SAND ON RAILS and SIGNAL PROBLEMS

[Fred W. Schneider III]

I very vaguely remember that track brake switch.  Do you remember which cars?  Were
they used on seven days a week in preference to other cars?

Jim Holland wrote:

> Greetings!
>
>         You didn't miss the original message  --  it wasn't posted here!
>
>         And the IT messages were on another list as well, not here.
>
>         The subject of electrical conductivity with models came up on a list
> which discusses models and I relayed information that showed that the
> prototype had conductivity problems as well!
>
>         I thus mentioned PRCo and the prohibition on sanding on the interurbans
> unless an emergency.  Also saw an accident with lrvs in SF where track
> circuits are used to set turnouts.  An operator sanded the rails and set
> the turnout correctly but the sand broke the contact and a following
> truck threw the turnout which caused the rear end of that train to smash
> into the one beside it and derail.
>
>         Some of the PRCo 1700-series interurbans had a switch on the dash to
> set the trackbrake so it would scrape along the rail and clear it of
> sand!
>
> Fred W. Schneider III wrote:
>
> > BECAUSE THE SUBJECT LINE WAS NEVER CHANGED
> > FROM PHILADELPHIA PCC RETRIEVER ON
> > SALE ON EBAY, I PROBABLY DELETED
> > THE INITIAL MESSAGE IN THIS SEQUENCE.  I'VE
> > ELIMINATED A LOT OF MESSAGES LATELY
> > ABOUT E-BAY AND ILLINOIS TERMINAL ENGINES
> > WITHOUT EVEN OPENING THEM.
>
> James B. Holland
>
>         Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
>     To e-mail privately, please click here: mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
> N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190; http://www.mcs.net:80/~weyand/nmra/