BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

This is one that it's going to take a real Queens history expert to solve!

Pictured below is what appears to be a Yellow Coach Model 1204 vintage mid thirties shown somewhere on Woodhaven Boulevard between Queens Boulevard and the Belt Parkway in Queens, New York.

Unfortunately, the photo is not clear enough to discern the name of the operator but the fleet number 'K-45' does stand out.

While no regulation can be found requiring it, many New York operators at the time used a letter prefix before the fleet number (Green Line used a 'G' and Avenue 'B' and East Broadway used an 'A' as examples).

Looking through the history of transit on Woodhaven Boulevard before Triboro and Green, I can find no operator with a name beginning with 'K'.

In fact, the only important early operator on the route was Liberty Bus Lines (no relation to the later Liberty Lines).

Hopefully, one of our shutter bugs may be able to enlarge the picture to capture the identity.

Notice the great cars and the 'Flying Horse' of the 'Socony Vacuum' (now Mobil) station that the bus is passing (Socony standing for 'Standard Oil Company of New York).

Photo courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Gallery.

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

[Mr. Linsky]

Some mysteries take a little bit longer to solve than others, but I think I now have a handle on this one.

In doing some research work on the Brooklyn Bus Corporation division of Brooklyn Manhattan Transit Company (BMT), I stumbled upon a reference to the Kings Coach Company.

Very little seems to be known about Kings except that today's B31 line in Brooklyn was introduced as the B3B in 1922 by Kings Coach, and was a branch of the B3 which ran south from Avenue 'U' (I'm sure you Brooklyn fans will understand this better than I!).

In another development, Triboro Coach acquired the Q29 (80th. Street) from Kings Coach sometime in the thirties.

So the prefix 'K' in the fleet number in the above picture now begins to make some kind of sense.

My only question would be; what was a Kings Coach doing on Woodhaven Boulevard!

I'll do a little more digging on that one.

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

[HwyHaulier]

Mr. 'L' -

Ah! The rewards of patient research! From what you now know, it permits a bounty of possible inferences, to fuel some reasoned
conjectures and speculations! Some possibilities here are obvious...

...................Vern.................