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Does anyone remember GMC RTS-03's in NYC?


Green Lines 96

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There were RTS buses before the well known RTS-04 in NYC. They were the RTS-03's. They used to have slant backs and unopenable windows There are not very many images on the web of them in service but they were used in NYC by Various companies (mainly the PBL's).

 

Roster of GMC RTS-03's in NYC

MTA Demo #200 Returned

GBL Demo #1001 Returned

QTC #1

STC #2

JBI #301-310 (All later given to GBL with an added -1)

cTc #630-639 (630-636 later given to GBL with an added -1)

GBL #1001-1015

QSC #177-204 (177-192 ex-Liberty Lines Transit, 193-204 ex-GBTA)

 

I remember seeing GBL's RTS-03's 1000 series in service until early 2000. They were already retrofitted with square back/sliding windows since way before I was born. They were also the oldest buses I ever rode on. 1012 is still in good shape and sits in the Varsity yard by Spring Creek depot. Many were gone by 2006 and some gone even earlier.

 

Share good or bad times that you've experienced with the RTS-03's

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The ones I remember a lot were the Green Lines, Jamaica and Queens Surface. Green Lines and Jamaica (BEFORE they went to Green Lines) had the slope back. For some reason, I was afraid to ride those buses because they looked weird. As for the Queens Surface, those buses looked good with the A/C unit added on them.

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No as I was not bored yet, however I did go and check out 1012 the other day, one of the few units remaining. It is in pretty good shape exterior wise, no clue about the interior. One the other side of the lot is Command 351 which looks really bad since last time I saw it.

 

Command 351 has been there since 1999.

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The ones I remember a lot were the Green Lines, Jamaica and Queens Surface. Green Lines and Jamaica (BEFORE they went to Green Lines) had the slope back. For some reason, I was afraid to ride those buses because they looked weird. As for the Queens Surface, those buses looked good with the A/C unit added on them.

 

Speaking of the QSC RTS-03's here is a picture of #200 with ad wrap in 1996

QSC200_6Ave35St_2-22-96AGrahl.jpg

 

Green Lines RTS-03 in original condition (slant-back, old paint scheme, all unopenable windows)

Green1004_Q35_FlatbushE31_6-28-80DG.jpg

 

A few Green Lines RTS-03's at Varsity in 2001

1005-704-1003_varsity_06032001mp.jpg

1006r_varsity_06032001mp.jpg

1009_varsity_06032001mp.jpg

2137_1007r_varsity_06032001mp.jpg

1006_varsity_06032001mp.jpg

 

Green Lines 1012 at GBL JFK Depot in 2004

1012_04032004bb.jpg

 

Jamaica Buses RTS-03

Jamaica309-827_Garage_5-24-81DG.jpg

 

Triboro Coach RTS-03

triboro_632f.JPG

Edited by Green Lines 96
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The ones I remember a lot were the Green Lines, Jamaica and Queens Surface. Green Lines and Jamaica (BEFORE they went to Green Lines) had the slope back. For some reason, I was afraid to ride those buses because they looked weird. As for the Queens Surface, those buses looked good with the A/C unit added on them.

 

I remember when I was 2-3 yrs old and I used to think the Retrofit A/C vent on the GBL 1000 series RTS's looked weird. I didn't like to look at them or ride them at the time. They appeaed frequently on the Q8 around 1998-1999. I also saw them frequently around other GBL areas, especially during the night or early morning. I don't remember seeing them much at noon instead I saw Orions, TMC''s or GMC RTS-04's. I also saw the MCI's very few times in the noon as well. I think that was because the GMC RTS-03's or MCI's didn't have Wheelchair lifts. After 2000 I wondered where they were as I didn't see them. I did see 1012 in 2002 driving around X-Bay.

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The ones I remember a lot were the Green Lines, Jamaica and Queens Surface. Green Lines and Jamaica (BEFORE they went to Green Lines) had the slope back. For some reason, I was afraid to ride those buses because they looked weird. As for the Queens Surface, those buses looked good with the A/C unit added on them.

 

I remember when I was 2-3 yrs old and I used to think the Retrofit A/C vent on the GBL 1000 series RTS's looked weird. I didn't like to look at them or ride them at the time. They appeaed frequently on the Q8 around 1998-1999. I also saw them frequently around other GBL areas, especially during the night or early morning. I don't remember seeing them much at noon instead I saw Orions, TMC''s or GMC RTS-04's. I also saw the MCI's very few times in the noon as well. I think that was because the GMC RTS-03's or MCI's didn't have Wheelchair lifts. After 2000 I wondered where they were as I didn't see them. I did see 1012 in 2002 driving around X-Bay.

