BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

IMHO, the TARS streetcar lines would have been converted to buses much earlier than they were, had WW2 not intervened.

Mayor LaGuardia (long a vehement foe of both streetcars and Els) could not wait until both modes of transport were replaced by diesel buses and subways.

Recall, also, outside of the more up-to-date aluminum cars, TARS was operating old deck roof cars; there was never a PCC delivery in TARS future (at least, Brooklyn's B&QT did operate 100 prewar PCC's)

As quaint as an early Old Look or postwar MACK might look to us today in 2022, such modern buses must have indeed seemed "state-of-the-art" in the late 1940's, when compared to the elderly streetcars they replaced.....

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

TARS deck roofer #1143 is seen here at Gun Hill Road, circa-1946.

Note the SURFACE bus (TWIN) underneath the IRT elevated.......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?116719

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Now that's A RARE artifact, for sure....thanks for posting this.

Had it not been for the War, PSNJ, like TARS, could have easily made the transition to all-rubber years earlier than what actually transpired.

Interesting, too, is that the TARS network found itself "under fire" (i.e. bus substitution) from South to North (regarding the postwar conversions)

First, the conduit lines in Manhattan were converted; next, the overhead-wire lines in "Da Bronx".

And, lastly, the lower Westchester lines, the final outpost of the once-extensive TARS network.

That the last remaining streetcar lines in Brooklyn lasted until late 1956, it still a bit of a mystery, at least to Your's Truly.

Interestingly, a number of the more modern TARS cars later went to South America, where they were rehabbed and and continued to serve the public into the 1960's.

Too bad at least some of the older SURFACE buses did not meet up with a similar fate.......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here is information and an extensive color photo gallery showcasing the former TARS cars in San Paulo (many interesting buses are also on hand!)

Note, though, that the photo gallery page is in Portuguese, but that does not take away from the interest generated by the many rare and nostalgic old photos of ex-"Noo Yawk" streetcars in operation far South of the border.

Seventy-five ex-TARS cars (known as "Centex" cars) went to San Paulo, following bustitution.....

"NYO"

["t.a.r.s. 346"]

www.tramz.com/br/sp/spe.html

www.tramz.com/br/sp/sp.html

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Recall, also, the modern TARS cars sent to Vienna, where they operated until 1969......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?9086

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?9089

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?9092

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?9095

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The ex-TARS cars that were shipped to Austria and South America were not the only retired TARS streetcars to make a "sea voyage".

Though the photo caption here states that the TARS cars on this barge were going to be scrapped (most TARS cars were scrapped at the Garden Avenue Yard), it recalls other photos I have seen of ex-TARS cars being floated over to Queens for further service.

Over the years, a number of antiquated TARS cars were floated over to Queens, destined for STEINWAY service.

I've read that STEINWAY was well-known as the "dumping ground" for outmoded TARS equipment......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?132542

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Ex-TARS streetcars* also operated on the Queensboro Bridge Ry., prior to the purchase of the more modern BRILL units.

Here's a photo showing one of the ex-TARS car in operation over the Bridge (remember, too, that, until 1942, 2nd Avenue El trains also crossed the span)......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?136143

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

*The ex-TARS cars were modified for Bridge operation (these cars were leased), which included the installation of two additional motors per car, as well as the addition of a new safety light under the headlight.

"NYO"

["QB Ry. s34"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

161st St. & Melrose, 1940's......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?116755

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

Here we see TARS #1254 loading/unloading passengers.

This timeless and nostalgic photo is interesting for several reasons:

First, note how streetcar passengers had to board/alight from the streetcars from the middle of street (many cities, however, including Brooklyn and Newark, used safety islands equipped with warning lights)

This was one of the strongest points pro-bus advocates had, in touting SURFACE buses over TARS streetcars; passengers could safely board their buses from the curb.

Second, look carefully in the left background; you will see a circular "BUS STOP" sign; but note the parked autos (true classics, it must be said!) that are blocking the bus stop......

"NYO"

["161st-Melrose"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The old and the new in brief co-existence (Sedgewick Avenue)....

In the foreground, we see TARS veteran #1255 on the "U" line; in the background, a new SURFACE bus (Old Look) can be glimpsed.....

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?116757

(courtesy:nycsubway.org)

["U-Sedgewick Avenue"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

It's also important to recall the 167th St. IND station; until the late 1940's, TARS streetcars dove underground at this point, where passengers could transfer to the IND subway.

Remnants of the old platforms and stairways can still be seen today....

www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/167st.html

["167th-IND"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here's a busy 1940's-era scene at Getty Square (Yonkers); note the bus just entering the picture from the left......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?116484

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

From: "ACROSS NEW YORK BY TROLLEY" (Kramer)......

".......by the 1930's, the streetcar situation had reached the point where new equipment was a necessity. Sadly, Mayor LaGuardia's administration planned to ensure a modern image for the City by failing to grant further franchise renewals to the old fashioned streetcar lines....."

"......a compromise between what was wanted and what was needed called for the total abandonment of the streetcars by 1960 at the latest......"

(recall, also, the very last TARS cars, north of "Da Bronx", were gone by the early 1950's; the last Brooklyn cars were gone by 1956, and the QB Ry cars made their final runs in 1957)

Also:

".......with this background, a bus subsidiary was formed to petition for a system of bus lines in the Bronx. The petition was successful, and, from a modest 12 routes in 1928, an enterprise had been created ("SURFACE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM") that would become the world's largest diesel bus fleet by 1942......."

"NYO"

["Crosstown X M-103"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Just came across this interesting "Olde Tyme Noo Yawk" page; enjoy the little "slideshow", which features some interesting old SURFACE photos......

This interesting "human interest" story tells the story of a SURFACE driver (William Cimmilo) who "snapped" one day in 1947, and decided to take his bus on a quite a detour....to Florida!

Interestingly, this "stranger than fiction" tale indeed echoes an earlier Abbott & Costello flick, "Pardon My Sarong" (1942)!

https://www.radiodiaries.org/busmans-holiday/

["Ride The Surface Way"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

That bus he commandeered - #1310 - as one could see, did manage to live into the early 1960's, albeit weatherbeaten like most every other STS bus ordered in the 1940's when maintenance was anything but a priority when the company was in bankruptcy (which shows there were Dangerfields, and there were really Dangerfields). It was no doubt one of the first junked when the first of the second-gen Fishbowls ordered for MaBSTOA first began trickling down to Bronx and Manhattan streets during 1963.