Speed--Tunnel; Derail Operation

[Edward H. Lybarger]

In theory, the car is making money (at least in days of olde) as it moves
along the route.  If it is sitting in traffic for a larger percentage of its
total trip time, much more of the trip is wasted.  By this logic, an
interurban tripper wasted less than a latter-day tripper even if each made
only one trip per peak hour.  And you could still be paying the operator for
four hours, couldn't you?  But I'm the first to admit I do not know how pay
hours are calculated or what minima apply.

Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Jim Holland
Sent: Monday, December 13, 1999 8:17 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: Re: Speed--Tunnel; Derail Operation


Greetings!

John Swindler wrote:

> Also recall looking at vehicle requirements and running times in early
70s,
> and noting that 1/3 of the fleet was sitting in traffic in the Golden
> Triangle during rush hours.  That represented a lot of your tax money
being
> wasted because many cars were only making one rush hour trip.

	But if the trip was needed to carry the people, how is that wasted?
Many rush hour trippers were only 1-2 trips even in PRCo days.  There
are three one-way trippers leaving Grant-Liberty for Canonsburg on the
1950.01.22 schedule:  4.43, 4.53, and 5.19 PM.  With 1 hour ten minutes
one way, the first one would get back downtown at 7.03 PM, not much good
for anything at that time.  So it probably just returned to the barn as
opposed to going downtown.  It's the long dead-head time reverse running
almost empty that is a waste but a necessary evil!

> Today, it's 9 min. South Hills Jct. to Gateway Center but 49 min. for
> Library.

	Or in other words - 40 minutes from South Hills Junction to Library for
an LRV and 41 minutes from Grant and Liberty over City streets through
SHJ to Library for a PCC interurban!!!!!!!
	Mannnnnnn,  t-h-a-t's  P-r-o-g-r-e-s-s!!!!!!!

James B. Holland
------- -- ---------
        Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo), June of 1949 -- June of 1953
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