BusTalk

Tiny Tim · Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 8:27 am Post subject:

In the late 70's there was one storm that dropped a load of snow. Nyc was using whatever dumptrucks they could get to move it. A lot went to the rockaways on the streets in the 40 and 50 with all the vacant land. JBL had a fishbowl that either brokedown or got stuck on rockaway blvd in front of the mays store. Rockaway was plowed on the side going to Nassau and all the traffic was on that side. The bowl was setting in a sea of snow and drifts around it. It was 2 days it sat there till they plowed and it was gone.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 3:51 am Post subject:

Seems like a perfect evening in New York to show more vintage snow scenes.

It's winter in 1954 as we see mass confusion at East 47th. Street as traffic struggles to make it way downtown on 2nd. Avenue during the height of a mini blizzard.

Seen working the M-15 line are mostly 1948 Mack C-45's Diesels numbered in the 5,000's and purchased by the city to service the routes of the then defunct East Side and Comprehensive Omnibus Corporations.

The era of the long wheelbase DeSoto SkyView taxi had come to an end and was surplanted in the Big Apple by a flood equally comfortable but shortened wheelbase Checker A series models.

Photo courtesy of the City of New York Archives.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 5:29 pm Post subject:

Just really only a hair off topic, let's see how the trolley culture was handling the famous blizzard of 1947 in Brooklyn.

By the looks of things, not too well as we see a line four cars pretty well bogged down led by fleet # 6099 - a 1931 J.G. Brill Model and one of fifty likenesses numbered 6050 to 6099 operating for the Brooklyn and Queens Transit Company division of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Transit Company (BMT).

These particular Brill cars were interesting as they were among the first all steel trolley bodies and the only BMT equipment listed other than the PCC's that were 'single ended' which meant that they required a loop at each terminus.

#6099 is marked as Crosstown and perhaps an astute Brooklynite will pinpoint the exact location by what appears to be a tower in a park in the background.

The 6000's were scrapped in 1951 and replaced by buses.

Photo courtesy of 'Vintage-Vault75' and is available at eBay as item # 181293742115.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

frankie · Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 1:22 am Post subject:

One astute Brooklynite at your service! The tower in the background is the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument located in the center of Fort Green Park in downtown Brooklyn. Fort Green Park is sandwiched with Myrtle Ave. to the north and DeKalb Ave. to the south.

The location of the snow scene in question is Willoughby Street just west of Navy St (now Ashland Place at this particular locale). The trolleys are all headed westbound.

The accompanying photo shows the same site (about one block closer to the park) in drier times.

Frankie

Photo credit as indicated on the photo. Tower photo unknown.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 2:30 am Post subject:

frankie,

Could you be a bit more concise on the location?

Only kidding! great report as usual and thanks for sharing.

Best regards,

Mr. 'L'

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 2:32 pm Post subject:

This isn't off topic but is slightly off our geographical study but only by the Hudson River separation!

If you're familiar with the environs of Newark, New Jersey then you might recognize the intersection of Gouverneur and Ogden Streets where we see more of the aftermath of the blizzard of 1947 in the form of a 1947 GM Coach Model PD 3751 (more familiarly known as a Greyhound 'Silversides') operating for Central Greyhound Lines and quite bogged down for the duration.

The single belt 'quick install' chain seen on the left outer rear tire seems to be of no help as the driver stands (right of frame) contemplating his next move with only a spade like shovel leaning against the bus.

I guess this was one time that Greyhound couldn't leave the driving to anybody!

Photo courtesy of 'Vintage-Vault75' and is available at eBay as item # 171211890734.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

frankie · Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 3:44 pm Post subject:

Obviously that hill is too steep for anyone to drive up. You would think that he could set the bus in reverse and with the aid of gravity, gun it back into the intersection and take a more passable route.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 1:52 pm Post subject:

This snow shot is close to home for me (actually only a few blocks away from where I grew up).

