Various answers, corrections &c. ATTN: Jim Holland & John Swindler

[brathke at juno.com]

Some of these legends have a thread of truth - and possibly complete
accuracy.  Since it was reopened as a tourist line in 1960, the East
Broad Top Railroad has cultivated the story that its parlor car,
"Orbisonia", was used by President Grover Cleveland on fishing trips in
Maine.  Around 1990, when Bob Withers started to write his book, "The
President Travels by Train", published in 1996, he asked me to help him
verify the EBT claim.  I told him it would be a simple matter since I'd
seen the President Cleveland statement in print many times.  Well, my
research project got rather involved, and the only printed documentation
we found was post-1960 EBT literature, and subsequent books that quoted
the railroad's literature.  We believe that Grover Gleveland rode the EBT
car, but we just can't document it.  Consequently, Bob Withers did not
perpetuate the story in his book (which makes good railroad and political
reading).

By the way, my research credit appears in the bibliography immediately
beside a reference to historical input from Richard Nixon.  So...me, a
rabble-rouser?  Not when I'm in the company of former presidents...

Bob 9/12

-------------------------------------------------------------

On Tue, 12 Sep 2000 15:03:32 -0700 Jim Holland <pghpcc at pacbell.net>
writes:
> Greetings!
> 
> John Swindler wrote:
> 
> > At risk of incurring much wrath from all directions, Bob brings up 
> good
> > point about "urban legends".  Maybe there is much purported as 
> "fact" that
> > needs to be questioned as to supporting documentation and 
> verified????
> .......
> > Anyway, just an opinion concerning need for further "research" 
> (whatever
> > that implies) on many topics, including Pittsburgh Railways and
> > predecessors.
> 
> > John
> 
> 	I thought about the above as I was writing the previous note 
> about the
> purported guard rails from the old narrow gauge railroad thru
> Overbrook.  This would be much cheaper than removing them all.  What 
> I
> think happened is PRCo just laid their own rails without removing 
> the
> others except those necessary to remove at turnouts.  They came to 
> be
> called guard rails thru time for lack of a better term.  But even 
> though
> reported in the *press,* it is not necessarily accurate information. 
> 
> Think that has been reported in a couple different places but their
> sources could be the same.
> 
> > p.s.  Oh, by the way, Jim, you wouldn't be interested in location 
> of P&CS
> > passing sidings or location of PRC passing sidings on West Liberty 
> Ave. in
> > Dormont from 1905 Plat Book for City of Pitsburgh and vicinity???  
> (it's on
> > microfilm)
> 
> 	ABSOLUTELY!  My sister just sent me a calendar put out by 
> the newly
> formed *Dormont-Hysterical-Society* and the photo for January shows 
> the
> old Delton Theater (you remember that one, yes John - didn't you 
> take
> your girl friend to the movies there??) on W.Liberty at Illinois.  
> The
> car tracks are visible as well as the overhead which has a contactor 
> in
> both lines like those used to operate signals (with a nice cover 
> over
> the leaves which was omitted in later days.)  Thought about making 
> this
> an observation on the list but passed it by.
> 	So those contactors might indicate a passing siding right at 
> this
> point.  Please send the microfilm!  Will read the rest of your post
> later!
> 
> 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/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------
Have you ever been to a garage sale that WASN'T selling an exercise bike?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------

________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.