BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Though the mighty "Red Car" (PE) was, in many respects, the "Holy Grail" of interurbans to traction buffs of that era, the sprawling rail system also had much to interest bus enthusiasts, as is witnessed by this timeless LA street scene from long ago......

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/pe/htm/pe546.htm

(courtesy of newdavesrailpix)

[John Roth]

NYO and all. When I was a kid growing up in Baltimore the shoulder patch of both streetcar and bus drivers was a combination of a PCC towards the top and a GM old look towards the bottom. I thought it was sharp and to this day have been unable to find one.

John

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Hey, John:

This rare view from 1963 shows BTC PCC's and Fishbowls in brief co-existance; BTC operators were being trained on the new buses, which would replace the last streetcars running on the #8 and the #15, late in the year......

"NYO"

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/btc/htm/btc116.htm

(courtesy newdavesrailpix)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The ever-bustling 69th St. terminal (Upper Darby), for generations, was a mecca for both rail and bus enthusiasts.

This busy scene from 1962 exemplifies this to a "T".........

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?78225

(courtesy of nycsubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Another classic image from Philly (1964)

Without a doubt, the PCC and GM's Old Look represented two of the most timeless designs to ever evolve in transit vehicles......

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?118443

(courtesy nycsubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here's two more interesting 1960's-era (1960/1969) photos from Philly, sure to twang the chords of transit nostalgia.......how common both PCC's and Old Looks were.....once upon a time.......

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?13463

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?118548

(courtesy nycsubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Baltimore's BTC operated trolley buses through the 1950's.

As I had mentioned earlier here, such vehicles held the interest of both bus and "juice" buffs.

This tough-looking BRILL (#2155) is seen hard at work on the streets of the Monumental City (Gilmore & Fayette)......


http://www.trolleybuses.net/bal/htm/usa_h_bal_brill_2155_rt1gilmorefayette_195609_jt.htm

(courtesy of tom's trolleybuses)

[Runcutter]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Arthur:

Great to have you hop aboard!

I can easily identify with your post....it all rings so true!

Growing up in the early and mid-1960's, one could still go out to the old Newark Airport and see classic propliners such as the DC-6 and Lockheed Constellation, side-by-side with sleek new 727's and 707's.

You could go down to the 1907 DL&W (by then, Erie-Lackawanna) terminal in Hoboken (via the long-gone PSNJ #17 bus) and savor first generation diesels in all their smoking, chanting, bleating, growling, oily glory, displaying a variety of color schemes, passenger equipment that pre-dated the FIRST World War, as well as being able to enjoy a short cruise across the Hudson via a 1900's-vintage, coal-burning ferryboat.

Heavyweight ex-DL&W 1930-era MU trains whisked suited commuters back and forth from Hoboken out to the suburbs.

If you wanted to cross UNDER the Hudson, ancient H&M "Tube" cars (then operated by PATH) dating back to 1909 were ready to whisk you under the river to Manhattan, accompanied by humming motors, growling gears, and chuckling compressors.

Those old cars had a distinct personality about them, unlike today's bland equipment, which have about as much charm as a toaster, and whose stark interiors are about as inviting as a doctor's waiting room!

If trolleys were your thing, you had 30 ex-TCRT PCC's running on the Newark City Subway......how we then took PCC's (and so much else) for granted!

Bus-wise, as a boy, we could ride mid/late-1930's buses (such as MACKS and TWINS) that were still rumbling along for the old area 'indy" companies, well into the 1960's.

Seeing (and riding aboard) your first Fishbowl was indeed an experience.......its startling, futuristic styling was right in sync with the then-current era of TV's "The Jetson's" and the World's Fair of 1964/65.

When we went to visit my aunt in West Orange, Mom and I rode out on De Camp's old #22, aboard a big GM or on a handsome ACF-BRILL C-44.

I grew up with YELLOWS, WHITES, MACKS, GM's, and ACF-Brills.......at one time, thery seemed so commonplace.......who amongst us could have seen through to a future time, when the only ones remaining would be in museums or private collections?

Your collection reminds me so much of my own.....a lot of everything transport related!

When I look at my collection of vintage toy buses, it never ceases to amaze me as to the near-endless variety of what was available, 50-odd years ago......I must have at least 50 or so variations on the SCENICRUISER alone!

When the GRUMMANS and METROS first arrived on the scene, I HATED them, as they spelled doom for the oldest Fishbowls in my area, as well as for the few remaining Old Looks, then still soldiering on.

It wasn't until much later that I started to appreciate them....and....all to soon.....they too, disappeared.....just like the Old Looks and Fishbowls before them.

Yes......one day.....today's humdrum coaches and rolling stock will be regarded in the same nostalgic light as we "old timers" today look upon the classic buses of our youth.

Ahhh, dang it...I feel so old now!

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Recalling the colorful variety of buses past.......

Check out these interesting (and colorful!) retired SEPTA Old Looks, converted for non-revenue services.

Bus modelers, these pics are for you!

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3685

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3686

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3687

(courtesy bus.nycsubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Trolley buses then......

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?4029

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?4036

.......and today.......

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?94568

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?98882

Today's models, for us "older generation" enthusiasts, may seem boxy and bland.....but......forty years from now.....that generation of enthusiasts may well be regarding them as "classics" and waxing nostalgic over them..........it's a never-ending circle, to be sure.....

(photos courtesy of bus.nycsubway.org/nycsubway.org)

[Mr. Linsky]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Mr. L":

As usual, your contribution of historical data is most welcome.......thank you!

Ironically, within the pages of "WELCOME ABOARD THE GM NEW LOOK BUS" (McKane/Squier), there is a photo of a TD-4505, owned by METROPOLITAN COACH LINES (#2500)

According to the photo caption, #2500 represented "a pre WW2 YELLOW COACH suburban-style bus".

As I had stated earlier, though the PE was a massive rail system, beloved of "juice buffs", it, nonetheless, also provided interest to the bus fans of the day..........something for everyone!

Those were indeed the days......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The PE station at Beverly Hills was once an important rail/bus transfer point

In her heartwarming memoir, "ONE MORE TIME", beloved comedienne Carol Burnett describes weekend trips from Hollywood to visit her Dad, who then lived in Santa Monica.

She describes how she and her best pal Illomay would ride the "red streetcar" out to the Beverly Hills station, where her dad would meet them.

There, they'd transfer to the bus for the trip into Santa Monica.

(Carol and her eccentric, loving grandmother "Nanny" spent a lot of their time "transferring from one bus to another, two or three times a week", to visit LA relatives on the other side of town)

This great old photo shows us a handsome PE "Hollywood" car, the magnificent PE station, and a stalwart GM, awaiting the next carload of transferring passengers.......

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/pe/htm/pe495.htm

(courtesy newdavesrailpix)