[PRCo] Re: 1.>-- B-3 _&_ 2.>-- GE

[Jim Holland]

Good Morning!


> boris6 at volny.cz wrote:

> The 1711 in PTM has shock absorbers between its body
> and trucks....    This practice was not in evidence
> in PRCo. or early PAT days.    I remember some pictures
> of 4000s with them and no 1700. Hall Industries -
> you are right, I feel that name faintly familiar.

> Boris


	Rather difficult to mount shocks between body and trucks since
trucks swivel.

	When PRCo installed the 1700--1724 interurbans on the Washington
and Charleroi lines, shocks were mounted between the frame and
the top of the Spring pot.    Check photos between 1949--1953 for
same.    BUT  please note that shocks were removed later and some
were even removed between 1949--1953.    Even the B3s under the
1600-series interurbans had shocks, and even the experimental B3s
used under 1613 and 1614.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PRCo GE PCC 1775--1799

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>> Pepa Kalousek wrote:

>> It is well known that the General Electric equipped
>> PCC cars were not very popular, mostly because of
>> complicated maintenance of commutator type accelerator,...
>> which required a laborious process of removing from car 
>> I have heard something about that the GE cars were
>> slightly jerkier than the Westinghouse equipped and
>> had also a strong dynamic condition (spotting current)
>> on downgrades. Boris

	The GE-1700s were distinctly different operationally than
1700--1724  and  1725--1774.    Whether or not the term is
correct, motormen on PRCo referred to the spotting cycle as 
"Dynamic__Governor"  and the term has stuck with me.    Please do
NOT go down my throat about that - just repeating what I
heard.    Whether or not PRCo management and maintenance
personnel used same term to refer to spotting cycle is unknown.

	Also, whether or not this is a result of GE or not is not known
to me.    Do Not Know if the cars were delivered this way or if
they were modified by PRCo later.

	At any rate, the  1775--1799  cars  DID  HAVE  strong dynamic
drag when the power pedal was released.    I personally did not
like this and would not ride the North Side cars as a result  -- 
ALL  the cars in this series were based on the North Side in the
1960s.

	When these cars were moved to SHJ because Keating was closed,
Interurban Motormen complained bitterly about 1775--1779  -- 
releasing the power pedal at speed almost put them thru the front
window.    Yes, an exaggeration to make a point, but the drag was
counter productive where the cars could roll more freely.   
These cars were then sidelined and eventually scrapped.

	Seems it would be possible to adjust or rewire the cars to
prevent this but at this time in history,  ({[pat]})  was 
Hell--Bent  on getting rid of trolleycars.

	The above has been discussed on this email list ad nauseum and a
search of the archives will reveal same.

	I have been told that Shaker PCCs had the spotting mechanism
disconnected which also weakened the dynamic braking available
but definitely allowed the cars to roll freely  --  just as
freely as old equipment that did not have dynamic capability.

	Yet one person who is currently working on ex-Shaker equipment
says the spotting mechanism is very much intact.    But
definitely not the experience in riding same.

	ALL  PRCo  1700-series had the spotting cycle  --  twas
definitely noticeable on the interurban cars but was extremely
mild.    NEVER  detected the dynamic on Shaker PCCs.

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Waiting for a bus is as thrilling as fishing,
    with the similar tantalisation that something,
        sometime, somehow, will turn up. 
            George Courtauld

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James B. Holland

• Holland  Electric  Railway  Operation....... 
  "O"--Scale St.-Petersburg Trams Company (SPTC)
	Trolleycars and "O"--Scale  Parts
		including Q-Car
	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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