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Any Other UTC Bus Fans Out There? (Providence/Pawtucket, RI)
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UTC Bus Fan




Joined: 24 Jul 2010
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 7:08 pm    Post subject: Any Other UTC Bus Fans Out There? (Providence/Pawtucket, RI) Reply with quote

Wondering if there are any other UER, UTC or even RIPTA Bus Fans out there. I rode buses for many years but mostly around 1963 to 1968. I rode just about all of the routes state wide, but rode the Pawtucket Lines the most.

There are some great pictures here: http://gallery.bustalk.info/thumbnails.php?album=512

The Pawtucket lines got Bus numbers that were 2801 to about 2829 with a couple missing in between. There is a great picture of 2 Buses that I remember very well, which is 2816 and 2817. I probably have more miles on 2816 more than any other.

Bill
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N4 Jamaica




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PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 5:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello, Bill!
I wish I knew more about Pawtucket, as friends grew up there around 1950. About when (year?) were 2816 and 2817 delivered to UER (or other firm)?
Joe
New York
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UTC Bus Fan




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PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 8:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Joe,

By the time they were delivered, I believe the company was then UTC. UER (United Electric Railway) changed it named to UTC (United Transit Company) for what I believe was a better suited name since the trolley cars were phase out. I'm not real sure when they were delivered, but in the photo by Pete Castellanos, it is noted that they were Ex-PSCT Buses. I would guess sometime in the '50's. My memory of them is no sooner than about 1960, as I was too young to observe them anytime before then.

By the way, the Ex-PSCT fact is really recent news to me. Is anyone out there familiar with what or where "PSCT" is?

Bill
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RailBus63
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 9:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I first visited the RIPTA system in 1980. My ‘hometown system’ (Boston’s MBTA) was going through some very tough times then, and it was great to visit Providence and Pawtucket and ride the well-maintained ‘Rhode Runner’ GMC New Looks and the new futuristic RTS buses. I visited RIPTA on a number of occasions in the early 1980’s, and have tried to return every few years to chronicle the progression from the GM RTS’s, Volvos and Neoplans, to the TMC and Nova RTS’s of the 1990’s to today’s Orions and Gilligs, as well as the chnages in the main Kennedy Plaza terminals over the years.
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ripta42
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Location: Pawtucket, RI / Woburn, MA

PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

UTC Bus Fan wrote:
By the way, the Ex-PSCT fact is really recent news to me. Is anyone out there familiar with what or where "PSCT" is?


Public Service Coordinated Transport of New Jersey. I've heard they were referred to as the "Jersey Bouncers" because of their spring suspensions, as opposed to the air-ride TDH5105s delivered new to UTC.
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UTC Bus Fan




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PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 3:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RailBus63 wrote:
I first visited the RIPTA system in 1980. My ‘hometown system’ (Boston’s MBTA) was going through some very tough times then, and it was great to visit Providence and Pawtucket and ride the well-maintained ‘Rhode Runner’ GMC New Looks and the new futuristic RTS buses. I visited RIPTA on a number of occasions in the early 1980’s, and have tried to return every few years to chronicle the progression from the GM RTS’s, Volvos and Neoplans, to the TMC and Nova RTS’s of the 1990’s to today’s Orions and Gilligs, as well as the chnages in the main Kennedy Plaza terminals over the years.


I never realized the MBTA was ever having trouble. Last I rode on those lines was in the '60's and early 70's. I do remember that it was easy getting lost!! It was a great thrill to me back then, as the RI trolleys were long gone by that time. It was like a step back in time for me.

I've ridden by the new Kennedy Plaza Terminal but never got a chance to stop in. It seems like they made some great improvements in that whole downtown area. I remember the old Kennedy Plaza Terminal back in the '60's quite well. I even remember a sign that was posted inside the terminal which I thought was pretty out dated at the time. It read "No Spitting on Floor, $20 Fine" (not real positive on the dollar amount tho). It was kind of like something out of the old west.

Bill
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UTC Bus Fan




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PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 3:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ripta42 wrote:
UTC Bus Fan wrote:
By the way, the Ex-PSCT fact is really recent news to me. Is anyone out there familiar with what or where "PSCT" is?


Public Service Coordinated Transport of New Jersey. I've heard they were referred to as the "Jersey Bouncers" because of their spring suspensions, as opposed to the air-ride TDH5105s delivered new to UTC.


Appreciate the reply ripta42. Good to hear from you. Did you get my last E-mail replies?

Bill
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RailBus63
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

UTC Bus Fan wrote:
I never realized the MBTA was ever having trouble. Last I rode on those lines was in the '60's and early 70's. I do remember that it was easy getting lost!! It was a great thrill to me back then, as the RI trolleys were long gone by that time. It was like a step back in time for me.


