Missing Blocks of Car Numbers

[Edward H. Lybarger]

I think we have this document in the PTM Library.  Specifically what am I
looking for in it?
  -----Original Message-----
  From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of HRBran99 at aol.com
  Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 4:52 PM
  To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
  Subject: Re: Missing Blocks of Car Numbers


  In a message dated 1/11/01 3:36:05 PM Eastern Standard Time,
  j_swindler at hotmail.com writes:



    But the real question is, who has a copy of the labor agreement between
ATU
    div. 85 and PRC from 1930s or 1940s?  And what does it say about
seniority
    and picking of runs?  Because I'd bet a value meal at McDonald's (ok, so
    I'm
    cheap!) that seniority for picking runs was why Tunnel maintained a city
    and
    a interurban seniority list.









  Having worked at SHJct, with some of the remaining "interurban" operators,
I
  can offer this.

  Several of the operators at SHJ in the 1970s and 80s were operators who
were
  former interurban operators working out of Castle Shannon when it was in
  operation. I can remember three men who would talk to me about the days
when
  there were two lists. This apparently came about through the clauses in
the
  labor agreement and the fact that "interurban" operators were considered
  higher in status than regular city operators. The training was more
intense
  on the interurban lines what with a different type of car and such
additional
  equipment as the 'trolleyphone', extra trolley pole, tool kit, etc. These
  operators were required to know more and do more in the event of an
emergency
  or breakdown than a city service operator. The fact that they may break
down
  miles from the nearest service facility or route foreman required that
they
  had the knowledge and skill to start remedial action before a route
foreman
  arrived in order to keep ser! ! vice operating.

  One could easily see that the former interurban operators were in a class
by
  themselves. They had a very different attitude than newer, younger
operators.
  Most of them (those still around in the 1970s, at least) were former WW II
  service men and had that "do or die" attitude now missing in society. Even
  the way they wore the uniform indicated a group that was, to paraphrase a
  quote from the US Marine Corps, "the proud, the few, the interurban
  operators."

  I am certain that to have that group integrated into the regular seniority
  list at SHJ would have caused problems with moral. So two lists were
  maintained until the end of interurban service.

  Interesting too, was the fact that all the men remaining from the
  Washington/Charleroi days always picked 35 or 36. Seldom would I even see
one
  of them on the 37 and never on 42/38 and certainly not on 49.

  I heard some interesting stories from these guys about the last of the
  interurban days in Pittsburgh.

  PATransit did have a combined garage at the E. Liberty Division. It was a
  combination of Craft Ave. and Homewood. However, there was only one run
pick
  held for the entire seniority list. Operators were assigned to either E.
  Liberty 'A' or E. Liberty 'B' for administrative purposes only. A was old
  Craft Ave. and B was old Homewood. There were also two superintendents,
one
  for A and one for B.

  I really never asked, and do not know, if there were two superintendents
at
  SHJ when there was both a city and interurban division at the one car
house.

  HrB
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