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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 10:53 pm    Post subject: Newbie on board Reply with quote

Greetings

Hailing from Reading, PA. I am predominantly an HO modeler of the Reading Railroad, but somehow ended up with my share of HO buses.

I desired to capture the look of the Reading Bus Co. which was transitioning to Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA) about 1974 the same tiime period of my Reading Railroad modeling efforts. In doing so I shot some 35mm pics of some of BARTA's equipment aound 1982 as Grumman replacements started showing up for the GMC fishbowls. I also keep a lookout for photos of the Rdg Bus Co. and Reading Transportation Company (owned by the Reading Railroad) buses from back in the day.

My experiences with the Motor Coach world is highlighted by weekend trips "living" out of Bieber and other operators coaches, terrorizing drivers on the animal bus of the local drum & bugle corps, plus almost weekly trips to NYC on the Capitol Trailways buses from Reading in 64 & 65 as a pre teen when my Uncle was stationed at an NYC Army Motor Pool. (BTW, we always gave the driver a hat full of $$ as a thank you for putting up with our "fun")

I have been scanning the sight and thought it might just be an interesting hang out.
Rob
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



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

PostPosted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 11:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob,

Welcome to BusTalk - we certainly look forward to your input and contributions.

I am away from my office at the moment but when I return next week I'll be happy to share with you what photographs I have of the Reading Bus Company fleet circa the 40's and 50's.

My Alma Mater, Green Bus Lines (NY), along with its affiliate Triboro Coach Corporation supplied Reading with a number of good used GM TDH 4507's during that time frame which I'm certain that you'd like to see.

Again,welcome and best regards,

Mr. 'L'
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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 12:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool, Thanks.

I have to scan some of my photos and maybe enter my very sketchy roster.

ROB
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



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

PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 12:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob,

For starters try the following URL;

http://bustalk.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2585&highlight=reading+bus+company

Regards,

Mr. 'L'
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



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

PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 12:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob,

Here's a couple of interesting photos;

Top is Reading # 800 (ex Green Line NY) # 301 - a 1949 GM TDH 4507.
Center is junked Reading # 825 (ex Triboro Coach NY) # 1105 - a 1948 GM TDH 4507.
Bottom is a Reading Driver's arm patch.

Will look for more photos.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'





Last edited by Mr. Linsky on Sat Dec 04, 2010 11:34 am; edited 1 time in total
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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:01 pm    Post subject: Ouch - was that a wake up Reply with quote

Wow - Those are red and yellow aren't they. Major flashback when I saw those pictures. It must have been some sort of a mental block, like blocking out a horrrible memory. But oh yeah I remember those going by my home.

Have you ever visited the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society facility in either Leesport, PA or its new home in Hamburg, PA? There is a chap there by name of John Stoudt, who seperately from the Society, collected several Reading Bus Co. buses, both old look and fishbowls. It is right off I-78 Exit 30 (or 31) in "downtown" Hamburg. Can't pull out any numbers right this minute, but it may be worth the trip. If you go on a weekend, ask for John, he is usually there and I am not sure the buses are in the general exhibit areas. (Lots of Reading Railroad train stuff too)

Not sure how to post pictures here yet, I haven't quite mastered "photobucket" and it has been so long since I messed with it I forgot my password, --- guess I'll start from scratch if that is the preferred transfer method.

Turns out my girlfriend's grandfather was a mechanic or forman at the old Reading Bus Co. and she has some of his home movies of the boys at the shop working on their buses and some other buses coming and going from the old Trolley "Car Barn" as we called the garages down here in Reading. I'll be figuring out how to transfer them for sure. Unfortunately he passed away before we got together.

Thanks for the somewhat "rude" awakening on the Orange and Red buses, LOL! You'll have to tell me about Uncle Max's Marble Mansion sometime, I The Berks County Historical Society (The county in which Reading is at the center of) has put out 18 volumes of "old photos" from around the county and city, many of the mansions photos in there, maybe I can hook you up with a picture of it from back in the day, some old bus and trolley pics too.
Rob
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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:13 pm    Post subject: Another lead for you Reply with quote

Back in the late 70's or 80's when Barta was really parting out the old fleet, a guy in he town of Reinholds in Lancaster County just outside Berks Co. bought a ton of them. He eventually started selling them off to other outfits, but for a long time the were all just sitting in the field. I'll have to get by there and see of there is anything left or if he has records of where he sold things off to.
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Mr. Linsky
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob,

I'm told that the buses in these and other pictures that I have are long gone but who knows?

Look at the historic files of Reading (circa the 1920's to the 40's) and see if the name Max Luria shows up as a distinguished citizen.

