BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Speaking of Old Look suburbans with a/c-----I can recall-eons ago-ORANGE & BLACK rostering at least a few 5105s (these had a long duct running along the roof with a boxy a/c unit at the rear)-then there were the 5106s and 5108s; PS had the lion's share of these early a/c-equipped buses-----ORANGE & BLACK and RED & TAN rostered 5106s--------"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

In later years the NHBL Fishbowls (but not all) had a/c; these buses were either second-hand or retrofits (underfloor a/c unit)----in fact-I can only recall one or two that had the rooftop condensor unit at the rear-----"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Recall also-back in the day-when a bus that was a/c equipped would often sport the legend "AIR CONDITIONED" on its flanks? Often these letters looked like they had been sculpted out of ice; think of it----at one point in the not-too-distant past-a transit bus with a/c was indeed the EXCEPTION-rather than the rule-----buses like these indeed stood out-once upon a yesteryear---------- "NYO"

[W.B. Fishbowl]

Don't know where else to put this . . . but on eBay I saw a bunch of old bus transfers from the 1951-53 period issued by the "Bee O'Tee." Apparently less than one year after First and Second Avenues were each made one way in June 1951, the two routes were initially combined (by April 1952) as "M-13/15 First-Second Avenue Route," before it was all combined into the M-15 by the time the "Tee-Yay" took over administration of buses and subways in '53.

One of the August 1951 transfers made reference to a "Journal Bus," between Park Row / New Chambers Street and the New York Journal American's HQ on South Street. This was rechristened M-13 in 1954, and remained through 1966.

The evidence (time-sensitive):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/134899521539

Natch', one has to have a Swiss bank account to acquire all that. Most of the transfers in that book were from Queens and Staten Island.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

WB: Thanks for posting this; transit-related paper collectibles are getting pricier (and rarer) by the week-it appears (just think of all the thousands upon thousands of transfers "Ralph" had to rip off in all the years he was "bribing a dus"! Back in the day-we thought transfers would be with us until the end-----well------I guess we were wrong----- "NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Getting back now to a/c buses-----interesting that a/c-equipped intercity buses began appearing in the later 1930s-but it was not until well into the 1950s-and beyond-that a/c-equipped transit (and suburban) buses began to appear in fleets hither and yon--------Atlanta had planned to add a/c to its trolley bus fleet just after the War-but-after one brief trial-that "futuristic" notion was quickly and quietly axed------by 1939-ACF was producing intercity coaches which were equipped with air-conditioning (these buses were the 37-PBs)'; FLXIBLE also began building a/c-equipped "Clippers" in 1939------YELLOW's 719s and 743s were also air-conditioned (beginning in 1937)-------------"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Thought: Look at how long it took for "Noo Yawk" to boast a 100% a/c-equipped subway fleet-and a 100% a/c-equipped bus fleet; if Yours Truly is correct-it was that certain type of bus (known for literally falling apart on the streets in the early 1980s) that were the first to introduce "full scale" air-conditioning to the fleet; in other words-unlike the earlier Fishbowls and "Dangerfields"-ALL of these buses entered the fleet with a/c-----------"NYO"

[MaBSTOA 15]

Orange and Black did not roster any TDH-5105. These were 102 inches wide and not permitted by NJ laws.

The ones with roof ducts and box at the rear roof were TDH-5104 and their early TDH-5106.

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

When FACCo retired the last of the "Blunderbus" open-toppers in 1946-the era of front-engine buses on "5th" ended; when the first Old Looks began to appear-the old "Blunderbus" open-toppers indeed looked quite antiquated and old-fashioned-despite the fact that their breezy open upper decks were quite popular with passengers in nice weather------recall now the one-of-a-kind "biggie"-the lone TD-5501 (#2500)* which had been used on test runs in both "Noo Yawk" and "Shik-aga" (the "Powers That Be" in both cities were then looking to replace the double-deckers-at a future date); this "Big Fella" was 42 feet long and could carry 55 seated passengers------before being acquired by FACCo-the seating capacity was reduced to 51-and was re-designated as a TD-5401; fast-forward now to in 1948 the design was altered to use paired windows and (once again re-designated-now a TD-5502)------and-----although a total of 101 buses of this type were built-----they all went to "Shik-aga"------------"NYO" *info courtesy of "YELLOW COACH BUSES" (Luke)

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

WB: Wondering now if "Shik-aga" retired their old open-top "Blunderbuses" prior to their disappearing in "Noo Yawk in 1946-or did they also disappear in that year? Postwar-----purchasing Old Looks in "Shik-aga": "See-Es-El"-soon to be "See-Tee-Yay"-was still ordering a profusion of WHITE 798s and ACF-BRILLS ("Rocky Brill-boas") as well as "Pattons"; the few postwar Old Looks that WERE ordered by CSL (and affiliates) were TD-4506s; the "See-Tee-Yays" largest postwar bus order-as we already know-were for the 1000 propane-powered TWIN COACHES (aka "Oddballs") entering the "See-Tee-Yay" fleet by 1950------"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Not surprising at all that neither the CSL and the CTA were all that gung-ho about purchasing Old Looks (in fact-the CTA would not purchase Fishbowls in large groups until the 1970s); in the prewar years-the "See-Es-El" was one of TWIN COACH's biggest buyers (recall how the "See-Tee-Yay" got into "Dangerfields" in quite a BIG way during the 1960s)----------"NYO"