Johnstown PCC Scans & a Pittsburgh Fantasy

[Robert E. Rathke]

I took photos of JTC PCC's in storage at the Moxham barn a couple of time
in 1961, and they still seemed to be in good condition.  I was back in
Johnstown in 1964, and I'm sure I saw some PCCs in an open area (scrap
yard?) outside the downtown city area.  Unfortunately I didn't have my
camera along, and didn't take notes.  Could the PCC's have lasted in
Johnstown until 1964 or even 1967?  Has that "1967" photo date (
mentioned here a few days ago) been confirmed?

Bob Rathke 7/17




On Sat, 17 Jul 1999 07:54:14 +0000 Kenneth and Tracie Josephson
<kjosephson at sprintmail.com> writes:
>Jim Holland wrote:
>
>>         Do you remember a time in the 80s (were you shaving yet, 
>Ken?!)
>> when they considered purchasing / leasing some Boston cars?  If they
>> purchased the Dallas DE cars from Bean Town, they wouldn't have to 
>put
>> those ({[ooogly]}) front poles on three of their own!  Don't 
>remember the
>> details.  Both Johnstown and DC were long gone before ({[PAT]}), 
>weren't
>> they?
>
>DC Transit retained many of their PCCs into the mid 1960's hoping to
>sell them off. I have Hill pictures (soon to be offered on eBay) taken
>in 1966 showing these cars in storage. I thought Johnstown kept their
>PCC's for several years after abandonment before stripping them and
>sending the components to Europe.
>
>>         Los Angeles went out in 1963 and since Overbrook was once a
>> narrow gauge railroad with some of that rail supposedly remaining in
>> 1964, they could have used the extremely well maintained LA 
>air-cars; the
>> all-electrics would be too wide!  You did say "What if?" - didn't
>> you???????
>
>Sure. This is a fantasy, isn't it? I wonder if some retrucked
>all-electric LATL cars could have been used on the East End or North
>Side lines?
>
>>         Bombardier, which built the superb LRVs for Portland, OR, 
>initial
>> order was contemplating building a car using "updated PCC 
>technology!!!"
>
>I guess that made too much sense. ;-)
>
>>  Now here is a "What IF?" that you can run with!
>>         Oorrrrr, there might be some good, used, articulated, PCCs 
>from
>> Europe or Russia that might have filled the bill as well!  These 
>would
>> probably be *more skinnier* than the Pgh. PCCs and would fit in very
>> nicely.
>
>True...since much of Pittsburgh is forested (and of course, very hilly
>and mountainous) European cars would have been very exotic in the 
>Steel
>City.
>
>>         Orrrrr, Pgh. could have purchased / leased the cars sitting
>> around in El Paso and renumbered one #100 - they were almost as old!
>
>I'd hate to those great vintage cars exposed to road salt after being
>dry all these years. I have my own fantasy of those being rewired for
>750 VDC and returned to San Diego for charter use. :-)
>
>Ken J,
>
>P.S.- I started shaving in 1975 ;-)

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