Max was my great uncle and owned Luria Brother's Steel Company (big in scrap iron and steel) and was personally responsible for the scraping of trolley cars coast to coast in the mid thirties - he also torched many a Liberty Ship for the government after the war.

Anyway, he had a 'marble mansion' in Reading that the family used as a retreat and it was so big that the U.S. Navy borrowed it during the war for rehabilitating injured sailors.

When I was very young I would go to Reading with my parents to spend weekends with Uncle Max and those were experiences that I'll never forget.

So, Yes, I've been to Reading.

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

PostPosted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 2:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob,

Here's a really great shot taken sometime in the early sixties at a Reading facility;

Looking at the image from left to right we see the first, second, third and sixth coaches fresh in from Triboro in New York (all 4507's) and awaiting their new livery of cream over red

I'm not too sure of what the fourth bus is except that it's numbered in the 600's and probably in an old Reading paint scheme (it's a paired window job so it's most likely a 4509).

The fifth one I can sure tell you about because it's ex Green Line (NY) #341 - a 1950 TDH 4509.

Seven and eight are both TD 4506's with #703 just repainted and # 718 still in its old colors (#703 probably originally came from New York because it carries the mandatory mechanical ventilators on the roof).

Enjoy,

Mr. 'L'

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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 11:50 pm    Post subject: Reading facility Reply with quote

The lineup photo is taken in back of the "Car Barn" in Reading. This facility is still the maintenance headquarters for BARTA. The buildings in the backgrowund are the Armory which is right next to Albright College's football stadium, site of the Shriner's annual "Pretzel Bowl" college football game to benefit handicapped kids.

In my girlfriend's videos there was a shot of a RBCo bus with a blue stripe instead of a red one. That one stuck in the middle may be it.. I didn't recal seeing anything like that when I was a kid, so I was surpriised when I saw it in the video.

The Mieser publication "Passing Scene" marketed by the Berks County Historical Society has four listings in the online index for Max Luria/Luria Brothers, etc. in volumes are 6 and 7. Of course, of the 18 published, I only have 12, and true to form 6 and 7 are not two of the 12..... I'll look around a bit more to see what I can find....... Luria Brothers fed a lot of cut up Reading Railroad (and other roads) steam locos to The Coatesville area steel mills too.

Thanks so much again for sharing the photos.
Rob
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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:53 am    Post subject: BARTA formerly Reading Buis Company Reply with quote

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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 1:17 am    Post subject: Success! Reply with quote

The above photo was taken in Reading, PA on 24 SEP 1982 behind the BARTA Maintenance building by me. This was formerly the Car Barn of the Reading Traction Company, which became the Reading Bus Company which became the Berks Area Reading Transportation Authourity. It is a bus, not a buis as my chubby figures may suggest in the above caption.
My notes simply say GMC TD4502/7 which may or may not have come from something I found on the bus or on one similar to it and 28 years ago assumed, see one bus type, eveything similar must be the same thing. Especially since all my remarks on similar bus photos say the same thing. Only one slight variation on 671, my notes say "wheelchair" regarding this bus. I am not seeing it.................. At the time I was happy to click a few photosphotos without getting escorted from the property, yet alone take copius notes or check out every detail. What a dumba**. Interestingly when I snapped this shot 28 years ago, I was 28 years old.
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Mr. Linsky
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 3:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob,

Nice photo but by no means a TD 4502.

Number 671 is a 1958 GM Model TDH 3714 delivered in May of that year along with 672 thru 675 to Reading Bus Company.

Earlier orders of TDH 3612's (virtually the same as the 3714) included 661 thru 665 in February 1952 and 651 thru 655 in March of 1949 (however, 651 thru 655 were delivered to Reading Street Railway Company).

Hope this helps your roster.

Regards, Mr. 'L'
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Rob




Joined: 02 Dec 2010
Posts: 70

PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 7:19 pm    Post subject: BARTA 925 Reply with quote

Berks Area Reading Transportation Authority (BARTA) bus 925, one of about 65 such buses operating in the Berks County - Reading area during the mid to late 1970's into the mid 1980's according to the numbers I have listed. BARTA took over operations from the Reading Bus Company around October of 1973. In 1982 I took a few photos including this in order to document the paint schemes hoping to add some buses to my HO train layout.

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

PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob,

Here's something you may want to add to your Reading data;

Found this interesting transfer from the Reading Coach Company for Hampden Boulevard in the Wyomissing section of the city.

Maybe you can shed some light on what relationship there may have been between Reading Coach and Reading Bus or were they one and the same?

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

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