BusTalk

[HwyHaulier]

Hart Bus -

That's the one noted as possible "Carey Transportation"?...

....................Vern.......................

[Mr. Linsky]

[Mr. Linsky]

Upon the opening of New York's Idlewild Airport (now JFK) in 1948 to relieve what was becoming intolerable congestion at both La Guardia and Newark, airline passenger traffic multiplied exponentially with the bulk emanating from central Manhattan.

At the time, the major carrier from Manhattan to all three metropolitan airports was Carey Transportation who, because of a lack of adequate terminal facilities, serviced their customers on a door to door basis usually from prominent mid town hotels.

It wasn't until 1953 that the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority built the East Side Airline Terminal - a block long state of the art structure between 37th. and 38th. Streets and First and Second Avenues with easy access to the mouth of the Queens Midtown Tunnel and housing for Carey as its main tenant.

Conveniences for world travelers abounded and included kiosks for rapid baggage check-in at the desired airline.

The business model eventually changed and the terminal was abandoned in 1984 with the property being sold by the MTA to a private developer a year later for over 25 million dollars.

Pictured below (top) circa mid fifties is a sleek new Carey Flxible Airporter waiting for passengers at a top deck docking station (notice that the terminal windows are sans glass to promote through ventilation in the operating area).

Also below (center) is one of a number of modern and colorful passenger waiting areas followed by a great exterior shot with the Chrysler Building in the background.

All photos borrowed for educational purposes only.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[Mr. Linsky]

Here's a couple of interesting shots taken sometime in the early forties in downtown Manhattan.

In the top photo we see the rear ends of two New York City Omnibus Corporation 1941 Yellow Coach Model TD 4502's numbered 852 and 879 at South Ferry at the very tip of the city readying for another uptown run.

Of note is the very unique and colorful livery that NYCO adopted for use on their first new generation Yellows (now known to us as Old Looks), and it looks as though the loan sharks were pretty busy in those days!

The lower image sees another of NYCO's new 800's at a bus stop in Bowling Green at the very beginning of the 'Great White Way' (Broadway).

Note that the earliest of Yellow's 'Old Looks' featured a double front bumper and an improved 'angled' windshield that appeared almost immediately after production began.

Also of note is the 1930's U.S. Mail truck with 'semaphore' directional signals just behind the front doors and the trademark Checker cab standing next to it.

Photo credits; top Flickr, bottom Getty Images

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[Mr. Linsky]

I'm going to 'wing' this one because all I can come up with is the attached photo and my penchant toward educated guessing!

Pictured below is a 'Fliteseer' tram at the Alitalia Airlines gate at what was then New York International Airport (now JFK).

Very similar to the tourist trams used by Greyhound at both New York World Fair's, the Fliteseer's obviously performed the same duties in showing aviation fans the intricacies of what was then already one of the the nation's largest airports.

There is also the remote possibility that these conveyances were used to shuttle passengers between aircraft and terminals before 'Jet Way' operation.

If I were asked as to when the image was taken, I would have to say very early sixties considering that the control tower was finally completed and that, despite the fact that the Alitalia aircraft in the frame were propeller driven DC 7's, the 'Jet Age' was upon us noting the 'swept wing' aircraft decals on the tram tractor.

I would also say that the attraction was probably operated by the Port Authority.

My thanks to Bill Hough (the Jim Husing of aircraft photography) for sharing this rare photo.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[Mr. Linsky]

It's a sunny afternoon in December of 1955 where we see a 1948 Mack Model C-45-DT numbered in the 1600's and operating for Surface Transportation System of New York wending its way through the convergence of Broadway and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan.

The 'movie of the week' (that's how many they used to make in those days) playing at the RKO Palace was 'Big House U.S.A.' starring Broderick Crawford (of TV's Highway Patrol fame) and accompanied by no less than eight useless Vaudeville acts.

I wonder if it's coincidental that the pigeons are hanging out right across from the Planter's Peanut sign?

Photo courtesy of Flickr's New York City Vintage Pool.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[Hart Bus]

Also note the varying colors on the taxicabs before they were forced to go all yellow. Also note the two way street the bus is on.

[Mr. Linsky]

On a typical early December evening in 1937, we see throngs of holiday gift seekers mobbing the sidewalks of Fifth Avenue at 50th. Street in front of fashionable Saks Fifth Avenue (left side of frame).

Heading north on the famous thoroughfare hauling a swinging load on the 5 line is fleet number 1247 - a 1931 Fifth Avenue Coach built double deck body mounted on a Yellow Model 'Z' chassis, and representing the company's last effort at their own manufacturing.

