JTC (also J&S and Southern Cambria)

[John Swindler]

>Derrick commented
>
>JTC was regulated by newspapers? (sorry, couldn't resist)
>

Yea, ok, good point.  How about check both newspapers and PUC dockets for 
info?

> >
> > 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.
>
>Well, there was a steel strike in 1959, that I know. Beyond that I don't 
>know a whole lot.
>

Seemed to be a steel strike every two years through 1950s.  In a strange 
way,  could even suggest that these strikes may have helped prolong 
streetcars in Johnstown because steelworkers would be just about recovered 
from one strike when next occurred.  My father worked for US Steel, and his 
comment was that older workers were not interested in couple extra pennies 
an hour - they just wanted to keep working.

There was an economic downturn in late 1950s.  Car sales slumped and foreign 
cars made first inroads.  (Hmmm.  could be a pun there)


Total JTC scheduled service fleet was 155 vehicles in 1947; 65 in 1965; 32 
in 1971.



> > 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.
>
>What as I recall is a 400-series-numbered old look GMC bus still wearing 
>JTC colors was in a scrapyard along the route out of Johnstown which *was* 
>route 53 before the revisionists removed that designation back to just shy 
>of South Fork. And in 1989 Harold Jenkins (at the time the GM of CCTA) let 
>me go out to the barn and take a look at another JTC bus they still had, 
>serviceable for parades and such.
>


U of Pitt at Johnstown showed up for a soccar game with Point Park in 1969 
in chartered JTC Flxible parlor bus.  Yes, I took a couple slides.




>Not a streetcar or a trolleybus, but the only vehicles outside what's at 
>PTM and RTY that I've seen of Johnstown.
>

Branford has a couple 350s, and another is at National Capital undergoing 
repairs.  Never heard of any bodies surviving.


>
>On the way into Johnstown I had gone through Jerome, and as you head
>inbound what I assume is a pretty obvious trace of the Johnstown and
>Somerset is visible (as I thought I remembered) parallel to the road.
>


A problem, as with West Penn, is abandoned railroad rights of way in area.



>I was pressed for time, and indeed I barely got back to Somerset in time
>for dinner with my wife's cousin and her husband. Maybe I'll have some
>time to go poke around the J&S and the Southern Cambria lines over the
>winter. Maybe I'll even take useful maps with me.
>
>-D
>
>
>

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