BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Amazing, that, well into the 1960s, so many cities still had those tough, swaggering "Pattons" in "soivice"; for a good chunk of the 1960s, the old NHBL reostered not only "Pattons", but various Old Look models AND TWO models of WHITES! (all the non "Gee-Ems" were gone by 1967/1968.

SHBL and L&G also rostered "Pattons", in my day, long, long ago.

Too bad you are far too young to remember those DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS "suboiban" MACKS, rostered by "ORANGE & BLACK" (they were retired about 1966/1867); man, they were SHARP!!!!!!!

Sure glad I have memories of 'em.....

"NYO"

["RIVER ROAD EXPRESS"]

[MaBSTOA 15]

New York Omnibus 2629

You mentioned that Pacific Electric had two Oddball demos one by Twin Coach the other by Fageol.

What Fageol?

I only know they had to demos in 1948. A Twin model 52S and a GM TDH-4510. The 4510 is the only surviving sample of that model and its serial number 501. Serials 001-500 went to the BoT.

In fact the 4510 is presently owned by Scott Richard of Regional Transit Service.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

MaBSTOA 15:

".......when PE was contemplating a changeover of its last Northern District streetcar lines to bus operation, it had a sample bus built by its two largest suppliers........."

"......bus #2150 was built by Twin Coach in 1949. It was a Model '52-S2', its engine a Fageol Twin Coach-210 horsepower diesel (FTC-210)........."

"......the Truck & Coach Division built a Model '4510' (#2125) in 1950. It was equipped with a diesel-fueled Mode; '651' engine............."

"......both of these buses were equipped with automatic transmissions........."

(there is also a photo of each bus described in the book (on page 92) as well; neither is a GM bus; also, the buses are painted in two different paint schemes)

Source:

"PACIFIC ELECTRIC'S RED CARS" ("IMAGES OF RAIL"), b y Jim Walker.

Hope this helps!

"NYO"

['LOS ANGELES"]

[Cyberider]

Checking my copy of the book, there's something wrong with the captions for those two photos. Both buses are Twins and I don't think any Twin had a 6-71 GM Diesel. The second picture should have been a TDH-4510 instead of the Twin. Since Twin Coach was owned by the Fageol Bros., it probably had the "Fageol" gas engine mentioned.

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Further...........

In "OLD LOOK BUSES" (Luke/Metler) there is a photo of one of PE's GM TDH-4801s when new:

".......pictured is a 1953 GM TDH-4801, the first transit bus with air suspension. It was also was one of the last buses built for the Pacific Electric......."

On the same page:

In 1941, LARy purchased 17 YELLOW COACH TD-3205s, used primarily for feeder routes into the city. LARY was mainly a streetcar operator, but did jointly own the Los Angeles Motor Coach Company with Pacific Electric......"

".....later, nearly 100 of the new new YELLOW COACH TD-4502 went to LAMCCo. These buses were ordered by LAR/PE, the joint owners........"

'NYO"

["6514"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Also worthy of a thought.......

Had PE lasted into, at least, the early 1960s, would they have purchased Fishbowls?

"Dangerfields"?

Or, perhaps, divided orders between "Gee-Em" and FLXIBLE........

"NYO"

["FULLERTON"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B;

As the "El-Ay-Em-Tee-Yay" was ordering buses from BOTH builders during the 1960s, I think it is a reasonably safe bet that they (PE) would be ordering buses from "Gee-Em" and FLXIBLE, as well.........

"NYO"

["LOS ANGELES"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Was quite fortunate to come across this picture of a PE TWIN COACH demo on the road (1952)...........

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/pacific-electric-demo--768145280194960734/

["TWIN COACH"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here's a rare photo of one of PE's distinctive prewar "slant back" TWINS; recall,the CSL rosted a number of these distinctive buses, which lasted into the CTA era.........

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/pacific-electric-montery-park-no-315--849702654697782598/

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

PE also rostered those once-familiar, tough-looking WHITE 798s; as a bus-infatuated youngster, Your's Truly indeed recalls this type well of the NHBL, which ran right by our old Union City apartment building......

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/pacific-electric-bus-no-3003--768145280194959883/

["WHITE"]