Route Assignments --- Car House Closings --- Car Shifts --- Fred#3 is going to Kill us for bringing up the GE issue again !!!!!!!

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

	The term dynamic governor is one that was used frequently in Pgh. but
according to Fred#3, that is an incorrect term.  When the power pedal is
released on a PCC car, the accelerator sets itself up for dynamic
braking and this effect creates some drag, braking, dynamic braking on
the car.
	The North Side GE cars, especially the 1700s, seemed notorious for
having an extremely strong drag, dynamic governor if you will as it
helps to identify (if not describe) the action.  Whether the cars were
set up this way by design because of the steeper hills on the North Side
(8-Perrysville was the premier line and seemed to have many 17s and the
shared trackage inbound with the 21-Fineview was quite steep) or whether
it was accidental mis-adjustment of the cars may not be known, although
the latter would seem unlikely since the *condition* was so consistent!
	At any rate (and this has been discussed a number of times on this
list) the Keating equipment was moved to SHY when Keating closed and the
motormen on the interurbans absolutely did not like getting the GE 1700s
because of the strong dynamic governor.  And because the GE cars were in
SHY, they obviously ventured out onto the other lines.
	With all this in mind, maybe that is why the GE 17s were used on
40-Mt.Washington - the dynamic drag might be a benefit on the hills. 
But that also flies in the face of former PRCo policy of not placing
1700s on 21-Fineview because the shaft brakes were not as reliable!  Why
then put them on the 40-line with the hills there?!?!

brathke at juno.com wrote:

> A quick (I may have missed some) check of my Summer, 1966 slides finds
> only 1794 on 39-Brookline.

> The GE 1700's were regularly on 40-Mt. Washington in August, 1966.  I
> have photos of 1784, 1786, 1777 and 1797 (PAT gray paint, may be a
> fantrip).

> Bob 9/12

> On Mon, 11 Sep 2000 23:08:17 -0700 Kenneth Josephson
> <kjosephson at sprintmail.com> writes:
> > I have a July 24, 1966 shot of car 1788 on Route 39. I also have a
> > June
> > 13,1966 shot of 1792 holding down a run on Route 39.

> > Were these GE cars assigned to Tunnel Carhouse at that time? If not,
> > why
> > were they on Route 39? Ken J.

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/