BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

This presentation originally appeared in BTN and is being reprised here for your enjoyment and the record;

SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL, THE GREEN LINE WAY

Contained within every franchise agreement between the City of New York and private bus lines was a clause stipulating that the operators would be responsible for the removal of snow and ice from all exterior passenger areas including bus stops within their franchise.

Accomplishing this task in the early days was ‘primitive’ to say the least and generally comprised the use of modified stake trucks filled with cinders (a byproduct of coal fired furnaces and in plentiful supply at the time) and good shovel teams to spread the ashes while braving the severest of elements. Green Bus Line's earliest road maintenance fleet included a Mack, a Sterling, an F.W.D., and a Walters (all of late teens to early thirties vintage).

This system seemed to suffice into the early fifties but as populations grew and the number of major snowstorms increased it was thought that a more efficient method of removal and manicuring had to be developed.

Otto Schmidt, long time chief mechanic and innovator for Green Line came up with an idea that was so phenomenal (for the day) that PBL’s and municipal operators from over the entire northeast came to make notes.

Taking a Mack bus model 6CT3S (1937) from the scrap heap and stripping the interior of all seats and hardboard panels was the first step. The next was to remove part of the steel flooring between the front and rear wheel wells (leaving only a narrow catwalk on each side and a loading area at the rear), rearranging what chassis cross members might have interfered with the opening and toughening the rear suspension to support added weight.

All window areas behind the rear doors were reinforced and covered in sheet metal both inside and out.
A heavy gauge steel wall was spot welded across the body just in front of the rear wheel wells and an opening was cut at the lower center for the installation of a ‘sluice’ type gate which could be raised and lowered on a track by a series of pulleys.
The final touch to the steel work came with the cutting of the roof for a large hatch over the center of the enclosure.

In addition to the flashings lights and other markings that were required on such emergency vehicles, Mr. Schmidt personally rebuilt and ‘supercharged’ what was originally a very meager power plant for the heavy duty service that would be required of it.

As each snow storm developed the bus was driven to the Department of Sanitation facility at Richmond Hill Circle (130th. Street off South Conduit Avenue) and filled with cinders through the roof hatch from a hopper above.

As the bus traveled the routes the sluice gate would be raised to allow enough ashes to be spread under the bus by the crew at each stop. If it were necessary, the men would also cut paths through high mounds of snow left at curbs by plows.

The system worked well but was short lived only because ashes became obsolete as oil fired furnaces proliferated and new automatic spreading equipment was developed for the mixtures of sand and salt now used.

Unfortunately, there are no photos of this special bus available at present.

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"
Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New york