[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh_PA about 1945--1948!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HRBran99 at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/13/01 4:31:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
pghpcc at pacbell.net writes:


> PRCo apparently agreed to have one of the 16s built as the All-Electric
> Demonstrator After the order was placed for the series and the fact that it
> arrived on the property so fast is an indication that the car was already 
> under
> construction.   This construction could have been for BTC.
>     

The first all-electric PRCo PCC was number 1600. According to the Transit 
Research Corporation and St. Louis Car Company, it was built almost by hand. 
It was the first, and therefore had no jigs made for the body parts. Quoting 
from "PCC, The Car That Fought Back," by Carlson/Schneider III, ".........St. 
Louis Car agreed in November 1944 that a sample postwar car for Pittsburgh 
would, "be individually built without waiting for completed drawings, and 
would be hand built, without making up a complete set of tools, dies, jigs 
and fixtures." The company made the decision to accelerate the production of 
car 1600 for Pittsburgh not only because it would be "exceedingly 
advantageous for the industry," but also, " to demonstrate for future PCC car 
orders now in the minds of some operators."

Thus, the all-electric demonstrator was built as a one-of-a-kind and not 
taken from any other order.

HrB