Great tidbits!

[mrb190]

Great tidbits!  Thanks, Fred.

The item you record here about a route 76 car pushing a disabled car made me
think of an incident that occured on the 88 Frankstown line in the summer/fall of
1966...

I remember being in a local market on Penn Avenue, called Helen & Millie's, and
watching two 88 Frankstowns going very slowly by UP Penn Avenue.  They were
inching closer to Main Street, so it wouldn't be long before they reached the
point where Penn levels out on its way to East Liberty.
Anyway, the PCC doing the pushing was kicking up a fuss on the tracks!  Golden
welder type sparks were flashing and flying like crazy from the wheels in contact
with the tracks as the PCC kept pushing the disabled car along, and it sounded
horrendous.  I couldn't imagine that the helper PCC had pushed the disabled car
all the way up from the strip district; Penn is a steadily rising grade, which
goes on for at least 10 long blocks (34th street to 44th street).  But I suppose
it had.
The thought that crossed my mind at that point was that no one was out to better
service this situation to prove a point:  the cars had to go...buses were the
"in" thing.  Allowing this display to go on, seemed to me, in retrospect,  to be
a perfect Dameron advertisement for his campaign to rid the city of the cars.  It
was 1966, and it seemed that the writing was on the wall, though I sure didn't
want to think about it at the time.    OR tell me folks, was it a common thing to
have a car coming up behind to push a disabled car to a car house?   Maybe that
was the most efficient way to correct such a situation?

In earlier years on Penn, I recall seeing one of the old yellow cars towing a
PCC.

So I guess the question here is, does anyone know the most common method of
towing/removing a disabled car off the line to the repair barn?

Thanks,
Matt

Fredbruhn at aol.com wrote:

> Would we see this today:
>
> 1428  @ 220pm  4th & Smithfield  Well dressed man boarded car at center
> doors, along with three negroes and he had wallet removed from pocket.  The
> three negroes jumped off car and ran down 4th. Avenue, pursued by the victim.
> His name was not obtained.
>
> 1488  438am  glenwood station -  headlight out and high voltage indicated on
> voltmeter.  replaced by car 1563
>
> 1475  806am  Glenwood Station - operating on time, forced to pass kup patrons
> from Second & Hazelwood to Greenfield and Irvine.
>
> 1430  250pm  Greenfield & Irvine  dynamic brake cutting in strong and car
> operating rough.  Replaced by car 1455
>
> 1426  550 pm  Forbes and Braddock   no air pressure pushed by route 76 car
> 1135 to Craft Ave. station where both scheduled.
>
> Rt. 64 1125  4th & Grant  157pm  losing power at intgervals.  bumped by
> follower and proceeded.  Relief opr sent outbound from Craft Ave Station at
> 2:05pm  car 1750 and late car off.
>
> Rt. 96  1150  740am  Penn & Negley  Taken out service and used to replace
> disabled car 1503 Route 82.
>
> Rt 82  1601  840am  outer terminus  cold car, replaced by car 1532.
>
> Say what ??
>
> Rt. 27  "Bus 300  1110AM  Crafton Jct.  top water hose broken.  Traded with
> bus 265 off tr. 3, route 30 at 11:19 AM and disabled bus sent to Ingram
> Station and replaced on Route 30, Tr. 3 by bus 296 off route 31, Tr. 10 at
> 11:41 AM which was replaced by Bus 273 at 11:50 AM.  Disabled bus serviced by
> mechanic.
>
> If there was a quiz, which bus ended up on Rt. 27?   Just kidding