It's December 27th. 1947 and the infamous blizzard of that year continues without abatement until nightfall as we see a cluster of cars bogged down in drifts across the intersection of Queens Boulevard and the Grand Central Parkway.

You may have to squint to see (center left of upper photo) a Green Bus Lines 1946 GM Model TD-4506 as it plows its way along the boulevard toward Jamaica on the Q-60 line and if you look at the very right side of the lower frame with greater magnification, you will espy a Green Line 1935 Mack Model CX at the side of the building awaiting its next run on the Q-37 line to Ozone Park.

The sprawling colonial style edifice in the background was the Kew Gardens General Hospital where this writer had his appendix removed in 1944 by his father who was chief of surgery at the time.

The building, originally built in 1920 as the Kew Gardens Hotel and completely renovated in 1938 in anticipation of welcoming throngs of visitors to the 1939/40 World's Fair, was converted to a hospital in 1941 and decades later was torn down for a high rise office tower.

Upper photo courtesy of the New York Daily News Archive
Lower photo courtesy of the Old Kew Gardens Website

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:54 pm Post subject:

Just to make you New Yorkers feel more at home in the weather you're now having (I'm not gloating because I wish I were there!).

Other than a picture worth framing, we're looking at fleet # 4814 - a 1973 43 passenger GM Coach Model T6H-5309A and one of 120 likenesses numbered 4800 to 4919 and delivered in that year to the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MABSTOA).

Only 414 T6H-5309A's were exclusively designed and sold only to the City of New York for both their Transit Authority and MABSTOA operations.

While these buses were built on a standard 53 seat 40 foot long platform, they were fitted with longitudinal seating for only 43 passenger to afford greater standing area in local rush hour operations.

#4814 sits at rest enjoying the serenity of the snow storm by what appears to be a park in a suburban setting either in upper Manhattan or The Bronx.

Note that the plastic housing over the forward section of the roof protects its two way communications antenna.

Photo courtesy of '90mac' and is available at eBay as item # 111260650983.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

Free-transfer · Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:48 pm Post subject:

NYC 1967

Free-transfer · Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:50 pm Post subject:

NYC 1948

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:37 am Post subject:

Free-transfer,

Great photos - thanks for sharing them with us.

As an unintended benefit to the 1948 image of the two Fifth Avenue (Queen Mary) coaches shown again below , we can see a close up of the differences between the Model 720 and the Model 735.

The Model 720, # 2131 seen on the right of the frame, is fully six inches lower than its close cousin # 2120 standing next to it and is very much in evidence by the shape of the roofs and while the 720 was lower, no passenger headroom was compromised because both the upper and lower floors decks were also lowered by the same six inches.

The 720's, of which 200 production models were built by Yellow Coach exclusively for the Chicago based Omnibus Corporation in the mid thirties, were shared between both Chicago Motor Coach Co. (with 140) to negotiate that city's low slung railroad underpasses and Fifth Avenue Coach Co. in New York (with 60) almost specifically for its #15 line between Manhattan and Jackson Heights to pass under the Roosevelt Avenue El line portion of the route.

All 100 735's that were manufactured at the same time served only on other Fifth Avenue routes in New York.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

frankie · Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 7:46 pm Post subject:

I found two more while browsing through some websites.

Perhaps Mr. L can fill us in identifying the buses in the photos.

Frankie

Chaotic is the word here for this intersection somewhere in Manhattan. This scene was the results of the infamous Blizzard of '47. Exact date is Dec 26, 1947 when this photo was taken.

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press (AP).

The following photo was taken on Feb 10, 1969. We're looking north on 2nd Avenue near 45th Street with the focus on that one lone southbound "bat winged" fishbowl.

Photo courtesy of the United Press International (UPI)

B53RICH · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 254

The location of the photo of MABSTOA 4814 is at Mundy Lane and Pitman Avenue in the northern Bronx (Wakefield?) at the Mount Vernon border. The route is the current Bx16.