[PRCo] Re: Rankin Car House

[Jim Holland]

Good Morning!



> Fred Schneider wrote:

> Interesting testimony.   What do the old timers say
> when comparing Market Street Railway with Muni
> operations, service, schedule keeping, etc?  

	Market St. Railway was absorbed into Muni
immediately Post WW2 so that is close to 60-years
ago and no one to really give a good account that
I personally know.     Both Muni and MSR ran reasonably
tight ships.




> I remember your comments in Trolley Fare back in
> the 1970s ... particularly about how bad the PCCs
> were and how often they broken down.  Actually when
> did Muni service become less than tolorable.

	Pg.204 of  *People's__Railway*  says that Muni
had a major problem with schedule adherence by 1972 so
it actually started much earlier.     Quoting from the
first 2-full paragraphs, 2nd column same page:::::::

	"""The opening of the Woods Division and motor
coach shops...  had not in itself produced any reduction
in the large number of runs missed by motor coaches."""
	"""Improvement came about only after a two-year
effort to obtain funding for adequate maintenance staffing,
so it was possible in time to catch up with deferred
maintenance.     THERE   WAS   STILL   NO   PREVENTIVE
MAINTENANCE   PROGRAM,   a lack which threatened the
success of all the other improvements.     NOT   UNTIL
1980   WAS   THERE   EVEN   THE   BEGINNING   OF   AN
EFFORT   BY   MUNI   MANAGEMENT   TO   INSTITUTE   A
RATIONAL,   COMPREHENSIVE   PREVENTIVE   MAINTENANCE
PROGRAM."""


	Muni's approach was strictly bandaid - patch
and return to service.     Conditions with the PCCs
were absolutely abysmal and freakish.




> And yes, I know that Harold was there for a while but
> I also recognize that it had been a tax supported
> entitity about 60 years by the time he got there, so
> if it had already reached bottom, I don't know if
> there was a whole lot any man could do.

	December--1912  is when Muni started service
with the Geary line  --  #1 from 1912 still sees service
this year, 92--years later.     So Muni celebrated
its 70th about the time Harold arrived.




> Jim Holland wrote:
> 
> > Good Morning!
> >
> > > John Swindler wrote:
> >
> > > And the availability of owl service was the norm.
> > > Even into the 60s, route 88 Frankstown had
> > > half-hourly owl service.
> >
> > 42/38-Owl has Hourly.
> >
> > Library Interurban had only 1-car on the Owl so it
> > was Hourly-Plus-A-Half between vehicles.
> >
> > Encouraging summary, John, of transit usage.
> >
> > I avoid rail here in San Francisco because of reliability
> > problems.     Live right on Judah line and only need for
> > it is to go downtown but when I have used it there were
> > always problems.     M-U-C-H    E-A-S-I-E-R  And  Faster
> > to drive to a bus line north of Golden Gate Park to go
> > downtown.
> >
> > > In summers of 1968 and 1969, I had a two vehicle commute
> > > to work in Chicago.   Even a 4am or 5am start was not a
> > > problem due to existance of half-hourly owl service on
> > > most routes.  Likewise a pm run that would pull in around
> > > midnight did not create any problem commuting back to
> > > where I stayed.
> >
> > > In 50s and 60s my father used a 64 car, then either
> > > 60 or 68 to commute to Homestead Works.  In 70s,
> > > he would use PAT for day shift, but usually drove
> > > his car for night shift and 4-12 shift.  The reason:
> > > reduction in transit> service in late evenings.
> >
> > > It was a different world then.  Today I would not be
> > > surprised if most bus drivers drive their cars to work.
> >
> >         I take my car because it is 12-minutes direct
> > to work.     I would need to take minimum of 2-buses,
> > 3-buses would actually be fastest.
> >
> >         Judah to 9th where I take the 43-line direct to
> > work but the 43 usually gets to 9th earlier to drop people
> > for the 43 so I have to wait for another.     And lrv
> > service only 10-12--minutes (PCCs were 6-minutes).
> > 43-line goes thru Hate district, not exactly pretty part
> > of town.
> >
> >         Take lrv to 19th, 28-line across GG-Park is like
> > express, and 38- or 1-line to relief point is much faster
> > than above although I usually walk to 19th because of
> > infrequent lrv service.     Best in summer.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jim

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>