Car Life

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

> Kenneth Josephson wrote:

> . . . The low
> floors were very attractive looking cars in my opinion. People I know who
> remember riding the ones converted to interurban service hated them and some
> claimed they would wait for one of the "real" interurbans to come along if
> possible. But they are nice to look at.

	Say  What?!?!:->??  The 3750s as interurbans (which were Built For
Interurban Service, not converted) were very short-lived  --  1925--1930
at the most as the 15-St.Louis' supplemented the 15-Brills in 1928. 
They were occasionally used as trippers on the interurbans after this. 
And the first 9-10 had a left side door cut in for Sewickley service
operated from South Hills.  Who do you know that rode these cars on the
interurban then?!?!:->>

>> "Fred W. Schneider III" wrote:

>> But those 1700s were delivered in a period of declining fortunes and
>> they ran forever with ever decreasing patronage, money, maintenance.  I
>> think its either an absolute miracle that they lasted as long as they
>> did, or an very well engineered product.  What do you think?

> Kenneth Josephson wrote:
 
> After riding them, seeing their most intimate parts up close, talking to PAT
> employees and reading the books you and Mr. Carlson wrote on the subject, I
> chose the latter.

	No matter how well engineered  ANY--thing is, that 'thing' is still
subject to decay and death!!  As JC-Swindler has pointed out, by the
time the 17s were overhauled in 1970--1972, they were *extremely*
ratty.  And even by 1960, some of those same PCCs weren't faring to
well, either!
	The 17s used new and lighter technology to accomplish the same purpose
that equipment weighing 1.5 times as much accomplished before them.  But
*about--20--years* is a good service life for any trolleycar - going
beyond that requires total replacement of original parts  --  PCC,
Peter-Witt, PAYE, low-floors, hi-floors, double-end, single-end,
Birneys, convertibles, center-entrance, articulated, double-deck,
Nearside, interurban, cable-car, open cars, etc., etc., etc.
	All the PRCo PCCs before the 17s lasted about 20-25-years, and that
more by convenience than necessity.  These cars could have lasted
longer, too, but the need for them had evaporated.  And had ({[pat]})
gotten its way, the 17s would have been gone by 1975  --  a 26--year
service life.
	Yes - I am a PCC fan and specifically a fan of the PRCo 1700s.  There
was some concentrated effort at designing a *standardized--trolleycar*
and that result is the PCC.  But in the final analysis, the PCC, too,
decays and desintegrates!

James B. Holland

        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
    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/