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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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 Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2025 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Cyberider wrote: | | Thanks for the info on the Kingsway Tramway Subway. I wasn't familiar with it but, then, I have a hard enough time just keeping track of the US systems. |
Cyberider:
You are once again quite welcome! 
I've long been fascinated by the diverse history of all aspects of London's public transport history; through the years, I've indeed learned a tremendous deal, and greatly enjoy sharing what I know with others who are appreciative of transit history in another part of the world!
An interesting bit of London tramway trivia:
Not getting much snow, their "snow car" fleet was quite modest; the sweepers (cut down from older open-top trams) were known as "snow brooms"..........
"NYO"
["LCC"] |
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Cyberider
Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 1262
Location: Tempe, AZ
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| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2025 5:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Makes at least as much sense as a "snow fighter." I forgot whether it was NYC or Chicago who used that term on their Old Look "Snow Fighter." |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2025 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Cyberider wrote: | | Makes at least as much sense as a "snow fighter." I forgot whether it was NYC or Chicago who used that term on their Old Look "Snow Fighter." |
Cyberider:
Here you go.........
https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?154415
(courtesy: nycsubway.org)
["GM"]
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Sat Nov 22, 2025 7:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Cyberider
Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 1262
Location: Tempe, AZ
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| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2025 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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| That one looks like it's fought it's last battle! |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2025 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Cyberider wrote: | | That one looks like it's fought it's last battle! |
Cyberider:
Indeed!
Note, also, the soon-to-be scrapped, ex-NYCTA MACKS in the background............
"NYO"
["NYCTA"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2025 12:40 pm Post subject: |
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On this date in 1951........
Service on the Canarsie (Brooklyn) Shuttle trolley line was replaced by buses.
Many years before, BRT through elevated trains from Manhattan ran straight through to the Canarsie Pier.
Later, the rapid transit trains were cut back to Rockaway Parkway (the present terminal for today's "L" trains) and a new loop for turning the streetcars was built at Rockaway Parkway (and the pier)..............
https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?7805
https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?117679 (several of the "4700s" were rebuilt into one-man cars for this shuttle)
https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?117683
(courtesy: nycsubway.org)
["B&QT"] |
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Cyberider
Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 1262
Location: Tempe, AZ
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| Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2025 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Sounds like better service in the old days, not to mention the equipment! |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2025 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Cyberider wrote: | | Sounds like better service in the old days, not to mention the equipment! |
Cyberider:
Indeed! 
The Canarsie Shuttle was also just one of many B&QT lines that never operated PCCs.
As I had mentioned awhile ago, the Canarsie (rapid transit) line used wooden El cars powered by overhead.
When the new steel "Standards" befan arriving by the early 1920s, the line was converted (and upgraded) to a third-rail subway operation (today's "L" line)
During WW1, thousands of Europe-bound soldiers rode the El trains through to the Canarsie Pier, where they boarded troop ships........
"NYO"
["CANARSIE"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2025 10:27 am Post subject: |
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Interesting trivia (London)...........
Though the trams were (as you might expect) equipped with retrievers. this was not the case with the trolleybuses.
The conductors raised and lowered the "booms" using long bamboo poles....
"NYO"
["660 HAMMERSMITH"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2025 12:31 am Post subject: |
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..........in 1939, LT contemplated replacing the trams in the Kingsway Subway with trolleybuses.
One experimental coach (a prototype for those vehicles which would have been constrcted at a later time) was built, based on an "L" type trolleybus, but featured offside, air-operated doors for use at the Subway's two island platforms.
This unit operated on battery power, as the trams in the Subway utilized conduit power, and there was no overhead wires.
This plan fell by the wayside when War began in 1939, and was never revived........
"NYO"
["4 HAMPTON COURT VIA RAYNES PARK"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2025 2:00 pm Post subject: |
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Preserved work cars......
Here and elsewhere, preserved work cars (streetcarandrapid transit) are indeed few and far between.
Most were simply scrapped when streetcar systems were replaced by buses; that ANY survive in museums today is nothing short of miraculous.
Many retired cars were converted into work cars once they were deemed tooold for revenue service.
That the larger companies' work car fleets were vastand diverse is indeed an understatement.
In a typical "big city" work car fleet you would be sure to find:
LINE CARS
TOWER CARS
SNOW PLOWS
SWEEPERS (a few properties also rostered railroad-style rotary plows, but these were not at all popular with most street railways)
RAIL GRINDERS
SUPPLY MOTORS
SAND CARS
SALT CARS
And the list goes on........
Some companies (such as B&QT) took obsolete open cars, scrapped the bodies (retaining the end dashes) and converted them into flatbed work motors..
Indeed sad the the vast majority of work cars were scrapped when streetcar service ended..........
"NYO"
["SUPPLY CAR"]
["NOT IN SERVICE"]
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Tue Nov 25, 2025 2:10 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2025 2:10 pm Post subject: |
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Back in the day, the rapid transit MOW fleets were a treasure trove of retired revenue cars, converted into work equipment.
Today (such as in New York), though the older rolling stock still exists, more and more modern specialized work equipment is taking center stage.
Not so long ago, retired subway cars often became "work motors"; today, such retired passenger cars are now relegated to "trailer" status, as most work trains are now powered by modern diesel-electric locomotives.
So, even in the MOW sector, older "classic" equipment are now not nearly as important as they once were, and will eventually vanish........changing times, indeed.......
"NYO"
['NO PASSENGERS"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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Cyberider
Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 1262
Location: Tempe, AZ
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| Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2025 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Definitely more interesting when they modified obsolete equipment for work use rather than buying new equipment built for the use. |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30747
Location: NEW JOISEY
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