BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

From the Guy E. Martin book, "NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT BUSES":

".........New York City Omnibus generally assigned specific buses to routes and garages. By early 1951 it operated 956 buses against a requirement of 836 over 19 routes out of four garages......."

"...........with only four readily identifiable types of equipment, none longer than 35 feet, this continued as the largest transit bus operation in Manhattan. In general, the oldest equipment, YELLOW 718's and rebuilt 740's were assigned to the downtown cross-town routes, while the new TDH-4509's held the longer avenue runs......"

"........the 4509's were the exclusive domains of the more posh 79th and 86th Street crosstowns, while the remaining routes shared different equipment. The 12th St. garage operated 113 buses; 18 buses were assigned to Route 12, 27 to Route 13, and 68 to Route 14........"

"..........six routes called the 54th St. garage home, and operated 56 buses on route 5, 65 on Route 6, 29 on Route 8, 53 on Route 15, 47 on Route 16, and 23 on Route 21......"

"..........the 100th St. garage claimed the most with 295 buses over six routes. The assignments included 127 for the combined Routes 1 and 2, 61 on Route 11, 28 on Route 17, 29 on route 18, and 25 each on Routes 18 and 20. Four routes were based out of the 146th St. garage, which operated 275 buses......."

"NYO"

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

As always, a wonderful and detailed narrative of historic New York City bus operations/buses/depot assignments, etc....it took a LOT of "infrastructure", if you will, to keep the show on the road!!

Here is more of interest from the Guy E. Martin book:

"........the Spring of 1963 saw the arrival of new TDH-5303's; 255 for MaBSTOA and 350 for the Transit Authority. Until then, the fledgling MaBSTOA was faced with growing pains. Like the BoT in 1947, MaBSTOA inherited worn-out equipment........"

"........during the 1962 strike, FACCO transferred 100 "good" buses to the Westchester Street Transportation Company, a Weschester County subsidiary not affected by the strike. The condemnation resulted in 1,850 buses transferred to MaBSTOA. At that time, the oldest operable buses were the 900 TDH-4510's and TDH-5101's owned by the TA......."

".........newer, but in worse shape, were the transfers from Surface Transit. Compounding the issue was that while City inherited the buses, it had yet to receive the overhaul facilities. Repairs proceeded, at a slow pace, in TA-owned garages. The result was a year in which equipment appeared on previously unheard-of routes....."

"......delivery of 175 new GM diesels to the TA allowed the transfer of of TDH-4510's to MaBSTOA. Assigned to the former NYO garages at 12th and 54th Streets, they made their debuts outside of their native Brooklyn. For the first time, green-and-gray 102-inch wide buses roamed Manhattan streets. Low-numbered, ex-NYO TD-4506's, dating back to 1946, were assigned to Surface routes, replacing some Macks....."

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Also.......

"..........most of the routes remained the same after the creation of MaBSTOA. Manhattan route changes were largely the result of combining routes due to avenues being converted to one-way traffic. One was the elimination of former OMNIBUS Route 5, being taken over by Route 6 when Broadway and 6th Avenue became one-way......"

"......on March 1, 1964, former OMNIBUS Route 1 was extended from City Hall to South Ferry, Route 7 from 23rd St. to 14th St. , and Route 10 received a branch to Houston and West Streets. Some former SURFACE routes in the Bronx were changed, or combined, to address ridership between shopping and residential areas, or to more efficiently use equipment......."

"NYO"

[W.B. Fishbowl]

I saw that book. They implied, in the FACCo section, that FACCo's Rt. 1 is today's M1. It isn't. It is one of the deepest ironies that today's M1, in its southbound path between 135th and 8th Streets, copies the old FACCo Rt. 1 path in that stretch, but the M1 is 100% derived from NYCO's Route 1 - which in turn was descended from the city's first streetcar route that was started up in 1832. The only reason why the M1 has the path it has today is connected with the 2010 budget cutbacks whereby, besides that southbound rerouting (before then it only lasted on Fifth to 40th Street, then there transitioned to Park Avenue), the transition to Madison Avenue on northbound runs was moved from Park Avenue and 39th Street to Park Avenue South and 25th Street.

I seem to recall that on that same 1964 day the ex-NYCO #1 was extended to South Ferry, it also was extended NB to 146th Street and Lenox Avenue; 1964 rollsigns on eBay over the years mentioned '1 PARK & MADISON VIA-135 ST' and '2 PARK & MADISON VIA-116 ST'.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

One of the "pitfalls", if you will, regarding "non-New Yorkers" who are students of the City's mass transit history (streetcars, buses, and rapid transit) is taking a given author's statements as "concrete" (I know, I've been there myself)

Most certainly, much information IS correct, but, of course, there are often errors (both miniscule and glaring) that the "uninitiated" take as !00% correct information.

I have found, myself, that here on the board, it is almost a 100% given that I will learn the CORRECT historical data that I seek.

Regarding buses serving South Ferry/Whitehall St. terminal, in my copy of George Hilton's "THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY" (1964), in mentioning how a tourist can arrive at the ferry terminal, he mentions both the IRT 7th Avenue and Lexington subway lines (recall, the shuttle to Bowling Green was still in operation then)

Regarding buses, the author says: "........the terminal may also be reached by Broadway and First Avenue buses marked 'South Ferry'......"

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Regarding both MaBSTOA and "Tee-Yay" New Looks (GMC and Flxible)...........

I've always wondered if the drivers favored GM's over their Flex counterparts, or favored the Flexies over the GMC's.

Certainly, the buses of both manufacturers were rugged, solid, and dependable, but I wonder if the buses of these builders had any sort of advantage over the competitor, say, regarding acceleration or, in the climbing of grades in hilly areas (upper Manhattan and Staten Island)

It's also interesting to think of how veteran drivers regarding the then-new GRUMMAN coaches and the RTS......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

In virtually any discussion on MaBSTOA, we almost always tend to neglect the ill-fated GRUMMAN*.......

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3255

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3253

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3254

(courtesy: bus.nycsubway.org)

*How many GRUMMANS ran on MaBSTOA routes?

What depot(s) were they assigned to?

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

"TRIFECTA!"

Bowery & Mott, 1981

Such a classic scene today could only be duplicated at either a bus museum or vintage bus rally....talk about CLASSICS!

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3247

(courtesy: bus.nycsubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The new leading the old (Columbus Avenue & 72nd St., 1981)

Today, in 2019, the RTS has, like the venerable Flex New Look, forever vanished down the echoing corridors of time......

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3257

(courtesy: bus.nycsubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Broadway & 170th, 1982........

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?1260

(courtesy: bus.nycubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Grand Concourse & Bedford Park Boulevard, 1982*..........

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3256

(courtesy: bus.nycsubway.org)

*Note "Buffalo"/"Bison" in the background, coming towards the photographer.........

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[W.B. Fishbowl]