BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

I believe that I may now be the only one left to have the Revenue and Service Car Equipment on Hand report for Green Bus Lines as compiled by the New York State Public Service Commission and published December 31st. 1944.

The revenue equipment (buses) has been enumerated in "New York City's Green Bus Lines" by Alan Bromberger (MCA Oct/Dec 2000), but the service car list has never been seen before, and I would like to add it here for both your enjoyment and posterity.

# MAKE MODEL MOTOR# YEAR

# A Ford Coupe 363173 1938
# B Ford Coupe 360659 1938
# D Ford Sp. Coupe 1GA51401 1942
# E Ford Sp. Coupe 1GA53511 1942
# F Chevrolet Sedan 2201141 1939
# 2 White None 45 1930
# 3 Mack Wrecker A366-75 1925
# 4 Ford Panel 3607998 1937
# 5 F.W.D. Snow Plow 18016 1919
# 6 Ward Le France Snow Plow 236429 1924
# 7 Ford Std. Panel 1950702 1935
# 10 Fordson Tractor 761-081 1934
# 11 Fordson Tractor 761-058 1934
# 12 Fordson Tractor 761-131 1934
# 14 Ford Pickup 1884876 1935
# 15 Walters Snow Plow 74612 1926
# 50 Chevrolet Stake BG596900 1944
# 51 Chevrolet Stake BG600680 1944
# 100 Brockway Pickup 30B2323 1930
# 101 Mack Truck 651198AL 1928
# 102 Indiana Open 121429 1935
# 103 Mack Truck BCE1478 1933
# 104 Mack Truck BCE2465 1933
# 112 Sterling Sander 267661 1930
SP Cadillac Ex. Sedan 416021032 1941
SP Cadillac Ex. Sedan 42620752 1942

Notes; Truck # 103 was Bus # G403
Truck # 104 was Bus # G400

Above data courtesy of the late Don Weiss (a close friend of mine, a Westchester PBL Dispatcher and a Board Member of the Motor Bus Society).

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"
Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

[Q65A]

Nice post, Mr. L; thanks!!!
Today, the GBL service fleet would make an outstanding antique truck show. As a long-time big truck fan and member of the ATHS (American Truck Historical Society) I am very impressed.

[Mr. Linsky]

Bob,

Thanks for the compliment.

Believe it or not, the 1919 F.W.D. and the 1926 Walters snow plows ran well into the late fifties! (thanks to 'machinist' grade mechanics in the main shops).

I remember that they were painted in a dark red (with appropriate emergency markings and lights) and had the 'old look' Courtesy/Dependabilty decals on the doors.

Of course, in later years, they were radio equipped as were all Green Line service vehicles (including Mr. Cooper's Cadillac!).

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"

[Mr. Linsky]

As long as we're on the subject of communication, let's talk about the Green Bus Lines communication system before the advent of all the modern methods used today.

Of course, there were always pay phones for drivers to call from in their travels in the event of a problem, but the company wanted as direct a source of availability as possible, and, to this end, contracted with the then New York Telephone Company to install a system wide network of 'private lines'.

A private line or 'PL' as it was known was wired in such a manner that when a caller would pick up the instrument it would automatically ring at the pre set destination (in this case, the telephone switchboard at what is now JFK depot - BTW; the daytime operator in the fifties was a young lady by the name of Mabel who looked a lot like Lilly Tomlin - I kid you not).

The phones were spread all over the routes of the company and were usually placed at terminus points in police type call boxes (Q10 had one at 80th. Rd. and Queens Boulevard, one at Richmond Hill Circle and one outside 'The Stand' at Jamaica Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard.

This system did not come cheap even in those days. The monthly charge for each extension (which is exactly how they appeared on the board at the office) was based upon mileage and considered to be a 'foreign exchange' (I would have to say that the monthly bills could have run into the thousands!).

Compared to today's electronics, this was a 'two cups and a cord' operation but it worked!

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"
Operator, Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York

63

[Mr. Linsky]

[ripta42]

[Free-transfer]

I remember when GBL installed RCA vhf low-band radios in it's service vehicles. I forget if they were on 44.560 or 44.580, but remember listening to them from home in Howard Beach in the 70's. Some dispatchers bought pocket scanners to hear the base, while outside the vehicle.

Later, they switched to a UHF community repeater on Electchester (Flushing)
on 478 mhz, sharing it with Command, Triborough and Jamaica. The dispatchers and starters were issued Maxon walkie-talkies, the cheapest available at the time).

As you may all know, they are (or were) on the NYC DOT 900mhz trunk system on the Empire State Building. The dispatchers and starters were issued Motorola GTX-900 portable radios.

Perhaps an insider can tell me...
Have the former PBL buses been switched to the NYC 800 mhz system yet or...are they staying on 900?

Best Regards,
Dennis V.

[Mr. Linsky]

Dennis,

Of course, anything after the early sixties at Green Line (communications wise) I can't account for but I can tell you what I remember about the decade prior to that;

You have to bear with me because I'm not that radio savvy although I did have a 'CB' in my cars years ago.

Their two way radio system was either by Motorola or RCA (I don't really remember which) and it was independent in the sense that they installed an antenna tower of at least 80 to 100 feet in height at what is now JFK Depot (that was the highest they were permitted by the F.A.A. being that they were in such close proximity to the airport, and they were also required to have a pair of blinking red lights at the top).

The company in Garden City that installed and serviced the equipment also did so for the Nassau County Police Department.

I believe it was in the 800 mhz range, and the antennas they used were very long and of the 'whip' type with large springs at the bottom.

The last inspectors cars that I remember with radios were a small fleet of green 1958 Chevrolet coupes.

Mr. Cooper, on the other hand, had graduated to a New York Telephone Company mobile phone (if you remember, they were the units that had a chromium tube of about twelve inches in height with a band antenna attached above them, and were affixed to the rear fender) BTW; they were really bad news and didn't last very long!

Another BTW; in those days, buses had no form of communication!

Mr. Linsky
"The Green Hornet"

[Mr. Linsky]