BusTalk

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 12:58 pm Post subject:

Looking as though a ghost of its former self and very much in readiness for its final run (which was made only weeks after this shot was taken in 1948) is fleet # 800 - a 1938 35 passenger ACF modeled as an H-17-S operating for the then City of New York Board of Transportation but originally purchased new as one of seventy five likenesses numbered between 800 and 874 by the BMT affiliate Brooklyn Bus Corporation of Brooklyn, New York.

Only two years old at the time of municipal takeover of Brooklyn operations and solidly built to last, these ACF's soldiered on through the war years and beyond until finally relieved by an influx of new Macks, GM's and Twins to the fledgling Brooklyn Bus Division - the first such plunge into surface transportation by the city.

#800 is seen trundling the Gravesend section of the borough on the #5 Kings Highway Line passing 38th. Street as evidenced by the 38th. Street 'Zippertorium' (whatever that is) in the background.

The #5 Line dates to August of 1924 when it was started by Queens Bus Lines.

Photo courtesy of 'bk.sales' and is available at eBay as item # 390813477219.

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

X-Astorian · Joined: 19 Feb 2009 Posts: 171 Location: Central NJ

Thanks, Mr. L - I love those old ACFs but the 38th Street sign was a red herring. The location is between East 11 and 12th Streets.

frankie · Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 1:05 am Post subject:

Mr. L: Zippertoriums were the places to go to have zippers custom made or repaired. When I was small, Mom made clothes for herself, my sister and I from patterns. I remember her and I taking the bus many times to Williamsburg back in the '50's. Manhattan Ave was the millinery district at that time and Mom would buy her zippers there and have custom buttons made on the spot.

Frankie

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 2:41 pm Post subject:

In this mid forties image we see fleet # 157 - a 1934 41 passenger Yellow Coach modeled as a 718 operating for the New York City Omnibus Corporation (NYCO).

# 157 and another NYCO coach standing behind it (a model 740) are parked on lower Manhattan's Delancey Street somewhere between Essex and Clinton awaiting their next runs to the west side on the #14 Line via Avenue A and 14th. Street.

The #14 line, commonly referred to as The 14th. Street Crosstown, had two east side terminuses with the other being directly through fourteenth to the East River - this portion of the route was served minimally to preserve the franchise right.

The Lower East Side of Manhattan was a mecca for those of us who enjoyed real Jewish deli and we flocked to places like Katz's on Houston and, as seen stage right of the photo, Ratner's on Delancey for the best (Katz's, who hung cured sausages in their windows with the famous signs that read 'Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army' is still going strong but Ratner's on Delancey closed down after decades of serving their culinary delights in 2004).

Photo courtesy of 'bk.sales' and is available at eBay as item # 390813482245.

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

John Roth · Age: 72 Joined: 06 Jul 2013 Posts: 49 Location: Pasadena Md

Heading up to Manhattan for the weekend (Ninth Ave Food Festival). Sure hope to find my way over to Brooklyn to the MTA museum. Any suggestions on the easiest way over from mid town?

John

frankie · Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 8:10 pm Post subject:

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 1:03 pm Post subject:

Hart Bus · Age: 74 Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1150

WCA

I saw that picture that "uncle Brucie" put up on E-bay. Wonder who the E-bayer was that told him the location of the picture? Very Happy

ECA

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 4:43 pm Post subject:

ECA,

Usually when eBay vendors get these photos there are notes on the backs indicating dates taken and locations.

However, when I did the original story on FACCO #2013 a couple or so years ago, I did mention the Farmingdale location and I'm pretty sure that Cousin Brucie checks our site every so often.

Do you remember 'Cousin Brucie' the disc jockey in New York - I think he was on WINS before it became an 'all news, all the time' station.

He was the 'cat's meow' in our era!

Regards again,

WCA

frankie · Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 5:56 pm Post subject:

traildriver · Joined: 26 Mar 2011 Posts: 2475 Location: South Florida

Thanks, frankie, for providing that link. Sure brought back great memories. Cousin Brucie was my favorite DJ, and WABC was the powerhouse among the top forties stations. WINS was a close second, with Murray The 'K', and WMCA a distant third, partially due to its much weaker signal......

Hart Bus · Age: 74 Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1150

As a child of the 1960's in NYC, it was great to hear the Four Seasons jingle again. However the "Cousin Brucie" that Mr. L. and I are referring to is Bruce Korusek, a person who sells a prolific amount of bus stuff on E-bay under the name of "4509bus".

Tony A · Age: 79 Joined: 27 Jan 2013 Posts: 20 Location: Sarasota FL

The famous WABC DJ "Cousin Brucie" is Bruce Morrow, who I think can still be heard on Sirius XM Radio.

Hart Bus · Age: 74 Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1150

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 4:52 pm Post subject:

Back at a time through the early thirties bus transportation especially in the outer boroughs of the city was still rather chaotic with many many small operators vying for their share in what was becoming a very lucrative market. Of course, their days were numbered as larger companies began to either buy them out or, in some way, force them from the streets.

Typical of such victims was Louis R. Oppenheimer who ran a small business based in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn and who undoubtedly helped to serve the then public transit starved Mill Basin community on the nearby south shore.

Seen location unknown but certainly in the mid thirties is fleet # 4 - a rare 1933 29 passenger Yellow Coach modeled as a 711 and flagged for Mr. Oppenheimer's bus service.

The model 711 was Yellow's first attempt at production of a genuine street transit configuration with power gained from a 400 cubic inch six cylinder gasoline engine mounted straight in at the rear.

Unfortunately, problems developed in drive line alignment and the 711 and the improved 717 version introduced a year later only saw about 250 built before the introduction of the 718 model in 1934 in which the engine was mounted transversely with power to the axle by means of a patented angle drive - a feature that has influenced bus building since.

Much of what I have written about Louis R. Oppenheimer Bus Service is supposition due to the fact that I find nothing in literature mentioning the company and, in fact, if it weren't for the ESplanade 7 phone number on the bus I wouldn't have had a clue (knowing a bit about the history of Brooklyn also helped).

Photo courtesy of 'Lemonadesqueeze' and is available at eBay as item # 310968896310.

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