SAND ON RAILS and SIGNAL PROBLEMS

[Fred W. Schneider III]

We probably did discuss before ... my memory never was supreme and it just gets worse
with age.



Jim Holland wrote:

> Greetings!
>
>         I was told by the operators that they tried to keep several of these
> cars in service continually.  I think 1723 was one car which had it.
>         Looked like the standard household light switch and mounting box that
> was recessed in the wall only this was mounted on top of the motorman's
> dash to his right!  There was a small light outside the window to the
> upper left which indicated that it was activated.
>         Think we discussed this once before and that Ed might have listed
> several cars that had this device!
>
> Fred W. Schneider III wrote:
>
> > 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:
>
> >>         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/