[PRCo] Re: PCC in Holland

[ROGER Jenkins]

If you wanted a fast PCC car ride you should have been in Boston in 1959
when the Riverside line was opened, using those picture-window PCCs. The
track out on that line was worked on but still jointed track and the
ride in the last car of a three car train was hairaising to say tjhe
least. Boston seemed to have a higher power than most and had a 650 volt
minimum out on this line . The operators seemed to all run them as fast
as they would run and seemed to hit close to 55mph . The only drawback
to this was that in cold weather the heat was non-existant and the cars
got colder the closer they got to the Riverside terminal . The heat of
course came from the resisters and when no resistance was used no heat
was generated except when they reached the subway and were slowed down
by other traffic and closer stations. A new general manager soon had the
governors cut back after he was given a wild express ride to Riverside .
Tom McLernan , a bus advocate , and former manager at NYCTA  didnt
appreciate trolleys anyway and made it known soon enough !