BusTalk

Q65A · Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:13 pm Post subject: Depot Life Before The Orions

BT3 members are well aware that Casey Stengel Depot has been an Orion V stronghold for some time.
When did CS last host a fleet of RTS's?
Similarly, the local fleet of Castleton Depot seems to be mostly Orion V's as well.
When did CAS last house a fleet of RTS's?

Waynejay · Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:35 am Post subject:

Well, the last group of RTSes to get assigned to Stengel as new buses were the '85 GMC 3900 series. Stengel had these along with the '82 buses PA1705-PA1746 (ish). After the 3900s it wasn't until the '93 Orion Vs came along did Stengel get new buses. They rec'd 173-232, then 400-401 a year later. Then in '95 #505-580 arrived. As the Orion V numbers increased they transferred out the RTSes. I do remember that Stengel retained a small number of RTSes (I think 2 of them) for a while. These Orion Vs along with most of the '93 Orion Vs from KB made the Stengel local fleet exclusively Orion Vs.

Q65A · Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:18 pm Post subject:

Thanks, WJ!!!!

(SIR) North Shore Line · Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 2

I remember back in the early to mid 1990s, the RTS's dominated Staten Island totally. Then the Orion Vs slowly trickled in until 1999 when the Orion Vs took over Castleton for the most part.

On the contrary, there were only small pockets of times that Castleton didn't house a fleet of RTS. As quickly as a fleet of RTS' leave Castleton, another set are sent right back in.

Castleton Depot had some 1990/1993 TMCs through the early 2000s..but then they seemed to have dropped out of service on Staten Island by 2001/2002. Although at this time Yukon still had ancient, bruised and battered GMCs which were used until 2004/2005, and a fleet of TMCs (sent to MTA Bus in Summer '07) and quite few Suburban Novas (left in 2004).

Castleton Depot was then all Orion V for quite some time until 2003, when a few TMCs were sent over. Then those were gone not too long after. Then again in 2005, mixed batch of 30 1990 TMCs were sent over to Staten Island and remained at CAS until the summer of this year, when Stengel sent over their '95 Orion Vs and MJQ or MHV sent some Novas to YUK who then gave some of their O5s to CAS, to replace the last '93 O5s and '90 TMCs.

For the month of August and September, there were no TMCs at CAS or even YUK until earlier this month when some 1990 TMCs were sent to CAS and YUK.

Q65A · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:38 pm Post subject:

Thanks much to you, too, (SIR) North Shore Line!