Charters & Overhead

[HRBran99 at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/05/1999 5:22:51 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
pghpcc at pacbell.net writes:

<< I can
 only remember a handful of dewirements, was on board one car which
 derailed, and know of only one or two other such mishaps.  Certainly
 doesn't mean they didn't happen, but these unusual incidents seemed
 rather rare! >>

One of the most "fireworks like" dewirements in the history of Pittsburgh 
trolley operations occurred to me one Sunday on the single track at the Saw 
Mill Run trestle. I entered the single track (inbound), started across the 
bridge and noticed the interior lights flashing on and off. There was then a 
snapping sound and what appeared to be great flashes of lightning. It was, 
however, a sunny July Sunday in Pittsburgh. All lights then went off and the 
car had no power. The car coasted to a stop and I got out to find all the 
overhead from the rear end of the car all the way back to the middle of the 
bridge was down. After the emergency crew arrived we found out the 
trolley-wheel had worn to the point where it had split into two pieces. The 
trolley wire got wedged in between what now amounted to two trolley wheels on 
the end of the pole and caught there. The car was moving and kept taking out 
hangars, span wires, and other assorted hardware until the wire broke and the 
car was without power. It amounted to a two hour delay until the overhead was 
back in place and my dead car (now also with a bent pole) was pushed back to 
S.H.Jct.

Just another memory of good PCC times!

HrB