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MaBSTOA 15
Age: 70 Joined: 27 Feb 2013 Posts: 1060
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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More from Miami...
#556, Flxible... in Miami the side destination simply had the route number and some special signs such as "Dog Track", Orange Bowl"
#11, Flxible
#1104, T6H-4521A Miami Gray Line. This bus would eventually become part of the Miami Dade transit fleet
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MaBSTOA 15
Age: 70 Joined: 27 Feb 2013 Posts: 1060
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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More batwings from other cities...
New Orleans Public Service, they also had batwings on Flxibles
Kansas City Metro had at least one AM General with wings
and Winnipeg Transit in Canada had at least one Flyer with wings
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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B53RICH:
WOW!!!!!!!!!!
SUPER COOL pics!!!!!!!
For whatever reason, photos of "batwing" Flxible buses are not as commonplace as those showing their GMC counterparts (they ARE there, but not as common)
I was just thinking if CORGI had ever offered "batwing" Fishbowls; I'd snap one up in a flash!
Like so much associated with the bus industry, the "batwings" were once "oh-so-everyday" to most folks, and today, they are long gone from the transit scene.
Times DOES indeed fly by far too fast.........
"NYO"
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:14 am; edited 2 times in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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MaBSTOA 15:
What else can I saw but "HOLY BATWING, BATMAN!!!!!"
NEVER have seen these before; seeing pictures of non-GM buses sporting "batwings" is a real treat......thanks again for sharing these great pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"NYO"
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Mon Jul 30, 2018 4:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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All:
What led to the "BUS-O-RAMA" demise?
IMHO, the "batwing" advertising was quite eye-popping and colorful, compared to the buses these days that sport wraps, which (at least to me) too often resembles graffiti.
Certainly, they were quite distinctive, and (IMHO) stood out a lot more than a "wrap"................
"NYO"
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MaBSTOA 15
Age: 70 Joined: 27 Feb 2013 Posts: 1060
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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Glad you enjoy the pictures I posted
You ask the question that B53RICK speculated in page 2 of this post. I posted an answer and I repost here...
In reply to B53RICK...
I believe the demise of the side destination signs on batwings was due more to economics than anything else. MaBSTOA was renumbering many of their routes and it was not feasible to re-print the curtains. Only the front destinations signs, the most important, would be done.
The company that designed, manufactured, and sold the Bus-O-Rama and printed the curtains, Transign, was started in 1959 using mylar instead of the canvas like material used up to that point in time. The company DID NOT go out of business, in fact it is still in business printing curtains and the new LED signs.
Should they have gone out of business any silk screen printing company could have done the curtains.
The economics of the time was the reason for the lack of batwings on the Flxibles. In fact, the Flxibles were the only MaBSTOA (#s 7300-7361; 7700-7937) & NYCTA (#s 7000-7204; 7500-7659) buses without side destination curtains.
Also, those batwings took a beating with trees, electric poles, etc. expensive to repair and/or replace.
By the way, the front MaBSTOA destination signs were depot based. In other words, buses assigned to say 132nd Street Depot would have only readings for routes based out of that depot. So when buses were transferred to other depots, the signs would have to be replaced. However, the batwing signs on Manhattan based buses had all the route readings for the buses on Manhattan. Bronx based buses had only Bronx readings. The batwing readings were routing only, for example. "15 Fifth Avenue Jackson Heights"
The same applied to the front destination signs for NYCTA buses and batwing signs, however, the batwing readings were destination signs, for example "44 to Fulton Street"
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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MaBSTOA 15
I asked for an "appetizer" and, instead, I received a seven-course feast; THANK YOU for a most interesting and "in depth" thesis on the "BUS-O-RAMA" saga!
It always is interesting to see (and study) the "evolution", if you will, of transit equipment, related hardware, etc.
So many changes throughout the years, some subtle, some quite the opposite!
TRANSIGN started out in 1959; the Old Look era was drawing to a close and the New Look era was just dawning; had the company started out even a few years earlier, perhaps Old Looks sporting "batwings" might themselves have become commonplace in certain cities.
