[PRCo] Re: training motormen

[John Swindler]

>Fred Schneider commented:
>
>How long did it take to teach someone how to run a trolley.  I'll revert 
>back to
>something John Swindler said ... he worked his way through college by 
>dodging L
>columns in Chicago.  He said it took several weeks to make a bus driver.  
>But
>six months to make a bus operator.  The latter, in John's find, was someone 
>who
>could maintain a schedule day after day with seeming no effort.  He was the 
>man
>who knew that you pulled into a stop with the butt end of the coach hanging 
>out
>in traffic ... you opened the front door for one passenger, simultaneously 
>hit
>the left turn signal, closed the door as her left food was on the stop, and
>pulled away from the curve ... the rear of the bus all the while protecting 
>you
>from traffic sweeping around the bus that would be holding you up at the 
>next
>traffic light.  Thank about it.  There are a lot of things that make a good
>operator which you cannot teach in classes because they are not politically
>correct.
>


Fifteen days to drive a bus, five years to operate a bus.  Not my quote - 
came from the training class for Chicago Transit Authority bus operators.  
The implication being that bus operator not only drives bus safely in 
traffic, on schedule, but also makes change and issues transfers.  Given the 
short headways (three minutes or less on heavy routes such as Clark, 
Broadway, Sheridan Rd. - and then there was Archer which eventually became 
the Midway rapid transit line) there's a lot of truth in what Fred says 
above.  One quickly learned to handle some of the fare collection duties 
between stops.

Chicago would hire about 900 college students each summer so that regular 
drivers could be given summer vacations.  I suspect it was the making change 
with circulating fareboxes and handling transfers that caused most problems 
for drivers.

Training included three days in classroom - two days early and final day 
near end of training - and twelve days on road with another operator.  I 
still remember the skid demonstration from second classroom day.  Water was 
sprayed on open area in bus yard, and we would drive a bus towards it and be 
told to hit the brakes.  The bus slid very nicely on rain covered asphalt.

It was a great summer job - and I even got paid for it.  Is this a great 
country or what.  But seriously, if you know any college kids looking for 
summer job, check to see if CTA still hires full-time temporary bus drivers. 
  I'd never been west of Cleveland before landing this job.  Must be 21 and 
have valid driver's license.  CTA provided the training to qualify for the 
Illinois chauffer license.

John





>Did I answer you Dennis?
>
>Let's see what Herb B. wants to add.
>
>fws
>
>"Dennis F. Cramer" wrote:
>
> >     Having the opportunity to briefly chat with Fred Schneider on 
>Saturday
> > at the PTM festivities, he brought up the subject of how long would it 
>take
> > to train operators to run a route such as Fineview.  He then answered 
>his
> > own question with the reply that it probably took no longer than any 
>other
> > route, because the operators grew up dealing with hills.
> >
> >     To further expand the thought, most of us who grew up around here 
>also
> > learned to drive a standard transmission dealing with the hills and were
> > relatively successful.  However, I still find drivers drifting backwards 
>on
> > hills to get going again as they try to engage the transmission.
> >
> >     Just as we have successful automobile drivers today and those whom 
>are
> > not so successful, I too feel that PRCo had their fare share of guys who
> > could not successfully handle a car on a hill.  How many operators 
>failed to
> > pass training?  We will probably never know, but there had to be those 
>who
> > could not do the task.
> >
> >      Every so often at PTM, we come across a student operator who just 
>never
> > gets the feel for operating a car and never makes it to the point of 
>being
> > successful.  We train about 5 to 10 new operators a year.  Most of them 
>make
> > it, but there is a small percentage who do not.  I assume then, 
>Pittsburgh
> > Railways had the same problems.  I also assume they had operators who 
>could
> > pass the training, but still got themselves into situations they could 
>not
> > get out of due to a limited skill level.
> >
> > Some questions that may never be answered:
> >
> > How long was motorman training?
> >
> > Did that time period change over the years?
> >
> > What percentage failed the training?
> >
> > What percentage passed, but then put their passengers at risk because of
> > limited ability?
> >
> > Was there special training for certain routes?
> >
> > Were operators routinely observed by supervisors as to their abilities?
> >
> > How many motormen were fired due to a lack of ability?
> >
> > When did the union come to Pittsburgh Railways and how many poor 
>operators
> > did they protect?
> >
> > Just some rambling thoughts to get the list going again.  Have a great
> > summer!
> >
> > Dennis F. Cramer--Teacher-Trombonist-Historian-Conductor
> > www.geocities.com/armconband
>
>
>

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