Car Life

[Greg King]

By the way,

I'm also an aviation entusiast and a private pilot, I rather like the 757
but, love the DC-3 (have 5 hours on type) and would go anywhere on one
(especially if I was driving!) but if I had get somewhere in a hurry, I'd
prefer a 757 over all else Mr Boeing or Mr Airbus has to offer! Sorry that's
a wee bit off list!

Greg
----- Original Message -----
From: Edward H. Lybarger <twg at pulsenet.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2000 4:48 AM
Subject: RE: Car Life


> If you've ever been in the middle seat in the last row on a full 757,
you'll
> understand why I'd opt for the DC-3!
>
> Ed
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> [mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Kenneth
> Josephson
> Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2000 3:27 AM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: Re: Car Life
>
>
>
>
> Derrick J Brashear wrote:
>
>
> > But, just because it had longevity, don't assume it was necessarily
> "better" than
> > today.
>
> True. You may have noticed several prominent coach manufacturers were left
> out of
> my little rant. A Boeing 757 is certainly "better" than a DC-3 though the
> latter is
> well known for its longevity. (This last statement is guaranteed to get a
> reaction
> from Bob Rathke or Ed Lybarger.) Anything can be made to last for decades
if
> one
> throws enough money at it. But Marmon, Brill and postwar Pullman trolley
> coaches
> were noted for their longevity as well as providing generally trouble free
> service
> for over three decades when given the chance. While our favorite traction
> system is
> well known for being a predominently Westinghouse equipped system, most
long
> term
> trolley coach operators seemed to prefer GE equipped trolley coaches over
> Westinghouse equipped units when all other things were equal. There were
> several
> notable cases where the Westinghouse equipped half of a GE/Westinghouse
> split order
> of identical trolley coaches were retired or sold off  before the GE
units.
>
> My point is that a guaranteed subsidy to a fat and sassy public agency
will
> not
> inspire the same call for longevity and serviceability that the private
> transit
> industry and its suppliers needed when the PCC concept was born.
>
> I heard a rumor that people living between Mattapan and Ashmont were more
> worried
> about the possibility of receiving hand-me-down Boeings from the Green
line
> than
> losing their PCCs to bustitution or a Red Line heavy rail extension. Ken
J.
>
>
>