[PRCo] Re: RE-BUILT PCCs PAT #4008-4009

[Jim Holland]

Good Morning!

	First off, let me quote Peter Ehrlich's total post for your info::

====================================================
   From: "Peter D. Ehrlich" <norcalrr at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Ex-PGH PCCs on the move!

Hi, gang!

	First the good news:  The two former Pittsburgh PCCs purchased by Muni in
an Internet auction last September--4008 and 4009--are on the move toward
San Francisco!  One of them is in New Mexico now.  (Info from a PCC shop
person.)

	Now the bad news:  They're going to be placed at Pier 80, outside.  Now if
anyone has seen what has been done with Flyer TC 5001 over there, that's
the last time you'll see these cars unsullied by muralization.

====================================================

> "Fred W. Schneider III" wrote:

> I never ceased to be amazed that a transportation authority that was
> totally unable to maintain its own PCCs (and you can ask Holland about
> what he thought of those wrecks when he had to run them daily) can turn
> around any buy junk from other agencies.  The PAT stuff was crap at the
> end.  I rode one that didn't even have functioning drum brakes.

	You are much to kind about the condition of the PCCs in SF in the
1970s!!(:->)

	""Not until 1980 was there even the beginning of an effort by Muni
management to institute a rational, comprehensive preventive maintenance
program.""    *The People's Railway* pg.204, 2nd-column, last sentence of
2nd complete paragraph.

	Band-Aid maintenance is all that Muni had in the 1970s  --  and PCCs were
totally decrepit and very unreliable.   Note that 1980 saw just the very
beginning of preventive maintenance programs at Muni  --  it is still
non-existant on the overhead wire system!

	The trucks under the  ({[pat]})  cars will need to be regauged  --  unless
they pull some trucks from a Baby Ten.   There was some hope that these
cars might be pressed into service rather fast but don't know where that
stands now.
	I-F  the cars are sent out for rebuild, then there is real hope for good
operations.   B-u-t,  if they are pressed into service as-is, then SF may
experience many problems from what you say about  ({[pat]})  maintenance.

	Were you on a  ({[pat]})  car that was in revenue service without drums?  
That is totally ludicrous!   That means the final stop was done by track
brake which had to be engaged to hold the car when stopped.   Tis what
caused the first wreck of lrvs here in SF.

	The apparent thought was good and efficient but proved catastrophic.   One
of the lrvs had a problem and the disc (drum) brakes were wound off and not
functional.   The thought was that this disabled car could be moved out of
the way using track brakes for final stopping so other testing could
continue.   Trouble is that power on the car totally failed at the crest of
the hill which rendered the track brakes useless and it rolled back into
the other lrv.

> Jim:  How is Muni's mechanical maintenance these days?   Would you want
> to run them?

	Just from casual observation I would say that PCC maintenance is 
*Very--Good*  --  Very--Good--Indeed!   I am impressed with the equipment 
--  maybe Peter can weigh in from his personal experience.

	I did sign into Geneva several years back on a J-Church twilight.   With
an early shut-down of the subway for conversion of the signalling system,
all lines were busted except the J which was totally PCC.   I trained on
the PCCs and was absolutely super-impressed with the Morrison-Knudsen
rebuild.   Mr. Meisner and his staff would shed rivers of tears of joy at
the care and dedication that went into rebuilding the Philly PCCs.
	But the routing and passengers along Market along with the greatly
increased traffic leave much to be desired.   So I did not stay and
returned to TCs.
	I sometimes toy with the idea of signing on a Twilight run on the historic
equipment, but even though it is paved prw into the Wharf, the intensity of
traffic  --  both auto and pedestrian  --  leaves much to be desired.   I
have a relatively quiet line to work now and like it that way!

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James B. Holland

Holland  Electric  Railway  Operation....... 
___"O"--Scale St.-Petersburg Trams Company Trolleycars and...
______"O"--Scale  Parts  mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net

______Pennsylvania Trolley Museum http://www.pa-trolley.org/
___Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190; http://www.nmra.org

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