[PRCo] Re: Trolley Pole Dewirements

Tue Apr 3 09:42:52 EDT 2001

I wonder if your flyer was for the following fantrip. If I had to make a 
guess, photos I took of dewirement at Castle Shannon training loop were 
pre-35mm, which would put it around 1960.

>From: Bob Rathke <brathke at mediaone.net>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Trolley Pole Dewirements
>Date: Mon, 02 Apr 2001 16:39:30 -0500
>
>
>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..
>
>Bob 4/2/01
>
>
>John Swindler wrote:
>
> > There was a fantrip during which the pole was bent into an interesting 
>90
> > degree angle trying to reverse at the "wye" at west end of Castle 
>Shannon
> > training loop.  And yes, Jim, I remember that dewirement while inbound 
>on
> > Shannon.  Was that the one in which the pole exhibited some properties 
>of a
> > 'sine' wave?
> >
> > John
> >
> > >From: Jim Holland <pghpcc at pacbell.net>
> > >Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >To: "-->- PRCo -- WP -- JTC -- The Big *3* -<--"
> > ><pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> > >Subject: [PRCo] Trolley  Pole  Dewirements
> > >Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2001 07:13:27 -0700
> > >
> > >
> > >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/
> > >
> >
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>

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