Fleet Size -- 95 PCCs + 5--Work Cars

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Kenneth and Tracie Josephson wrote:

> Were 100 cars actually overhauled between 1972 and 1979? . . .
> Whether or not their were 100 cars on the
> property during those years is what I would like to know.

	Good question  --  what's the answer?  I think that car 1775 was
skipped altogether.

	FOUND - My March 5, 1975 ({[pat]}) Light Rail Car Roster  --  which
consists entirely of PCC cars and five work cars  --  which is signed by
one Harold H. Geissenheimer, Director of Transit Operations.

	Interesting to note that at this late date, only one of the original
17-series interurbans was missing, the one lost in the Homewood fire,
1701, in the year 1955.  Additional Westinghouse original 17s missing at
this time were 1725, also lost in the Homewood fire, 1732, 1755, 1770,
and 1774.  Another interesting note about the 17s  --  all the 17s
originally assigned to South Hills on delivery  --  1763--1769  --  were
still in service in, of all places, South Hills.  But these seven cars
didn't stay at South Hills for their entire life.  That makes for
69-original 1700 series Westinghouse PCCs.
	16s converted to 17s were complete from 1776 thru 1788 which makes for
13 more cars  --  no slight of hand in subtracting, but I did subtract
1775 from 1788 to get that number (or 12, depending on which way you
subtract!!)  Also, 77/54 was a vaild *car-number* which was ex-1635!  So
now we have a total of at least 83 PCCs.
	The following 16s were still around: 1613, 1621, 1638, 1640, 1644,
1652, 1656, 1660, 1662, 1669, 1671, and 1672.  That's another 12 cars
(subtracting 1612 from 1672!!)  So that gives a grand total of 95 PCCs. 
Guess they didn't reach 100  --  they were five (5) cars short (subtract
95 from 100, not 94 from 100  --  this matter-matics is confusing
stuff!)
	A note at the end of the list states:::::::
	"Cars 1776-1788 [and 77/54] and all 1600 series were built by St. Louis
Car in 1945, and are air-electric.  Cars 1776-1781 are equipped with
interurban-type B-3trucks.  Cars 1700-1773 are 1948-49 products of St.
Louis Car, with 1700, 1702-1724 equipped as interurbans when new.  Cars
of this series are all-electric in operation.  All remaining Pittsburgh
PCCs were built with Westinghouse motors and control, though GE motors
are now being used under certain cars."  [Horrors!]
	The work cars on the property consisted of:::::::   M210--Line-Car; 
M283--Crane-Car;  M454--Snow-Scraper;  M517--Sprayer-Car; 
M551--Dump-Car.

James B. Holland
------- -- ---------
        Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo), June of 1949 -- June of 1953
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