Pittsburgh High Floor Cars

[Fred Schneider]

Response is primarily aimed toward Bill Vigrass, who yesterday stated
that he had been told that two-man high floor cars had been running in
Mount Lebanon or Dormont early in WW2.  There is some meat in here that
might be of interest to the others.

Bill, this deals only with the 1909 Brill semi-steel 4000-4079 group and
the 1911 Pressed Steel 4100-4149 cars.  The 3500-3549 cars had a similar
loading and platform pattern but were all out of service in the early
1930s.  There were also some 3400s rebuilt for rear entrance and front
exit, which looked remotely similar to a 3500 because of the new
platforms.  These also disappeared very early, probably surplused by
declining needs and an abundance of low-floor cars.  

None of the 4000s and 4100s were running in World War II except for
those reconfigured to snow scrapers and tow cars in 1940 and 1941.

The 80 cars in the 4000 series were all there through 1926.  The first
to go was 4079 in 1927.  Others were retired as follows:  1 in 1928, 6
in 1930, 1 in 1931, 23 in 1935, 7 during 1937, and the remainder were
retired in 1940. Two, I believe, were converted to scrapers in 1940.
The last scrapped was 4000 which was burnt at Homewood on New Years Eve,
1940.  Imagine a 45 foot long bonfire in a residential neighborhood
today!  I suspect, since it was scrapped at Homewood while all the
others got the torch at Ingram that it might have been in storage for
conversion to miscellaneous (numbers preceded by M-) status and somebody
took a closer look at its condition ord needs or the balance sheet.

The 50 cars of the 4100 series were all on the property at the end of
1934.  They were retired as follows: 2 in 1935, 4 in 1937, 4 in 1938, 2
in 1939 and the remaining 40 in 1940.  Quite a few of this group became
snow scrapers etc in 1940-41.  The last two scrapped were 4105 and 4118
on October 4, 1940.  The last conversion was 4131, which became tow car
M197 in December 1941.  Obviously, some had been retired from passenger
service and were in storage for at least a year pending conversion to
work cars.

The delivery of PCC 100 in 1936, 1000-1099 in 1937, and 1100-1199 by
1938 were more than adequate to replace not only all of the high floor
cars but some low-floor cars as well.

Something else, Bill, that you  might want to look at were the 225
low-floor center-entrance trailers that were operated in conjunction
with the 4000-4079, 4100-4149, and 4800-4939 groups (the last 140 were
low-floor cars). 
These 1912-1913 trailers were the structural prototypes for 833
low-floor motor cars (216 double end, 263  single-end multiple-unit, and
354 single-end non-MU)built between 1914 and 1926.  Sadly, the addition
of end doors on motor cars severely weakened the platform structure.
The ends of most PRC low-floor cars had a pronounced sag.  In fact, the
Osgood Bradley builder's photograph of 5200 shows the side sheet behind
the front door already wrinkled in compression from the sag in the front
platform, and it hadn't even been loaded on a flatcar yet!

The first 100 trailers (A200-A299) were all retired by 1932 except for 4
cars which had been previously rebuilt as prototype motor cars,
originally as center-entrance and exit and later with single-stream exit
doors at each end.  

The other 225 trailers (A300-A424)went were metamorphosed several times.
Some cars received two-motors and were renumbered into the B series.
All cars with a B prefix were motorized trailers.  Later, some motorized
cars were given shunting controls (the British term for moving wagons
around wagons in a marshalling yard; no relation to electrical
terminology).  The trailers with two motors, the single point
controller, and the hand brake were renumbered into the C series.  By
the way, these were all single-end cars with center doors on one side
only ... one can only imagine what could happen in an accident with only
one way out.  All of the A300-A424 cars were retired by the end of 1933.
The B and C trailers were retired between 1934 and 1938.  They were last
used in revenue service in 1937 and in that last year, the company
rostered 17 B and 32 C trailers.  

Pittsburgh had a long history of running trailers ... there were many
two-axle trailers in the early years and some of those were still around
in the late 1920s.  NOW, HERE IS THE REASON THEY ARE MENTIONED AT ALL.
the double truck (bogie) trailers between A200-A424 and the motorized
versions were operated in conjunction with the high floor motor cars and
the low-floor motor cars cars numbered 4800-4939.  The 4800s each had
one K-43 platform controller which was adquate to handle the load
imposed by 6 motors ... apparently sort of a beefed up K35.  And,
judging from period literature, the 4800s were bought specifically to
pull trailers after P N Jones realized he could get a train out of a
stop faster if there were not so many steps to climb. 

The 4000s and 4100s also had K-43 controllers; I have absolutely no idea
whether or not they were cabled to enable a motorized trailer to be
jumpered to them.  There is the possibility that the 4000s and 4100s
were retained was the need to pull trailers???? I doubt it ... more
likely I suspec the need for trailers evaporated first, then the need
for the motor cars.  

As you can see, there is considerable material around on the PRC fleet.
Unfortunately, when there was an opportunity to save all the car
maintenance record cars, only one of each type car was saved.  A lot of
drawings from Homewood Shops survive as does the paint book (records
when every car was painted, and how much of the car was spruced up), car
assignments (at least after 1940), scrap dates, even the original
predecessor owners of many of the single-truck cars.  But, because of
the last of the individual car cards, we are no longer able to track the
many control / brake changes applied to each car.  

I have had a long personal interest in the strengths and weaknesses of
the 300 plus low-floor cars that were originally fitted with the
Westinghouse and General Electric versions of Jones Remote Control.  You
probably recall, that both systems used resistance only on the first
starting point with all motors in series; the scheme then progressed
through a variety of motor connections ... some bizzare such as two in
series, one parallel, and one dead ... until the car was in full
parallel.  The low-floor 4200s, 4300s, 4400s, and 4700s that survived
the depression may have all been rebuilt to K-35 or Pittsburgh's novel
Westinghouse built knock-off of GE Type M (solenoid switches instead of
air unit switches).  John Baxter told me there were some Jones cars
still around when he worked for the company, and that they were used on
flat routes like 52 East Carson Street shuttle.  However, I am guilty of
feeding John the answers I was looking for and thus the answers lack
credibility.  It is quite possible that most of the 4250-4349 cars that
were scrapped late in the Depression were all unconverted two-man Jones
cars (we have pictures of some).  But I've yet to see any official
documentary evidence.  

SO, IF ANYONE OUT THERE WANTS TO JUMP IN ON THE JONES CARS ...
4200-4399, 4700-4799, 6000, 6001-6005, 2100-2101, AND PERHAPS EVEN THE
3700-3714 INTERURBANS ... LET'S HEAR IT.