In any event, this was easily the most colorful and fascinating era of transit bus advertising......
"NYO"
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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W.B. Fishbowl
Age: 57 Joined: 02 Oct 2014 Posts: 2427 Location: New York, New York, USA
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 6:44 am Post subject: |
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On 8466 and 8451, I also see front signs taken from the first group of MaBSTOA buses, 3301-3555. This is proof that Amsterdam and 132nd Street were the two Manhattan depots that got their share of those buses when new (together with two in the Bronx).
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W.B. Fishbowl
Age: 57 Joined: 02 Oct 2014 Posts: 2427 Location: New York, New York, USA
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 6:49 am Post subject: |
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MaBSTOA 15 wrote: | The company that designed, manufactured, and sold the Bus-O-Rama and printed the curtains, Transign, was started in 1959 using mylar instead of the canvas like material used up to that point in time. The company DID NOT go out of business, in fact it is still in business printing curtains and the new LED signs. |
True. However, canvas was an option and some roll signs printed by Transign as I've seen being sold on eBay used that instead of mylar on which they made their name. The fonts used from their 1959-60 startup to about the mid-1980's are my favorite of all roll sign typesetting (more than the likes of Hunter Illuminated Sign, Teleweld or Trans-Lite), and it's a shame it hasn't been digitally re-created for use on roll signs in today's time for those who prefer "old school" layouts.
I'd agree about the point of economics being the reason why no "new" batwing side roll signs were made, save for that M41 designation I'd mentioned on one run with batwings.
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W.B. Fishbowl
Age: 57 Joined: 02 Oct 2014 Posts: 2427 Location: New York, New York, USA
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 6:54 am Post subject: |
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MaBSTOA 15 wrote: | By the way, the front MaBSTOA destination signs were depot based. In other words, buses assigned to say 132nd Street Depot would have only readings for routes based out of that depot. So when buses were transferred to other depots, the signs would have to be replaced. However, the batwing signs on Manhattan based buses had all the route readings for the buses on Manhattan. Bronx based buses had only Bronx readings. The batwing readings were routing only, for example. "15 Fifth Avenue Jackson Heights" |
Because the front signs of the 3301-3555 buses had a layout that wasn't replicated on later groups of buses, this is the key to which depots originally got them (as opposed to later in their service life when they went all over the place).
The side signs, because of the time periods they were printed, were all over the place and in some cases wholly inaccurate in terms of route descriptions. I've lost count of how many batwing bus runs I've seen in pictures where, for example, an M1 going down Fifth indicated "Madison Ave via 135 St," or M2 (known from 1966-74 as 2A) showing "5th & 7th Avenues." I even saw, on two NB 2A runs in '73, "Madison Ave via 116 St" - but these were non-batwings from the second group ordered (5501-5515, the last 10 5516-5525 had the batwings).
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 22695 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:19 am Post subject: |
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Fellows:
Truly a great wealth of knowledge in this topic; truly enjoying this highly interesting (and in-depth) "crash course" in "BUS-O-RAMA" !
I could be TOTALLY wrong on this one, but, I THINK I heard (or even saw a picture) a long while back of a GRUMMAN sporting "batwings".
Was there ever such an animal on the streets?
Again, thanks to you both for really making this topic "take off", so to speak.....
"NYO"
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MaBSTOA 15
Age: 70 Joined: 27 Feb 2013 Posts: 1060
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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You ask and we comply....
Note the air conditioner condenser ad rack
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MaBSTOA 15
Age: 70 Joined: 27 Feb 2013 Posts: 1060
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 3:27 pm Post subject: |
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you ask and we comply, part 2
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MaBSTOA 15
Age: 70 Joined: 27 Feb 2013 Posts: 1060
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 3:32 pm Post subject: |
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Even some of the T6H-5305 had factory installed batwings...
Note that #8863 has a wing on the street side but not on the curb side!
Love the driver's window on these buses
Note that that #8877 lacks the chrome belt with GMC emblem between the lights. No reason to install it since an ad rack would cover it up.
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