Johnstown PCC Scans & a Pittsburgh Fantasy

[EDWARD H. LYBARGER]

ONE - repeat, ONE original length of P&CS rail was found in use as a guard
when PTM track crews dismantled Overbrook.  We will someday be displaying a
section of it showing the rolling marks.
----- Original Message -----
From: Charles Brown <Charlesebrown at webtv.net>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 17, 1999 4:44 AM
Subject: Re: Johnstown PCC Scans & a Pittsburgh Fantasy


> Thanks, Jim, for reminding me of a question that I forgot to post in
> regards to the rails on the Overbrook line.  In one or more of the video
> segments that you sent me it showed some sections with 4 rails where
> there wouldn't be any need for guard rails nor were they the right
> spacing for such.  The narrated segment (with the "noisy PCC's")
> mentioned that they were the original rails of the narrow-gauge railway
> (was it always steam or had they converted it to electric?) and I wanted
> to confirm that with you.  It seemed like they used awfully wide ties
> for the narrow-gauge railway for them to simply lay your bizarre wide
> gauge tracks alongside of them.
>
> As for getting some narrow-gauge cars to run on them, there are still
> some LA P-1 PCC's around in Egypt, plus a couple of the wide ones (P-3)
> in Chile I think.  Not to mention a couple still floating around (3101
> in Colorado Springs and 3087 somewhere in the California desert).  Not
> to mention a couple of "H" class cars around.  Not to mention..., well,
> this is getting w-a-y off topic.
>
> Don mentioned the fact that Cincinnati used the Pennsy wide gauge on
> their system.  Cincinnati was a bit weird anyway.  They didn't know how
> many wires to stick overhead and while they got the correct number of
> trolley poles on the cars (2), they stuck them both at one end!  Did any
> other system use the wide gauge (5'2") outside of Pennsylvania?  And
> thanks, Jim (and Ed), for answering my question about the origins of it.
> Now if you guys could only explain where the heck Baltimore got their
> gauge from... (I know, it's off topic, plus I have the books on
> Baltimore but it would mean getting off of the couch to get them and
> then looking thru them for the answer, ah, too much work).
>
> BTW, I'll be out of town next week so no fair talking about anything
> interesting until I get back.
>
> Charlie
>
> Charlesebrown at webtv.net
>
>