BusTalk

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

"Rocky BRILL-boa".........

Oddly enough, despite the colorful and diverse variety of bus manufacturers represented by the Hudson County "indy" fleets of my long-ago youth, not one of these companies ever rostered ACF-BRILL transits.

However, both DE CAMP and INTER-CITY both rostered suburban ACF-BRILL C-44's well into the 60's; I knew these tough, no-nonsense bruisers well, growing up.

SOMERSET also had some suburban "Rocky Brill-boa's" in the 1960's; these, I believe, were replaced by a group of new Prevost CHAMPIONS in the late 1960's.

If ANY "old school" bus was a match for the MACK ("Pershing"] it would have had to have been the big, brawny "Rocky BRILL-boas"....these suckers were TOUGH....and sure SOUNDED it!

"NYO"

["INTER-CITY LINES"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

"The Sounds of (Bus) Music"............

Old Looks (aka"Shermans") emitted a sound that was, at once, both powerful and refined.

Old Look suburbans (like 4104's) serended you with a powerful-sounding: "GRUMMM-GRUUMM-GRUUUMM!" when they idled at a stop or a light.

Fishbowls had a sound that I liken to "smooth jazz", especially when the driver could "open up" a bit.

Some Fishbowls, I recall, had a distinctive, harmonic wheeze: "Pheww-Pheww-Pheww" when they idled.

MACKS (aka "PERSHINGS") simply sounded TOUGH!

I especially loved the noises they made when they were pulling up to a stop!

ACF-BRILLS ("Rocky BRILL-BOAS"] sounded off with DEEP bass growl; you KNEW that these buses were BRUTES!

Today's buses, well, IMHO, they make NOISE....but NO music (at least to my "classically-trained" ears.......

"NYO"

["97 JERSEY CITY"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Came across this photo showing the "white-on-black/white-on-red" side destination sign of restored B&QT PCC #1001............

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?66447

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["68 CONEY ISLAND"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Red, white, and black..........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?153823

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?153789

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?55011

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["4 LIMITED STOPS"]

[MaBSTOA 15]

Talking about "ODDBALLS"...

When I lived in Miami, we had two bus agencies, Metropolitan Dade County Transit Authority (MTA) and Coral Gables Municipal System.

Each had a unique fleet...

The MTA had mostly TDH-5106 ex Miami Transit and Miami Beach Railway. The drivers referred to the as "Hot Boxes" As well as air contioned TDH-5302, TDH-5304, and TDH-5306. Flxible
came in 1972-1973.

The Gables fleet had TDH-4517 and TDH-4519 with air conditioning. In 1971 they leased 10 TDH-5106 buses from the MTA to supplant the fleet and for School Bus runs. They were painted in Gables white over navy blue and had their steering wheels changed to black. Why? I don't know.

But the real ODDBALLS were the Southern Coach and Twin Coach buses Gables was still operating. I rode both. Hated the Twins but I liked the Southerns.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

MaBSTOA 15:

Ahhh, so you lived in Miami for a spell; QUITE a long ways from MaBSTOA territory!

Back in the early/mid-60's, in Hudson County, we had a truly DIVERSE fleet of buses (even some prewar!)

We had both YELLOW and GM Old Looks ("Shermans"), MACKS ("Pershings"), WHITES (two models), ACF-BRILL C-44's ("Rocky BRILL-boa" suburbans), even some prewar TWINS ("slant backs"), and Fitzjohns (oh, and some REOS thrown in for good measure!)

We didn't see Fishbowls on "The Boulevard" (now Kennedy Boulevard"0 until late 1966/early 1967, which, sadly, killed off the oldest "Shermans" and the "Pershings".

In the mid-70's, the now long-defunct BLUE & WHITE company was operating a VERY diverse fleet for that era (all second-hand), Old Looks, Fishbowls, and some MAGNIFICENT New Look Macks (ex-Yonkers)

One veteran driver I knew back in the 70's had a particular loyalty for Old Looks, which he always referred to as "Whiz-Bangers"!

Ahhh, to go back to the glory days of REAL buses, and NOT giant milk cartons or slithering, oversized Slinky toys!

"NYO"

["JERSEY CITY-BAYONNE LOCAL"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

As I had noted earlier, postwar TWINS (aka: "Oddballs") were far, far from common in "Noo Joisey", back in the day.

However, ATLANTIC CITY TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (NJ), in 1949, purchased four of the Model 41-S.

This company also operated three other models of TWIN, including the last original postwar models, five Model 45-S's.........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?157291

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?157292

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["ATLANTIC CITY"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Grand Avenue & Brown Pl., circa-1950...............

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?140718

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["BoT"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

From what I see, on neither the "Bee O'Tee's" side nor Surface's did these Twin "Oddballs" see sustained service in Manhattan, that is assigned to Manhattan depots. Unlike the 'Shermans' or 'Pershings' (including, in the BOT's case, the Bingham variants).

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Makes sense to me.

Regarding the quality of "old time" transit photos, some are as crisp and clear as though they were taken just yesterday; others, on the other hand, are quite grainy and "out of focus".

I have seen bus photos on nycsubway.org that only date to the 70's and 80's, and the quality leaves a great deal to be desired.

Many times, a "marginal" old transit photo can be restored beautifully; others, sadly, are hopeless.

Too, it is important to consider the quality of the film available 60-70 years ago, as well as the damage to prints and negatives, stored away in closets, attics, and garages for decades.

Think of the thousands of photos that must have been taken over the years of the els, subways, and streetcars, snapped on countless ERA/NRHS fantrips, so many decades ago.........captured history.....lost history......

"NYO"

["Sic Transit Gloria"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]