1700 1600 Paint

[Kenneth and Tracie Josephson]

Jim Holland wrote:

>         What do you mean a retro Vee scheme under PAT?  The only thing painted
> in PRCo colors under PAT were 1799 (ex-1613?) and 1713 for a short
> spell.  I think that 1644 just retained its last paint scheme - maybe it
> was the last 16-Vee!

Could be. It did retain its vee-front paint into the early 1970's....but I seem to
remember seeing a shot of the car on Route 49 in the late 1970's with a rather
fresh looking  vee-front scheme and someone mentioning the car was repainted that
way before 1613 received its PAT era PRwyCo. red and cream paint. When I saw 1613
as 1799 in December, 1979, the cream seemed too yellow for authentic Pittsburgh
Railways coloring.

Of course, 1669's faded red and cream paint looked quite fresh and shiny in
December 1976 as the sun melted the snow and wet its surface.

Fortunately, 1644 is still with us and perhaps I will visit it in Ohio and see what
paint scheme it's currently in and whether or not that pesky spare trolley pole
hook is still on the roof....

I do have photographic evidence that PAT continued to touch up damaged cars in
Pittsburgh Railways red into the late 1960s thanks to Roberta Hill's prolific
photography and the apparent favoritism she showed toward certain cars. Cars 1601
and 1620 appear to have had their hourglass fronts repainted in red after the PAT
takeover. I don't know the story on 1620, but 1601 had a nasty and deeply rooted
case of rust just above the center of the front anticlimber. This affliction
plagued the car to very end of its existence. Perhaps some necessary structural
repairs to the front due to the rust and a defiant former Railways employee in the
shops resulted in this car emerging from repairs with an all red dash instead of a
simple patch. I thought maybe a collision resulted in a spare "face" being patched
in, but that same rust spot was showing again near the very end. I also have a shot
of 1760 with a repaired front end painted in red to match the rest of the car
during 1968. 1711 was just plain horrible before receiving its PAT grey scheme. I
know some advertising air cars received PAT grey immediately after April, 1964 when
the ads were removed and I also noticed quite a few 1400s and 1600s ended their
days with their paint worn bare in spots. Why some cars (such as 1711) received PAT
grey prior to Early Action, others received touch ups to their red paint and others
no attention at all within a given series between 1964 and 1971 is beyond me.

>         I doubt that we will actually ever *know* the answer to this question
> unless someone steps forward who kept such details.  Maybe checking back
> issues of *Trolley Fare* would reveal the answer since they kept
> detailed statistics on the roster which included paint schemes.  PAT
> used to issue rosters showing cars converted and the condition of
> remaining cars.

As obsessive as many of us trolley fans are, I wouldn't be surprised if this info
surfaces, at least in part, in the future.

Ken J.