BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Man, oh, man!

Talk about the halcyon days of our transit hobby!

This classic scene is TRULY a classic vignette of bygone "Noo Yawk" transit!

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?69183

[frankie]

Back then, this was called "Bridge Plaza" (as per destinations signs), a congregation of many routes that terminated here.

There's a little of everything in this photo.

Frankie

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Frankie:

Imagine the footage one could have gotten at this busy location back in '59 with a home movie camera?

Man, I would have been there ALL day!!

NYO

[frankie]

NYO:

"Nostalgia" is bringing the past to the present. Unfortunately the opposite is just about impossible, but if I could, I would love to have today's photographic technology back in 1959! Can you imagine you and me - I think we should include Mr. L too - standing at the plaza and video cording (with sound) all the action and downloading them to the Internet?

If I recall, the following routes pretty much made their present in and around the plaza: 24 Greenpoint-Meeker; 39 Williamsburg Bridge (see scan below); 40 Ralph; 44 Nostrand; 46 Utica; 47 Tompkins; 53 Metropolitan; 59 Grand; 60 Wilson and 61 Crosstown.

The variety of bus makes and types would have been well chronicled in '59. Bingham Macks, 4510's, 5101's, 9000 series 5106's and of course the 3000 series St Louis trolley coaches! I believe we would have seen a few TDH-5301's as they were just about making their appearance at about this time. I know the 60 Wilson line had them.

Photo courtesy of the MBS

[N4 Jamaica]

Allow me to make some points that could be considered mere quibbles:
1) Marcy Avenue is the name of the el station, but Marcy Avenue and the elevators to the trains are a full block away from Bridge Plaza. The closer street is Havemeyer Street, and some buses enter via Roebling Street.
2) B39, the bridge route has been discontinued. The bus loops at Bridge Plaza should be crowded with transferring riders, but they aren't. In streetcar days, some Brooklyn cars continued to the underground loop in Manhattan, even though the Plaza was set up for transfer patrons. Later, B39 was a separate route, requiring all to transfer, and I recall crowds lined up then to catch the B39. Still later, the B39 was improved by continuing it a few blocks further west on Delancey Street, a handy service for shoppers. All this was in pre-Metrocard times when no free transfer existed from surface vehicles to the BMT subway line across the bridge.
3) With Metrocard, a passenger may use an elevator to/from the Marcy Avenue station, but not at Essex Street, Manhattan. The intersection of Marcy and Broadway is chaotic, and the transit passengers numerous.
4) McDonald's, at Havemeyer and Broadway, provides a rest stop for visitors taking photos of buses.
Joe

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Frankie.....

You got it!

If we can only figure out how to travel back in time to '59, we MUST include our good friend Mr. "L" (and any of our other nostalgia-minded friends here as well!); just like you said, just think what we could do with today's technology!

Imagine if the internet and YouTube were around then?

WOW!!

Growing up right across the Hudson from Manhattan in the 60's, I visited "Noo Yawk" far too many times to count growing up, and, of course, I ALWAYS noticed the buses!

When I was really little, my favorites were the "RIDE THE SURFACE WAY" Macks!

To me, they were as much a part of the city as was the subway and Lady Liberty!

Ahhh, those were the days!

BTW:

LOVE that MACK photo......now THAT'S a BUS!!!

NYO

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Joe.....

Thanks for sharing some interesting "transit tidbits"!

Always appreciated!

NYO

[fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

All:

Here is ex-NORTH HUDSON BOULEVARD LINES Mack C-45DT, built in 1951.

I saw and rode this historic bus many times growing up; this now-defunct company ran right by our old Union City apartment building, and operated a colorful and diverse fleet of coaches through the 60's.

Macks (and Whites) were operated by the company (as well as various models of Old Looks) until the first Fishbowls came on line in the late 60's.

Note that B-139 had been painted in NYCTA colors for a movie shoot (wonder what the movie was?) before becoming part of the NJTHC's collection.

Good to know that at least one of my old childhood friends was spared the scrap yard!

http://www.njthc.org/collection/iboab139.html

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

This wonderful old photo from 1964 illustrates the original NHBL colors originally worn by Mack B-139.

As I had stated earlier, the company's fleet was quite diverse back then; two models of Macks and Whites were in service through much of the 60's, in addition to an equally diverse number of various models of Old Looks.

This view of Journal Square (Jersey City) is quite different today; this is a scene that I experienced too many times to count when I was a kid.

Yep, those were the days!

NYO

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?650

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

All:

Just came across these builder's photos of a 1952 MACK C-45DT......yep, they sure knew how to build buses, way back then!

http://www.classicbusdepot.com/bus-photos/117_0_1_0_C/