Todays trivia

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Fredbruhn at aol.com wrote:

> Now my question is, with Bob's description of his early years on the 5 line
> riding
> "the orange" double end cars, what color do we use to approximate the
> Pittsburgh color for the double end cars?

	Anything between orange and yellow - guess they started out some kind
of orange and *faded* to yellow as us local yokels called them "Yellow
Cars."  This promises to be another long drawn out thread!!!!

> I'll bet Jim Holland could tough it out for a few days when he got deep in
> Fayette county with an expert guide like Ed Lybarger.

	Yes - but getting back there in the winter is another matter!

> For those of us who will never get enough West Penn, let me recommend a book
> I just got from a lead by an ex Filbert resident who remembers the West
> Penn.  (He is planning to draw up for me the line through Buffington,
> Filbert, New Boro and New Salem so I can share that with you).  The book is
> "Patches of History" by (late) Regis M. Maher, M.D. of Fayette County.  It is
> the 1920's and 1930's: Heyday of Fayette County Coal and Coke in
> Pennsylvania.  One chapter on WP, but the book hits every patch on the
> timetable.  Most interesting.  It was recently reprinted by his
> long time assistant.  It can be bought from Barbara R. Ventura, 6 Sylvanus
> Avenue,
> Uniontown, PA. 15401.  Cost is $25.00 post paid.  Cost is high because the
> run was small.  She told me she ran another run because of continuing
> interest.  The good Doctor died in late 1999.  You will be amazed how the
> name "patch" originated.
> It talks about the Railroads, life in the patches (towns as we call them),
> etc.

	Thanks for sharing - should be at least as good as the McKeesport book!

> We need to keep open the questions Jim asked about West Penn on electric
> turnouts and interior colors.  The one shot I have looking to the end from
> about
> 4 seats back looks like finished wood on the ends or perhaps it is the sheet
> metal painted, window supports are wood, finished in a walnut/grime
> combination andseat backs look like black/red/brown splotchy leather or
> vinyl, probably leather.  Hand holds look white, and ceiling does look like a
> dark ivory, but can't see much of it.
> Ed. S. has promised us some shots of 722 for information.  I sure don't
> remember it when we were there tarring the roof in 1959 or so.  I do remember
> a  pile of seats and
> amusment part "stuff" stored inside.  If I remember correctly, PRMA took the
> seats
> from the three cars stored there and put them in 722 as this is the car the
> museum had picked, but that may be stretching my memory.

	This confirms some observations by others - varnished wood, possible
dark stain!

> Fred Bruhn

James B. Holland

        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
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