BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Mosholu & Jerome, 1997*:

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?156453

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

When this photo was snapped, "En-Jay-Tee"had already been operating articulateds (VOLVO) for nearly a decade...........

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

3rd Avenue & E. 138th, 2008..........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?156354

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["BX1"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The "Bee-Em-Tee's" articulated "MULTI-SECTION" units were quite novel, especially regarding signage; these units were equipped with automatic metal sign "carousels" that listed 33 station stops.

At window area, a large chain-drive carousel comprising of metal sign plates could be rotated to the right position from a control in the motorman's cab.

However, in later years, this function proved to be trouble-prone, with the wrong signs frequently being displayed.

In this photo, note the "8th AV." sign plate displayed over the passageway to the next section............

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?46942

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["16 8th AV."]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

"Noo Yawk" articulation, 2023............

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/531213718545161291/

New species of caterpillar, native to the Amazon, perhaps?

Elongated serpent hailing from the Everglades?

["MTA BUS"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

AMEN, BROTHER!!!!!!!!!

IMHO, such buses are nothing more than alien, robotic creations that have no more character (or soul) than roadkill.........(!!)

How we all took the "Shermans", "Pattons", "Dangerfields", and Fishbowls for granted........

"NYO"

["GMC"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here's a hi-tech electronic "next station" sign* from an R-143.

What straphanger (or, for that matter, crew member) today could even guess that this electronic sign traced its ancestry back to the metal, carousel-driven metal plates used on the "Bee-Em-Tee's" MULTI-SECTION units of the 1930's...........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3605

(courtesty: nycsubway.org)

["B.M.T. LINES"]

*Note this reading coincides with that shown in the MULTI-SECTION interior photo, which I posted earlier.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Signs (roller curtain/electronic)..........

The MTA's "Borough Bombers" were all equipped with electronic signage; ditto, NJT's.

Then, there were other operators who opted for traditional roller curtains with the "Bombers" (likewise, a number of early RTS were also equipped with with roller signs)

The last new buses for the MTA/MABSTOA equipped with roller curtains were,of course, the Fishbowls and the "Dangerfields".

On the subways, the last "Eye-Are-Tee" cars to have roller curtains were the R-62's; on the "Bee-Em-Tee"/"Eye-En-Dee", the last new cars to be furnished with roller signs were the R-68's...........

"NYO"

["SS SHUTTLE"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

Similarly, when the computer-controlled 'Spectacolor' display premiered six floors above street level at One Times Square on Dec. 1, 1976, the four-color display harkened in some ways back to the 'Wondersign' mounted above the RKO Palace Theatre starting in 1939, turned off during World War II, and gave a few more years afterwards before being darkened for good by late 1948. That early electronic color sign had its images controlled by something akin to a player piano roll, taking up entire room space, no doubt the complexity (and cost) of that would lead to its demise. Spectacolor, however (with controls from a computer made by American Sign & Indicator, movement up to 8 fps), would last through about 1991. (And after it debuted, it was little over a month afterwards that Douglas Leigh's 'Epok' sign on 46th and Broadway, in use for the most part (save World War II) since November 1940 in that location, was turned off for good (its last advertiser: Carlton cigarettes).

When the 'Wondersign' premiered, NYCO's buses (all Yellow 718's, 728's and 731's) ran Seventh Avenue and to lower Broadway for three years at that point, and TARS' streetcars still trod along the Great White Way. When it was finally turned off for the last time, the latter was replaced with Surface buses - and more modern Old Look "Shermans" (from the earliest by Yellow to the newer fleet by GM) were holding down NYCO's routes #6 and #7, plus #8 and the one-franchise-trip-a-day #9. All were gone by the time Spectacolor debuted, by which time it was all MaBSTOA - and Fishbowls and 'Dangerfields'.

All of the above had character and humanity to them. Today? Feh!

And thus is the link between that, and the trajectory of the 'Bee-Em-Tee' Multis to the R-143's currently running on the L line.

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

As always, I find your intense knowledge of transit (and advertising) signage quite "in-depth" and most fascinating; you indeed "know your onions", my friend!

The "Eye-Are-Tee"embraced modern roller signs on a full scale at a very late date; it was not until the debut of the 1938 WF cars that roller signs came into use, and, even then, were relegated to the car ends.

These cars continued to use the traditional elevated-style metal sign plates,in use since the earliest "INTERBOROUGH" days.

In later years (on both the subways and on the buses) the older cloth curtains had a tendency to snag and get caught in the gearing of the sign mechanism.

During the dark days of the subways (late 70's/early 1980's) I recall this situation all too well.....'

"NYO"

["7 TIMES SQUARE"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Came across this interesting photo, showing what obviously was the last "metal plate" sign used on the prewar "Eye-Are-Tee" cars on da Bronx "Toid Aven-oo" El, in the 60's........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?151337

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["THIRD AVENUE LOCAL"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

I was thinking likewise; the "RAT PATROL" ad (WPIX) indeed "sets the time frame" for this pic!

"NYO"

*Interesting how, when you think about it, the "Eye-Are-Tee" retained its decidedly old-fashioned image for decades, whereas, over on the "Bee-Em-Tee", there was much experimentation and development regarding modern, lightweight articulated trains, and other innovations, for a number of years.

The "Eye-En-Dee", of course, then was representing the very acme of subway design and operation, and was the hallmark of modern subway construction.................

"NYO"

["HH FULTON ST. LOCAL"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

More modern subway innovations, courtesy of the "Bee-Em-Tee".......

The experimental, futuristic, articulated (and short-lived) "GREEN HORNET" (aka "BLIMP") utilized door chimes that sounded when the doors opened and closed.

This now-commonplace feature was not to be heard from again (pun intended!) until the introduction of the R-44, some 40-odd years later.

This modernistic little train, OOS at the onset of WW2, was scrapped as part of the scrap metal drive..............

"NYO"

["FULTON LINE LOCAL"]