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Downtown Bus Lines

 
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MaBSTOA 15



Age: 70
Joined: 27 Feb 2013
Posts: 1056

PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 9:19 pm    Post subject: Downtown Bus Lines Reply with quote

Who owned Downtown Bus Lines?

What was the roster and how many routes did they operate?

Thanks
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22282
Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MaBSTOA 15:

In all honesty, this lifelong "Joisey Boy" knows next to nothing about this company; if I even rode the buses in later years, I cannot, in all honesty, even recall doing so.

Yes, of course, I clearly remember the buses themselves loading down in Journal Square, but, aside from that, my lack of knowledge on this old outfit is the same as yours! Shocked

Sure wish I could provide toy with some information......

"NYO"
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22282
Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is the only photo I have showing a "DOWNTOWN" bus* (Journal Square, 1972); the entire business block on the left no longer exists.

As I said previously, though I do clearly remember the buses themselves, I know nothing of the company itself.

I CAN remember some of the buses displaying a "5&6" on the roller curtains, which hints that perhaps they operated two routes, or, possibly, absorbed a route from another company.

Here, I'm only guessing.....

"NYO"

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?2300

(courtesy: bus.nycsubway.org)

*You can BARELY see that the company's name is just behind the front wheel, but cannot be deciphered.
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N4 Jamaica




Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 858
Location: Long Island

PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2020 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The website Chicago Railfan sometimes comes up with intriguing lists. On the link below, scroll to New Jersey. There you will find Downtown Bus Company listed as serving Jersey City, Hoboken, and Weehawken.

https://www.chicagorailfan.com/aaz52nj.html

One of my interests in Downtown is that about 1971, a grand-aunt landed in a downtown Jersey City Catholic hospital on the east side of a park, which I now think is Hamilton Park. Mom and I visited her there, probably by auto and Holland Tunnel.
---
Another note that I came across is that a portion of downtown Jersey City is reclaimed wetland, namely that the Hudson River was previously much wider than now. My knowledge of downtown (under-the-cliff) Jersey City is sketchy. I walked a lot of it as HBLR was being designed. I distinguish five neighborhoods: 1) Paulus Hook; 2) the neighborhood near Grove H&M Station (City Hall, library); 3) what is east of Marin Blvd (maybe on fill); 4) the beautiful regions near Hamilton Park, despite being sliced by Pennsylvania RR freight tracks.
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22282
Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2020 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Joe:

I remember the "DOWNTOWN" buses in lower Weehawken (near the old Tootsie Roll plant on Willow Avenue), and, of course, Journal Square.

Here, I'm going back to the late 1970's/early 1980's.

Besides Journal Square, Exchange Place, back in the day, was served by:

PUBLIC SERVICE

MONTGOMERY & WEST SIDE

LAFAYETTE & GREENVILLE.

I am sure traffic on these lines began to drop off after the PRR terminal closed in November, 1961, and the excursion boats that once docked there went out of business.

I have seen photos of the Exchange Place area (circa-mid 1960's) where the PS terminal and shed had already been demolished, and the PS buses now loaded on Montgomery St., as did the other "indy" buses.....

"NYO"
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N4 Jamaica




Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 858
Location: Long Island

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2020 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I cannot find a fleet number on THIS BUS at Journal Square. However, painted on the side are the words LOWER JERSEY CITY, and the destination sign includes Hoboken and Weehawken.
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Is this a Ford?
---
One of the other photos you referenced has fishbowl 437 with a LOWER JERSEY CITY destination sign. I suspect that both buses below to Downtown Bus Corp.
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22282
Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2020 9:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Joe:

When I click on the link you provided (LOVE those old buses!) I just get the page, but not any individual photo, so I cannot tell which bus it is you are referring to.

PSNJ once operated a good-sized fleet of FORDS; these were usually found on the more lightly-traveled lines.

AFAIK, they began to disappear by the mid-50's; most were scrapped, but I have heard that some were sold to smaller outfits.

In fact, back in the early/mid-1960's, a friend of my dad had a "lunch wagon" that was converted from a FORD bus, near Washington Park in Jersey City.

I remember it being painted orange, which reminded me of a BERGEN AVENUE bus.....

"NYO"
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N4 Jamaica




Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 858
Location: Long Island

PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 10:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I came across this list of street name changes in Jersey City. Apparently, Henderson Street yielded to Luis Munoz Marin Boulevard. I wonder who Mr. Henderson was. Luis Munoz Marin was the first elected governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Some of his politics and law enforcement choices were contrary to democratic principles, more dictatorial.

https://stevemorse.org/jcal/latlon.php/census/changes/JerseyCityChanges.htm
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22282
Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

N4 Jamaica wrote:
I came across this list of street name changes in Jersey City. Apparently, Henderson Street yielded to Luis Munoz Marin Boulevard. I wonder who Mr. Henderson was. Luis Munoz Marin was the first elected governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Some of his politics and law enforcement choices were contrary to democratic principles, more dictatorial.

https://stevemorse.org/jcal/latlon.php/census/changes/JerseyCityChanges.htm


Joe:

As in many other cities, there have been a number of street name changes in jersey City over the years; however, the remaining old-timers still use the old names.

For instance, such folks will still refer to the intersection of Christopher Columbus Drive & Marin Boulevard as Railroad Avenue & Henderson St.

Recall, until 1961, the PRR's elevated viaduct carried trains to and from the Exchange Place terminal, so "Railroad Avenue" was indeed an appropriate name.

I still recall when PATH's "GROVE STREET" station was called "GROVE-HENDERSON"

Jackson Avenue was later renamed Martin Luther King Drive, and, in later years, the surrounding area had fallen upon hard times.

Even though Hudson Boulevard was renamed "JFK Boulevard" in the mid-60's, many of the "old-timers" of the area (Your's Truly included) still simply refer to the thoroughfare as simply "the Boulevard".

I grew up near the corner of the Boulevard (at 13th St.) in Union City from 1957 until my folks moved out to West Orange in July, 1971......so much has changed in nearly 50 years.......

"NYO"


Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Mon Apr 13, 2020 12:38 pm; edited 2 times in total
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22282
Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Joe:

There is much of interest (including a lot of history, as well as photos*), on this page; it will surely keep you busy for some time..... Wink

Jersey City has indeed greatly changed from what we remember; outside of the main station house of the old CNJ terminal at the foot of Johnston Avenue, not one trace remains of any of the waterfront rail/ferry facilities.

Massive condos and office towers in the Newport area, where the ERIE terminal and yards once were located (later, E-L freight yards)
Exchange Place has changed so drastically the only "landmark" I can still identify is the old "COLGATE" clock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_City

*One photo shows the CNJ terminal in 1893, with its original ferry sheds.
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MaBSTOA 15



Age: 70
Joined: 27 Feb 2013
Posts: 1056

PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 9:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I found the following photo in my files. This is a TDH-3612, serial # 073; fleet number 428


Scan (2).jpg
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 Viewed:  18094 Time(s)

Scan (2).jpg


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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 22282
Location: NEW JOISEY

PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 9:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked

'nuff said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

Note on the sign "BELLVILLE" and "CALDWELL"; that would have been the old DE CAMP #22 that Mom and I used to ride out to Verona, to visit my aunt and uncle in West Orange (we rode Old Look and ACF-BRILL C-44 suburbans on the line)

Again, "WOW"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes

"NYO"
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