BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

From: "RAPID TRANSIT SERIES BUSES" (McCausland).........

".......LEDs first made their way to RTS lighting in an OEM application on buses equipped with vertical tail lamps, where the industry-standard lamp housings made the switch to such lighting virtually painless......

"........NOVA continued to revamp the lighting systems. While headlights continued to to be of a sealed-beam design, turn signals and tail lamps now utilized LEDs.................."

"NYO"

["M"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Thankfully, at least the remaining "Redbirds" were spared the many senseless indignities suffered by so many car classes with that massive 1980s GOH.

The "Redbirds" were also the last cars to have interior lights that flashed on and off (in true "Noo Yawk" fashion) when the train went through switch.

On a somewhat related note, the original wooden INTERBOROUGH ticket booth (on the Brooklyn-bound platform at Wall Street (Lex) was (literally) chopped into kindling (what a grim sight) and replaced with a replica.

Granted, the replica indeed did justice to the original (I believe it even used the original brass grills) but, still, it was NOT the original.

I always had a great interest in the old ticket/change/token booths; into the early 1980s, I can recall a number of stations still using booths that had originally sold tickets (and I well recall the old booth at the elevated 61st Street-Woodside station on the #7 (a pal from work then lived in Woodside), as well as the ancient wooden escalator.

The new "Em-Tee-Yay" booths of the 70s and 80s looked more at home at a toll plaza than in a subway station.

For years, I used to keep my eyes peeled (again, this is the "INDiana Jones" urban archeologist in me!) for long-closed booths; in fact, I kept notes in a small notepad, which, sadly, I misplaced long ago)

In the early 1980's, there were still a couple of handsome silver/chrome booths at one entrance to the "Eye-En-Dee" fare control at the "Port-of-Authority", still intact during the early years of the PABT's "improvement".

These obviously dated back to about the time the terminal opened in 1950.

I also recall several old booths still having small "OPPY" ("Subway Sun") decals showing a smiling clock face advising straphangers to :

"SAVE TIME! BY EXTRA TOKENS TODAY!"

Ahhhh, the memories........

"NYO"

["THE SUBWAY SUN"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Nowadays, even the intrepid "INDiana Jones" himself would have more than a bit of difficulty in trying to locate the few remaining, long-closed change booths, themselves fleeting reminders of a long-ago era...........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?145808

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?145524

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["GET CHANGE HERE"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Back in 2010, this long-disused, decrepit, ancient wooden change booth could still be seen in the closed mezzanine area at the BMT's "BOWERY" station; talk about a rare relic of a past civilization...........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?109096

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

['BOWERY"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Ironically, back in the 60s, "cartoon-y" TDI ad posters/cards touting: "IT PAYS TO SAVE AT THE BOWERY!" adorned many station platforms and the interiors of the subway cars, buses, and ferryboats (I recall these well; there were also a number of TV and radio commercials, with a cheery little jingle).......

"NYO"

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

I still recall (early/mid-1960s) car car ads for "NESTLE'S" with Paul Winchell (and Farfel), and Sandy Becker for "Taste-ee Cakes".

And "The Flinstones" touting WINSTON cigarettes!

And, recall, the musical "Cracker-Jack" commercials, featuring veteran character actor Jack Guilford?

Remember, too, Jack Guilford and Thelma Ritter (aka "The Bronx Buzzsaw") were featured in 1967's b/w thriller "THE INCIDENT", playing passengers aboard a 1938 WF "Eye-Are-Tee" car ("Toid Aven-uh" El up in "da Bronx"!); the carload of passengers were terrorized by two maniacal young punks (though QUITE tame by today's standards, I am sure this flick scared more than a few movie-goers!)

Ed McMahon was also aboard, riding the 'Eye-Are-Tee" with his wife and young daughter.

The sounds of ancient prewar "Eye-Are-Tee" cars (assorted hisses, growls, whines, and whooping compressors) indeed brought back a trainload of "Aitch & Em" memories; the "Black" cars sounded just the same!

"NYO"

["DYRE AVE."]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Further:

There is an excellent Wikipedia page on "THE INCIDENT: however, as the url contains parentheses, I cannot hotlink.

Interestingly, the "Tee-Yay" flat-out refused to allow the producers to film aboard an actual IRT train, so a VERY REALISTIC (fooled me for years!) studio mockup of the interior of WF "Lo-V" #5674.

Exterior shots of the trains and (elevated) stations were filmed "undercover" by having the camera hidden in a cardboard box!

Man, how things have changed.....(!!)

Still a VERY riveting film today, and, of course, one that is a classic among us older transit enthusiasts, who, like Your's Truly, grew up with wonderfully old-fashioned, noisy, growling prewar trains.........

"NYO"

["5674"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Ahhh, "rivets"!

NO WONDER those classic prewar cars looked like (and were BUILT like) BATTLESHIPS!

Just imagine an "Arnine" taking on a "rolling iPad" NTT......OUCH!!!!!!!

Recall the verticle rins on the sides of the H&M's "Black" cars; in "RAILS UNDER THE MIGHTY HUDSON" (Cudahy) he states that these side ribs were meant to simulate the "luxurious wooden parlor cars" of that era.

"NYO"

["H&M"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

For several reasons, you came to mind, when I came across this photo snapped at "COURT SQUARE", circa-late 1970s/early 1980s..........

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?115897

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

["897"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]