[PRCo] Re: Baggage Rack & Other INterurban Equipment

[Bob Rathke]

I just dug out a couple of photos that I took INSIDE the 1724 at Drake loop on
October 10, 1965.  Except for a woman boarding, the car was empty, so these are
good, sharp views of the interior.  Motorman was Bill Kaiser.

The forward facing view shows that the first passenger seat is a motorman seat
mounted to the floor immediately behind Bill Kaiser's seat which was on the
motorman's raised platform.  There is a sheet metal partition (about 3X3')
immediately behind the (operating) motorman's seat - this may have been a remnant
from the luggage rack.  However, the area above the metal panel, to the ceiling, is
completely open.  This is the way I remember 1700 interurbans post-1972.

The rear facing view shows the latch on the left side rear window.

Even some of the graffiti on interior panels is readable - just names and initials,
nothing risqué.

I will send these photos to Derrick for uploading to my page on his website, and
will advise the list when the photos are posted.

So...at least we know that 1724 didn't have a luggage rack in 1965.  I didn't become
a daily rider on Drake until 1972, so there could have been some luggage racks in
existence after the PAT takeover (3/1/64), but they were removed by 1972.

Bob 5/26/01

----------------------

Jim Holland wrote:

> > Harold Geissenheimer wrote:
>
> > I believe that the little steel platform was removed after
> > the interurbans quit.  A motormans type seat was used
> > as the replacement if I remember this.
>
>         The racks most definitely remained into the ({[pat]}) era.  PRCo
> started removing them and as Herb indicated, they were completely
> removed by the time he was operating.
>         I  *always*  rode in the railfan seat - on the baggage rack - when
> riding the interurbans and when I knew the motorman.  I was
> super-frequent-rider in the late 1950s, early 1960s and never remember
> sitting on a motormans seat in place of the baggage rack, although I
> knew a couple interurbans had such seats replacing racks!
>
>         The only things removed when the interurbans of Charleroi and
> Washington were truncated at Library and Drake respectively were the
> spare trolley poles strapped to the roof, the fare register which was
> replaced by a fare box, fire-fighting equipment, tools, and the 2-way
> radios.  Literature comments always say that  *most*  of the interurban
> equipment was removed, but this is not true!
>         The Earll retriever remained (but was gradually replaced by catchers as
> they failed in the 1960s, starting with PRCo), the roof light remained,
> the pilot remained, the horn remained, the left-rear window remained
> operable, the baggage rack remained (but was systematically replaced
> with motormans seats starting ca.-1960,) and the B-3 trucks remained!!
>         Then under ({[pat]}) the radios came back to all equipment!
>         Also interesting to note is that when ({[pat]}) thought they were going
> to build quite a few 4000s, they ordered quite a few new B-3 trucks and
> outfitted quite a few remaining 1700s preparing for the conversion.
> Sunburst Trolley 1730 had B-3 trucks in her latter days, starting at
> least in 1984 when I was there last!  And quite a number of other
> original city cars had B-3s as well.
>
> >> Bob Rathke wrote:
>
> >> I rode the 36-Drake line nearly every day from 1972-83, and was on many 1700
> >> interurbans, but never saw one with a baggage rack.  Only in early 1950's
> >> photos.
>
> >>> HRBran99 at aol.com wrote:
>
> >>> Be advised that during the years I operated those cars (1973-1979) the racks
> >>> had all been removed. I operated 1711 many times and it did not have a rack.
> >>> It is possible that shop personnel attached the rack back into the car prior
> >>> to sending it to Arden.
>
> >>> HrB