BusTalk

Robert Carroll · Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 9:08 pm Post subject: TD 4502 circa 1940.

TCM showed the movie "Autumn Leaves" which had a TD4502.Rarely seen this version had the flat windshield.In or around 15-20 minutes into the film.Enjoy.

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:12 am Post subject:

Robert Carroll,

The first of the 'Old Looks' introduced in 1940 had flat or vertical windshields but that changed within a few months after Yellow completed an order from St. Louis Public Service that insisted upon angled glass (in their case it wasn't as much to reduce glare but to copy the windshields of their PCC cars).

Yellow did subsequently supply kits to operators for rebuilding the flat screens to angled.

Seen below are a group of Pacific Greyhound 4502 commuter buses with the original windshields.

Photo courtesy of NorCal Bus Fans Gallery

Regards,

Mr. 'L'

Robert Carroll · Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:31 am Post subject: Yellow TD 4502.

Mr.L: Thats the MBS picture I used to get the proper model number,thxs.Back in 1956 When I arrived at Treasure Island I was surprised to see that Greyhound supplied local and suburban service.Always thought they were only inter-city. Have a question only you could answer. What are the three/four longest bus routes in Queens milage wise and schedule time. My candidates are Q60,Q44,B,and Triboro's Rockaway route,but cannot figure the details and ranking. Thxs for all the informative postings.PS: Is there any connection between Harry Carters old Bee line and the Westchester operation?...Bob

Mr. Linsky · Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:39 pm Post subject:

Robert,

As far as Harry Carter of Bee Line (L.I.) goes; his biography says that at one time he owned and controlled a total of eight bus companies giving service from Canaan, Connecticut to Greenport, Long Island so I would imagine that there may have been a Westchester connection (at least four of those companies were Nassau based).

As far as statistics go; that's a tough one - I'd have to say that the Q-44 from Kew Gardens to West Farms in the Bronx would be the longest with the Q-60 from South Jamaica to Manhattan coming close and Triboro's Q-53 from Woodside to Rockaway Park as third although I do stand corrected.

I can only really talk of the Q-60 which I drove many times during my three summers with Green Lines.

You could throw any schedule right out the window especially with tie-ups in Long Island City and the QB Bridge (Ed Koch now) but the worst of it was traveling Queens Boulevard going against the staggered traffic light system in the morning and evening rush hours - you got a red light every three or four blocks - the Q-60 relied more on headway than on a schedule - in other words, passengers knew that there would be a bus every so often but they had no idea of what time it would be there.

Regards,

Mr. 'L'