[PRCo] 1968--1969 -- The Mood of the Day in Pgh...
Jim Holland
pghpcc at pacbell.net
Fri Jun 15 04:57:13 EDT 2001
Good Morning!!
1968--Determination of John W. Dameron to Rid Pittsburgh of Trolleycars
The following is long and might best be read by
printing it out first. These are direct quotes from
*ERA--Headlights* which set the mood and give a feel
for this time period. It is recommended that one does
NOT read this before bedtime!!
The question was raised about why the GE 17s were scrapped and older,
dissimilar cars were kept. It was pointed out that even in PRCo days,
the 1275--1299--GE--series--PCCs were set aside as a block to be
scrapped. It was also pointed out that, even though "Air--Cars," the
1600s were very similar to the 17s electrically with extended dynamic
brakes and electrical components would be more easily interchangeable.
But it was also noted with some sarcasm that ({[pat]}) was
single-minded in its determination to totally abandon trolleycars, and
abandoning a block of the newest trolleycars -- 1700s -- knowing
full well that the remaining 1700s were not sufficient to provide the
service would help ({[pat]}) in totally abandoning trolleycars.
The following tends to bolster this position in addition to portraying
the "Dark Mood" of the times and rather imminent demise of the
trolleycar in Pgh. -- and even the ERA itself had predicted such a
possibility!!
==============================
The following is excerpted from *ERA--Headlights* June--1968,
pgs.2-3:::::::
"The future of the remaining streetcar routes is not bright. At the
Third International Conference on Urban Transportation, held at the
Pittsburgh Hilton on March 11, John W. Dameron, Executive Director and
General Manager of the Port Authority of Allegheny County (of which PAT
is a division), boasted that his guidance has helped transform the
city's transit system from 'one of the nation's largest trolley museums'
to a place where 'flexible buses' now rule. Mr. Dameron vowed that the
last of the 'obsolete streetcars' will be abandoned in another three or
four years, as soon as Pittsburgh can finance a Westinghouse Transit
Expressway (Skybus) system."
"In reviewing the 'accomplishments' of PAT since it took over the
operations of the PRCo and more than a score of independent bus
companies in early 1964 (which [accomplishments] have consisted
principally of abandoning streetcar operations and restructuring the bus
system), Mr. Dameron stated that the future of transit in Pittsburgh
will include only a Skybus system and diesel buses. He stated that PAT
hopes to replace streetcar route 42/38-Mt.Lebanon via Beechview with a
skybus line 'within the next few years.'"
"Since the Skybus line would require use of the Mount Washington Tunnel
for access to the Golden Triangle, Mr. Dameron stated that all other
rail routes--including the interurban lines--also will be abandoned (as
predicted in the November 1967 issue of *HEADLIGHTS*). He revealed that
PAT is considering turning the Library and Drake lines into private
highways for use by diesel buses. This would leave PAT with the
alternatives of either requiring the bus passengers to transfer to and
from the Skybus line or routing the bus lines into the downtown area via
the Liberty Tubes; in any event it is obvious that conventional buses
could not share the Mt.Washington Tunnel with Skybus vehicles."
".......He continued, 'Again, the Highways Department is cooperating
with us [pat] on a plan to pave streetcar rights-of-way in the South
Hills area. These, also, would become exclusive roadways for local and
express buses......."
"PAT's firm commitment to the Skybus scheme was stressed by a March 11
announcement, timed to coincide with Mr. Dameron's speech and the
proceedings at the Pittsburgh Hilton, that the U.S. Dept. of Housing and
Urban Development had approved an additional $1.6 million grant to aid
continued testing of the experimental Westinghouse Transit Expressway
line located at South Park....... The continuing test program includes
the construction of 1,700 feet of additional roadway for the Skybus
line, 600 feet of which will be on a 10 percent grade, and the provision
of two transfer-table type switches and a crossover. The development of
these features is essential to proceeding with PAT's plans to use Skybus
lines to replace its remaining streetcar operations."
[The article goes on to state that Mr. C.D. Palmer,
President of PRCo when purchased by PAAC,
was appointed to the PAAC Board.
While a lone voice, Mr. Palmer never the less
criticized the un-economic abandonment of
the South Hills rail lines.]
".......He [Mr. C.D. Palmer] noted that PAT had received a report from
Robert Heller Assoc., Inc., which discussed the deteriorated condition
of the system's streetcars, track and bridges."
"In response, Mr. Dameron stated that the PAAC Board had not authorized
the budgeting of any money for rehabilitation of streetcar facilities
(even though the budget is prepared under the Executive Director and
General Manager's supervision.) In addition, Mr. Dameron denied that
conditions of the streetcar system had been allowed to deteriorate to
the point where the safety of the passengers was being endangered. He
stated that the uncertainty of the future of the streetcar operations
was the reason for limiting investments in such facilities.
(Nevertheless, it must be noted that the deteriorated condition of the
street railway properties, which clearly has worsened during the period
of it ownership, is one of the main reason PAT invariably gives for
replacing them with buses.)"
[Headlights closes this article with
the following charge:::::::]
".......Indeed, the real reason behind the development of the Skybus
project and the decision to sacrifice the streetcar system is a
politically-motivated desire to make Pittsburgh the manufacturing
capital of the urban transportation industry of the United States."
