BusTalk

[Q65A]

For the PBL fans, here is a quiz; name the PBL associated with the clue:

1.) Rebuilt several old Yellow Coaches into "new" buses with "Old Look" components.
2.) Had ties to the founding father of the IRT.
3.) Founder was a mechanic who at one time had worked at Walters Transit.
4.) Had a route originally operated by Courier Bus Company.
5.) Used capital letters for its routes instead of numerals.
6.) Operated the only AM General Metropolitans in the NYC Metro area.
7.) Had its original garage at Northern Blvd. & 51st St. in Woodside.
8.) Operated a route that started as a BMT streetcar line.
9.) Originally had operated 6 routes now operated by NYCT-Manhattan Division.
10.) Relied solely on ACF buses until 1951.
11.) Started life as Woodside-Astoria Transportation Company.
12.) Deleted EIP equipment from its late model Fishbowls.

Good luck with the PBL trivia!!!

[Waynejay]

Well... I don't know them all, but I'll give it a shot.

1.) Rebuilt several old Yellow Coaches into "new" buses with "Old Look" components. - Don't know this one
2.) Had ties to the founding father of the IRT. - Don't know this one
3.) Founder was a mechanic who at one time had worked at Walters Transit. - Pioneer?
4.) Had a route originally operated by Courier Bus Company. - Don't know this one
5.) Used capital letters for its routes instead of numerals. - NYBS
6.) Operated the only AM General Metropolitans in the NYC Metro area. - Steinway Transit Corp
7.) Had its original garage at Northern Blvd. & 51st St. in Woodside. - Don't know this one
8.) Operated a route that started as a BMT streetcar line. - Queens Transit?
9.) Originally had operated 6 routes now operated by NYCT-Manhattan Division. - Ave B/East Broadway Transit
10.) Relied solely on ACF buses until 1951. - Don't know this one
11.) Started life as Woodside-Astoria Transportation Company. - Don't know this one
12.) Deleted EIP equipment from its late model Fishbowls. - NYBS. Liberty Lines also did this on some of their 1200 and 1500 series S8H-5304As.

[Mr. Linsky]

[Hart Bus]

# 7 - was a car barn for trolleys that went over the Queensboro Bridge so I would guess Steinway or Queens Transit. If you go to

www.forgotten-ny.com there are pictures of the orginial entrance and dispatchers office. Today the arch is the entrance way to a strip mall and the office is a Pizza Hut.

#11 - a wild guess - Triboro Coach based on the routes they still operate in the area.

[Q101 EAST MIDTOWN 2 AV]

[nycbusfan]

6) Steinway transit/Queens Transit.

[B53RICH]

#5: Jamaica Buses.

Q110 was route"A"
Q111/113 was route"B"
Q112 was route"C"

[Q101 EAST MIDTOWN 2 AV]

[Q65A]

Here are the answers to this quiz:

1.) Rebuilt several old Yellow Coaches into "new" buses with "Old Look" components: TCC rebuilt Yellow Coach Model 740' s in 1953, adding Old Look fronts, Thermomatic vents, new marker lamps, headlamps, turn signals, new diesel engines. They also rebuilt 5 of their ACF H-16's and all their ACF 45-S units in similar fashion.
2.) Had ties to the founding father of the IRT: QSC, through its predecessor Steinway Transit, which had ties to August Belmont, father of the IRT.
3.) Founder was a mechanic who at one time had worked at Walters Transit: Ferdinand Arrigoni, founder of NYBS.
4.) Had a route originally operated by Courier Bus Company: GBL was made up of several smaller bus companies, including Courier Bus Corp., located at 103-41 98th St. in Woodhaven. Courier started 6/16/34, had one route (Q41), and a handful of Indiana Model 16 buses that later ran for GBL.
5.) Used capital letters for its routes instead of numerals: JBI used letters A, B, C for its routes.
6.) Operated the only AM General Metropolitans in the NYC Metro area: Steinway Transit had ten (10) 1978 AMG Metropolitan 9640-B's (#401-410), the only NYC area bus operator so equipped.
7.) Had its original garage at Northern Blvd. & 51st St. in Woodside: Queens Transit (originally Queens-Nassau Transit Corp.) occupied the former carbarn of the NY & Queens County Railway, located at 51st St. & Northern Blvd., from 1937-1957.
8.) Operated a route that started as a BMT streetcar line: TCC acquired the Q72 from NYCTA in February 1961. (B&QT had called it B72; buses ran the service beginning in 1949) .
9.) Originally had operated 6 routes now operated by NYCT-Manhattan Division.
10.) Relied solely on ACF buses until 1951: Queens-Nassau Transit (later Queens Transit) was an all-ACF fleet until GM TDH-4509's arrived in 1951.
11.) Started life as Woodside-Astoria Transportation Company: TCC originally was founded by Salvatore Fornatora in April 1925 as Woodside-Astoria Transportation Corp.
12.) Deleted EIP equipment from its late model Fishbowls: NYBS was among a handful of GM New Look operators that specified deletion of the EIP (Environmental Improvement Package). The EIP's most prominent visible features were vertically installed exhaust stacks and air intakes; these were blanked over on NYBS Fishbowls.

Sources: Motor Coach Age (July-Sept. 1998, Oct.-Dec. 2000); NYC Transit Buses 1945-1975 Photo Archive (Martin); Welcome Aboard the GM New Look Bus (McKane & Squier).

Thanks to all who participated in this quiz!

[Q65A]

Oops! The answer to #9 is GBL, who orignally held franchises for M1 (Madison & Chambers Sts., today called M22), M2 (Spring & Delancey Sts., M3 (49 & 50 Sts., today's M50), M4 (79th ST., today's M79), M5 (86th St., today's M86), M6 (96th St., today's M96). All were turned over to Comprehensive (M1, M3) or NYCO in 1935-1936.

[Mr. Linsky]

[Q65A]

You are absolutely correct, Mr. Linsky, and you certainly do know your bus history!
Here is what Guy Martin had to say about the NYCO rebuilds to which you have referred above: "A rebuilding program supplemented the new receipts of the postwar period for some of the older Yellows. In the early 1950's, the gas engines in the 740s were replaced with diesels. Nearly 15-years old by then, they also received indented windshields, sealed-beam headlights, and wide chrome bumpers. From the front, they attained the appearance of postwar GM coaches."
Thanks for pointing that out!

[JA]

Green had pretty good Manhattan routes.

[Mr. Linsky]

[Mr. Linsky]