[PRCo] Re: Baggage Rack & Other INterurban Equipment

[Fred W. Schneider III]

Were the Ohmer receipt printers leased or owned, and where did they wind
up?  If someone wanted one to put in 1711, where would one look?

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
> 
> --
> James B. Holland
>         Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
>     To e-mail privately, please click here: mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
> N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190; http://www.mcs.net:80/~weyand/nmra/