More PRC recollections - 22 Crosstown

[brathke at juno.com]

This one is for those who were around in the 1950's and early 60's.  

Does anyone remember the little man in the long overcoat (regardless of
season) who hung around 22-Crosstown stops at East. Ohio and Federal
Streets, and sometimes downtown at Sixth St. and Penn Ave.? He carried
slips of paper and furiously wrote down the number of passing trolleys. 
He also rode 22-Crosstown cars, holding down the seat behind the
motorman.  He was NOT a trolley fan, and he never spoke to anyone.  The
local buzz was that he was reacting to a mysterious trolley accident
involving a family member.

I saw this man many, many times, but interacted with him only once.  I
lived on Spring Hill, and on New Years Day, 1960, I had to work downtown,
and was waiting for a 22-Crosstown trolley to get me there.  The trolley
never arrived, but eventually the little man in the overcoat approached
me and began to use sign language.  He showed me a 22-Crosstown
timetable, and shook his head, trying to tell me that the Crosstown
trolleys weren't running on that holiday.  He was deaf mute!  I thanked
him, and started to walk to downtown.

Does anyone remember this fixture on route 22?

I didn't have to work over the New Years WEEKEND, and so I drove to
Johnstown to photograph JTC trolleys in their last six months.  One of
the photos I took on January 3, 1960 can be seen at
<http://gelwood.railfan.net/other/lightrail/jtc416.jpg>.  Note the double
trolley wire for use by both trolleys and trolley buses.

Bob 8/6

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