Shuttles -- # of Cars -- should be # of Trips

Donald Galt galtfd at att.net
Mon Nov 29 17:36:26 EST 1999


On 28 Nov 99, at 3:10, Jim Holland wrote:

> 	I submit that the column heading *Afternoon Peak Cars* should be
> changed to read *Afternoon Peak Trips/Hour.*
> 
> 	If you multiply *Afternoon Peak Cars* times *Afternoon Peak Headways*
> you get  SIXTY  (60)  e-v-e-r-y  s-i-n-g-l-e  t-i-m-e!!!!!!!  (okay, 8
> times 8 is 64 - the 7.5 trips per hour on an 8 minute headway must have
> been rounded off - 102-Etna, 103-Millvale, 107-Brighton Road are 8 trips
> per hour with 8 minute headways.)  So I guess that this means that every
> single route in Pittsburgh was exactly 60 minutes long  O-R  that the
> heading of *Afternoon Peak Cars* is wrong!
> 
> 	Other examples:::::::
> 		 106-Perrysville Ave 24 times 2.5 minutes = 60!!!!
> 		 111-Troy Hill 10 times 6 minutes = 60!!!!
> 		 114-Western Avenue 15 times 4 minutes = 60!!!!
> 		 204-Crafton - Ingram 4 times 15 minutes = 60!!!!
> 		 207-Elliott - Sheraden 20 times 3 minutes = 60!!!!
> 		 213-MtWashington via Tunnel 10 times 6 minutes = 60!!
> 		 313-Brookline 5 times 12 minutes = 60!!!!
> 		1101-Charleroi 2 times 30 minutes = 60!!!!
> 		1303-Washington to Pittsburgh 1 times 60 minutes = 60!!
> 
Well, I suppose I ought to double-check Jim's calculations, but his case 
seems pretty airtight. Certainly "number of cars" has always carried the 
popular connotation of "departures," though it would have been nice if the 
Arnold Report had used different terminology.

One thing remains: I didn't bother to furnish the columns breaking the "cars" 
down into the following categories:

-17' 4"
-19' 3"
-21'
-21' (yes, two columns)
-27' 4"
-29' 11"
-29' 11"
-3200/3209
-3400
-3500/3554
-3600
-4000
-Price
-Steel
-Trailers
   19'
   19' 4"

As best I can make out, there is one entry for "steel" and none for "price," 
but most of the other categories add up on each line to the total number of 
cars - except for trailers, which are additional.

Anyway, there are totals at the bottom of each column, with the following 
grand totals:

-Trailers: 150
-Motor cars: 753
-Seats: 28,048

If this means scheduled departures between 5 and 6 PM "based on January 
schedules and daily mileage reports of February 21st 1910" rather than car 
allocations, so be it. I'm a little surprised that they would be broken down by 
car type and seating capacity, but suppose that this must reflect the 
statistics from that particular day.

So, James, good work cracking that nut!

And goodness, you have been busy over the weekend!

D2 (nursing a cold and staying away from all the activity surrounding the 
World Trade Organisation in Seattle)



More information about the Pittsburgh-railways mailing list