TR: Pittsburgh Low Entry

[Vigrass, Bill]

Overhead is the fun part of trolley modelling.
Bill Vigrass, Master Mechanic, The Thunder Gulch Traction Co. ("0" gauge).

> ----------
> From: 	Jim Holland[SMTP:pghpcc at pacbell.net]
> Reply To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: 	Wednesday, September 01, 1999 3:57 PM
> To: 	trolley at railspot.com
> Cc: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: 	Re: TR: Pittsburgh Low Entry
> 
> Greetings!
> 
> Carl Zager wrote:
> 
> > Dave's Electric Railroads page has 2 James B. Holland photos of
> Pittsburgh
> > Railways 3756, a 30's-40's wooden low entry streetcar:
> >         http://davesrailpix.railfan.net/pitts/jpg/pitt125.jpg
> > and     http://davesrailpix.railfan.net/pitts/jpg/pitt126.jpg
> 
> > Does anyone know if there are published dimensions or plans for this
> class
> > of car? I think they were built either by Jones or St. Louis.
> 
> 	These cars were known as *Low-Floor Cars* by most in Pittsburgh and
> as *Jones Cars* by a 
> few because of a superintendent by that name who made significant
> contributions to the design of 
> the car.  Although painted traction orange, they faded quickly to a yellow
> and were known by the 
> public as *Yellow Cars.*
> 	Ultimately there were over 1,000 of this similar design built for
> use in Pittsburgh between 
> 1915 and 1925.  This included trailers, motorized trailers, and single-
> and double-ended cars.  
> Over a dozen cars were located at the Tylerdale Car Barn in Little
> Washington for use over the 
> three local city lines and a handful were located at the Charleroi Car
> House on the Charleroi 
> interurban for local use from Riverview into Donora.
> 	Car 3756 was part of a 20-car (3750-3769) order built specifically
> for use on the 
> Charleroi-Roscoe interurban but they were rough riding and unpopular with
> everyone - public and 
> railway alike.  The first nine of this series then had a left hand door
> cut into them for use on 
> the 23 Sewickley line to prevent boarding or leaving passengers from
> stepping into traffic on side 
> of the road prw on Neville Island.  All of these cars were still used as
> trippers on the Charleroi 
> and Washington interurban lines to the end; many of them even saw service
> on city lines in the 
> South Hills.
> 	The Low-Floor cars were the backbone of PRCo until the advent of the
> PCC cars.  These 
> Yellow Cars saw service on every single route, even the isolated 29
> Thornburgh.
> 	The only plans of PRCo streetcars in the Carsten's publication is
> one of a single truck 
> bobber, M1.  *Traction Heritage* did print general plans for these cars.
> 
> 	The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Little Washington has several
> very inexpensive booklets 
> with very good photos of these cars.  They also have some general plans
> for a nominal fee.
> 
> > My own, under construction, cityscape is a simple, narrow dogbone from a
> > city block to a suburban station. I have one, that's right one, Bowser
> > PCC. I'm struggling with overhead, but that's still a little ways off.
> 
> 	Guess overhead is an item that scares many modellers and that is
> really the only thing that 
> makes it difficult  --  our attitude toward it!  It is time consuming but
> very simple and extremely 
> rewarding.  Don't let it get the best of you!
> 
> -- 
> 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/
>