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D. C. Transit Old-Look Air Conditioned Buses

 
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Henry Gray



Age: 67
Joined: 16 Nov 2007
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:42 pm    Post subject: D. C. Transit Old-Look Air Conditioned Buses Reply with quote

Sorry I did not put all this in with my Green Bus Lines posting, but I remember when I used to visit my relatives in Washington DC in the summer, their bus company DC Transit (before WMATA took over) had a fleet of old-look air conditioned buses. My uncle took me on a ride on some of them in the early 1960's. Please, if there are any (perhaps Mr. Linsky can help if he doesn't mind) pictures of those buses.

Thanks to my bus fans in the community,
Henry Gray
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Henry,

To begin with, and as part of the unofficial welcoming committee here at BusTalk.info, let me do just that and say that we look very much forward to your valued input.

The Air Conditioned DC Transit buses that you refer to were 1958 GM Model TDH 5105's numbered from 5600 to 5666 and arrived at the property in July of that year.

Other than a few prototypes that GM experimented with earlier, this was the first order of 'Old Look' buses to have Frigidaire factory units.

Mass produced Air Conditioning really didn't begin until the New Look era of the sixties.

Pictured below at Columbus Circle in Manhattan is one of the mentioned demonstrators that GM eventually sold to Fifth Avenue Coach (coincidentally, it happens to carry the same livery adopted by DC for their A/C'd jobs).

Photo borrowed for educational purposes only.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY

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Cyberider




Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 501
Location: Tempe, AZ

PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome aboard, Henry! Always nice to meet another Old Look fan.

Mr. Linsky, I wonder if anyone took a photo of the rear of that bus?

Dave
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dave,

Pictures of both the experimental and production versions of the air conditioner rear comdenser housing will be found on page 21 of the July-August 1992 issue of Motor Coach Age entitled Yelow Coach and GM Buses: Monocoque Transit Buses, 1940-1959.

The eventual production model was far smaller and neater then the prototype.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY
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Cyberider




Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 501
Location: Tempe, AZ

PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, Mr. Linsky! I'd better take another look at that. I remember the NYC demonstrator with the two big circular fans but I think this one was different. Despite the climate here in Phoenix, the AC's on Phoenix Old Looks looked like retrofits.
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N4 Jamaica




Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 858
Location: Long Island

PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This remark will not be helpful, since I did not own a camera in 1958. I well recall the arrival of the Articoolers on D.C. Transit, as I lived on the District Line (the N.E. border) 1956-1959. I think they first appeared on Connecticut Avenue. Later, I saw them on one of the two routes from downtown to Avondale. My memory could be misleading, but I think the Washington district government allowed 102-inch buses only on certain streets.
Joe McMahon
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