RTP News and Views Sample Issue 2004

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Rapid Transit Press

Dedicated to Preserving Transit History

Sample Issue 2004 Leased Eastshore Lines GMC PD-4106 316 operating as FREE Golden Gate Transit 491 at the midday storage lot in San Francisco at Main and Folsom Streets in the late 1970s. (Ron RTP News and Views is not affiliated with any transit agency. Medaglia Photo) All opinions are those of the authors. Message from the editor: Subscription Rates Individual Issues $3.00 Yearly Subscriptions $30.00

(The RTP year is Jan-Dec.) (Make checks/Money Orders payable to Andrew Novak)

©2004 Rapid Transit Press Reproduction of the News and Views is forbidden without written permission from RTP. www.rapidtransit-press.com “I started Rapid Transit Press as a way to share transportation information and photos with everyone. The idea of preserving Senior Editor the past is important to me and that is why I write books and Andrew Novak ([email protected]) this newsletter. The News and Views is a combination of current news, transportation history and some personal views Editorial Staff on transportation. Thank you for purchasing the News and T. B. Blackstone Views.” -Andy Senior Staff Armando Avalos “We have checked and rechecked item by item against official records and eyewitness accounts. We trust those mistakes Contributors which will inevitably creep in will be few in number and Craig Barnes minor in importance” Ed Buckley -Jim Walker Ron Medaglia Sean Ault

Inside this issue: Pages:

The Orange County Excursion…….…..……………...…3-5 Farewell to the Flxible (Part 2)………………………..10-12 Historical Photo Gallery……………………………….…24

2 together made for a great photo opportunity. After getting our pictures, our group was given a brief tour of the Garden Grove facility. Once our tour was completed, we

all headed over to the 201 and boarded the The Orange County bus. After a quick fare inspection, we got Excursion underway to our first stop, the new OCTA By Andrew Novak Division 1 in Santa Ana, which is scheduled to open in 2005. Throughout the day we

covered all or portions of 6 lines, 146 Rait-

Greensville, 145 South Flower, 143 East On June 5, 2004, Pacific Bus Museum 17th Street, 144 East 1st Street, 49 State (PBM) and Western Transit Society (WT) College Boulevard and 47 Commonwealth- sponsored an all day excursion in Orange Anaheim. We also made stops at 6th Street County retracing some of the old Orange and Flower in Santa Ana, the original County Transit District (OCTD) routes in transfer point in downtown Santa Ana, Santa Ana, Tustin, Brea and Fullerton. The Larwin Square in Tustin, our day’s lunch trip began at Orange County Transportation stop, Brea Mall, and the Fullerton Park-and- Authority’s (OCTA) Division 4 in Garden Ride. The lines we retraced and the locations Grove, and we would be riding on OCTA’s we visited were from the general time period restored 1972 Flxible 111-DD-D05-1, #201 of 1980 to 1983. which was the first bus delivered to the Overall the trip was good and their were OCTD in 1972. The trip was scheduled to no major incidents and we had several good begin at 10:00 am, and people began photo stops. The major photo stops for the arriving at 9:30 am. For those of us who day were at 6th and Flower in Santa Ana, arrived early we were able to get pictures of Brea Mall and at the Fullerton Park and 201, privately-owned San Diego Transit Ride. Fullerton Park and Ride is also where 1972 GMC T6H 5307A, #401, and OCTA the PBM group photo was taken. 2001 NABI 040.09, #2208 which has a full flag wrap. The three buses were parked

OCTD Flxible 201 prior to delivery and coach 209 at 6th and Flower in Santa Ana. (Both photos; Craig Barnes Collection)

OCTD Flxible 1202 (202) at Division 4 in the Santa Ana Quick Trip scheme (Craig Barnes Photo) and a lineup of OCTD Flxibles led by 1505 is seen at 6th and Flower in Santa Ana. (Phil Cegielski Photo)

June 5, 2004 PBM/WT Trip

OCTA NABI 2208 along with Flxible 201 at Division 4 in Garden Grove (Left) and three OCTA New Flyer articulated buses parked in the Division 4 yard. (Both photos by Andrew Novak)

Flxible 201 at 6th and Flower Streets in Santa Ana (Left) and at the Brea Mall Transit Center with an OCTA NABI parked behind the Flxible. (Both photos by Andrew Novak)

OCTA NABI 2316 with a new Measure “M” Wrap at Brea Mall (Left) (Craig Barnes Photo) and Flxible 201 also at Brea Mall (Andrew Novak Photo)

OCTA NABI 2286 passes 201 at the Fullerton Park-and-Ride Lot and 201 also at Fullerton Park-and-Ride. (Both photos by Andrew Novak)

Final picture of the trip we see 201 at Garden Grove across from Division 4. (Andrew Novak Photo)

Farewell to the Flxibles Part 2: “The New Looks arrive” By Andrew Novak

With the end rapidly approaching for LACMTA’s last remaining Flxibles, we continue to profile the history of the agency and the Flxible buses.

