Starships
Today’s (Thursday, 5/4) Transit dream was about driving a 700-type bus out good old Monroe Ave.
The 700-line, which included Monroe Ave., was a fairly nice ride, but mainly because it had a lot of idle time.
The north end transited the Hispanic neighborhood, so was fairly busy. The south end did not go through a specific neighborhood, but was a long-established busy transit corridor.
They eventually got so they could cover the north end with one bus (out and back in 30 minutes), but the south end always seemed to need three buses.
The south end forked in Brighton, and the fork wandered off into the ‘burbs to serve a Jewish Community Center and a Jewish Home for the Aged.
The main stem went out Monroe to Pittsford, and then beyond into the ‘burbs. It took two buses to cover it, even with a 50-minute headway, so we ended up with about a 20-minute layover in a community park next to a high-school.
The 700-type buses were our first Starships. They had an unturbocharged 8-71 with three-speed tranny; also no governor and no front-door interlocks — all of which meant they could be used as a Park-and-Ride as well as a city-bus.
As originally received the 700s were air-conditioned, and the air had to work; no opening windows. Plus the AC was down by the road; not a blister on top.
Eventually the ACs would clog up with leaves and road-dirt, and you had an oven.
A big conversion-program was instituted. The 700s got opening windows, and the AC was put in a blister on top.
And it wasn’t mighty GM that did it. GM was the designer of the Starships — although later Starships (the 8s and the 9s) had opening windows, and the AC was in a blister on top.
I always liked the Starships: the most triumphant styling job GM ever did.
I remember the look I got from managers when I suggested calling them Starships. Of course, it didn’t happen.
I also remember flooring 728 on the Eastern Expressway deadheading to Eastview Mall one morning. 80 mph! Never again. It was juking and jiving and bucketing all over. Here I was humping down the passing-lane in a living-room.
735 was extremely jumpy. As every bus aged, it developed certain quirks as the mechanics worked on it. 735 had a tight tranny. You could only give it so much accelerator lest it throw all your passengers on the floor.
And it was a 700 that dropped its entire motor-cradle on the floor when they lifted it.
The 700-line, which included Monroe Ave., was a fairly nice ride, but mainly because it had a lot of idle time.
The north end transited the Hispanic neighborhood, so was fairly busy. The south end did not go through a specific neighborhood, but was a long-established busy transit corridor.
They eventually got so they could cover the north end with one bus (out and back in 30 minutes), but the south end always seemed to need three buses.
The south end forked in Brighton, and the fork wandered off into the ‘burbs to serve a Jewish Community Center and a Jewish Home for the Aged.
The main stem went out Monroe to Pittsford, and then beyond into the ‘burbs. It took two buses to cover it, even with a 50-minute headway, so we ended up with about a 20-minute layover in a community park next to a high-school.
 |
| 700 Starship. |
As originally received the 700s were air-conditioned, and the air had to work; no opening windows. Plus the AC was down by the road; not a blister on top.
Eventually the ACs would clog up with leaves and road-dirt, and you had an oven.
A big conversion-program was instituted. The 700s got opening windows, and the AC was put in a blister on top.
And it wasn’t mighty GM that did it. GM was the designer of the Starships — although later Starships (the 8s and the 9s) had opening windows, and the AC was in a blister on top.
I always liked the Starships: the most triumphant styling job GM ever did.
I remember the look I got from managers when I suggested calling them Starships. Of course, it didn’t happen.
I also remember flooring 728 on the Eastern Expressway deadheading to Eastview Mall one morning. 80 mph! Never again. It was juking and jiving and bucketing all over. Here I was humping down the passing-lane in a living-room.
735 was extremely jumpy. As every bus aged, it developed certain quirks as the mechanics worked on it. 735 had a tight tranny. You could only give it so much accelerator lest it throw all your passengers on the floor.
And it was a 700 that dropped its entire motor-cradle on the floor when they lifted it.
posted by BobbaLew at 6:16 PM
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