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DOB's 1977 Buses: Flx Highlights
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Q65A



Age: 66
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 1764
Location: Central NJ

PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:25 pm    Post subject: DOB's 1977 Buses: Flx Highlights Reply with quote

In the Sept. 2002 issue of The Leader, Ron Cuomo's regular column "Talking Technical" featured an article titled "DOB's 1977 Buses".
In the text, he presented a brief snapshot of what the DOB's fleet looked like at the time.
One of the subjects covered by Cuomo were the Flxibles delivered in the mid-late 1970's. The 1975 Flxibles (7500-7659 @ TA; 7700-7939 @ MaBSTOA) were delivered with kneelers, the first DOB buses so equipped. Apparently, both Delco and Bendix leveling valves were used on these buses. The 1977 Flxibles (9000-9309) were the first DOB units equipped with Allison V730 transmissions.
According to Cuomo, the Flxibles were equipped with dual horns and a "city/country horn". Selected by a 2-position toggle switch on the B/O's LH switch panel, the "city" position energized a single horn (for night use) while the "country" position energized both horns. Flxibles of this vintage also had DD3 brake valves and some had Bendix AD-2 air dryers.
Both GM and Flx buses of the period had Detroit Diesel 6V71 engines with mechanical governors actuated by a sliding steel cable that extended from the accelerator pedal back to engine compartment. Destination signs of the period were of the "curtain-type" and were made of Mylar film, wound onto a reel that was rotated electrically.
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Cyberider




Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 501
Location: Tempe, AZ

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I didn't ride these buses in New York, of course, but SCRTD had a huge fleet of them in Los Angeles that I did ride and I thought they were fully up to the high standard set by the GM New Look buses. Wish I could ride them still!
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dave,

Actually, the Flxible 'New Looks' of the seventies almost were GM's when you consider the number of components that they shared!

I think it all started with the anti-trust suit brought against GM by Flxible in the sixties in which Flxible claimed that GM refused to sell them Detroit engines (Flexible won that case).

Anyway, I agree with you that they were good solid buses and served well through the years.

A friend of mine out here has one that he uses in movies and it takes a licking and keeps on ticking!

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY


Last edited by Mr. Linsky on Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:29 am; edited 1 time in total
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Transbustuser104




Joined: 08 Jan 2008
Posts: 34
Location: Staten Island, NY

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Were'nt the 1977 Flxible New Look's originally ordred to replace the
1963 GMC TDH5303 Fishbowl buses? Question
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
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Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Transbuster104,

Certainly, any new order of equipment is bound to replace usually the oldest rolling stock on the property.

In the case of the 1977 Flxibles however it makes no sense for them to have been purchased to replace such new GM's except if the issue was air conditioning.

The records do show that the 1963 MTA 5303 GM Fishbowls were not so equipped.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY
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Transbustuser104




Joined: 08 Jan 2008
Posts: 34
Location: Staten Island, NY

PostPosted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's true. Though around late 1977 or early 1978, I do recall Castleton shipping out the remainder of their 1963 GMC 5303 Fishbowl buses in the
3600 series, and having them either moved to Edgewater or Ulmer Park.
So as a result Castleton must have been making room for the much newer
1977 Flxible New Look's in the 9140 series with the tan forward seats.
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Waynejay



Age: 58
Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 196
Location: Silver Spring, MD

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 12:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was never a big new look Flxible fan, but I really liked the '77 buses. In was just a youngster, but I can remeber when I spotted one for the first time. It was 9185 on the BX36. Then I rode my first one which was KB's 9285 on the BX2. What was really cool was that COL had 9160-9164 which had DD 8V-71N engines. Those buses were so fast. I guess one of the reasons I liked the '77 9000 series so much is that fact that they had the Allison V730 series transmissions. I hope that the TA manages to get one into the hsitorical fleet someday.
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Transbustuser104




