This Last Week

[Fred Schneider]

DO NOT EVER ASSUME...

THE 175 LOW FLOOR TRAILERS THAT PREDATED THE LOW FLOOR MOTOR CARS WERE BUILT
STRICTLY AS SINGLE END TRAILERS WITH A CENTER DOOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE ONLY.
THOSE CARS WERE NUMBERED A200 TO A374.  

A LARGE NUMBER OF THEM WERE REBUILT WITH TWO MOTORS IN ORDER TO RUN IN
SIX-MOTOR TRAINS WITH A 4800 OR 4900 LOW-FLOOR CAR.  THESE HAD THE A PREFIX
CHANGED TO B.  

SOME OF THEM WERE SUBSEQUENTLY REBUILT WITH HOSTLING CONTROLS SO THAT A
LOCOMOTIVE WAS NOT NEEDED TO MAKE UP TRAINS.  THOSE CARS WERE RENUMBERED
INTO THE "C" SERIES.  

FOUR CARS WERE REBUILT AS SINGLE-END CE NTER ENTRANCE MOTOR CARS CIRCA 1914
AS A TESTBED FOR THE SUBSEQUENT LARGE FLEET OF LOW-FLOOR MOTOR CARS.  THESE
WERE THE FIRST OF THE JONES CONTROL CAR4S.   TWO WERE SLIDING DOOR CARS, TWO
WERE FOLDING DOOR CARS.  THESE CARS RETAINED THEIR "A" SERIES NUMBERS
INITIALLY.  LATER, SINGLE STREAM FRONT DOORS WERE ADDED (I SHOULD NOT SAY
DOORS ... I ONLY HAVE PHOTO EVIDENCE FOR ONE OF THE CARS).  THESE FOUR CARS
WERE LATER RENUMBERED 4400 THROUGH 4423.  CAR 4423 LASTED INTO THE LATE
1930S AS AN INSTRUCTION CAR.

I THINK ALL THE JONES CARS WERE 45 FEET LONG, BUT THERE WERE DIFFERENCE
CLEARANCE DRAWINGS FOR DIFFERENT GROUPS OF CARS.   I REMEMBER A BARN MAN AT
KEATING TALKING ABOUT HOW THE INFAMOUS BOB BROWN HAD COME IN WITH DRAWINGS
SHOWING THAT A 4700 WOULD SEAT FEWER PEOPLE IN THE REAR END THAT OTHER CARS!
THIS HAPPENED LONG AFTER ALL THE 4700S WERE SCRAPPED.    

		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Charlesebrown at webtv.net
[mailto:Charlesebrown at webtv.net]
		Sent:	Monday, March 06, 2000 1:02 AM
		To:	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
		Subject:	RE: This Last Week

		 << Message: RE: This Last Week >> Gee, Bob, couldn't you be
a bit more precise in your measurements??? :-)
		Where in the world did you get your information?

		Seriously, were all of the Jones low-floor cars of the same
dimensions?
		I'm especially curious about any differences between the
single-enders
		vs the double-enders.  And the trailers for that matter.  I
assume that
		the trailers were straight trailers with no control
equipment and were
		used with the single ended cars?

		Charlie

		Charlesebrown at webtv.net