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Air-conditioned GM/FLX New Looks
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
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Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2018 1:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

traildriver/all:

I still remember well the words "AIR CONDITIONED" on the flanks of many Fishbowl suburbans, back in the day.

These blue-ish/white letters looked as though they were made of ice......it made a boarding passenger feel a LOT cooler just knowing what was in store for them, once they boarded!

A GODSEND during a typical hot, humid New Jersey summer............

"NYO"
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frankie



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Location: St. Peters, Mo.

PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2018 9:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Back in the heydays of growing up in Brooklyn in the '50's, I remember too well the rattling and jarring of the open windows of the old looks and Bingham Macks during the blistering hot summers. That was and still music to my ears and made a great impression of a young Frankie.

The greatest advantage of no air conditioning besides the soothing breeze of the open windows was when you exited the bus, there was no temperature difference. Exit an A/C bus and the heat hits you like a blast furnace!

Frankie
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
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Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2018 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

frankie wrote:
Back in the heydays of growing up in Brooklyn in the '50's, I remember too well the rattling and jarring of the open windows of the old looks and Bingham Macks during the blistering hot summers. That was and still music to my ears and made a great impression of a young Frankie.

The greatest advantage of no air conditioning besides the soothing breeze of the open windows was when you exited the bus, there was no temperature difference. Exit an A/C bus and the heat hits you like a blast furnace!

Frankie


Frankie:

I well recall such memories, growing up in Northern NJ, back in the 1960's......open windows, clanking Johnson fare boxes, rattles galore.....the sweet sounds of a powerful diesel engine hard at work....oohhhh, yeahhhhhh.....(!!)

After I began working in lower Manhattan in early 1979, I used to HATE steeping off an air-conditioned PATH (or subway) train and onto a stifling platform, on a hot, humid 90 degree summer day!

UGHHHHH!!!!!!

I also HATED stepping off of a air-conditioned bus and out into a blast furnace of a July or August day.....NOT FUN!!!

Ahhh, memories............

"NYO"
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MaBSTOA 15



Age: 70
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PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2018 9:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Technically speaking the first city owned a/c New Looks were the 10 TDH-5301s acquired from Fifth Avenue Coach.

The first "official" city purchased a/c New Looks was MaBSTOA's #8301, since it was the first serial number, 5091, in the purchase of 680 TDH-5303s.
OA serial numbers 5091-5570 fleet #s 8301-8780; TA serial numbers 5571-5772 fleet numbers 8001-8202.

And no, the non-a/c New Looks were never retrofitted with a/c units.
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2018 11:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MaBSTOA 15 wrote:
Technically speaking the first city owned a/c New Looks were the 10 TDH-5301s acquired from Fifth Avenue Coach.

The first "official" city purchased a/c New Looks was MaBSTOA's #8301, since it was the first serial number, 5091, in the purchase of 680 TDH-5303s.
OA serial numbers 5091-5570 fleet #s 8301-8780; TA serial numbers 5571-5772 fleet numbers 8001-8202.

And no, the non-a/c New Looks were never retrofitted with a/c units.


MaBSTOA 15:

Thanks for informing me that no non a/c New Looks were never retrofitted with a/c units; I had been puzzling over that one for some time........

"NYO"
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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 10:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some companies had the words “air-conditioned” written on the front and/or sides of their New Look buses but not MaBSTOA nor NYCTA. In fact, I don’t believe any New York City company had that sign, some New Nersey carriers did.

The 8301-8780 and 8001-8202 series had a rectangular metal sign pasted on each window next to the “butterfly” shaped window latches that allowed the windows to slide open (you read that correctly, all city own buses with a/c had openable windows!) that said
“DO NOT OPEN WINDOWS THIS IS AN AIR CONDITIONED BUS”

(I now have to dig and find one of those signs in my collection... stay tune)
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MaBSTOA 15 wrote:
Some companies had the words “air-conditioned” written on the front and/or sides of their New Look buses but not MaBSTOA nor NYCTA. In fact, I don’t believe any New York City company had that sign, some New Jersey carriers did.

The 8301-8780 and 8001-8202 series had a rectangular metal sign pasted on each window next to the “butterfly” shaped window latches that allowed the windows to slide open (you read that correctly, all city own buses with a/c had openable windows!) that said
“DO NOT OPEN WINDOWS THIS IS AN AIR CONDITIONED BUS”

(I now have to dig and find one of those signs in my collection... stay
tuned)


MaBSTOA 15:

Believe it or not, I have several early 60's tin lithographed toy New Looks that have "AIR CONDITIONED" prominently displayed on their flanks!

I would guess that "art imitated life" indeed, back in the day!

I also have several friction tin litho New Looks (each was made up as an airport bus, in the livery of several airlines); the air conditioning condensor over the rear window is used as a destination sign, reading "AIRPORT"

The same bus (in GREYHOUND and TRAILWAYS paint) have "EXPRESS" displayed on what should have been the a/c unit; these toys are now well over 50 years old, reflecting a long-ago era in bus styling......

"NYO"
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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2018 10:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Coral Gables had a mixed fleet of post-war Twin Coach and GM New Looks. All of their New Looks had air-conditioning. The first group, TDH-4517s, came with factory equipped a/c units. At least one maybe two of the buses did not. The a/c condenser unit grill was placed behind the left front wheel rather than the customary rear roof mounting.
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2018 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MaBSTOA 15 wrote:
Coral Gables had a mixed fleet of post-war Twin Coach and GM New Looks. All of their New Looks had air-conditioning. The first group, TDH-4517s, came with factory equipped a/c units. At least one maybe two of the buses did not. The a/c condenser unit grill was placed behind the left front wheel rather than the customary rear roof mounting.


MaBSTOA 15:

VERY interesting trivia....thanks for sharing here! Wink

I can recall, long ago, seeing a picture of a Dallas (TX) air-conditioned WHITE, in a book on the assasination of JFK in 1963.

I have never seen this photo (or one like it) since.

I think it might have been an 1150, but am not 100% certain.....

"NYO"
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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Sat May 26, 2018 7:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The book that you might be referring to is called "The Accidental Victim" by James Reston, Jr.

The photo on the cover is not a White model 1150 but rather a Southern Coach Manufacturing model S-50-DHC. Dallas was the only company to have this model. They also had Whites and Marmon trolley coaches. The entire fleet was wiped out when 310 GM TDH-5303s were acquired in 1966.

Dallas Transit air conditioned the Whites, Southern, and Marmon with roof top Carrier units.

Southerns were built in Evergreen, Alabama (hence the southern name). Flxible bought the plant and had their Flxettes and single headlamp 30 and 35 foot New Looks built there.

I rode the Southerns that Coral Gables had back in the early 1970s. Not bad; but not great either!

Note the rear of the Southerns in the two photos of the Whites.

See the pics below



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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Sat May 26, 2018 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

These are the Whites 1150... note the Southern in the background


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MaBSTOA 15



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PostPosted: Sat May 26, 2018 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

These are the Marmons with a/c


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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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PostPosted: Sat May 26, 2018 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MaBSTOA 15:

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked

MANY THANKS for sharing these rare old photos!! Very Happy Very Happy

Sure as heck never saw anything like those interesting-looking buses up here in New Jersey!!!!! Shocked Shocked

The fourth photo down was the one photo I remembered from the book; though I well remember WHITES back in the 60's, none of them had a/c, that's for sure!

The a/c trolley buses (what a bonus!) were SUPER-COOL!! (pun intended!)

Again, thanks for sharing these wonderful and rare old views......... Wink

"NYO"
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