[PRCo] Re: Baggage Rack & Other Interurban Equipment

[Edward H. Lybarger]

There was no real dispute over car ownership, except that PRCo thought that
PAT should have taken all the scrap.  PAT specifically condemned the
equipment it felt was needed to run the system; the paint work that followed
was simply an attempt to keep costs to a minimum.  The PRCo colors were on
hand.

PRCo would have been much smarter to accept the Port Authority's first
bid...it was higher than what they eventually got, interest included, and
without the cost of the legal fight.

Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Jim
Holland
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2001 2:54 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Baggage Rack & Other Interurban Equipment



> Kenneth Josephson wrote:

> 1613, however, lost her B-3 trucks, pilot and original spotlight. 1614
also lost her
> B-3 trucks.

	In what time frame?  I was speaking of August--1953.
	Interurban 1613 lost her Earll retriever and experimental B-3 trucks
rather early-on under PRCo but don't know the time-frame, and think it
will be extremely difficult to pinpoint.

	My point was that the interurbans kept a considerable amount of their
interurban character and that this was not replaced until it refused to
work any more!!

	It wasn't until about 1968--1972 that 1613 lost the roof light and
pilot, which was rather strange for it was the same time period that
roof lights and electric horns were mounted to all operating equipment!!

> Were the 1600s equipped with air horns during their interurban days, or
did they
> have those same funky sounding electric horns the 1700s had?   Ken J.

	Originally, when modified for interurban service by PRCo, these were
true blue air horns - multi-toned when I was riding them.

> P.S.- Does anyone have a list of which indicates 1725-1774 cars were
painted in PAT
> Gray during May of 1972?

	John is making a list of various paint schemes; I am checking the PRMA
Trolley Fares from 1964--1972 for pertinent information as well.  Dave
Hamley is quite detailed on what was happening.
	And in this vein, think it was you, Ken, who had once observed that
({[pat]}) repainted some cars in PRCo colors.  Seems there was a dispute
between PRCo and ({[pat]}) on who owned what in the middle 1960s and
until that was settled in the courts, ({[pat]}) did precious little
painting of the equipment - sometimes just touching up PRCo paint
schemes!

	AND......I totally agree that baggage compartments were being replaced
in the 1700s - even *PCC The Car That Fought Back* pg 113 shows the
interior of 1713 as such, most likely under ({[pat]}).  So I am well
aware of what a motorman's seat looks like in place of the baggage rack
on an interurban!!
	I left Pgh in March--1963 and up until that time,  *m-a-n-y*  baggage
racks remained and that is where I rode when riding with a known
operator.  When riding with Isadore Reichert about 1960--1962, we still
delivered Sunday newspapers to Mesta and one or two other stops on the
early AM pullouts!  Baggage rack was most definitely there!  My other
favorite seat was the very back in the center!

--
James B. Holland

        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
    To e-mail privately, please click here: mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
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