BusTalk

N4 Jamaica · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 858 Location: Long Island

Sorry to remind folks, but on June 27, service on the famous Brooklyn bus route, B23 Cortelyou Road, is to be discontinued. At least, it was famous for me. When Brooklyn fares were a nickel, and I would ride PCC's on Coney Island Avenue, sitting to the left of the turnstile, the wires at Cortelyou Road would catch my interest. B-23 was once a streetcar line, but beginning around 1930 it began the BMT's adventure with trackless trolleys. I may have seen one of the old fleet at that intersection before the St. Louis trackless coaches were built.
This links to a photo in the Bus Talk Gallery showing one of the original vehicles:
http://gallery.bustalk.info/displayimage.php?pid=1002&fullsize=1
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This links to a later photo showing a trackless trolley in service on B23 about 1948-1956.
http://gallery.bustalk.info/displayimage.php?album=243&pos=4
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The loop in front of the BMT station on the south side of 62nd Street is now a parking lot for TA employees. On the north side of 62nd Street is the B23 starting point, with a notice yesterday reminding passengers that the bus stop is out of service 6/27/2010.
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I rode more than half of the route yesterday. With many on-and-off customers, we carried 15 to 18 throughout. It is a good route for transfers. Like the B16, it is slowed by heavy traffic across this part of Brooklyn.
Joe McMahon

B53RICH · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 254

Two more photos of the B23 also available on Bus Talk Galleries:

GM 5106 #9117 at Dahill & Cortelyou Roads, taken July 27, 1969 by Joe Testagrose.

Flxible #9056 at 62nd Street & New Utrecht Avenue. Photograph taken November 5, 1981 by Steve Zabel; collection of Joe Testagrose.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 1:07 am Post subject:

Here's a 9100 (slider) after the end of its second life in Jersey;

Enjoy,

Mr. 'L'

N4 Jamaica · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 858 Location: Long Island

My recollection, which can be wrong, is that buses like 9117 with the sliding windows were the first on B39 - Williamsburg Bridge. However, were there other GM's in the 9000 numbers that had double-width front entrance doors?
Joe

B53RICH · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 254

From what I remember, all the Old Look 9000's had the same width front doors. I only noticed these when several were sent to Fresh Pond just before they were retired around 1973. There were the TDH 5101's in the upper 4000 series which had the wider width front doors. These were retired during the 1960's . As a kid during the 60's, I have really no recollection of these personally. Maybe it was these that you saw the wider doors on.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 1:27 am Post subject:

Maybe, I can shed a bit more light on this subject.

The city's 5101's dating from 1948 and numbered 4500 to 4899 all had 'double stream' front doors.

The only other GM product to have such doors operating in the city were the 5104's of Fifth Avenue Coach numbered 2502 to 2551 and those doors were in the rear.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

Hart Bus · Age: 74 Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1150

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:08 pm Post subject:

I have to make one correction before the boys at GMOldLook catch me!

There was another 5101 with 'double stream' front doors built in the guise of a TDH 5102 with fleet number 2501 as a demonstrator for Fifth Avenue Coach (center photo) and was eventually purchased by the company and ran mostly on the Jackson Heights to Manhattan route.

Other than a few very minor details, this bus was an exact replica of the 5101 right down to the short 4509/10 wheelbase.

Top photo is the only known 5101 example that still exists and is preserved by the MTA Museum and carries the 'Gleason' fleet number.

The lower frame depicts the fate of all the rest of the 5101's as well as the 4510's.

Enjoy.

Mr. 'L'