Westinghouse PCCs on Route 21

[Vigrass, Bill]

Is there a 21 Fineview bus today?  Is it special in any way(s)?  Bill
Vigrass

> ----------
> From: 	Robert E. Rathke[SMTP:brathke at juno.com]
> Reply To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: 	Sunday, October 03, 1999 12:06 PM
> To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: 	Re: Westinghouse PCCs on Route 21
> 
> This subject of PCCs on 21 Fineview became too interesting, so I made a
> complete review of photos I took on Fineview in the months the trolleys
> operated out of Tunnel Car House from 9/5/65 to 4/30/66 (or very early in
> the morning of 5/1/66, to be precise).
> 
> Here are the cars I photographed (dozens of times for some) in that
> period: 1637, 1676, 1678, 1681, 1683, 1684, 1686, 1687, 1689, 1690, 1693,
> 1695, 1696 and 1697.
> 
> 1637 ran on Fineview on Easter weekend, 1966.  I rode it and took
> interior and exterior
>          night photos.
> 1678 was on Fineview a lot in April, 1966, and it was the last car on the
> line on 4/30/66.
>          The second-last photo I took of this car was around Midnight on
> 4/30/66 - it shows 
>          John Dameron at the front door directing passengers off the car!
>  My last photo of          1678 was at 12:10 AM at 9th and Liberty as the
> car (with a Car House sign) 
>          headed back to Tunnel.  Then we all ran down the street to catch
> the last 6/14 
>          trolley (PCC 1799) to Avalon.
> 1697 ran on Fineview a LOT in the first four months of 1966.  It was the
> second-last car 
>          on the line on 4/30/66.
> 
> Bob 10/3
> 
> On Sat, 02 Oct 1999 21:59:24 +0000 Kenneth and Tracie Josephson
> <kjosephson at sprintmail.com> writes:
> >> > I recently reviewed my route 21 photos, and don't recall having a 
> >single
> >> > photo of a 1700 series car on Fineview.  Years ago I remember 
> >reading
> >> > that trolleys used on Fineview had special gearing.  True?
> >> 
> >> I read that, too. It was in Harold A. Smith's book. But since the 
> >cars
> >> of the 1776-1799 group had similar controls for hilly operation 
> >(though perhaps not the special
> >> gearing) and were used on Route 8, I "supposed" (as in speculated) 
> >that
> >> a GE 1700 could have been used on Route 21. But 1502?!? Unless there 
> >was
> >> something special about that particular car (modifications), I can't
> >> imagine why it was "up there" on Route 21. But I have a half dozen 
> >shots
> >> from the early '60's showing it on Route 21. Go figure. :-) Ken J.
> >
> >>From CuZin Bruce:
> >
> >The GE cars were preferred because Keating carhouse was 98% GE and the
> >21 ran out of
> >Keating.  The photos you have of 1502 I would bet is from a 1964 PRMA
> >(now PTM) fantrip.
> >I have recently seen pictures of 1641 running on 21 but this was after
> >Keating closed and
> >it was running out of Tunnel.  Tunnel did keep 1678 and 1697 running
> >until the line quit
> >April 30, 1966 and they were the cars run on the last day.
> >
> >The feature of Fineview cars that made them special was a gang switch 
> >to
> >turn on
> >the rail brakes to hold the car on the hill if needed.  The WABCo car
> >1467 (at PA Trolley
> >Museum has such a switch.  Fineview cars also carried a coal bucket 
> >full
> >of extra sand
> >under the motorman's seat.
> >
> >Legend has it that all electric cars were not used as a rule because 
> >the
> >shaft brakes were
> >spring applied and electrically released and didn't have holding power
> >on hills if
> >slightly out of adjustment.   We rolled back a lot at photo stops on
> >Arlington Avenue on
> >the last day of the 48 (1968) when we decided that we should use a GE
> >1700 (1780) and the
> >shaft brakes didn't want to hold.
> >
> >CuZ
> 
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