Car Life

[Bob Rathke]

I don't believe there's any Canadian bias here.  Afterall, Pittsburgh has a
Centre Avenue, but I suspect a lot of Pittsburghers spell it "Center".  :-)

And then there's the matter of "Houston" which is pronounced "house-ton" in New
York City. There is/was a Greenwich Savings Bank in New York, and their radio
commercials pronounced the name as, "Green-which". I could go on...

Bob 12/28

--------------------

John F Bromley wrote:

> No offense intended, Fred.
>
> TTC - YONGE not YOUNG.  How many times does this name have to be
> corrected?!!  Seriously, there's enough photos and documentation showing the
> name.  Us Torontonians easily tire of seeing our names misspelled over and
> over, such as above, and others such as  EGLINGTON rather than the proper
> EGLINTON (never a second G, folks).  What's next - KWEEN?  BLUER?  QUEEN'S
> KWAY (QUAY is pronounced KEY).  I suppose I'm cranky this morning after
> having spent the last hour correcting some idiot's ideas of what the Toronto
> horsecar names were and when they started.  People these days don't do
> proper research, just spew there ideas and then we have to clean up the
> messes after they are published as fact.
>
> JFB
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Fred W. Schneider III" <fschnei at supernet.com>
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2000 8:31 AM
> Subject: Re: Car Life
>
> > I LIKE THIS NOTE BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT MAINTENANCE PRACTICES AND
> > EQUIPMENT PURCHASES MAY NOT ALWAYS BE RELATED TO EQUIPMENT DESIGN
> > LONGEVITY.  JOHN SWINDLER SAID THE SAME THING WHEN HE BROUGHT UP THE TTC
> > SUBWAY CONVERSION IN 1966 AND HE COULD HAVE ADDED THE YOUNG STREET
> > SUBWAY IN 1954. IF WE LOOKED AT BROOKLYN, I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT MY
> > ORIGINAL GUESS THAT THE CONVERSION IN 1956 WAS BASED ON A 20 YEAR
> > DEPRECIATION CYCLE WAS CORRECT (I GUESS AT ONE TIME EVEN GOVERNMENT
> > CONSIDERED DEPRECIATION). AND SOMEONE MENTIONED WEEKEND DIESEL BUS
> > SERVICE ON SOME PHILLY ROUTES BECAUSE OF PASSENGER SAFETY.  PITTSBURGH
> > ALSO RAN DIESEL BUSES IN THE EAST END ON WEEKENDS IN 1966-67, FOR
> > WHATEVER REASON.  A LOT OF SYSTEMS DID THAT TO GET RID OF WEEKEND
> > SUBSTATION OPERATORS.  WE WILL ALSO HAVE SITUATIONS OF INADEQUATE SHOP
> > FACILITIES (REMEMBER PTC CLOSED KENSINGTON IN 1955 BECAUSE THE CARS WERE
> > IN DECENT ENOUGH SHAPE TO LAST UNTIL ABANDONMENT AND AFTER THE FOUND
> > THEY WERE UNABLE TO CONVERT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, THEY FOUND WYOMING WAS
> > TOO CRAMPED, AND 30 YEARS LATER IT WAS SOLVED WITH A NEW ELMWOOD
> > FACILITY).
> >
> > WHAT IS IT WE STARTED OUT TO PROVE?  MAYBE THIS IS IT?
> >
> > Kenneth Josephson wrote:
> > >
> > > "Fred W. Schneider III" wrote:
> > >
> > > > Again, the issue isn't how long they will last but for how long the
> > > > agency wishes to maintain them.
> > > > Johnstown Traction was a private company that counted pennies.
> > > >
> > > > I think we often, as enthusiasts, spend too much time looking at one
> > > > aspect of our quarry (in this case longevity) without looking at all
> of
> > > > those factors which the transit manager had to consider.  And if he
> > > > failed to consider them, there was always the unemployment line.
> > >
> > > I have read that some private systems decided to go with trolley coaches
> as an
> > > interim solution to rail car replacement due to:
> > >
> > > A.) Heavy investment in DC power distribution systems that still had
> plenty of life
> > > left.
> > >
> > > B.) Shop forces that were well versed in traction maintenance.
> > >
> > > C.) Making the system more attractive to a potential municipal
> purchaser.
> > >
> > > D.) To appease unions that believed a switch to motor coaches would
> reduce
> > > employement within the rank and file.
> > >
> > > E.) Despite seeing the decline in patronage, a unique arrangement
> resulted in power
> > > so cheap as to completely offset the high cost of fixed plant
> investments ( i.e., San
> > > Francisco and Vancouver for example.)
> > >
> > > To get back on topic, I sometimes wonder if trolley coaches woould have
> been well
> > > suited to the Pittsburgh Hilltop lines such as the 40, 44, 47, 48 and
> 49. But again,
> > > there's that issue of the potholes and paving blocks shaking the
> coachwork to
> > > pieces.  Ken J.