--John R. Bacon and Ronald DeGraw
==============================
-*-->>-- Please Note::::::: The above article most definitely
states that the Mt.Washington Trolley Tunnel had been chosen for Revenue
Testing of the Skybus which totally eliminates any other form of transit
from using this tunnel.
==============================
From the April--1967 *ERA--Headlights,* pg.3, last sentence,
next to last paragraph, I quote:::::::
".......It is possible that the twenty-five 1700--series PCC cars with
General Electric electrical equipment will be sold to the MBTA in
Boston, although Boston also is reportedly interested in some of
Toronto's ex-Birmingham PCCs."
--Tom E. Parkinson
==============================
The following is excerpted from *ERA--Headlights*
November--1967, pgs.5-8:::::::
"THE PORT AUTHORITY of Allegheny County has committed itself to
proceed with a revenue service test of the Transit Expressway Concept,
the lightweight form of rapid transit using automated, unmanned,
electrically-propelled, rubber-tired vehicles running on concrete
runways developed by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation [aka
Skybus]....... The test installation for revenue service is expected to
be made in such a way as to require the abandonment of part, if not all,
of the remaining Port Authority Transit (PAT) streetcar operations in
the South Hills."
"The Rapid Transit Committee of the Board of Directs of PAAC
recommended on September 18 [1967] that:
• A substantial demonstration of Transit Expressway, sometimes called
Skybus, be conducted on a full-scale service level on a passenger
carrying and fare-paying basis;
• An exclusive right-of-way presently owned or substantially owned by
the PAAC be used for the demonstration. The criteria for this
right-of-way are that it must traverse a populous area, cross a
principal river, and lead into the Golden Triangle (without, however,
providing a complete or final passenger distribution system for the
Central Business District at this time)......."
"In discussing the proposal for a widespread test of Transit Expressway
with the local press, PAT General Manager John C. Dameron revealed what
those who had followed the Rapid Transit Committee's recommendations
already knew, that the project anticipates the abandonment of
Pittsburgh's last remaining streetcar lines, those in the South Hills,
in order to obtain a right-of-way for the Transit Expressway
demonstration. Mr. Dameron stated that there were two principal
right-of-way proposals for the Transit Expressway, involving using
either the interurban line to Castle Shannon....... or route
42/38-Mt.Lebanon via Beechview. Entry into downtown Pgh. would be
either via the South Hills Tunnel, which would require the abandonment
of all streetcar service operated by PAT, or by parallel abandoned and
now-sealed Wabash Railroad Tunnel....... which would require
abandonment of streetcar service only on the route selected for
conversion to Transit Expressway. A decision on which route to follow
for the Transit Expressway is expected within six months." [Please see
the quotes excerpted from *ERA--Headlights* June--1968, pgs.2-3, in
the first article -- and NOTE that the Mt.Washington Trolleycar
Tunnel was chosen for the route which totally eliminates all remaining
trolleycar lines in Pgh.]
".......It is significant to note that there has been no discussion of
retaining and modernizing the extensive PAT streetcar system in the
South Hills, even though this could be done for one-third to one-half of
the capital cost of the proposed one-line Transit Expressway
demonstration, but this is in keeping with the PAAC policy of ridding
itself of its PCC car operations as soon as possible, regardless of
cost."
"It also is apparent that PAT's intended adventure with Transit
Expressway has brought to a close all serious thought about developing a
conventional, two-rail rapid transit system for the area......."
"After the report recommending the Transit Expressway project had been
made public, Leland Hazard [very appropriate name for the job!],
Chairman of the Rapid Transit Committee of PAAC, was quoted as
announcing that the two-year, $500,000 study of the area's rapid transit
needs, made by the consulting engineering firm of Parsons, Brinckerhoff,
Quade and Douglas, is to be put 'into the deep freeze.' The absolute
absence of public comment from Parsons was most noticeable; privately,
it became known that the consulting engineers could not recommend basing
the Pittsburgh area's rapid transit system on Transit Expressway, and,
in the face of intense pressure to change its position, chose to
disassociate itself from the project in order to preserve its
professional integrity........"
==============================
Will we ever know the actual reasons for the scrapping of the
1775--1799--series--GE--PCCs? Probably not, but we have already seen
that the 1275--1299--series--GE--PCCs were even set aside by PRCo in
1961 (ERA Headlights, April-1961) and apparently the decision to set
aside, sell, or scrap GE-cars 1775--1799 was already known before April
of 1967 (quote above from April--1967 *ERA--Headlights,* pg.3), and
this is l-o-n-g before the Early Action Program of 1971--1972!!
The fact that they were in the minority as GE cars is a strong
contender for scrapping, and the description above of the mood of PAAC,
PAT, and even the "E.R.A." in 1968--1969 definitely assumes the total
abandonment of trolleycar service in Pittsburgh.
Thus, there was no rational thought about which cars should be kept -
they were all going - the future for trolleycars was over in
Pittsburgh. Why be concerned about which cars should remain for the
interim beyond ease of maintenance, parts availability, and what is able
to hobble on at the present??
====================
Jim
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