[PRCo] Re: 2002 PTM calendar

[Bob Rathke]

I have numerous photos from Bill Gwinn's trips to Pittsburgh: PRC ad cars in
the 1940s, West End lines in the 50s, and the last of the North Side lines
into the mid-60s.  He must have used a LOT of film - because he wrote the
time on each photo, you can track his exact itinerary on any given day, and
he was taking photos of nearly every car that passed in front of the camera.

I also have some photos of him at work on the Wheeling trolleys.

I will scan a few of these photos and send them to Derrick for posting on my
page of his website.  I'll then send descriptions in an e-mail to the list.

Bob 10/13/01

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----- Original Message -----
From: <Fredbruhn at aol.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2001 2:04 PM
Subject: [PRCo] 2002 PTM calendar


> Did Fred III let the cat out of the bag?  Ed must have the new calendar
> almost ready.
> Will it be announced with the next Trolley Fare?
>
> Is Bill Gwinn's house finally down?  The last time I drove by which I
believe
> was a few weeks before Fred III and Ed drove the 69 line in Wheeling his
> house was condemned and had danger tape all around it -- and for good
reason.
>  Bill used the 2nd. floor bedroom on the East side (toward Wheeling) for
his
> trolley work.  He was very organized as anyone who bought from him knew.
> Almost all of his shots had a caption typed on the back, with the date and
> time to the minute the photo was taken shown on the back.  Bill had two
sons,
> one I think is a doctor in Dayton, Ohio, and his other son lived in the
home
> and was on some type of medical disability.  It was this son who disposed
of
> his collection to PTM.  Bill bought his first car in the mid 60's.  I
believe
> his fellow operator Tom Fahey from Martins Ferry drove Bill to the WP
trips
> and later Pittsburgh.
>
> Bill started taking his trolley photos around 1946, but he may have some
from
> earlier times.  It may have been a Columbus rail group who came to Benwood
by
> B&O for a trip which Doc Blackburn recorded bits and pieces of on 8 mm.
Bill
> was the conductor and I think Tommy Fahey the operator.  The trip
originated
> at the McMechen barn, went throughout Whg. to the Warwood barn where cars
> were pulled out for the fans to see including a diff. dump, and then over
the
> island and north through Martins Ferry on the 79 line.  Bill realized then
> that he needed to take photos of the lines before they disappeared.  His
> route 59 shots south of Bridgeport
> were almost exclusively taken on one day, getting off and on cars going
> southbound and then back northbound.
>
> Do any of you (I should contact Gary Dillon who is old as dirt by now who
I
> don't think ever missed a trip) remember the trips on Wheeling?  There
were
> more than the one I mentioned above.  A trip to Barton had to be pre war
or
> about 1941 - 42.
> One trip went to the end of the Rayland line as shown in a photo in one of
> CERA's all color books.
>
> Remember Wheeling is included in our Pittsburgh umbrella of lines, so this
is
> on topic.
>
> Fred
>
>
>