About Fun Fleet Bus #6000

This bus was purchased from New York City Transit Authority. I had to have this one to make the collection complete. These were fourth generation fishbowls but with a different model number (all fourth generation fishbowls in this category were 5307s). Scott Richards and I were looking over New York buses to purchase. I had already bought two.  Bus #6149 was the first one I bought but was in such bad shape I wanted a better 5309.

 I immediately called the maintenance department that was selling buses. (for a short time New York was selling buses off without going through auctions. Before everything was old by the scrap value by the pound. He told me I could buy 6000 and we rushed to East New York and paid for it. I later took delivery of the bus and prepared to head west to California. The bus was in good condition and went all the way and surprisingly it lasted many years for me. 

Now let me explain T6H-5309s. Why didn't New York get the standard T6H-5307A like everyone else? Well, New York had ordered over 3000 fishbowls in the past and GM would bend over to accommodate. All their buses were pretty much standard with few modifications. The actual reason they were 5309s and 5310s is that the entire electrical system is different than a standard fishbowl. The junction box for these was behind the driver, not on the wall. The wiring is totally different from a standard fishbowl. They are very similar to an RTS and I think they experimented with these and developed it into all RTS buses. GM had to create another model number and made special maintenance and parts books for them. Other than electrical, they are similar to a 5307