Car Life

[Greg King]

One point, go to Basler Aviation in Oshkosh and, you can buy a Bt67 for
around a mil, what's a BT67? A rebuilt DC3 with P&W turbo prop engines and
all new interior and avionics, they are just so rugged, they keep on going,
much like a PCC really.............

Greg
----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Rathke <brathke at mediaone.net>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2000 8:00 AM
Subject: Re: Car Life


> Since Ken asked for my reaction :-) ...
>
> The 757 is better than the DC-3 in that it carries more passengers and
flies higher,
> faster and longer distances.  The DC3, however, operates out of small
airports, can be
> fixed with a hammer and screwdriver, and has long been paid for.  The 757
is built to
> current standards, and  as much as we may like the DC3, no one would
realistically
> suggest modifying a 1930's aircraft to meet year 2000 standards.  They
both have a
> place.
>
> I kind of like the 757, mainly because it reminds me of one of my early
jet favorites,
> the DC8.  The most comfortable 757s can be found on American Airlines
where the seats
> have a generous pitch.
>
> Thanks for asking, Ken!
>
> Bob 12/27
>
> ---------------------------
>
> Kenneth Josephson wrote:
>
> > 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.
>
>