Old Meets New on the Final Day
Bill Whyte Photo, Steve Crise Collection
Metropolitan Transit Authority (ex-Los Angeles Transit Lines) PCC no. 3002 in weepy-eyed “Goodbye” decoration poses at Georgia Street Car House on March 31, 1963, the Last Day of Service for the Streetcars of Los Angeles. A brand-new GM Flxible Bus no. 5877 that will take over the duties of the streetcars stands ready in the background.
Modified based on comment
Bill Whyte Photo, Steve Crise Collection
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Actually the bus is a Flxible, it isn’t flexible. It was spelled that way to avoid a patent infringment. Cummins 555 powered, a separate Perkins diesel for the air conditioning. The engines had a lot of power, but didn’t last long.
Flxible was an independent company when this bus was built although they did use some GM parts. In 1970 California’s Rohr Corporation bought them. In 1978 Grumman bought them and ultimately Flxible folded in 1996.
This link has the whole history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flxible
Now back to trolleys!
I think the 5800’s had GM engines (and I think GM sold the engines at cost or at a low markup to keep the anti-trust investigators quiet). Note the badge on the bus, which (as I recall) was a combination of Flxible and Twin Coach which had merged in the late 50’s or early 60’s. The Flxible full size coaches with Cummins engines were the 6000-class, which ran on the bus version of the PE Monrovia-Glendora line.