[PRCo] Re: Beeses vs Trolleycars

[Jim Holland]

>> Jim Holland <pghpcc at pacbell.net> wrote:

>> NO!(:=>)   The era for the trolleycar is over.

> John Swindler wrote:

> Interesting comment, Jim.

> It was very strange when I went to Pittsburgh for final weekend of PCC
> service in Sept. 1999.  Yes, enjoyed the car rides, but seemed that I was
> viewing a mere shadow of what once was.  Even a 'toy', or 'fake', if you
> will.  Very difficult to put into words, but the Drake shuttle just didn't
> seem like a "real" transit service.  Wondered afterwards if it was (my) age,
> or lack of trips to ride transit in Pittsburgh in recent years, but the
> thought occurred that perhaps the PCC really 'died' in Pittsburgh in 1983(?)
> when 42/38 suspended.  And what was left was just a shadow living on
> borrowed time.  Rail transit in Pittsburgh had become the light rail
> vehicles, and not the PCC cars.  Or at least from my perspective.

	You say alot here.  AGE  and  Familiarity  seem to color perceptions
for many, but not all (Fred won't like this, but  many, not all, tend to
like what they grew up with - Bob and the 40-line and SHJ, John, myself,
Matt, Fred-B, *Saturn,* probably some others [and many of us tend to
like other aspects of PRCo as well but not as deeply.])
	For me, it was PRCo 1956--1963 and it took some personal forcing to go
back as far as 1950  --  but as one can see from my signature line, I
like PRCo from 1930--1950!!
	When assembling my photo albums, I considered PRCo diagnosed as
Terminally--Ill in 1964 when ({[pat]}) took over and include some
({[pat]}) photos from 1964--1971 in my PRCo photo albums  --  some, but
not all!    ({[pat]}) was intent on getting rid of trolleycars so the
period from 1964--1971 was the final death-throes of PRCo.  This was
still the PRCo system with a rectangular patch identifying the equipment
as ({[pat]}) while some received new and Oooooooogly paint!
	({[pat]}) trolleycar service begins with the mod-paint schemes of
1971--1972 when a conscious decision was made to retain some rail
service!

	So while the system died in 1984 for John with the
suspension//change--over of the 42-line, it died for me in 1964 with
({[pat]}) control.  Also, I left home in 1963, 4-years+ in the Navy,
9.5-years in IL (relatively close), the rest on the Left--Coast  --  so
I have been pretty well detached from the system since 1963 whereas John
has remained much closer.

> I remember a comment from Frank Goldsmith to the effect rail transit just
> wasn't the same anymore with the demise of the Connecticut Co. rural lines.
> I suspect I'm beginning to understand what Frank was trying to say.

	The death of trolleycars again is all Relative - and often that
Relative is to one's personal experiences with traction!

> Maybe its just a case that, in the end, one can't go back in time.

> John

-- 
James B. Holland

        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
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