BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629,

The first time that any Fifth Avenue Coach ever had a directional signal on a bus was with their first order of 5106's in 1958 and none of its affiliates including New York City Omnibus, Madison Avenue Coach Company and Eighth Avenue Coach Corporation ever had them at all.

However, both a 1946 TDH 4506 demo and a 1956 TDH 5106 demo (#3100 - Air Conditioned) for FACCO did have them.

Also, all Omnibus Corporation operating equipment was retrofitted by 1956 as per New York State Public Service Commission.

I really don't think that those tiny lights to either side of the windshield on the Z models were much more than markers - today's bus headlights are about the same size but are the result of modern technology and illuminate the road far better than the old sealed beams.

Headlights can be clearly seen below on a Green Line (NY) Mack Model 'AB' from the late twenties on the downtown Madison/Chambers Crosstown line, so Fifth Avenue has little in the way of an excuse not to have used them.

Photo from this writers private collection.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Mr. "L":

Again, thank you for both your invaluable input and the historical images you share.......talk about a LOOONG time ago!

I always figured that those tiny lights up in front on the "Z's" couldn't do much; HAD they been headlights, they would have been little better than your average flashlight!

I used to think that, like the old subway cars, the buses had colored markers that would have alerted waiting passengers as to what route the approaching bus was running on.

But, I never saw any semblence of color on the b/w photos I've seen through the years, so, I dismissed that thought from my mind.

Much like the late Frank Sinatra, the FACC indeed did things thier way.......

"NYO"