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Posted by Joe Saitta on Fri Feb 1 15:42:52 2002, in response to Re: Blitz Bus Numbers,
posted by Fishbowl2525 on Fri Jan 25 14:38:29 2002.
I'm proud to say that I drove this bus for most of its short career at MSBA, including its final run, and used it extensively on Routes N20/N21 on the North Shore. The passengers loved its soft seats and many times at the terminals it was necessary to wake the passengers since the bus' comfortable seats put them to sleep. Mechanically, this bus was in excellent condition when retired. It never received official destination signs so I made some of my own. Personal efforts to have this bus, and Flxible 434, which I also drove almost exclusively after 5549's retirement, were fruitless. But, as many BusTalkers know, I was able to purchase and restore Flxible 699, a true sister to 434. And, I also had the privilege of ending 434's career, but on a sad note. A transmission leak gave way on its deadhead from Glen Cove to Mitchel Field Depot that evening, and the bus had to be towed to the garage; the bus would have probably been in service longer except for this. 434's demise ended the New Look era at MSBA. An even sadder note - since the New Looks, with their absence of power steering, were retired, my stomach has grown! They were superb exercise vehicles! If we could only have buses with the driver's choice of power or manual steering, perhaps I could choose the latter and get the waistline down....
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