The Big Hand

—I used to say it was no fun drivin’ bus unless you could put the hammer down at least once per day.
That was my late afternoon trip to East Rochester on the 2100 line — on the expressway.
This was before our Gillig 500s, so we were still drivin’ our GM 400s, “Park-and-Ride” soft-seaters with a non turbo-charged 8-71 diesel motor drivin’ a three-speed auto-tranny.
Our 4s were ungoverned, so could boom-and-zoom.
Most 4s were sickly by then, but a few weren’t.
I remember 436. “If I were to steal anything, 436 would be it! By the time you discovered this thing missing, I’d be in North Carolina.”
I’d tell that to the bus-placer when returning to “the Barns.”
No pedal-to-the-metal with 436! 90-100 mph on the Thruway!
I had #417 this trip. It had snowed, but it wasn’t too bad.
The expressway was clear, so I could boom-and-zoom.
Until I got to the off-ramp for Fairport Road.
I turned into the off-ramp, and all of a sudden the back end was sliding.
I counter-steered, and suddenly all four corners were sliding.
The Fairport Road exit off I-490 is a cloverleaf. Shortly after the off-ramp the exit turns right maybe 50–60 degrees.
No warning signs, so it was a fairly open turn.
But 417 was shlippin’ and shliddin’. Open land was ahead — no trees — but it looked like we were in for a bouncy roller-coaster ride into the boonies.
25–35 souls on oboard, plus one terrified bus-driver.
Suddenly a Big Hand dropped from the sky urging 417 around the curve.
Straight for a short distance, but here comes another 50–60 degree curve to merge onto Fairport Road.
Again, the Big Hand!
“WHEW!” I exclaimed to no one in particular as we merged onto Fairport Road.
“I didn’t know anything was wrong,” said my regular riding shotgun.

• “The Barns” are at 1372 East Main St. in Rochester, large sheds for storing buses inside. An operations/administration building was attached. We bus-drivers always said we were working out of “the Barns.”
• With a “governor” the bus won’t do any more than about 55 mph.