[PRCo] Re: Jim Holland's Memories

[Jim Holland]

Herb!

> HRBran99 at aol.com wrote:

> Seniority is just that, seniority. The person who has been there the longest
> is number 1 and all others fall in behind in the order in which they were
> hired. There were two seniority lists, a system list and a station list.

> Sleet, yes that could be dangerous. Rain, however, was not bad especially a
> heavy or a long period of rain. After the rain got all the oil washed off the
> rail it was not that slippery. Only at the beginning of a rain when the rain
> water and oil mixed was it bad. Leaves were actually worse than rain. Leaves
> were also a problem with the signal circuits on 35/36/37.

	Your snority system sounds identical to ours!

	WHY  did you leave Pgh. and rails?

	And leaves were worse than rain, sleet, ice, freezing rain, hail,
scorpions, and the like.  Oil in the leaves could almost strand a car on
dead level track.
	Remember the outbound stop on 42-Dormont between Dell and Dormont?  Not
many tress right here, but plenty of leaves ended up on the tracks
here.  We spent almost 2--minutes trying to get the car moving but all-8
were just spinning away, and this is just a minor upgrade.
	They called me the Sand--Dumper once lrv service commenced in SF
(sanders NEVER worked on the PCCs).  In anticipation of
slippery--slopes, I would sand one car length before braking and all the
way thru braking.  Thus when I applied power, ALL wheels were over sand
and I couls start without spinning!  Sanding after slipping//sliding
begins is of marginal value until all driving wheels have sand under
them!  Besides, a cloud of dust trailing from the train is kind of 
*Kool!,* Yes?(:=>)
	Brand new wheels on the lrvs and brand new rail on the system were a
menace for a while.  Rail top is somewhat rounded, and wheel-tire has an
angle several degrees off horizontal - so there is precious little
contact between wheel and rail.  And the lrvs have slip//slide control
where the computer automatically shuts of and reapplies power.
	I was working Judah with an lrv and we have a required safety-stop
inbound before crossing 22nd; passenger stop is on the far side.  It is
a good 6-percent plus grade into 22nd which then levels off.  As I
powered across the intersection gently, the slip-slide cut in and out a
couple times and some woman got all over my case about rough operation. 
I explained how the computer did that and she retorted that I did it on
purpose to make the ride uncomfortable  --  Not a bad idea - thanks for
the suggestion.  After that, I used plenty of sand!

-- 
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/