Maintenance Pittsburgh Style

[Kenneth Josephson]

I'm sure the title of this posting will generate some wise cracks. We've
all seen (at least in pictures) the beat up, rusted carbodies and read
posts about rattling brakes on 1700s. Some of us have seen motormen run
duct tape around the dash vent doors during winter.

I'm attempting to start a thread on mechanical maintenance. The
topography, weather and loads the cars carried must have tested the
various designs to their limits (cat, get off my keyboard!!!)

There must be some great stories out there about the people who kept the
cars rolling, the improvision which may have occurred when cash was
especially tight, when early PAT management was hostile toward rail
transit and when part supplies began to evaporate in earnest. Some cars
had to have "nasty personalities" or chronic problems that caused
operators to groan when they discovered they had to take one of those
particular cars out. Which individual cars were the most or least popular
with the motormen?

The cramped Tunnel Carhouse shops must have presented unique problems once
Early Action began and the decision was made to retain what was left of
the system. I would imagine the shop people had to be creative as well as
competent.

I would love to see what can be shared about the Jones cars, their
attributes and quirks, how the shop crews reacted when the first PCCs
arrived and if the constantly evolving PCC technology (with each
successive order) managed to drive some of the repair technicians crazy.

The bodywork of the "light rail" fronts installed on the two wrecked 1600s
and what was need to make it work would also be an interesting topic. As
would details of M-283 and M-551's later overhauls. I'd like to know why
M-283 never had a proper cab installed on the crane end. Was this for
visibilty's sake, to save money or...?

Did Johnstown ever seek technical expertise from their "neighbors" in
Pittsburgh once they acquired their small fleet of PCCs? Ken J.