JTC

Wed Oct 4 10:25:41 EDT 2000

When they got rid of the TCs, did removing rails come to haunt them?

In my lifetime the incline was owned by Westmont Borough.

Harold Geissenheimer wrote:

> Greetings
>
> This was a family owned business with not much cash.  Trolley buses were used
> instead of buses to make use of the power system and also because trolley buses did
> not require expensive (at that time) bus license plates.  Also trolley buses were a
> way of not having to remove the tracks and pave the streets.  It was a well run
> operation on a small scale but no money.  They garaged our Harmony Short Line bus
> there overnight and sold our tickets.  I had some dealings with them.
>
> Question?  Did they own the incline at one time?  Or was this the Boro?  They ran a
> small bus up the hill that used the incline.
>
> Harold Geissenheimer
>
> "Fred W. Schneider III" wrote:
>
> > 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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