JTC

[Fred W. Schneider III]

I'd love to see those numbers plotted against two other things:

     (a) motor vehicle registrations in Cambria County

     (b) tons of steel produced by Bethlehem Steel and U. S. Steel in Cambria
County.

Much of the Bethlehem's steel output in Johnstown went into rail cars.  I think
US Steel made switch frogs there. My suspicion is that the demand for this
product dropped very rapidly at the end of World War II.

If there was any reason to keep the cars running, it was probably that they
were cheaper than a bus as long as no infrastructure repairs were needed.  The
company had 17 PCCs built after the war at a time when that volume of cars was
needed simply for the Morrellville - Roxbury route.  By the early 1950s those
cars were sufficient for Morrellville, Roxbury, Franklin, Coopersdale and
Ferndale ... the older cars were only running on Oakhurst, Benscreek, and
Southmont.  And by the late 1950s, they probably could have gotten by with 10
cars on weekdays and 2 on Sundays.  The PCCs were only 13 years old upon
abandonment ... young enough to run on inertia.  The track had been rebuilt at
the end of the war.  Had the city not chosen to implement a one-way street
program, they probably could have squeezed a few more years out of the physical
plant without significant repairs.

The fact that they chose used trolley buses to replace the cars indicates, to
me, that there was a lot of years that could still be wrung out of the power
distribution system.  My impression of Reitz is that he could stand on a nickel
with his shoes on and tell if the buffalo was up or down.  They didn't even
waste letterheads to respond to requests for chartered cars ... a postcard with
the word YES on it was adequate.

Remember that Johnstown had a severe flood about 1978 and that the library was
in the flood plain.  I understand, for example, that all the census reports
were lost which leads me to believe that the research section was under water.

John Swindler wrote:

> >Derrick asked some time ago:
> >
> >Well, how about...
> >
> >I've not done the supporting research, yet. I went to the Glosser Library
> >in Johnstown about 5 years ago with the intention of finding the right
> >areas to poke around, assuming there were any "right areas" there, and got
> >side-tracked once inside the library. Haven't been back in, and one of
> >these days I really should... anyhow...
> >
> >-they seemed to have a case of indecision. they weren't really ready to
> >abandon the rail system (witness the oakhurst line being useable for many
> >years after it was officially in service, or so i understand it, and the
> >relaying of rail in the new Maple Avenue bridge on the Franklin line) yet
> >they used the 1959 steel strike to axe Coopersdale... maybe they knew it
> >was coming by 1959, and weren't sure earlier, but other research points at
> >an economic downturn beginning as early as 1957; perhaps it was more
> >protracted or its effect on the steel industry more profound than was
> >forseen at the time.
> >
> >but when they finally decided it was the end for the rail cars, electric
> >trolleybus service soldiered on for 7 more years, so they didn't get to
> >cast off the somewhat expensive and certainly taxable infrastructure yet
> >anyhow.
> >
> >this has always been somewhat mind-boggling, but i expect when i have time
> >to go read i will find and know the answer
> >
>
> In addition to newspapers, JTC was regulated by PUC.  Therefore, there will
> be petitions to convert to trackless, then to bus.  It might be interesting
> to see what testimony was provided by Glenn Reitz during PUC hearings.
> Available on microfilm in basement of North Office Building in Harrisburg.
>
> However, would suspect local employment situation was significant
> cause/effect.  You mentioned economic downturn in 1957.  Vague recollection
> of a Cambria County Planning study from mid-1970s showing that almost half
> of remaining riders disappeared around 1967.   The following is from 1972:
>
> 1945    ---   23,909,447 passengers
>
> 1950    ---   14,908,685
>
> 1955    ---    8,264,789
>
> 1960    ---    5,830,202
>
> 1965    ---    4,083,804
>
> 1970    ---    2,154,723
>
> That's a 91 percent decline!  Just for record, something more recent.
>
> 1998    ---    1,259,105  of which 361,855 are senior citizens riding for
> free with subsidy from lottery fund and general fund (general fund is your
> 6% state sales tax and state income tax)
>
> On May 1, 1947, JTC's equipment included 85 buses and 70 streetcars
>
> In Dec. 1965 JTC fleet included 40 buses, 25 trackless, 16 school buses and
> 6 coaches for charters.
>
> As of August 1971, JTC fleet included 32 transit buses, 49 school buses and
> 4 coaches for charters.
>
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