[PRCo] Re: To PCC or Not to PCC?.......That is the Question.

[ROGER Jenkins]

Mr. Birney [forgot his first name]  designed a car that could be
operated by one man safely by ading all those weird Birney type
controllers with the pop-up handle , safety button on the floor the
operator had to have his foot on , and that blasted air piston that came
out of its box right next to the operators ear  with a bang if he messed
up.!!  All this was to convince the riding public that it was safe to
have a streetcar operated by one man instead of two and gave the trolley
companies the way to eliminate excess employees , ie the conductor.
Without all those safety devices , a single truck car  or later a dbl
truck car would not be a Birney !!