In 1960 the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (LAMTA) began to issue bids for 175 40-foot buses. LAMTA wanted 30 of the buses with suburban style seating and manual transmissions, 30 buses with suburban style seating and automatic transmissions and the balance of the order, 115 buses, with transit style seats and automatic transmissions. General Motors (GM) was expected to bid on the order along with Flxible who requested a delay on the delivery because they were completing an order for the Chicago Transit Authority at the time. The buses were needed by April of 1961 to replace the “Big Red Cars” operating on the former Pacific Electric between Los Angeles and Long Beach, and Donald J. Belding, who was an LAMTA board member at the time, suggested splitting the order between GM and Flxible, even though Flxible was the low bidder. Belding’s plan was accepted by the board and was implemented in the hopes that it would promote competition between the two bus manufacturers and would give LAMTA an advantage when ordering additional buses in the future. With the split order, GM would build 80 of the transit style seat buses, and Flxible would build the remaining 35 transit style buses. The GM buses were due in the spring of 1961, and the Flxibles were scheduled to arrive during the fall of 1961. In October 1961 the first Flxible new looks arrived, (5700-5734). They were assigned to Division 8 in Van Nuys, and by November the buses were operating on Line 35 West Valley Flyer, and Line 93 Los Angeles-Van Nuys-Pacoima. Between 1962 and 1965, coaches 5700-5704, were equipped with two- speed axles for freeway operation. These axles were eventually removed due to high maintenance costs.

As 1961 ended, and 1962 began, the next order of Flxibles began to arrive in Los Angeles. When the 5800-5899 series of buses arrived they were initially assigned to Division 3 Cypress Park, and Division 5 South Central, for use on lines 5 and 6. These buses were purchased mainly to replace the 1946 GMC TD 4506 buses numbered 6200-6299. During the summer of 1962, the LAMTA board began the process of acquiring 200 buses to replace the remaining street cars and trolley buses on lines that were originally Los Angeles Railway and Los Angeles Transit Lines routes. LAMTA scheduled the conversion of the R, S, V, P, J, 2 and 3 lines for March 1963, and thus the manufacturer bidding on this order would have to deliver the buses by then. Once again, Flxible was the low bidder, but due to a backlog of orders, the order was again split in half with General Motors. GM delivered 100 TDH 5303 coaches, numbered 5000-5099, and Flxible delivered the remaining coaches of the order, 5900-5999, both in 1963. When the 5900s began arriving, they where assigned to Division 2 Los Angeles, for use on lines 29 and 95, Division 3/10 Cypress Park, for use on lines 5, 6, 26 and 42/83 and to Division 5 South Central, for use on lines 5, 6 and 9. Coach 5999 was a V-8 engine test coach, first with a Cummins 265-B engine and later a GM 8V71 engine. In 1970 the coach received a GM 6V71 engine. When the bus had the V-8 engine, the coach was so fast it was given the nickname “Semi-Swifty.”

In 1963 LAMTA needed buses that were less than 40 feet long. Flxible sent LAMTA a 30- foot new look demonstrator in November of 1963, fleet number 9000. While at LAMTA the coach was assigned to Division 2 and operated on lines 53 South Gate, 77 Maywood-Bell and 109 Huntington Park local. Eventually the bus was returned to Flxible and was sold to Ohio State University. In January 1965, yet another Flxible demonstrator arrived on the property. This coach was numbered 9001, and like 9000 was assigned to Division 2 and operated on line 111 Bellflower to Huntington Park.

10 Roster of Flxible buses from Part 2

LAMTA Flxibles Number Year Model Serial Number Notes 5700-5734 1961 F2D6V-401-1 51203-51237 Retired 1983-1985 5800-5899 1962 F2D6V-401-1 51502-51601 Retired 1983-1985 5900-5999 1963 F2D6V-401-1 51632-51731 Retired 1983-1985 9000 1963 FDV5-331-1 75000 Demonstrator 9001 1964 FD-47-311-1 75002 Demonstrator

Pictures of the Flxibles

Coach 5701 (left) when first delivered to the LAMTA. (LACMTA Collection) Coach 5722 (right) in the 1970s at the RTD Station located at 6th and Los Angeles Streets. (Tom Helliwell Photo)

Coach 5814 (left) on line 5 at Western and Santa Barbara (Jim Walker Photo). Coach 5893 at the temporary main street terminal in Downtown Los Angeles. (Photographer Unknown)

11 Pictures of the Flxibles

Coach 5906 (left) at Division 3 (Photographer Unknown). Coach 5909 at an Unknown location. (Ed Buckley Photo)

Demonstrator 9000 (left) at Palm Place Loop in Huntington Park (Jim Walker Photo). Demonstrator 9001 in Bellflower (Ed Buckley Photo)

Flxible 5933 and Twin Coach 1008 (left) at Division 2 (Jim Walker Photo). GMC 5082 (Mike DeFeleice)

12 The Historic Photo Gallery

New York City Transit Authority 1938 Yellow 735 #2124 (left) at Boerum Place and Livingston Street in Brooklyn on July 2, 1976. MAN Demonstrator (right) on Line B88 at the Manhattan Bridge in Manhattan on June 15, 1974. (Both photos from Joe Testagrose) (2124 is a former Fifth Avenue Coach as is part of the NYCTA Museum Fleet.)

Antelope Valley GMC old look #215 (left) in Palmdale, California June 1983. (Jay Roberts Photo) San Francisco MUNI Flyer Trolley Coach #5077 (right) while being delivered to San Francisco. The bus is seen here on the Santa Fe in Fullerton California in September 1976. (Tom Helliwell Photo)

SP GP-9 3840 and SP SW1500 2621 (left) lead a westbound freight through Chatsworth on the Burbank Branch on September 28, 1987. (Jay Roberts Photo) Metrolink F59 856 leads a string of leased GO Transit Cars after the Northridge Earthquake in 1994. (Andrew Novak Collection)