was like an archaeologist discovering a fossil while digging in the backyard  Back then, I'm not sure if East New York was rebuilding older buses to the same degree we see today. In their defense, Fishbowls of that era certainly did not carry the high price tags carried by today's buses. I have to believe the SMS programs today (and the new CMF facilities at Grand Avenue and Zerega Avenue) are a lot more sophisticated and can basically remanufacture older buses pretty completely. |
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frankie
Age: 77
Joined: 01 Feb 2011
Posts: 746
Location: St. Peters, Mo.
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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What fascinates me to this very day are the original route signs with the route number followed by the large route name over the smaller destination following TO: As in photos 213 & 215.
Then they had to spoil its uniqueness with the ever present one liners!
Frankie |
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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015
Posts: 233
Location: America
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| Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:12 pm Post subject: |
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most of the New York bus schemes were nice.
I'm not fond of the ones with the blue stripe that goes around the front
nor the NYCBL scheme. |
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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015
Posts: 233
Location: America
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| Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:14 pm Post subject: |
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| and I was born the year that the first fishbowls came out |
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