Car Life/757s

[Greg King]

Ed, I have no idea which airframe it was.

If you want to endure a long flight, try Sydney (or Melbourne) to SF or LA
and that ranges from 12-14 hours in length.

Greg
----- Original Message -----
From: Edward H. Lybarger <twg at pulsenet.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2000 2:17 PM
Subject: RE: Car Life/757s


> It's the airline, not the manufacturer, that specifies the seating
> configuration.
>
> I wasn't sure if this message got out...I never got it, nor Greg's reply.
> Glad it did.
>
> Greg, what airframe were you riding BOS-PHL?  My roster doesn't show any
> ex-AN equipment going to AL/US.  AN had C/Ns
> 47003-4-5-65-202-325-501-526-527-547-548-549.
>
> My 11 hours 29 minutes in an A-330 between Pittsburgh and Frankfurt (plus
> 1:40 in Cologne for unscheduled fuel) last September was as long as I've
yet
> endured.  I wouldn't have tolerated it nearly as well on another carrier's
> seats.  I wonder what the ride to Hong Kong will be like?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> [mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Fred W.
> Schneider III
> Sent: Friday, December 29, 2000 8:02 AM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: Re: Car Life/757s
>
>
> TODAY, THE ONLY GOOD FLIGHT IS A SHORT FLIGHT. I always seem to get a
> screaming baby next to me, or a 7 foot "gentleman" in front of me who
> reclines into my dinner.  Airbus? My experience was similar to that of
> George Drury who remarked that bus was an appropriate name.  I liked
> flying before they tried to put 300 sets into a 150 seat fusilage. And
> back when a senior stewardess for Pacific Southwest was all of 23 years
> old.  Oh, yes, I did try flying once but I never got the certificate ...
> gave up with 55 hours to pay the property taxes on the house.
>
> Greg King wrote:
> >
> > Hi Ed,
> >
> > My comments (except about the DC3) were tongue in cheek, you are
> absolutely
> > right, though I do enjoy the 757 for short haul, the 777 is a beautiful
> > aircraft to fly in, flew from Frankfurt to Chicago in one and it beat
the
> > 747 hands down for comfort. One of the best international aircraft is
the
> > A340.
> >
> > I agree with you on the DC9-30, in fact, they were so good, the new 717
is
> > an updated series 30 with BMW engines, got a real treat in 98 when I
flew
> > out of Boston for Philly in a US Air (chasing PCC's to keep it on list)
in
> a
> > series 30 DC9 and lo, it was an ex-Ansett machine from home, it still
went
> > bullistic! Another fine and oft maligned aircraft was, the DC10/MD11, of
> the
> > three original wide bodies, the pilot's prefered in order, DC10, L1011
and
> > last was the 747.
> >
> > Now, back to streetcars, it was mentioned about mono-motor problems, we
> have
> > basically the same motors in our Z3, A and B class cars, they have been
> > pretty good, occasionally you get noisy gearboxes and you get real
> "hunting"
> > of the tracks and braking problems if the wheels don't match from one
side
> > to the other, unfortunately, since our system was split in two and
> > privatised, the standard of maintenance has plunged and they are nowhere
> > near as good as they where, the old story, when the government ran them,
> > they had to answer to the people, the private companies have to answer
to
> > the stock holders, though they are upgading the bodies of some with new
> > interiors and new paint schemes etc., the sow's ear is still the sow's
ear
> > underneath all the tarting up.
> >
> > Greg
> > Motorman Melbourne
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Edward H. Lybarger <twg at pulsenet.com>
> > To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> > Sent: Friday, December 29, 2000 1:56 AM
> > Subject: RE: Car Life/757s
> >
> > > When the 757 was new with Eastern in the early '80s, I thought it was
a
> > > treat to fly.  That was before the carriers raised the seats and
> squeezed
> > > them together to maximize the sardine effect.  In the past year or so,
> > I've
> > > become acquainted with Airbus Industrie through short hops on
319s/320s,
> a
> > > transcontinental round trip on 319s, and two trans-Atlantic round
trips
> on
> > > 330s.  For me, at least, they absolutely blow away anything Boeing has
> to
> > > offer (I haven't tried a 777, so that's excluded).  The pressurization
> > > system is the smoothest, most continuous I've ever experienced, and
the
> > > wider narrow-body cabin makes for much more comfortable seating.  And
US
> > > Airways' 330s, with 60 fewer seats than the same -300 model that Aer
> > Lingus
> > > flies, is the most comfortable long haul craft I've been on.  I'm
hoping
> > > they don't disappear into Untied, but am not holding my breath.  The
> > latter
> > > is incapable of managing itself, let alone taking on the integration
of
> a
> > > major acquisition.
> > >
> > > Boeing makes great airplanes.  They're just stuck with a narrow-body
> > > fuselage that dates from the mid-'50s, and the competition has made
hay
> > with
> > > that.  I go out of my way to avoid the 757 or MD-80 out of Pittsburgh,
> > > though I am fine with a DC-9-30!  My best flight of 2000 was on the
C-54
> > > (DC-4) that visited the Washington County Airport in late July.  I
trust
> > > they'll come back next year!
> > >
> > > Ed
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > > [mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Greg King
> > > Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2000 6:20 PM
> > > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > > Subject: Re: Car Life
> > >
> > >
> > > 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.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
>
>