West Penn "Orange"

[Fred W. Schneider III]

WELCOME GREG.  You'll probably discover that I like to play devil's advocate,
often with a smile on my lips as I'm pounding the keys ... to stimulate thought
... to bring some of us out of our cozy little corner into the big world ... to
find the similarities and differences around the world ... even to appreciate
how others do things (there is no reason why someone in Australia or Austria
can't have a better way to do something).

And as to general conscription into the military ... it did teach men how to
appreciate each other and to accept differences.  It was a great equalizer ...
sort of like the baggage carousel at the airport.  I never loved the army but
I'll be first to say that it was a lot better back when everyone had a more or
less equal chance of being drafted.  You learned how to deal with all sorts of
people, or have your bed short sheeted.  We may have had different abilities but
we all had feelings and we learned to cope.   That was the good side.  The bad
side is apparent everytime you walk through a military cemetery.  Many times I
felt more sorrow for the Germans than for the Americans in World War II because
they were forced to serve with blinders and because so many teenagers -- kids as
young as 12 or 13 -- never had a chance to live beyond 1945.

Greg King wrote:

> 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/
> >
> >
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