BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Seen here at Canal & Cropsey, back in 1980,"Borough Bomber" #319 looks almost serene.

At a casual glance, few would forsee not only a short (and undistinguished) service life for this bus and its bad luck brothers,but also, the days when the newspapers would be full of stories of these misfortunate buses literally falling apart on the teeming streets of "Noo Yawk........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?153306

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["B5 Kings Hwy"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Cropsey & VA Hospital, 1980.

It looks as though, in this photo, that the veteran Fishbowl somehow KNOWS that, by its very presence, it simply overshadows the new "Borough Bomber".......certainly, no one can deny the fact that the once-commonplace Fishbowl, a rugged and highly-dependable bus in its own right, enjoyed decades of solid, reliable service to 'Noo Yawk" bus riders.......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?154692

["Take The Train To The Bus To The Plane"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Like the iconic, once oh-so-commonplace WOOLWORTH "5 & 10's", the unfortunate "Borough Bombers" can no longer be found in "Noo Yawk"...........or, for that matter, anywhere else these days......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?155764

["M100"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

"Bronx Bomber", 1982.....

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?155483

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["Bx2"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

"The Magic Of Macy's" (1982)......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?155584

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

{"Macy's At Herald Square"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Back in '82, a "Borough Bomber" appears to be "in the lead" of a humble "Dangerfield" (Bainbridge & 210 St).......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?155495

(courtesy:nycsubway.org)

["Bx15"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Recall, also, that on the subways, a "Bomber" situation had developed m(later 1970's) when cracks were discovered in the Rockwell trucks of the new R-46 cars (ironically, replacing the last of the venerable prewar IND cars), requiring these cars to be pulled from service.

These cars, not surprisingly, had once been dubbed "the most troubled cars ever purchased" (sound familiar?)

Back in my straphangin' days, I avoided these cars like the plague, and only rode them when I had to; of course, even with all the garish graffiti, the R-10's were my faves!

The R-46's, on the other hand, I would refer to (not complimentry!) as the "Lemon Limiteds"

How ironically history repeated itself just last year, when a sleek, brand-new subway fleet had to be pulled from service, do do a number of issues?

Sure makes you respect the longevity of such bygone cars as "Lo-V's", "Standards", R-10's (aka "Pattons"/"Thunderbirds"), and, of course, the legendary "Redbirds" and "Brightliners"........

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here's a new "Lemon Liner" at Stillwell Avenue.

Unlike the "Bombers", these cars eventually had the "gremlins" ironed out of them, and continue to serve to this day.

Too, consider that these cars have been in service over 40 years, while their rubber-tired counterparts were gone completely within a few years of delivery......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?119429

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

{"F Coney Island"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here's an interesting "class comparison" shot at Stillwell Avenue, back in 2000......

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?1701.

It is easy to see what car classes inspired the '68's.

In my long-established habit of giving monikers to buses and rail cars, I still refer to the 68's* (which class I still like, despite the fact that they dispatched my beloved "Patton" R-10's to the scrap heap) as "Rockys" or "Balboas", as they seem to be more "muscular" versions of the 44's and 46's........

"NYO"

["B Coney Island"]

(I have read of the 68's sometimes being referred to as "Hippos")

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

It is interesting to think about how many decades a given subway car might be in service, in comparison to the service years of a bus.

Certainly, way back in the day, city buses were built like the proverbial tanks, and were as tough.

In the early 1980's, on the IRT, you still had R-12's/14's/15's in service, dating from 1948 to 1940.

Now, had the MTA still had been running buses from that same era in the early 1980's, we would have still had Old Looks and MACKS (prior to 1951) still in service.......

"NYO"

["Ride The Surface Way"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

I have that same Sansone book right beside me as I type these words; yes, I got a chuckle out of his referring to the 68's as "dumb blondes" (my apologies to any and all blondes!)

Recall, last year, when a whole fleet of new NTT trains was sidelined, due to a number of issues; at least the "Em-Tee-Yay" still had older cars that could be used to "fill in the gaps" created by the removal of the new trains from service.

I always liked the 40's (both versions) and the 42's, though I did not care for their "improved" interiors after rebuilding.

These now-gone cars seemed, IMHO, pretty much "jacks of all trades", and enjoyed a decent service life, providing at least halfway-decent service.

I was never all that fond, however, of the R-62's; the only ones I got to like were those where sometimes you were lucky enough to find a railfan window awaiting your presence (in later years, I sought these out on the #7 Flushing line, after they had replaced the "Redbirds")........

"NYO"

["7 Main St."]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

"Dusk Of The Gods" (1972).........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?53689

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)