[PRCo] Re: Trolley Pole Dewirements

Sun Apr 1 18:12:34 EDT 2001

Greetings

As I remember, the interurban PCC's had a rear window that could be opened
to allow the operator to reach out and put the pole on the wire in the event of
a dewirement on a bridge.  Is this correct.

Best wishes to all.

Harold Geissenheimer

Bob Rathke wrote:

> >From 1972-78 I rode the Drake trolley five days a week from Brookside to downtown
> and return, and then rode it frequently from 1978-83.   I remember dewirements
> occuring at various random locations; not a lot of dewirements, though, and mostly
> between Washington Jct. and Brookside.  There were probably more trolley (car)
> breakdowns than there were dewirements in that era.  I remember numerous incidents
> that required a pusher car or a bus shuttle - everywhere from Overbrook to Drake.
>
> Bob 4/1/01
>
> Jim Holland wrote:
>
> > Rich Wagner of  *Wagner Car Company*  and  *Trolley Talk*  always said
> > that the flanged wheel and trolley pole//harp are the symbols of the
> > traction community.
> >
> >         I was always fascinated with both as well and the symmetry of the
> > overhead and the way the trolleypole tracked always fascinated me!
> > Dewirements were a fascination as well but seemed very few and far
> > between!
> >
> >         Don't remember any dewirements on Drake except possibly outbound thru
> > the turnout at Wash. Jct once.  Drake used directional frogs at the
> > sidings.  And only one dewirement on Library inbound leaving Simmons
> > loop.
> >
> >         And NO dewirements between Wash. Jct and Castle Shannon as well as NO
> > dewirements on the single track gauntlet wire on Overbrook.
> >
> >         Remember one dewirement inbound near Poplar with an operator in
> > training.  Also one inbound near Overbrook Blvd. or Inglewood inbound,
> > South Park special with mostly *foreign* riders coming home from the
> > Fair who only rode the interurban on this occasion.  It was at night and
> > Walther was operating the car; people got dead quiet when the lights
> > went out.  One other time in the daytime Walther was operating about the
> > same location and we had a dewirement; John Swindler took a movie of me
> > replacing the pole!
> >
> >         And I only remember 2-dewirements outbound on Overbrook, both the same
> > day, both the same trip, and obviously the same car - 1710.  Pole spring
> > might have been weak and trolley retriever was bad as Charlie (who
> > else?!(:=>))  had a terrible time resetting it!  The pole dewired
> > crossing the Elwyn trestle at just average speed - we had taken it much
> > faster before - and we coasted to the grade crossing at Cretestone to
> > replace the pole.  Then as we crossed CS Blvd into Castle Shannon the
> > pole came off again.
> >
> >         Don't remember any dewirements at SHJ - absolutely amazing considering
> > the web of overhead.  Charlie dewired once entering a yard track, but
> > that is it!
> >
> >         Never saw nor experienced any dewirements at Smithfield and Carson but
> > the interurban inbound turning from the bridge onto the ramp was going
> > thru a spiral easement which is a tricky location for the pole to follow
> > correctly and remember a dewirement or two here.  NEVER  saw a
> > dewirement from Grant to Liberty nor Liberty to Wood nor Wood to Water
> > and the cars used to whip thru the latter turn!
> >
> >         Those are the only dewirements I remember on the interurbans and I was
> > on them as often or more than my hometown 42-Dormont!
> >
> >         And on my hometown line, dewirements were extremely few.  If the spring
> > switch failed and a car backed out of the 42-line wye the wrong way the
> > pole would dewire.  Also, outbound, the frog leading into the wye saw
> > tremendous use and the runners wore to that direction and sometimes
> > caused the owl going straight thru to MtLebanon at 1.25-AM to dewire -
> > the flashing could be seen from my window!
> >         Outbound between Hillsdale and Alabama was a gentle banked curve to the
> > left.  At one point the banking leveled out and the wire was out of
> > alignment so it caused a sharp angle in the overhead and would sometimes
> > throw poles.  The line car was out one day and I mentioned where I saw
> > the pole dewire; they then tapped that hanger toward the inside of the
> > curve to remove the angle and it was fine after that.
> >         And outbound where the 42 split from the 38//39 was a shallow angle
> > turnout where my father and I experienced a dewirement on 1454 coming
> > home from a baseball game.  Remember the number because it was the
> > number of the house across the street from ours!
> >         And inbound thru the yard once, possibly on the 38-line, a hanger was
> > broken with the ear perpendicular to and below the contact wire which
> > caused us to dewire.  Isadore Reichert didn't believe me but when we
> > were heading outbound an inbound 39-line car hit that at tremendous
> > speed and went about 5-6 car lengths before getting his car stopped.
> > Izzy saw the hanger then and called it in!
> >         Saw a dewirement at Clearview loop - wire seemed higher here and this
> > might have contributed and we dewired outbound once on a city 17 with
> > mushy springs at the 38//39 junction.
> >         Never experienced a dewirement downtown on the 38//39//42 lines -
> > Never!
> >
> >         There was a trailing turnout from Stanwix at Fort Duquesne (connection
> > from the West End lines) and only 1000--series cars would dewire thru
> > this frog - no others!  Watched it for several hours!
> >         And inbound on Federal passing thru the underpass of the RR on a
> > 17-city car the pole dewired 3-times - probably a badly worn wheel with
> > a groove which could snag the wire!
> >         Saw an 88-line dewire outbound on Liberty thru the first turn after
> > Butler - too fast around the turn!
> >
> >         Don't remember any dewirements on 56-McKeesport, very popular
> > Sunday--pass ride; none on 87, don't remember any in East Liberty near
> > where grandparents lived!  And off-hand, don't remember any others.
> >
> >         Quite amazing for the amount of riding I did there!
> >
> > --
> > 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/