Is this at the museum?

[Edward H. Lybarger]

I sent the original inquiry out to Dave Hamley, who is in charge of the 1138
effort, and received the following:


It seems to me that some years ago some other organization attempted to
obtain
one of the El Paso bodies and was repelled by some local interest there who
was
"going to do something with them."  I'm unclear exactly who does own them at
this point, a matter that would need to be resolved before any talk of
procurement or salvage proceeds.

As for salvaging components from an El Paso hulk for an eventual 1937 period
restoration of 1138, I would have no reason to oppose this, should someone
wish
to undertake it.  But certain provisos need be attached.  The car body does
not
come to PTM.  Those wishing to perform such salvage need to be aware that
our
present storage facilities are taxed to the max right now and things such as
what might be salvaged from one of these cars, viewed as a very long term
need,
do not have much priority.  In other words, figure out where else it might
be
stored.  And finally, many of the items that would be needed to make 1138
look
"as delivered" are "soft parts," fabric, rubber, etc.  Those will have died
years ago in the intense sun and heat of El Paso.

Why did the original Golden Glow headlights go away?  For the same reason
that
drove most decisions in the public transit business--cost.  As sealed beam
headlights became universal on autos starting after WWII the older style
bulbs
became less available.  (As we well know, they're even harder to find now.)
The
better optical performance of the auto sealed beam made the choice easier
yet.

What voltage?  Same as the autos used, 6V up to the mid-50s, 12V thereafter.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Kenneth and
Tracie Josephson
Sent: Sunday, June 11, 2000 6:54 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: Re: Is this at the museum?




"Edward H. Lybarger" wrote:

> No 10s, 12s or 15s were retained.  Just 1138, 1440 and 1467, plus the
> multitude of later cars.

Thanks, Ed. As far as 1138 goes, the recent Trolley Fare article noted it
would
be relatively expensive to restore it to its original condition. It also
noted
most people who could remember the car as it was delivered are long gone.
Restoring it to its 1950's configuration makes sense.

But just in case, (and if some of us raise the funds), how you would feel
about
acquiring one of the El Paso (ex-San Diego) cars that might be mechanically
cannabilized, but otherwise intact for parts? My thought is if there ever is
a
decision to put the 1138 back to its orginal configuration, one of the El
Paso
bodies could yield some hardware and other pieces tohelp restore the car as
built.

I wish to mention I am opposed to cutting up one of the twelve or so intact
cars that could be restored to operation. Sadly enough, ex-Sandiego 502
returned "home" to San Diego and was torched by vandals.

I'm not sure of the breakdown, but as I recall, 20 of these 1937-38 cars
went
to El Paso, five were eventually used for parts and for a while, fifteen
were
used in service, though only twelve remained in service by the end. Correct
me
if I'm wrong, please.

To get back on subject, why did most Pittsburgh PCCs, including the newest
cars
lose their Golden-Glo headlights so early in their careers? I have noticed
most
Toronto cars lost theirs by the 1960's. Quite a few El Paso and LA PCCs
appear
to have retained theirs until the end of operations.

Also, what voltage did the PCC car's headlights use? Ken J.