The bus show…
5 minute read
September 17, 2025, 8:47 PM
On September 13, the Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center held its annual bus show, where bus enthusiasts could show their buses, and other bus enthusiasts could enjoy them. The show took the same format as the previous year, and many of the participants from the previous year returned with their buses. All in all, it was a fun time, and I probably spent more time socializing than I did seeing buses. But that was fine, because I hadn’t seen many of those people in quite a while. My bus, former CARTA unit 3426, did not make an appearance, as it is currently in Middle River, Maryland (just north of Baltimore) at Johnson & Towers getting some engine work done after a few problems that we thought that we had rectified earlier came up again en route to a shop to complete some HVAC work. But that’s okay. I’d rather wait and take a fully healthy bus where we are confident about its prospects of completing the trip to a future event than to be worried about a breakdown the entire way up and back.
As far as photography went, this time around, I focused on what was different. So in most cases, if I had photographed the bus in 2024, I didn’t photograph it again. Not that I don’t love all of those buses, but I had gotten decent shots of them last year, and I didn’t feel the need to duplicate them unless significant changes had occurred. Thus while buses like former Bee-Line 687 and former SEPTA 5939 were there, I skipped them. I was also a bit surprised that DASH from Alexandria didn’t make a formal appearance this time around, either with a bus brought up from Alexandria, or bus 97, which now belongs to the group that puts on the show. Likewise, that school bus that seemed so out of place last year and didn’t get any love wasn’t there this time. The arrangement of the buses in the parking lot was also different, as some of the buses were parked facing northwest rather than southeast, which put the sun to their rear, which didn’t lend itself to great photos. So if you see a few dark photos, that’s why: far too much backlighting, and no good way to get around it.
So here’s what I got:
This is Frank Cardona’s new bus, former PRTC 182, a 2000 Orion V with suburban seating. Last year, Frank had brought former Bee-Line bus 675, but after the bus developed some major mechanical problems, he sold it to a local salvage dealer for scrap, and replaced it with 182.
Former Bee-Line bus 819, a 2008 Orion V, owned by Rafiq Nelson.
Front interior of Bee-Line bus 819. Compare the seats shown here to the same shot taken last year on bus 700.
A 1973 GMC New Look, former Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority (MSBA) bus 117, owned by Angela Randazzo.
Former Dutchess County Public Transit bus 103, a 2010 Orion VII Next Generation owned by Aahd Tahar.
Former CT Transit bus 9091, a 1990 MCI Classic.
Trevor Logan’s former Bee-Line bus 700 made another appearance this year, after having received some updates since the previous year’s show. The bus now sports a set of full color Hanover displays on the front and side, and he also restored a number of decals to the side of the bus, and also added some of his own. Worth noting that “Hunter” is his nickname for this bus, a reference to the mythological Orion character, who was a hunter. Trevor’s signage really stole the show, as everyone watched as he cycled through some of the rather unique signs that he had programmed.
I’m not as big into motorcoaches as I am with transit buses, but this former Greyhound Scenicruiser definitely caught my eye. The Scenicruiser has a raised rear section, allowing passengers to see out the front of the bus. The bus looked pretty rough on the outside and the inside, but I imagine that it will look great with a little bit of love.
Lower level of the Scenicruiser, facing aft.
Upper level of the Scenicruiser, facing forward. Note the large windshield on the upper level.
Restroom on board the scenicruiser.
Then I got a bunch of photos of buses as they started filing out onto Route 9:
Former NJ Transit 20121, painted in heritage livery.
Former Public Service bus Z603, a GMC PD-4903.
Former Public Service bus E313, a 1951 GMC TDH-4509.
Trevor Logan’s bus 700.
A classic Flxible coach.
Angela Randazzo’s 1973 GMC New Look.
Former NJ Transit bus PA5064, a 1987 MCI MC-9B.
Former SEPTA bus 5939, a 2004 New Flyer D40LF.
Frank’s bus.
Former Public Serice bus 720B, a 1970 GM S8M-5303A.
Former Inter City Lines bus 116, a 1946 GM PD 4106.
All in all, I had fun at the New Jersey bus show, though I felt like it was less about buses this year as it was about meeting up with fellow enthusiasts and catching up with people. That’s not a bad thing, though. Meanwhile, I think that next year, if I’m not driving Biscuit as part of this procession out of the show (i.e. if I get someone else to drive her out), I’m going to throw a drone up in the air nearby and get some aerials of the buses departing. That way, I get better lighting, and I also get an angle that no one else gets. We’ll see.
Categories: New Jersey, Transit
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