Finleyville

[John Swindler]

>From: "Fred W. Schneider III" <fschnei at supernet.com>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: Re: Finleyville
>Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 09:19:25 -0400
>
>There were only ten HS DE cars ... without looking I think 4378 and nine in 
>the 4390s ... 4398 at Arden was one of them until the trucks were loaned to 
>PAT for use under the line car M210.  To the best of my knowledge, the high 
>speed double enders were assigned to Glenwood for use on 99 Glassport-Evans 
>Avenue.  They all had K-35 control.  After the last of the transfer or 
>shuttle routes were abandoned, the HS cars were retained and parceled out 
>to various divisions for use as emergency cars in the event of fires, 
>wrecks, floods, and other catastrophic events.  Remember that the 4300s 
>were all out of service by December 1953 and, contrary to expectations, the 
>single end cars were OST by the summer of 1954 because of business lost in 
>the strike that spring.  At that point there was really no reason to keep 
>training operators on K control and self-lapping brake valves just for 
>emergencies ... training men in how to drive buses was much more practical. 
>I would have to look at the roster, but I think if I did we would find that 
>the 9 HS DE cars (except for 4398) were scrapped in 1956 along with the 
>last 5400s and 5500s.
>

Except for 5432 which was converted into paint car M134 after Homewood Fire 
consumed previous paint car.  And before question raised, Pittsburgh used a 
"paint car" to paint clearance lines on streets.  For as many of us fondly 
remember, Pittsburgh's narrow streets made for both an interesting operation 
and continually caused the operators clearance problems with poorly parked 
automobiles and trucks.

Also noted in passing, PAT has website for information on current capital 
projects, including North Side connector and Overbrook Light Rail.  And 
newspaper articles back to early 1998 are available at Pittsburgh Post 
Gazette website.  (note for Jim Holland:   might particularly like copies of 
articles on Drake line by asking for search of "streetcar" at PG site.)

John S.
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