[PRCo] Nighttime

[Matt Barry]

Just flipped over the PA Trolley Museum 2004 calendar to the month of 
August, and am now viewing a vivid color photograph, from August 1966, 
of a nighttime 82 Lincoln PCC at the corner of Fifth and Smithfield, 
inbound.  Looks like one could jump right into the picture; it is that 
good.   And it was photographed by none other than Bob Rathke. 

I am starting to appreciate nighttime Pittsburgh/PCC photographs more 
and more, the more I see them (John Bromley has placed some excellent 
ones on ebay, and Ken's shared some great R. Hill ones on Dave's Railfan 
site.)  These seem to evoke more memory for me than the daytime 
photography.  Perhaps it was because I generally always looked forward 
to that PCC ride home from downtown, from West View Park, from 
Brookline, from East Liberty, and nine times out of ten, it was always 
dark by the time my family was departing one of these places.   The 
nighttime Pittsburgh PCC rides always seemed swifter to me, most notably 
breezing along the Pennsylvania Railroad yards on Liberty Avenue, coming 
back from town on an 88 Frankstown, or back from West View on the, as I 
recall, sometimes bumpy private right-of-way.  How boring East Street 
was after leaving the Perrysville section!

Anyway, check out the August photo if you have not already.

Matt