West Penn "Orange"

[Greg King]

G'day Guys,

My name is Greg King and I've just signed on at the suggestion of Jim
Holland, I'm a Streetcar motorman in Melbourne and a model producer in O and
HO. I'm interested in all things traction but have a real big soft spot
(between the ears) for all things Penna, especially Pgh, Johnstown and
Philly, I been to Philly, driven 2168 on a charter and generally had a ball,
have spent so much time in San Fran, know it as well as I know Sydney (where
I started driving buses in 1971). I have a million questions, I have most of
what has been published on Pgh (whish someone like CERA would do a
definative book) but I believe there is a video on the subject, could
someone enlighten me please???

As to Mr Schneider's comments re driving in Europe, having done many miles
there myself (and driven streetcars in Gothenburg Sweden) I completely
concur, I have also driven widely in the US and found that mostly you guys
are pretty good, Boston was another story though. Over here, Fred, you could
have been decribing what I put up with every, both driving my car and my
streetcar, the desease over there is well and alive here, it's all along
with road rage, everyone believes his/her car has righ of way over everyone
else and if you dare get in the way......... Unfortunately, it is deep
seated in society, the reference to Germans (by the way, I have German
ancestry) and their ability for self discaplin is absolutely correct, at
least until recently, conscription/draft was still prcaticed in most
European countries, this teaches self discipline and self respect and
respect for other people property. I'm sorry i have gone on to long on the
subject, it just hit a nerve.

If anyone is interested in things down this way, please feel free to ask, I
hope to learn a lot from you guys, by the way, SF Muni has no PCC's painted
in TTC colours, you have to go to the new operation in wisconsin.

Cheers for now
Greg
----- Original Message -----
From: Fred W. Schneider III <fschnei at supernet.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2000 8:32 PM
Subject: Re: West Penn "Orange"


> Hi Jim
>
> No, I'm not encouraging.  Sad thing is that Americans always hear the
wrong stories.
> They claim they've heard about the high speeds on the German Autobahnen.
They never
> seem to understand that the Germans and Swiss are some of the best
trained, most
> disciplined, self-regulated drivers around.  The Germans have a long
history of being
> regulated and obeying regulation.  A speed limit sign, a no left turn sign
... they
> understand there is a reason for them and they obey.  Americans seem to
operate
> differently, on a philosophy that nothing wrong was done until they are
caught. Quite
> frankly, I never have bad experiences driving over there ... By now I
probably have
> 30,000 to 40,000 miles under my belt on European roads (including
left-side driving in
> England and Ireland).  And I enjoy driving over there because the drivers
are
> predictable.  I know what is going to happen.  I don't find my self amazed
at what
> some idiot did 5 feet in front of my bumper.   They all understand that
traffic moves
> better if you queue up instead of cutting in front of someone.  And by the
way,
> express highways can only handle so much traffic and the German Autobahnen
are now at
> that stage.  The average speed has dropped about 15 miles per hour in the
last ten
> years, there are a whole lot of additional speed zones which are obeyed,
and today the
> German government has dropped their recommended safe speed from 90 mph to
75 mph and
> probably only 5% of the drivers are now exceeding that recommendation.
By the way,
> Germany (and most if not all European) requires that drivers go to driving
schools to
> be trained.  Parents and friends don't do the training.  Everyone is
trained the same
> way.  The cost of getting the initial license varies with the student and
the country
> ... the range is between $1200 and $2000.  Personally I think you take it
a lot more
> seriously when shelling out that kind of money.
>
> Then I get home to watching assholes speed by me in the passing lane and
then dive
> across three lanes onto an exit ramp because they have an inalienable
right to be
> ahead of the other cars.  And damnit, you see it every day on your bus,
don't you?
>
> With age goes cynicism.
>
> Jim Holland wrote:
>
> > Greetings!
> >
> > Fred W. Schneider III wrote:
> >
> > > But it remains an
> > > American right to drive at high speeds even after we've proven that
fatalities
> > > increase.  Wars are a travesty.  Auto accidents are acceptable because
we choose
> > > to kill randomly.
> >
> >         Aren't we encouraging on our first day back!!::>>)))<Ultra-VBG>
> >
> >         Didn't see a postcard here - and in this day of instant
messaging,
> > wireless communications, etc!!::>>))<Another-Ultra-VBG>
> >
> > 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/
>
>