When was this ever a rarity? Perhaps never. I saw 6184 - that's right, a MC-9A - pulling down the 559 in Toms River this morning.

Next update will feature a few tweaks to the MCI-D roster. We solved the problem with 8269 and have some new units yet to come from our pals at MCI.

New stuff coming: by tonight or tomorrow, we should have all the 6100 series serials nailed down and on the page, plus some of the odds-and-ends type stuff we haven't had in the past. By the time we all go back to school after the Columbus Day holiday, the only hole left in the Roster will be the 2000-series Flxibles.

More new D4500's to Coach USA/Leisure Time Tours, 8802-8805, per Trevor Logan.

8560-8562 D4500 Trans-Bridge Lines 3P055356-55357, 3P055359
3P055358 is a MCI demo. Permanent correction soon to come.

DeCamp Bus Lines has just gotten some new D4500's. 8441 and 8450 are 2003 buses carrying serials 3P055366 and 3P055375 respectively (which I think gives DeCamp exactly 50 units from NJT). Thanks to Bobby of the Vinmen Yahoo Group for the report. Charlie Bailey has since given me the latest delivery info which is now on the Roster pages.

Also, the serial number for bus 4004 is 2P055086 (thanks to Al Reinschmidt). No builders plate was observed on the Neoplan 9501.

Check out Trevor Logan's Transitalk page for the two new prototypes - Neoplan artic 9501 and MCI D4000H 4004. (We'll get pix of em soon.) Both buses feature Cesar Vergara's wildest paint designs yet. The MCI has "It's Electric!" written on the beltline at the rear of the bus.

Four of today's buses are now in the Gallery: AL5058, 606, 7077 and 8321.

Here are the display units from today's Hoboken Festival.

AL5058 - NJT Access Link/Atlantic Paratrans - 2002 Ford/Startrans - Serial 2HA35979
L627 - PSCT/NJT - 1957 GM PD-4104 - Serial 2281
E313 - PSCT - 1951 GM TDH-4509 - Serial 1901
606 - NJT Red & Tan Tours - 2001 Blue Bird Transhuttle - Serial 1F201415
2564 - NJT - 2000 Nova Bus T60206 - Serial YR834654
7077 - NJT - 2000 MCI 102D3 - Serial YP053261
1922 - NJT - 2002 Roadeo Winner Ed Negron - 1994 Flxible 40102-6C8 - Serial RD104661
7777 - NJT - 2002 Roadeo Winner Al Laning - 2001 MCI D4000 - Serial 1P053685
8321 - NJT - 2002 Roadeo Winner Joe Grandioso - 2002 MCI D4500 - Serial 2P055237
NJT Police Bus - 1981 Flxible 40102-6-1 - Serial BD093977 (orig. PA1158)

Pictures as soon as they come out of the Mrs.' camera.

Just got back from Hoboken Festival. Besides the advertised units, NJT also had on display an Access Link bus, the historic E313 and L627 units from Public Service, the three Roadeo winners' units, CNG bus 7077, and one of the 30-foot Novas. Pictures and more specific information later.

Don't forget, everyone, tomorrow is the Try Transit Festival in Hoboken. This year, Try Transit combines with the Hoboken Music & Art Festival to provide continuous musical entertainment on three stages located along Washington Street, headlined by the Tom Tom Club (members of Talking Heads) at 4:45 p.m. on the First Street Stage. Bus fans will want to stick close to Hoboken Terminal where at least a new MCI D-series Cruiser will be on display along with a now-retired Newark City Subway PCC car. It runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. - come on out!

Also, check out the D series roster. Some new private carrier D4500's have been delivered including the first new cruiser deliveries for Coach USA/Hudson Bus Transportation (Short Line).

Cesar Vergara, who as Chief Designer for NJ Transit is the only such person in that capacity for a transit agency, is profiled in the October 2002 Trains magazine. His work as an industrial designer harkens back to the days of Raymond Loewy, who created memorable railroad pieces (the GG-1 electric) and buses (GM's PD4501 "Scenicruiser" for Greyhound). Vergara designed the General Electric Genesis locomotives and as chief designer for NJT, holds sway over all aspects of the company's design components, from the rolling stock to the stations (hey, Cesar, how about freshening up those staid looking schedules?). The article makes note of Vergara's disdain for the long-standing NJT chevron ("ached of 1979... it looked like John Travolta designed it") and his attempts to put a fresh image on NJT's livery ("...are orange, magenta and blue bad colors for a transit agency? Absolutely not...they needed to be revisited"). Shown in the article is a new 4600-series ALP-46 electric locomotive that features a modified NJT logo, elongated to the length of the locomotive, but as a narrow strip with the colors separated by moire lines and retaining the 55-degree angles of the original logo.

Got a nice report from Meadowlands Garage that new MCI D4500's 8230-8245 have been delivered. Also, the 2600 series Nova Bus units are now in the process of being rehabbed.

Richard Sachs reports that the last four MC-9's out of Oradell Garage were retired this weekend. 6362, 6366, 6447 and 6475. Oradell now has only D4000's.

NJ Transit Press Release detailing fall service adjustments on bus lines and a list of routes which will now feature Super Cruisers (or D4500's).

Well, Somebody Bought It!

This eBay auction is actually for an early model MCI Cruiser (NOT a 1987 model as advertised, as it is clearly an MC-9A with the smaller destination sign), ex PA NY/NJ-Rockland Coaches. It does not run, is apparently missing engine and transmission, and most of its windows. Closing price: $201.00, and worth every penny, I'm sure. I do not know which bus this is. It also appears that there is another NJT bus alongside of it.

19 Hurt in NJT Bus Crash

Bus 1441 was involved in an accident in Newark on Sunday when a stolen van driving the wrong way Avon Avenue crashed into it head on. Nineteen people (including a passenger in the van) sustained minor injuries described as "bumps and bruises". The driver of the stolen van was arrested and charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, receiving stolen property and motor vehicle violations.

Charlie Bailey is in the process of compiling the VINS of the 3rd series of MCI cruisers. He has also sent along information on the missing 6800's that we have been lacking forever here as well as more background on Buses 1-10 (Which, by the way, are not active buses - I put them in bold to call attention to them, and now it appears that they're on the current roster). We now have the complete info for all 88 of the 6800 buses, from 6800 to 6887 inclusive. Look for this info to be memorialized in the Roster section real soon.

Meanwhile, we have given you more information on the MC8's that NJT acquired at the outset, now in Roster.

We fixed some incorrect serials on the 6000 series page, with respect to the 1969 MC7's picked up from Eastern Greyhound Lines. Thanks to Jim Bowman of the VINMen group for having an accurate 1969 delivery list to double check the serials.

Five of the 9200 series Volvos have gone to Virginia Overland. The buses, 9215, 9217, 9218, 9219 and 9229, will retain their NJT fleet numbers. Thanks to Charlie Bailey for winnowing out this info.