[PRCo] Re: The LVT Accident

[Harold Geissenheimer]

Fred and others

Not Pittsburgh if you wish to delete

I rode the LVT several times at the end of the war leaving Allentown in
the late afternoon.  I travelled with Ray Miller (Ray Muller) of Phila Chapter
NRHS..  He and I visited all the small Pa trolley lines at the time.

There was always a large crowd waiting at the Allentown station for the
car to come  back from the barn.  The reason was jobs and sevicemen going back
to Phila.  Like Wilkes Barre, Scranton and Hazleton, there was a large
outward migration on Sunday evening.  I remember the Edwards Bus having
to double head Sunday evening from Hazleton back to NY jobs.

When 1030 (ex Indiana) was used, there were less seats.  City type cars
were used to operate short turn cars on both ends.  LVT helped win the war.
They did well by buying used equipment before the war.  So did Birmingham
and Norfolk.  I rode Norfolk with sailors but not Birmingham for steel mills.

The LVT Liberty Bell ride was excellent.  Several of the old big cars were also
in service.  The C&LE cars werefast  but I dont believe that they had good
brakes for the speeds operated.  We frequently had to back up at stops!.  To those
thinking in terms of the Pittsburgh interurbans, the Liberty Bell was quite different.

A ride on the Liberty Bell was really fast and different.

One of my most memorable railfan experiences.  I am glad
that I was able to see the many eastern Penna systems (including Lancaster).
My favorite was Wilkes Barre.  Each was quite different.  Reading did
well also with birneys and cars like the Boston ltwts.  Lancaster was
not well maintained and had a strike at the end of the war.

Now back to you Pittsburgh comments.

Harold Geissenheimer

Fred Schneider wrote: