PRCo Roster -- PCC Cars

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Derrick J Brashear wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 6 Oct 1999, Kenneth and Tracie Josephson wrote:
> 
> > Jim Holland wrote:
> > >
> > > Greetings!
> >
> > > Then there was PCC 100, the very first in the world.
> >
> > Jim, you know I seldom get this picky, but shouldn't we call 100 the
> > first *production* PCC in the world? Chicago and Brooklyn had
> > pre-production models... Ken J.
> 
> And for that matter the Washington pre-PCC Brills and St. Louis units.
> 
> It's really a shame 100 got so far gone, it would be nice if it could have
> survived. That said, I'm glad we still have as many as we do.
> 
> -D

> > A-n-d, Mr. Kenny J wrote:::::::

> > P.S.- As long as PTM has Shaker equipment and hardware, couldn't we
> > consider it honorary Pennsylvania traction? ;-D

	This is one of my concerns with the museum - they get a Shaker Heights 
PCC but let  m-a-n-y  PRCo PCC cars slip through their fingers.
	Dave Hamley, a very long time, very active member of the museum has 
taken them to task on this very subject and it was published in *Trolley Fare* 
- the bi-monthly newsletter of PTM.  His article is entitled::
   *Department of Hindsight - Boats we have Missed and Balls we have Dropped*
and appeared in the May-June 1992 issue.  Dave says it best so let me quote 
from his article:

	"The following represents the personal opinions of the author [David H. 
Hamley].  It is not intended to point a finger at any individual nor suggest 
that anyone has to answer in any way for what did or did not happen. . . But we 
have also at times failed to make acquisitions that . . . would have enabled us 
to present an even more impressive and useful collection and would have placed 
Arden in a better position for museum maintenance, future restoration work and 
particularly, public operations."
	". . . I offer these matters only as history, and in doing so hope that 
present and future generations can learn from our past, both in what we did, 
and what we did not do.  Recently I read a document prepared by an uncredited 
individual in 1960.  This handwritten text laid out a car acquisition policy 
for Arden and made a number of specific recommendations. . . and many of these 
are those `boats we have missed and balls we have dropped.'"
	"This 1960 document . . . and intelligent content of that first 
paragraph . . . is repeated here in its entirety:"
	"`General Policy:  The statements on acquiring specific car types 
contained in this report are based on two principles.  One is that of obtaining 
a representative collection of cars that have operated on the street and 
interurban railways of the Pittsburgh are particularly, and more generally of 
Western Pennsylvania and the Upper Ohio Valley.  The second important principle 
is that the collection should as much as possible depict the complete history 
of electric railway equipment.  Within these principles, cars to be acquired 
should be considered on the basis of availability, cost, condition, as well as 
other relevant factors.'"
	"We acquired several pieces of standard gauge railroad equipment . . . 
But I now see these . . . as basic errors in judgment.  They diverted some of 
our time, money and talent into what is now clearly seen as a dead end.  WE  
BEGAN  AS  A  TROLLEY  MUSEUM,  AND  WE  SHOULD  END  AS  A  TROLLEY  MUSEUM,  
AND  A  TROLLEY  MUSEUM  O-N-L-Y"  [EMPHASIS  ADDED].
	"Within the general heading, the 1960 report breaks down PCCs into 
air-electric non-standee window cars of 1936-1945 vintage and the all-electric 
standee window cars that came later. . . The report goes so far as to give 
preference to an all-electric . . . if only one PCC is to be acquired."
	"My personal feeling is that this `only one PCC' policy was 
shortsighted. . . Among those in our membership, and trolley fans in general, 
there has always been a degree of anti-PCC sentiment."
	". . . I have observed that the level of interest shown by visitors in 
PRCo 3487 (1905), 4140 (1911), and even 4398 (1916) in  n-o  w-a-y  compares 
with that shown in our 1937 PCC car 1138.  People just plain light up upon 
seeing a  f-a-m-i-l-i-a-r  car . . ."
	". . . but at the same time I feel we blew the chance to preserve one 
particular historic PCC car."

	T-H-A-T  PCC car, ladies and gents, is PRCo PCC 100, the first 
production model in service (thank you, Kenny J !!!!!!!  :>)  :>]

	And incidentally, the Washington, DC, Brills and St. Louis cars are 
P-R-E - PCC and thus  N-O-T  PCC and don't deserve consideration nor status 
along side PRCo 100!!!!!!!   :>)   :>}   :>]  :>(  :>{  :>[

James B. Holland
------- -- ---------
        Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo), June of 1949 -- June of 1953
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