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There's more to a picture than meets the eye.....
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
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Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's a nice shot of a batwinged #8736, still sporting its cool-looking 1960's-era "OA" insignia......

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3184

(courtesy: bus.nycsubway.org)
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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 4:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Love the folding door mounted rear view mirror on 8728!

Those mirrors were an after market add-on
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



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PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MaBSTOA 15 wrote:
Love the folding door mounted rear view mirror on 8728!

Those mirrors were an after market add-on


Same here! Very Happy

Those folding door mirrors were COOL; again, this shows just how interesting the "buses of yore" were, back in the day.

Like the subway cars, there were (it seemed to me) a hundred and one little variations and nuances with the buses that truly made them so interesting (I still recall riding on a battered old R-10 on the "CC", eons ago, that had its door windows fitted with little ventilation slits!)

The buses, well, they put on a show of their own that was NEVER dull......... Wink

"NYO"
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W.B. Fishbowl



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PostPosted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 6:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 wrote:
Here's a nice shot of a batwinged #8736, still sporting its cool-looking 1960's-era "OA" insignia......

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3184

(courtesy: bus.nycsubway.org)

That front '2A' sign dates to 1969-70, after the Lenox 2 branch was discontinued; behind it, #8644 had a recycled 1963 front roll sign from the '63 OA buses' original depot assignments.

Also, the front ad rack was displaying WHN 1050, for which former WABC morning man Herb Oscar Anderson was handling ayem's at the time.
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

W.B.:

Again, great historical rollsign info and history; to a lifelong "Joisey Boy" like Your's Truly, I find not only this "there's more to a rollsign than meets the eye" information to be quite fadcinating, to say the least, but also, I find that there is indeed a serious "study" to the oft-ignored bus signs themselves.

Still waiting for you to announce you are going start teaching a course in "Rollsignology 101" over at NYU.......I'll be the first one at the door when classes start, that's for sure! Wink

"NYO"
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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2019 8:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We've talked about destination signs so lets include a minor sign variation that was popular during the new look era.

Note the cardboard rectangle on the bottom of the quarter window indicating route "M-3" 49th and 50th Street Crosstown.

Note lack of side destination sign box on standee windows.



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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 11:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MaBSTOA 15:

GREAT photo, as always! Very Happy

You made me think of the paper notices that used to be taped inside the side windows of buses (I well remember this practice here in New Jersey) that alerted riders to new fares, new routes, service changes, detours, etc.

I still regret not snitching a few of these off the windows after the signs had "expired", but were still in place.

They all got tossed in the trash, anyway........ Sad

"NYO"
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W.B. Fishbowl



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PostPosted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 6:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MaBSTOA 3301-3555 and TA 3601-3950, when first delivered and put into service, had no side signs next to the rear exit; they would be retroactively put in, in later years. That must've been pre-1966, before 126th Street got 8123-8202 of the 'Tee-Yay's' A/C batwing Fishbowls.
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fellows:

In reading earlier this evening about the sad passing of the lovely Diahann Carrol ( TV's "Julia"), I also learned that she was born in the Bronx (Fordham Hospital) in 1935, and, also, that her father (Mr. John Johnson) was a subway conductor.

Though no mention was made as to what as to what part of the subway system did he work in, it (again) makes me think of African-American motormen/conductors/bus drivers in those long-ago days.

The only photo that I have seen to date (pre-dating the 1960's) depicting an African-American motorman is one that shows a motorman piloting an IRT Lo-V, in the book "INTERBOROUGH FLEET".

Another rare photo (one that I posted the link to earlier in this thread) dates to the last days of the old gate cars on the Myrtle Avenue El, showing an African-American conductors.

I'm am sure that there are many wonderful old stories yet to be told, via the descendants of these hard-working men who rode the rails (and the rubber) so long ago......

"NYO"
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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It was mentioned earlier in this post the hiring of minorities by the TA, specially African-American, as drivers and conductors/motormen. Several photos were posted showing these proud men doing their jobs.

I found the following photo in the internet. It is dated 1957 and shows a TA driver welcoming his passengers aboard a Mack bus.

(After carefully looking over details in the photo and comparing the interior views, specially the drivers seat and area, in the book, "New York City Transit System: Bus and Trolley Coach Fleet" by James Greller I come to the reasonable conclusion that this is a Mack C-45, built in 1948 in the 5000-5114 series. They were originally ordered by Surface Transportation but when Surface defaulted on the payments they were sold to the BoT. {see pages 48-53} They mostly operated in Manhattan)



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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GREAT PHOTO!!!!! Very Happy

(Your's Truly was born in that same year, 1957!) Wink

How well I remember bus drivers so attired; man, it feels like 100 years ago, now.

Many years ago, I was good friends with a number of African-American, Cuban, and Puerto Rican bus drivers, here in "Joisey"; all consummate pros with great "people friendly" personalities! Very Happy

As a kid back in the 1960's, going into "The City" with Mom on one of our frequent day trips, I well remember seeing "minority" bus drivers, motormen, and conductors "on the job".

