Track Switch Control ...MOST LIKELY, crazy question, but...

[mrb190]

I have what is probably a smeared-up recollection of boarding a PCC with my
grandfather now and again, and seeing a "steering wheel" on the dash.....   Was
there ever such a call for this on a PCC?   Or is the imaginings of a child of 5 or
6?   I don't think I dreamed it.   Maybe we were boarding a bus...who knows.

Matt

Bob Schmidt wrote:

> Good morning!
>
> I remember quite clearly the motormen of the high and low floor cars
> "powering up a notch and applying the brake simultaneously" for on-board
> switch throwing operations. There were also various episodes when the
> track switch failed to 'throw', the  manual pinchbar being yanked from
> its holding niche next to the emergency brake wheel, and the entire
> episode accompanied by barely audible four-letter words.
>
> Both of the inbound tunnel de-rails at SHJ were activated likewise, and
> were the ones incurring the most wrath. Of course, a young lad of the
> mid-1940's at the time would've been impressed by this scenario. And so,
> you've just heard (read) the playback.
>
> Bob S
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject: Track Switch Control
> Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 20:29:48 -0800
> From: Jim Holland <pghpcc at pacbell.net>
> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> To: PRCo -- WP -- JTC -- The Big *3* -- <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
>
> Greetings!
>
>         The PCC cars used a toggle on the dash for controlling track switches
> and it was forbidden to use the power pedal thru the overhead contactor
> to set the turnout for diverge.
>
>         How did the low-floor cars and other non-PCC car set the switches?  Did
> they have a toggle installed for such purpose or did they notch up the
> controller and apply the brakes?
>
> James B. Holland
> ------- -- ---------
>         Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo), June of 1949 -- June of 1953
>     To e-mail *privately,* please click here: mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
> N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190; http://www.mcs.net:80/~weyand/nmra/