[PRCo] Re: B-3 and Tatra PCC

[Fred Schneider]

This is really for Boris but it may interest some of the others.  If not, you
all know the location of the delete key.

The problem with the drawing is simple ... you really need several drawings to
understand it.  A truck is a complicated thing.  If you enlarged it to 12 inches
to the foot (sorry, Boris, 1000 mm to the meter), it would not be any easier to
decipher.   One really needs a series of drawings with dashed lines to show how
each relates to the other, or a series of pictures.  The best would probably be
transparent overlays.  But I've never seen such a thing.

That leave you with a problem ... the same problem I had when trying to
understand the Los Angeles narrow gauge truck.  The pictures of that truck on
page 130 of the first PCC book were taken when I went to Orange Empire Museum in
Perris California.   Those pictures cost me a round-trip airline ticket to Los
Angeles (only about 6,000 miles).  Dave Garcia was kind enough to jack the car
up, pull the truck out from beneath it, and then hang it on a crane for
pictures!  (And then he and two fellows spent the rest of the day replacing
swing link bushings that he found we bad when it came out from under the car.)
The dust jacket picture shows me next to the trophy a quarter century ago when I
still had brown hair.   So I think you'll have to go  for the visa and spend the
money to come here, and then crawl under 1711 at Arden.  If you go to the
trouble to come here, I'm sure we could get the car over a pit for you to
study.  If you can get to New York City  (Philadelphia would be better but most
Europeans seem to think they need to visit New York), I'll volunteer to drive
you the remaining 500 miles to the museum, and at least as far back east as
Lancaster of Philadelphia.  .

Pepa Kalousek wrote:

> You mean Fred III.
> Oh, yes, there are three pictures and one drawing (scaled down), but it's
> not possible to read any details from them. But it's a wonder I have got
> these two books.
> I suppose, or rather I am sure that somebody had to take some photos in
> carbarns and shops during 60 years of PCC path in Pittsburgh and some of
> them must show also trucks and other PCC components - accelerators, MG sets,
> contactors etc. I'd like to take several photos of B-3 myself, but it's too
> far to Washington, Pa... and in addition, it's not easy to get a visa for
> entering the US. So I have only one option - to bug railfans...
>
> Boris
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Dietrich, Robert J. <Robert.Dietrich at unisys.com>
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 6:53 PM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: B-3 and Tatra PCC

fws