Their color meant nothing to me; they were at the controls of vehicles I loved, and that, in itself, made them my heroes! Very Happy

In retrospect, one can only imagine the stories that these "pioneers in transit" could tell us today, if they were still here; I know I sure would like to here them! Wink

"NYO"
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BTW:

That "DAY LINE" ad card over the windshield sure brought back memories; I can still remember the TV commercials (showing the graceful paddlewheeler "ALEXANDER HAMILTON"), and I STILL remember the "DAY LINE's" phone number:

"BRyant 9-5151"

Man, talk about ANCIENT history.......... Shocked

"NYO"


Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not only those the legacy of minorities continues but some are also heroes!

Bus driver hero recalls taking 10 firemen to Ground Zero, but only five back[/b]

By PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER |
SEP 10, 2011

MTA bus driver Barbara Byrd was driving her route in Brooklyn when the transit command center broadcast an alarming message: A plane had struck the World Trade Center; stay clear of the area.

She did the opposite.

Initially, Byrd had no intention of heading toward the twin towers and the billowing smoke. But everything changed as she neared the Rescue 2 firehouse on BergenSt. in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

"A fireman came running out, waving down my bus," Byrd recalled in her first-ever interview about 9/11."He said, 'We're in a state of emergency, and we're going to have to commandeer your bus and take it to the World Trade Center.'"

Ten firefighters loaded her B15 bus with equipment. Then she and the crew raced to lower Manhattan, navigating horrendous traffic jams.
"They were really excited. They were really pumped. Their adrenaline was high," Byrd said. "They were saying things like, 'Let's go. This is what we were trained to do, and we're all going to come out of this.'
"I was amazed. The bravery, the camaraderie and the love they showed for each other was amazing."

In about 10 minutes, Byrd brought the firemen, accompanied by a chief in a separate FDNY vehicle, to Park Row near City Hall. The chief told her to stay with the bus, and they'd be back.

"It was a mess, a real mess," Byrd said. "People were screaming. Dust was everywhere. Debris was everywhere. It was like one of those Bruce Willis movies. I thought I was in a movie.

"The firemen jumped into gear. It was, 'Let's go. You know what you have to do. Be safe out there.'"

Byrd stayed in the bus for what seemed like an eternity. One of the firefighters came back to give her some gauze to cover her face. He said the air might be toxic, she recalled.

A search for a bathroom led Byrd to an abandoned Starbucks where she and a police officer dispensed coffee and food to first responders.

It was about 3 a.m. the next day when the fire chief returned with five of his men. Take them to Brooklyn, he said.

"I took 10 there and five back," she said. "The other five died."



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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not only those the legacy of minorities continues but some are also heroes!

Bus driver hero recalls taking 10 firemen to Ground Zero, but only five back

By PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER |
SEP 10, 2011

MTA bus driver Barbara Byrd was driving her route in Brooklyn when the transit command center broadcast an alarming message: A plane had struck the World Trade Center; stay clear of the area.

She did the opposite.

Initially, Byrd had no intention of heading toward the twin towers and the billowing smoke. But everything changed as she neared the Rescue 2 firehouse on BergenSt. in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

"A fireman came running out, waving down my bus," Byrd recalled in her first-ever interview about 9/11."He said, 'We're in a state of emergency, and we're going to have to commandeer your bus and take it to the World Trade Center.'"

Ten firefighters loaded her B15 bus with equipment. Then she and the crew raced to lower Manhattan, navigating horrendous traffic jams.
"They were really excited. They were really pumped. Their adrenaline was high," Byrd said. "They were saying things like, 'Let's go. This is what we were trained to do, and we're all going to come out of this.'
"I was amazed. The bravery, the camaraderie and the love they showed for each other was amazing."

In about 10 minutes, Byrd brought the firemen, accompanied by a chief in a separate FDNY vehicle, to Park Row near City Hall. The chief told her to stay with the bus, and they'd be back.

"It was a mess, a real mess," Byrd said. "People were screaming. Dust was everywhere. Debris was everywhere. It was like one of those Bruce Willis movies. I thought I was in a movie.

"The firemen jumped into gear. It was, 'Let's go. You know what you have to do. Be safe out there.'"

Byrd stayed in the bus for what seemed like an eternity. One of the firefighters came back to give her some gauze to cover her face. He said the air might be toxic, she recalled.

A search for a bathroom led Byrd to an abandoned Starbucks where she and a police officer dispensed coffee and food to first responders.

It was about 3 a.m. the next day when the fire chief returned with five of his men. Take them to Brooklyn, he said.

"I took 10 there and five back," she said. "The other five died."



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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"HEROES IN OUR MIDST", most certainly! Very Happy

A very close African-American buddy of mine (RIP) who was also one of my supervisors when I worked downtown, told once that his dad was a "Tee-Yay" bus driver in the 50's and 60's, and that he was also buddies with Al Roker's dad, who was also driving at that time.

I remember my friend telling me that his dad was always proud of his uniform (can't blame him for that!) Wink

"NYO"
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