The late 1970’s and early 1980’s were a dark time for the MBTA. On the Green Line, the new Boeing LRV’s had an abysmal reliability record and the ongoing feud between the builder and the authority resulted in over half the fleet being pulled out of service at one point. Unfortunately, the older PCC streetcars were falling apart by that point and not enough of them were available anymore to replace the newer cars. On the bus side, the AM General buses were doing a fair imitation of the LRV problems (some only ran for two or three years before being stored and eventually retired) and years of deferred maintenance took their toll on the older GM and Flxible buses. The buses were usually dirty and looked terrible, often with dented or missing panels and malfunctioning destination signs. The number of runs being missed became a major media story, with the Boston Herald running a daily box score showing how many buses had been repaired and how many were still out of service, and the T even resorted to leasing school buses at one point. All of this was taking place against a backdrop of shenanigans upstairs. Republican governor Ed King dismissed chairman Robert Kiley and GM David Gunn and replaced them with his own cronies who had no experience operating a transit system (one would later be convicted of taking kickbacks and sent to jail). The system was running out of money - routes and services were cut, but the crisis continued and the T actually shut down for one day before the legislature finally acted. After living with all of this on a daily basis, RIPTA’s nicely maintained fleet and its professional operation was nirvana for a transit enthusiast.
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UTC Bus Fan




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PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Railbus,

Appreciate the detailed info on the MBTA. The UTC had it's problems too, altho they weren't that visable. There may be some documented info online, but as I remember it, they we ruuning into money problems more and more as time went on in the '60's. Ridership was on the decline and the equipment was getting old. Drivers were retiring one by one and somewhere between none and hardly any new drivers were being hired. Finally in about '66 the state took over. It was a great move for the state of RI. They had a brand new, pretty good advertising campaign, changed the name to RIPTA (Rhode Island Public Transit Authority) and bought a new flock of New Look Buses, painted Green, the state's color. They retired all the Old Look Buses except for a small amount of the longer wheel base ones and painted them Green and White. Not real sure on the financial progress from that point on, but they sure seemed to progressively develope it into a pretty good operation. My knowledge of it all is basically from 1960 to 1988. Maybe someone can jump in (ripta42??) and fill us all in on the progress up to date. I left RI in 1988 and altho I visit back once in a while and get the see the newer busses and all the progress, I really don't know a whole lot about the last 20 years on it.

Bill
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UTC Bus Fan




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PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Although not dated when it was taken, here is a good example of a New Look RIPTA Bus painted in the new color scheme.

http://mnebuspage.fotopic.net/p55173733.html

With the '71 Chevy Bel-Air in the picture though, it tells us that it is at least the fall of '70, which means the Bus was either kept in very good condition, or it is a newer addition to the fleet.

Bill
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UTC Bus Fan




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PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To my surprise, it looks like they did repaint some short wheel base busses. Here is a good example:

http://mnebuspage.fotopic.net/p62247211.html

These buses are from the Newport, RI area. Probably why I never saw one. There was a very long span, when I was living in the Pawtucket area, that I hadn't visited the Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth area (Aquidneck Island) and by the time I did, they were probably taken out of service.

If anyone out there knows any history of the Newport area lines, it would be interesting to read about it.

Bill
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UTC Bus Fan




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PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is a more direct link to the UTC 2816 and 2817 in it's original UTC colors:

http://gallery.bustalk.info/displayimage.php?album=512&pos=18

As mentioned, I have ridden more miles on the 2816 than any other.

Bill
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ripta42
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Location: Pawtucket, RI / Woburn, MA

PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 7:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

UTC Bus Fan wrote:
Although not dated when it was taken, here is a good example of a New Look RIPTA Bus painted in the new color scheme.

http://mnebuspage.fotopic.net/p55173733.html

With the '71 Chevy Bel-Air in the picture though, it tells us that it is at least the fall of '70, which means the Bus was either kept in very good condition, or it is a newer addition to the fleet.


That's a 1976 New Look; the photo was probably taken when the bus was relatively new.

Quote:
To my surprise, it looks like they did repaint some short wheel base busses. Here is a good example:

http://mnebuspage.fotopic.net/p62247211.html

These buses are from the Newport, RI area. Probably why I never saw one. There was a very long span, when I was living in the Pawtucket area, that I hadn't visited the Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth area (Aquidneck Island) and by the time I did, they were probably taken out of service.

If anyone out there knows any history of the Newport area lines, it would be interesting to read about it.


The short wheelbase Old Looks didn't come from UTC. RIPTA acquired the Newport routes and the baby Old Looks that ran on them from Transit Line, Inc. (don't know what year). RIPTA also purchsed four TDH3501s from Auch Inter-borough Transit in Pennsylvania and acquired a lift-equipped TGH3102 from the City of Cranston for paratransit service.

All the baby Old Looks were repainted into RIPTA green; some even received RIPTA's later striped scheme or a "Mod" scheme for the Newport Loop. #410 received a Bicentennial scheme. Many of them were purchased by ABC in North Providence in the 1980s.
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UTC Bus Fan




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PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ripta42 wrote:

RIPTA acquired the Newport routes and the baby Old Looks that ran on them from Transit Line, Inc.


Now that you mention it, that does sound familiar. I would have never remembered that on my own though.

Bill
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UTC Bus Fan




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PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ripta42 wrote:
Many of them were purchased by ABC in North Providence in the 1980s.


ABC... I remember them well. The two things I remember the most about ABC Old Looks in the '60's was their buses were always a little rough looking and that they had Manual Transmissions. That was a big difference to me as all of the UTC buses that I ever knew, had 2-Speed Automatics.

Bill
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