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The ones I remember a lot were the Green Lines, Jamaica and Queens Surface. Green Lines and Jamaica (BEFORE they went to Green Lines) had the slope back. For some reason, I was afraid to ride those buses because they looked weird. As for the Queens Surface, those buses looked good with the A/C unit added on them.

 

Did you ever see the A/C unit on Green Lines 1002? I heard it was different from the other Green Lines 1000 series A/C unit. If so, What did it look like?

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The ones I remember a lot were the Green Lines, Jamaica and Queens Surface. Green Lines and Jamaica (BEFORE they went to Green Lines) had the slope back. For some reason, I was afraid to ride those buses because they looked weird. As for the Queens Surface, those buses looked good with the A/C unit added on them.

 

Did you ever see the A/C unit on Green Lines 1002? I heard it was different from the other Green Lines 1000 series A/C unit. If so, What did it look like?

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Today on Wayback Machine I saw a picture of a whole bunch of cTc RTS-03's with slant backs at their garage. The picture seemed to be taken when the RTS-03's first got to cTc in 1979. I also saw a picture taken in 1998 of a few QSC ex-Bee Line RTS-03's lined up all unpainted. The retrofits looked really weird as they looked like the slant was still intact but with an add on A/C tacked on. The picture shown in an earlier post is of QSC 200 ex-GBTA which has a retrofit A/C similar to GBL.

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  • 2 weeks later...
4 ex-Bee Lines/Liberty Lines Transit QSC RTS-03's

QSC_GMC_188_186_191_187.jpg

Here is the picture again.

QSC_GMC_188_186_191_187.jpg

 

Here is a picture I have a question about

361_and_604-1_plus_GBL_RTS.jpg

Does anyone know about this RTS to the left of GBL 604-1? I think it's 1002 but did 630-1 to 636-1 or 301-1 to 310-1 have GBL's final scheme and what did the GBL orion V's replace in 1997?

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Does anyone have the pictures of Green Lines 1012 and 1014 from the original bustalk.net galleries. I remember there were 2 pictures of 1012 which one showed the driver side and the other showed the back. There was 1 picture of the front of 1014 and the paint scheme was the final scheme but with 2 stripes on the front above the Green Lines text instead of 1 stripe. 1014 was written in a white box like Command's numbers. Also, does anyone have the Green Lines RTS-03 pictures from the old site Transitworld.org. There were also a few QSC ex-GBTA GMC RTS-03 pictures. I would like to have these pictures as on the Wayback Machine the sites are either not archived or they were from geocities after it was taken down.

Edited by Green Lines 96
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The very first RTS-03's actually bought for a NYC Company

 

Queens Transit 1

QueensTransit1_Q65_CPBlvd_31Ave_6-28-79DG.jpg

 

Steinway Transit 2

Steinway2_Q101_QueensPlN28St_6-25-79DG.jpg

 

There were 2 other RTS-03's with this order MTA 200 and GBL 1001(1000) but they were demonstrators. These were all 1978 GMC RTS-03 T8H-603's. Jamaica Bus 301-310, Triboro 630-639, and Green Lines 1001-1015 were all 1979 GMC RTS-03 T8H-203. These were all 102 inch compared to 96 inch as those 1978 models listed above. QSC's GBTA amd Bee Line RTS-03's were 1979 GMC RTS-03 T8H-603 96 inch buses.

Edited by Green Lines 96
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Interior of Green Lines 302-1/Jamaica Buses 302 at East Island Auto Parts in 2004

mid_matt865x302i1_ei_01312004mp.jpg

matt865x302i2_ei_01312004mp.jpg

 

Back of it

5324-matt865x302_ei_01312004mp.jpg

 

It seemed like only GBL gave modern RTS Back Bumpers to 1001-1015, 302-1 has the original back bumper and probably the others from Jamaica Bus and Triboro do. Speaking of Triboro, does anyone have a picture of GBL 630-1 either before or after the Black Stripe paint scheme. 630-1 was used untill around 2001 at GBL for part transfer between Arverne and JFK Depot.

Edited by Green Lines 96
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  • 11 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Did you ever see the A/C unit on Green Lines 1002? I heard it was different from the other Green Lines 1000 series A/C unit. If so, What did it look like?

I rode every single -03 Green Lines had back when i moved to Queens in 1990! Ah, memories....

1002 had a "smaller'' A/C added similar to what Westchester county had on theirs. A pic is hard to find but I can say the A/C unit were not a s wide as the width of the bus. They were a few inches short on either side. You can see that the original design was a slope and the A/C was added on,

 

Pics of this are very hard to find...

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  • 1 year later...

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