BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Joe:

Thanks for this info!

I've long been interested in vintage European trams, such as SKODA and TATRA.

Budapest once operated a number of old (and quite impressive-looking!) "Two Rooms" cars into the 1960's.

Only a few US cities operated articulated streetcars; one of them was Baltimore, whose fleet of articulateds were cobbled together from obsolete older cars (these ran until the late 1940's)

CHICAGO SURFACE LINES had one experimental articulated that was never very popular; Detroit also dabbled with articulateds.......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

TATRA........

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_T3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_T6A5

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_T6B5

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

This page features photos of the articulated units that once operated in Cleveland (imagine B&QT operating a fleet of these monsters!)

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/cts/cle_sub_stcr50005099.htm

(courtesy: newdavesrailpix)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Photos on this page depicts the oldest types of Baltimore streetcars (pre-Peter Witt); towards the bottom of the page, there are several photos of the BTC's articulated cars......

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/btc/bal_sub_notpccwitt.htm

(courtesy: davesrailpix)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Outside of the B&QT's experimental units, articulated streetcars were never operated in New York; however, as has been already discussed here, the BMT did operated a number of articulated trains, beginning with the TRIPLEX ("D"-Types) of 1925.

They also operated the experimental "GREEN HORNET"/"BLIMP", "ZEPHYR", and "BLUEBIRD".

The 1936/1937 "MULTI-SECTION" units were, besides the earlier TRIPLEX units, to be production model units

The era of articulated rapid transit trains in New York came to end in 1965, when the "TRIPLEX" units were retired (the newer "MULTI-SECTION" cars were retired in 1961).........

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

While on the subject of electric articulated units:

The KEY SYSTEM (San Francisco) from the mid-1930's through 1958, operated a fleet of modern articulated trainsets that became known as the "Bridge Units"; in 1939, the KEY trains began operating to the new Transbay Terminal, instead of the KEY's ferry pier, via new trackage over the lower level of the Bay Bridge.

Some of these sleek new units were built out of components from older, retired equipment (this was the reason why the "Bridge Units" could MU with the older cars then still in service)

Though they were quite sleek and up-to-date in appearance, they were not without problems.

Strangely, the windows (as built) could not be opened; also, the cars were not as fast as expected, especially those built out of components from older equipment.

When the KEY abandoned rail service in 1958, the units that were not scrapped (or preserved) were sold to South American interests, where, along with some modified ex-PE "Hollywood" cars, they ran for many more years.

This page is a gallery of "Bridge Unit" photos (imagine trains like these running over the Brooklyn Bridge!)

"NYO"

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/keysyst/keysyst_sub_old_bridge.htm

(courtesy: newdavesrailpix)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Articulation trivia:

It was BOEING that indeed "made a buck" on modern articulated electric rail vehicles in the 1970's, when their new units began operation in Boston and in San Francisco.

Now, streetcars were "Light Rail Vehicles", and, despite their less-than-graceful appearance, they DID, however, hail a new era in electric articulated railcars.

With few exceptions (such as Philadelphia's single-unit KAWASAKI cars of the early 1980's), articulation was now indeed the byword

Sadly, by the time these new cars entered service, Brooklyn's car lines were gone some 20-odd years........

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Standard_Light_Rail_Vehicle

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Photo gallery of the MBTA's articulated LRV's, beginning with the BOEING units of the 1970's.........

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/boston/bos_sub_lrvs.htm

(courtesy: newdavesrailpix)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Photos of ex-DC TRANSIT PCC's, after being sold overseas; note one photo showing an articulated rebuild in Sarajevo........

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/dca/dca_sub_old_post1962_ops.htm

(courtesy: newdavesrailpix)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

An interesting thought to consider.......

Imagine that the original INTERBORO (subway) had designed its equipment to the same dimensions as the later BRT (BMT) and IND rolling stock?

Say the BRT/BMT's only entry point into Manhattan were the El lines that then radiated from Park Row (so subways); the IRT would have controlled all rapid transit in Manhattan and the Bronx (recall, the IRT also operated the Manhattan elevated lines)

Had the IRT rolling stock been built to the basic dimensions of the later BMT/IND cars, would the City of New York have even built the IND (INDEPENDENT)?

Had the BRT never entered the subway picture, the INTERBORO, indeed, would have been the undisputed king of rapid transit in Manhattan and the Bronx, at least until the IND opened in 1932.

Remember, also, that the IRT also operated elevated trains into Queens (2nd Avenue El) via the Queensboro Bridge, until 1942.......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The R-68 "Hippo" marked the end of the (production) line for non-NTT (New Technology Train) New York subway cars.

Their basic appearance is similar to the earlier R-44/46's types; though quite "state of the art" when compared to the old 1948/1949-vintage monitor-roof R-10's they helped to replace in the late 1980's, the "Hippos" are decidedly "old school" today, when compared to the new generation (NTT) trains that began arriving at the dawn of the 21st century.

It is hard to believe today that these cars have been in service now for some 30-odd years.

Time indeed flies........

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Hard to believe that the first production-model "NTT" subway trains entered service twenty years ago.........

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Technology_Train

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....on another transit board, I just caught a posting that included a link to a page on the forthcoming R211 cars ; some of these cars will go to the SIRT.

In an era where many new transit vehicles (especially rail cars) look more like mutated, giant caterpillars, I was more than pleasantly surprised to see a photo of the R-211.

FINALLY, common sene prevailed; gone are those miniscule route signs over the end doors; instead, we have an updated version (which certainly looks QUITE retro!) of the classic, large illuminated front route sign, based on the type first seen on the new R-40's, over 50 years ago.

Blue-and-gold (with striping) also adds a most welcome dash of color.

According to the article, there will be both conventional units and "open gangway" cars (an early ancestor of "open gangway" equipment were the BMT's home-built "C"-type El cars of the 1920's)

It will be interesting to see when the first of these new cars are delivered to MTA rails, and undergo trials.....

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

.....recall, that the R-68 ("Hippos") were the last new MTA subway cars to be delivered with roller curtains.

The last new cars to be delivered that were equipped with traditional standee straps were the R-42's; why straps were eventually removed from all older cars in later years (excepting the IRT "Redbirds") I cannot fathom.

With straps, being that they could "swing", unlike the present overhead bars, your arm didn't feel as though it were about to be jerked from the socket during your ride; IMHO, the overhead bars are not at all comfortable for those of shorter stature (Your's Truly included)

With the famed "Brightliners" now OOS, the era of traditional "corner cabs" has vanished, and, with it, the time-honored railfan windows.

Interestingly, the articulated BMT "Multi-Section" cars of the mid-1930's were equipped with full-width cabs (the first production model cars to be so equipped)

At the time, the BMT was looking toward a time when OPTO would be employed........

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

....also regarding the R-68 (BMT/IND) cars, these were also the last new cars that utilized a large front-end route panel, as was pioneered by the aforementioned R-40's in the late 1960's.

On the IRT, the R-62's pioneered the use of similar signage.

The tiny route markers on present NTT equipment are very hard to decipher, especially at a distance; this, of course, is a hardship to those who might be visually impaired.

When the "Brightliners" were rebuilt in the 1980's, they lost their large, easy-to-read roller curtain boxes (route/destination), replaced by a new electronic bulkhead sign, a forerunner of what was to become standard on the NTT cars of future days......

"NYO"