Joined: 08 Jan 2008
Posts: 34
Location: Staten Island, NY

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whenever I used to ride a 1977 Flxible New Look NYCTA bus on SI, whenever the vehicle went real fast then slowed down, that Alison V730
Transmission made the engine sound like it stopped twice.
Why was that? While with Alison Hydrolic Transmissions in the older
1969 and 74 Flxible's, the buses stopped once even when going fast?
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caine824



Age: 54
Joined: 05 Jan 2008
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 5:46 pm    Post subject: Flixible Highlights Reply with quote

the flixible 9140 series and 9130 series were assigned to Yukon with the tan foward seats. I remember them with very bad scratched up windows and i never had a chance to ride them.
However, the last flixible was #9178 that was assigned to Ulmer Park. It was still running during the summer of 1993(and i have a picture of it Laughing )-but wasn't this bus assigned at HUD first?
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Waynejay



Age: 58
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Location: Silver Spring, MD

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:05 am    Post subject: Re: Flxible Highlights Reply with quote

caine824 wrote:
the flixible 9140 series and 9130 series were assigned to Yukon with the tan foward seats. I remember them with very bad scratched up windows and i never had a chance to ride them.
However, the last flixible was #9178 that was assigned to Ulmer Park. It was still running during the summer of 1993(and i have a picture of it Laughing )-but wasn't this bus assigned at HUD first?


Like all old buses the '77 Flxibles moved all around in their last years. 9178 was originally a MABSTOA bus. It was part of the group assigned to COL (9160-9184).

I remember seeing those Staten Island 9000 series with the 2 X 2 seating on express routes. In the early 80s some of them were transferred to 100 Street. A friend and I used to call them Staten Islanders. The 2 X 2 seating wasn't the only difference from the others. These buses also had two-piece destination sign curtains.
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Transbustuser104




Joined: 08 Jan 2008
Posts: 34
Location: Staten Island, NY

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 8:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When the 1977 Flxible New Look NYCTA buses in the 9140's fleet series with 2x2 forward seats first entered service in early 1978, I remember them originally being assigned to the Castleton Depot on Staten Island.
If I am not mistaking when Castleton first got these 2x2 seat '77 Flxible's,
the 1963 GMC Fishbowls in the lower 3600 series were either moved to
the Edgewater or Ulmer Park Depot. Exclamation
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Mr Mabstoa



Age: 55
Joined: 10 May 2008
Posts: 11
Location: Orange County New York

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 1:44 pm    Post subject: Flexy's Reply with quote

I loved these Flexy's when I was a kid. The air brakes made a different sound when released and gear selectors has additional gears instead of just D n R.
The black bumper sealed the deal!
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B53RICH




Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 254

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those 1975 Flx's were supposed to have been delivered with batwings but unfortunately never happened, hence the absense of standee windows. As most of us already know, 7753 was the only bus in that order to have batwings installed.
Fresh Ponds's original order of 1977 Flx's were 9070-9079. A number of years later, they were transferred to some other depot then for some reason Fresh Pond would never have another 1977 Flx except for OA 9174. I think it came as a hand-me-down along with several other buses from QV.
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Waynejay



Age: 58
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Location: Silver Spring, MD

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 9:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree. Those '77 Flxibles were awesome with all of their "new" features. I guess what made them special was they were the first NYCTA/MABSTOA buses to get the Allison V-731 3-speed tranny. For years I thought it was a 4-speed. I pretty much hated the '75 Flxibles, especially as they aged.
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Mr. Linsky
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee



Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 11:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Since we're on the subject of Flxibles I thought you might enjoy the interesting factory photo below.

It's a 1964 'New Look' but what makes it so unique is the fact that it is completely electronically controlled - obviously an experiment.

According to the banner this bus starts and guides itself along a course ala something you'd read about in Popular Mechanics years ago!

The thing that caught my eye right off though were the unusual window frames that I don't think appeared on the standard models.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY

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