[PRCo] Re: Trolley Pole Dewirements

[Jim Holland]

> Bob Rathke wrote:

> I remember a PERC fantrip back around 1960 that was called the "Bent Trolley Pole
> Special" because of the PCC they used on it.  The trip flyer included a drawing of
> the car with a badly bent pole, but the pole was bent before the trip started..

	That was actually in 1962 as follows:::::::

1962.10.21 1448 PRCo "Bent Trolley Pole Special:".......
	8, 10, 15, 36, 38A, 38, 56, 98, 55, 65.

	This was a hallmark of PRCo that I kind of enjoyed - I have a photo of
1240 with new temp signs for 37-Shannon so it must have been in the
1940s sometime - and the pole is badly bent to the point that the top
part of it was almost parallel to and touching the overhead - and this
just north of Castle Shannon proper!  Saw  m-u-c-h-o  kinked trolley
poles in the 1960s!
	Quite often there was a kink about 1/2-way up the pole and I have not
been able to determine what might cause this.  The only thing that comes
to mind is that the catcher suddenly catches and stops an upward moving
pole which results in a kink near the middle.  The consistency of the
kink on many different cars would suggest this.
	Poles with wheels were recommended to have 30-32--pounds pressure
against the overhead at 18-feet while poles with shoes should have
25-30-pounds, and SF typically recommended 25 but probably only had 20,
if that!  This higher tension might account for a kink if the pole is
suddenly stopped.

-- 
James B. Holland

        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
    To e-mail privately, please click here: mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
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