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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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Mr. "L":
Thanks for the additional trivia!
Too, I had forgotten to mention MACK's stunning, futuristic "ADS-1" of 1956; this was MACK's last new transit bus design, and was known as "The Dream Bus" and "The Bus Of Tomorrow".
Sadly, this striking bus never went into production, and the prototype was eventually sold to the Schenectady (NY) Street Railway.
Sadly, this one-of-a-kind bus was later destroyed in a garage fire........
"NYO"
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Sat Aug 09, 2014 5:05 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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Here's another "New Look" MACK; this one operated by BEE LINE.
(you can just glimpse a restored antique in the right background of this classic photo from 1962!)
Even with a "New Look" front, the mighty MACK still gave the impression of a tough, beefy, streetwise prizefighter.........
http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?100 |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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All:
One of the reasons I believe that the MACK "New Look" failed is because it was the wrong bus at the wrong time.
Despite its modern front, it was still, realistically speaking, an "old look" bus, decidedly old-fashioned when compared to the stunning new GM's that were soon to make their debut.
Too, MACK not only had to compete with GMC, but also, Flxible.
With WHITE and ACF-BRILL already out of the bus-building business, and Flxible soon to be producing their own "New Looks", it became clear that MACK (as a bus builder) was nearing the end of the line.
Growing up in Hudson County during the 60's, non-"New Look" MACKS operated by NHBL, SHBL, as well as by other area "indy" companies were quite commonplace.
I knew (and loved) these buses well as a youngster.
However, by the later 60's, the MACKS (as well as the WHITES and older square-window Old Looks) began to disappear, as GM Fishbowls began to make inroads into area fleets.
Ironically, at one time, most would have never thought that a day would come where GM buses would no longer be manufactured, and would no longer be carrying passengers.
The bus industry.....like the world itself......is always changing......
"NYO" |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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St. George ferry bterminal, 1968.
This photo clearly shows the tremendous advancements in transit bus design that took place between the time that the MACK was produced and when the GMC Fishbowl/New Look was introduced.
Though a handsome, rugged-looking bus, the MACK indeed looks quite "old school" in comparison to the flashy GMC.
In the greater New York area at the time of this photo, the remaining MACKS were indeed in their twilight......
http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?1624
(courtesy bus.nycsubway.org) |
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traildriver
Joined: 26 Mar 2011 Posts: 2459 Location: South Florida
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 11:26 pm Post subject: |
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I recall taking a 'fantrip' aboard one of those old Mack's on the Hylan Blvd. line all the way from St. George to Tottenville....I recall them as having a rather hard ride. Took the SIRT train back...a lot more comfortable....
The SIRT had those ancient cars like the BMT Standard's, and the crew wore B&O, (which still owned it) uniform's! |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:13 am Post subject: |
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traildriver wrote: | I recall taking a 'fantrip' aboard one of those old Mack's on the Hylan Blvd. line all the way from St. George to Tottenville....I recall them as having a rather hard ride. Took the SIRT train back...a lot more comfortable....
The SIRT had those ancient cars like the BMT Standard's, and the crew wore B&O, (which still owned it) uniform's! |
traildriver:
I well recall those MACKS; here in NJ, where most MACKS were of the older variety, rides were anything BUT smooth, but, to a young bus fan, the sights, sounds, and smells of a vintage MACK in action were all that mattered! (I haven't ridden a MACK in at least 46 years!)
Following are links to two 1960's SIRT photos; Mom and I took many little "excursions" on that line back in the days of B&O ownership, when the railroad still had a distinct interurban/"Toonerville Trolley" appeal (today, it's just another "ho-hum" line)
In the one photo, note the old, ramshackle ferry house; until October of 1963, the ferry (last operated by SUNRISE FERRIES; pre-1948, it was run by the SIRT) crossed to Perth Amboy)
Mom and also rode those little boats a number of times; it was sort of a "side trip" whenever we rode the SIRT.
Back to buses:
I remember hearing years ago that Staten Island was "where old buses came to die"; I recall all Old Looks and MACKS operating out of St. George, back in the 60's.
Aaaahhh, to do it all again.....
"NYO"
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?21961
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?57017
(courtesy nycsubway.org)
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Tue Aug 12, 2014 6:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:41 am Post subject: |
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All:
In James Clifford Greller's excellent "NYC TRANSIT SYSTEM BUS & TROLLEY COACH FLEET: 1946-1958", there are number of rare b/w and color Staten Island shots, several with MACKS.
One outstanding color photo shows MACK demo #1 at St. George, painted in San Antonio (Texas) colors; the prewar coaches in the rear would be rare museum pieces, if they were still amongst us!
One colorful quote:
".......for a long time Staten Island hummed to the sounds of MACK engines climbing the hills if that borough......"
Sweet music, to be sure!
"NYO" |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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This 1978 scene at St. George has Flex New Looks dominating; at the time of this photo, the Old Looks and MACKS were but memories.....
http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?1938
(courtesy bus.nycsubway.org) |
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Hankg42
Age: 73 Joined: 19 Apr 2010 Posts: 94 Location: The Villages, FL
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 wrote: | I remember hearing years ago that Staten Island was "where old buses came to die"; I recall all Old Looks and MACKS operating out of St. George, back in the 60's.
Aaaahhh, to do it all again.....
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So true. My dad drove for the BoT and NYCTA in Staten Island from 1947 (or so) until 1971. Other than the 1956 C-49DTs that came to S.I. new, a lot of the equipment was leftovers. My dad always favored the Macks.
When express bus service started over the VZ bridge, my dad selected those routes. They got the "newest" of the New Looks. His complaints about the old 9000 series GMs subsided once he started wheeling those around. |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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Hankg42 wrote: | NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 wrote: | I remember hearing years ago that Staten Island was "where old buses came to die"; I recall all Old Looks and MACKS operating out of St. George, back in the 60's.
Aaaahhh, to do it all again.....
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So true. My dad drove for the BoT and NYCTA in Staten Island from 1947 (or so) until 1971. Other than the 1956 C-49DTs that came to S.I. new, a lot of the equipment was leftovers. My dad always favored the Macks.
When express bus service started over the VZ bridge, my dad selected those routes. They got the "newest" of the New Looks. His complaints about the old 9000 series GMs subsided once he started wheeling those around. |
Hankg42:
Your dad was a LUCKY man!
I recall reading the opinions and memories of a retired CTA/CSL driver, many years ago, when he was commenting on MACKS.
He said: "....they were our best buses for getting up heat on cold mornings. They were good, solid buses that could really go once you got them going....."
As I've written elsewhere here, to me, a MACK had all the characteristics of a tough, cocky, swaggering prizefighter.
An "encounter" with a MACK was surely something wise motorists wished to avoid, at all costs!
My first ride on a SI MACK, well over 50 years ago, was riding from St. George to South Beach (my Mom can remember going to South Beach via the SIRT, back in the 20's and early 30's!)
Ride a MACK once, and the experience stays with you for decades afterwards.....
"NYO"
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Tue Aug 12, 2014 5:25 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22634 Location: NEW JOISEY
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