BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Though this photo is from Chicago, I wanted to post it here.

This is a still from the 1961 film, "A RAISIN IN THE SUN", starring the late (RIP), great Sidney Poitier.

Note the CTA Old Look and postwar TWIN in the background......

https://www.listal.com/viewimage/11597175

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[traildriver]

Very nostalgic photo for me...I was stationed in Rantoul, Il. (Chanute AFB), in '66 and '67, and used to go up to Chicago often on weekends. I vividly recall the great variety of iconic signs both painted and electric, all over the Chicago skyline. Randolph Street was as close to "42nd Street" as you could get in Chicago...

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

MANY thanks for posting so much in-depth, highly-detailed information of these once-commonplace "spectacular" signs; you, indeed, are NOT only a sharp-eyed expert on deciphering vintage roll signs!

In the excellent and exhaustive book, "CHICAGO SURFACE LINES: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY" (Alan R. Lind, 1974), there are, of course, many bus (and trolleybus) photos.

From the book:

".......the CHICAGO MOTOR COACH COMPANY, known as 'The Boulevard Route', was another CSL competitor. During the 1930's, the Company extended its bus lines over Northwest Side streets, in Chicago Railways territory....."

".......after prolonged litigation, CMC was ordered curtail its runs in that area. Chicago Railways then took over with Chicago's first trolley bus lines......."

Like "high faltun' 5th Avenue, the "Motor Coach" buses had Michigan Avenue all to themselves; no streetcars dared to run along it, nor did any subway run beneath its upper-class length.

The first double-deck (open top) double-deckers did not appear until 1917; the last 'Queen Mary"-types were retired in 1950, three years before the last of the "Noo Yawk" breed were retired in 1953.

CSL's first bus route began operation in 1927, between Harding and Laramie, as an extension of the Diversey streetcar line.

Interestingly, like the streetcars, CSL buses were owned by four underlying companies, including CALUMET & SOUTH CHICAGO RAILWAYS and CHICAGO CITY RAILWAYS.

Chicago was, for many years, a steadfast stronghold for WHITE and TWIN COACH; after the War, new GMC's began to appear, as well as ACF-BRILLS, and, of course, large numbers of postwar TWINS.

Recall, also, by the 1960's, large numbers of Flex New Looks were being delivered to the CTA.

CSL's largest postwar bus order was for nearly 200 WHITE 798's.

Also in 1946, both CHICAGO RAILWAYS and CALUMET & SOUTH CHICAGO both ordered a number of TD-4506's.

In the immediate postwar CSL fleet, MACK was indeed in the ultra-minority; only 17 Model C41GT's were added in 1947............

"NYO"

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

And here's the link to that miscaptioned photo on Getty Images:

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/coca-cola-advertisement-brightens-the-gloom-of-a-new-york-news-photo/52038013

How in tarnation can anyone confuse Chicago with "Noo Yawk"? Sounds like besides a map, they need glasses. Besides, by 1950 "Four Roses" was long gone from Times Square (its place atop the Studebaker Building on 48th Street and Broadway having been taken over in late 1947 by Chevrolet who would stay there through 1963). And again, Coca-Cola didn't return to 47th Street until December 1965; as of 1950 Pepsi was at that bottom spot on 47th, below Ruppert Beer (which left later that year; that ad spot wouldn't be filled until early 1952 when Admiral Television Appliances began a more than 13-year run there until, after about a month, Coke replaced it). None of Coke's "Noo Yawk" signs looked as that did.

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

The following is from the aforementioned book.....

".......in 1924, CMC merged with the Fifth Avenue Coach Company and the New York Transportation Company to form the Omnibus Corporation of America....."

".....in 1925, the City of Chicago filed for an injunction to prevent CMC from operating on city streets without a franchise, even though the bus firm had Illinois Commerce Commission approval. That same year, CSL filed a complaint with the Commission, claiming unfair competition by CMC in their application for route extensions into CSL territory on the Northwest side....."

".....in 1927, CMC President J. A. Ritchie offered to replace CSL's streetcars with more than 4,000 double-decker buses. His system would have served the entire city, and taken away CSL's franchise completely......"

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

During WW2, CSL also opened several "new" bus garages, to save ful consumption and tire wear (one of these wartime facilities was a former auto showroom!)

A number of CSL trolley buses were stored between runs (during the War) at a former STANDARD OIL filling station; new overhead was erected at this location (Diversey & Kedzie)

As hard as it is to believe today, during the War, many CSL routes operated on 45 second headways(!!)

Try bringing this up to MTA brass, today......

"NYO"

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of a blimp.......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here's an interesting bit of CSL trolleybus trivia........

In order to reach West Shops, where all heavy repairs were made, CSL trolleybuses used the single overhead trolley wire, as dual-wire overhead did not extend to the shops.

The trolleybuses made the trip with their positive pole on the streetcar wire, with the negative pole hooked down.

A pair of metal flanged wheels were towed behind the bus, riding on the streetcar rails, making the negative contact to complete the circuit.......

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Feast yer eyes on these nostalgic Chicago bus/trolleybus photos (yes, my friend, there IS a "Queen Mary" photo among them!)

https://www.thetrolleydodger.com/2015/09/08/historic-chicago-buses/

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Note this handsome TRAILWAYS PD-4102 from the Peter Bogdanovich film, "THE LAST PICTURE SHOW"........

https://www.imcdb.org/i211320.jpg

(courtesy: imcdb.org)