Traveling eastward on 50th. Street on the then M3 49th. Street/50th. Street Crosstown route is a 1935 Mack Model 6-CL-3S and one of 56 operating for the Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation.

The short lived Comprehensive Omnibus and its sister company East Side Omnibus served both First and Second Avenues as well as six lucrative crosstown routes from 1935 until city takeover in 1947.

The M3 crosstown line, which was originally operated by Green Bus Lines, was created by the city to fill a fifteen block gap between 42nd. and 57th. Streets and operated west bound on 49th. Street as well.

I'll tell you that I think the New York City taxis of the thirties (as seen behind the Comprehensive) were as interesting as the buses!.

Photo courtesy of the Private Idaho Collection.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[RailBus63]

Mr. L.,

The South Ferry and Times Square color photos are awesome - so much life and color in those scenes.

I probably don't comment enough in this thread, but thank you for sharing these older images with us.

Jim D.

[HwyHaulier]

Jim D -

The old time Kodachrome had its own charms!

I saw a rambling piece, I guess on History Channel, about making of the ten episode re-telling of WWII, some time back. Some detailed shop talk,
the "hands on" production people fully aware of the much differing "looks" of movies over the years. And so, they explained, in the WWII work,
they attempted to emulate and remain faithful to what a screen presentation actually looked like in a particular era.

No easy jobs. Great to hear we had such obsessive fanatics working at getting it right. The "quick and easy" comparison is in the movies, of years
back, faithful to the Technicolor Process. The colors simply deliver overwhelming power!

.......................Vern...................

[Mr. Linsky]

Jim,

Thanks for your comments which are all I need as impetus to continue this project.

Returning now to my Alma Mater and some extremely rare images of the very early days of Green Bus Lines in Manhattan;

In a one year contract with the city to operate six important crosstown routes beginning in 1933, we see the uptown service facility of the company at 92nd. Street and First Avenue and in close proximity to the then Welfare Island (now Roosevelt Island) Ferry Terminal.

Seen in a row of parked coaches (left of frame) are several 1933 Mack's with the furthest away being an Indiana of the same vintage and, facing them (right side of frame) and numbered G 447, is the only Mack Model CL that the company ever owned.

In the second frame we see a close-up of another Indiana numbered G 354, and in the final photo an Indiana from the same group crossing Broadway at Chambers Street in lower Manhattan on the M1 (now M22) Madison/Chambers line.

In a twist of fate that even the experts (including myself) still can't figure out, Green Line traded their very lucrative Manhattan operations for 10 year franchises on a number of routes in southeastern Queens in early 1935.

The Manhattan permits were taken over by the newly formed Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation.

Photos courtesy of NYPL Digital Gallery.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[Mr. Linsky]

Another great color shot of Times Square - the world's most famous intersection - taken on a sun swept day in 1955.

To orient you, Broadway travels from top left to bottom right of the frame with 7th. Avenue being just the opposite.

Hart Bus is correct about the potpourri of taxi cabs that dotted New York's streets in days of yore with a wide array of colors and sizes.

No less than four New York City Omnibus 4509's are seen wending their way south past the Astor Hotel on Seventh with only one lonely Surface Mack heading north on Broadway.

The sightseer seen in front of the theater (lower left) is probably Gray Line and the two fire engine red International Metro's abreast of the first NYCO are Fire Department telegraph maintenance vans.

Of course no vintage shot of Times Square would be complete without including the U.S. Army Recruiting Station (lower center).

Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of Flickr New York Vintage Pool.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[Hart Bus]

Another little tid bit gleamed from the picture is a Boar's Head delivery truck truck heading north on 7th Avenue next to the Camel sign. Amazing that they haven't changed the color of the trucks from the photo up to today.

[HwyHaulier]

Mr "L" -

Many Thanks! The familiar "Chock Full O' Nuts" pandemonium in my personal recall!

You want some obscure? See lower left, adjacent the movie house. Looks like a larger REO, with customized sightseer coach work. Then, get
to the center lane, and the two, red IHC METRO delivery trucks. Immediately behind, a blue, WHITE 3000 (?). A curious little COE design. For
whatever reasons (to this day, I think they were nuts) some carriers ran these in over the line, long haul runs.

I never liked the design for road work. Betcha' many of the road men kissed the ground, at end of each run with one of these "roll the dice"
horrors. Betcha' every driver dreaded prospect of tangling with a four wheeler at road speeds...

.......................Vern..................

[RailBus63]