PRC 100/M11 & ?? #100

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Robert E. Rathke wrote:

> I've been reading the mail about the city location of  "the first PCC",
> but I don't seem to have the final, definitive word on this question.
> What can we say about the 100 being the "first..." (other than it being
> the first PCC in Pittsburgh)?

	Quoting from *PCC The Car That Fought Back* page 76, bottom photo 
caption:
	"Long forgotten today, Pittsburgh Railways car 100 was actually 
the first PCC delivered to a customer and was in both demonstration loop 
and revenue service on route 50 prior to the debut of the Brooklyn cars.  
Converted to an instruction car in 1950, it survived until 1967 when it 
was rejected by PRC's successor . . ."

	From *The History of The St. Louis Car Company* by Young, page 196 
photo caption:
	"It is not generally appreciated that although Pittsburgh #100 was 
ordered after the Brooklyn, Baltimore and Chicago cars, it was in fact the 
very first PCC car to be completed, delivered and put into service.  
Finished in June 1936, it was running in Pittsburgh a few days later, over 
four months before the Brooklyn cars went into traffic."

	From *PCC From Coast to Coast* page 162, first full paragraph:
	"In the spring of 1936 the Sunday newspaper supplements carried 
the news that Pittsburgh Railways had purchased its first PCC car.  
Although the single vehicle comprised the fourth order placed with St. 
Louis Car, number 100 was the first PCC car delivered in the world.  It 
ran in free demonstration service for two weeks starting September 12 . ."

	In *From Horsecars to Streamliners - An Illustrated History of The 
St. Louis Car Company* page 366, it shows:
	"Job order 1600 for Brooklyn 1001-1099, shipped 
1936.08.19-1937.01.08.  Job order 1601 for Baltimore, shipped 
1936.08.29-1936.11.19.   Job order 1602 for CSL shipped 
1936.10.22-1937.01.29.  Job order 1603 for PRCo #100, shipped 1936.07.23.
Job order 1604 for PRCo 1000-1099 shipped 1937.01.20-1937.05.20."  All 
succeeding dates are later for PCC delivery.

	I also have a copy of a typewritten report dated "10/18/38" but I 
do not know its source.
	For Brooklyn it says:
	"NO. OF CARS:  100 (placed in service beginning October 1, 1936; 
full schedule in operation during month of December 1937.)  Total car 
miles operated to July 1, 1938 - approx. 7,100,000."
	For Baltimore it says:
	"NO. OF CARS:  27 (Placed in service in December, 1936 and 
January, 1937).  Car miles operated to January 1, 1938 - 2,113,000."
	For CSL it says:
	"NO. OF CARS:  83 (first placed in service November 13, 1937; all 
service by February 20, 1937).  Total miles operated to June 30, 1938 - 
4,785,000."
	For PRCo it says:
	"NUMBER OF CARS AND DISTRIBUTION"
		"The Pittsburgh Railways Copmpany has in operation 201 
P.C.C. cars, which have been on the property since the following dates:
#100 July 26, 1936; 1000-1099 January 23, 1937 to May 23, 1937; 1100-1199 
October 12, 1937-January 24, 1938.  Total car miles operated to August 31, 
1938 - 11,880,765."

	I have seen a couple dates for conversion to M11.

	I have a question:  When referring to a 17 we usually say 1712 or 
1765.  When referring to a 16 we usually say 1614 or 1630.  Same for all 
the other series of PCC Streetcars EXCEPT M11 ex #100 - why do we put the 
"#" sign in front of 100??????? !!!!!!!

James B. Holland
------- -- ---------
        Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo), June of 1949 -- June of 1953
    To e-mail *off-list,* please click here: mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190; http://www.mcs.net:80/~weyand/nmra/