[PRCo] Re: PCC Rehabilitation

[Harold Geissenheimer]

Greetings
I competed with Pgh Railways from 1950 to 1964.

Our buses ran on the same streets as the cars.

With few exceptions, from an accident, etc, the PCC.'s were
not maintained very well.

I viewed photos at the time of the takeover which confirmed
this and later what PAT found when they started rehab.

True John Dameron wanted the end of the PCC's
But it was before Dameron that PRC stopped some maintenace.

Agreed that safety and electrical was never a question.  And there was
track work.

Lets face it...after Tom Fitzgerald, PRC cars were not properly maintained..

I used the 38 and 42 on a regular basis and the cars were not clean or
attractive.

All of our best wishes cant make PRC into a Rolls Royce.

Most bus lines had good maintance.     Community, Bigi, Oriole, Shafer,
Ohio River, Harmony, Penn Transit, Noble Dick, were excellent.
The poor looking ran mill buses in the Mon Valley.

Harold Geissenheimer

James B. Holland wrote:

>Harold Geissenheimer wrote:
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>>Boris
>>There were several stages of the PCC decline.
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>>First Pgh Rys painted few cars and made cheap repairs
>>if any.
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>             Difficult to be specific since email is the Fast-Food of 
>communications, and while some aspects of the above are true, I would 
>still submit that the basic fleet received pretty decent care.     Think 
>we can chronicle that cars nearing the end of life expectancy received 
>little to no cosmetic attention but to keep them operating up and down 
>the hills, they needed electro-mechanical attention.
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>             The bulk of the PCCs were purchased during receivership  
>--  known that the Trustees during this period paid good attention to 
>infrastructure and did not a little track renewal.     Overhead Not in 
>the Los Angeles Perfect category, but Definitely Much Better than most 
>systems I have seen.
>
>             Not long after receivership / bankruptcy ended in the early 
>1950s, talk of a public agency became common.      On 1954.12.05  (A 
>Cold Day in Pgh, if Not That Other Place!):::::::       ""The county 
>commissioners made public proposed legislation, drafted by a 
>seven-member citizens' committee, for creation of a county-wide public 
>transportation authority to acquire and consolidate bus and trolley 
>lines.     The legislation required approval of voters in a referendum 
>scheduled for primary election of 1956."""---[Pgh.,pg.502 - Stefan 
>Lorant.]       So the wheels of  @#$%&*^  were in progress and it took 
>another 10-years before such became reality.
>
>             But even as of 1960, equipment was still in decent looking 
>condition, overhead was good, track on prw was rough but even some 
>street trackage was replaced in the very early 1960s by PRCo.     It was 
>still possible to open the cars up on prw and let them roll!
>
>             The 1200s were nearing end of life as  ({[pat]})  took over 
>and may have looked shabby but Do Not Remember Holes to put my hands 
>thru on any of the bodies.     None of these cars were acquired by  
>({[pat]})  OR  were retired shortly thereafter if they were.     So How 
>Much Money would Any One Of Us have spent on a system about to be 
>condemned if we sat in the President's seat???????
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>             THE  Real  DownHill  Slide  came after  ({[pat]})  took 
>over because, in spite of  *Stated__Intentions* to keep trolleycars 
>rolling, the authority was  Hades--Bent  on getting rid of trolleycars 
>and modernizing the city Known For Operating the largest rolling Trolley 
>Car Museum in the country  --  Didn't Not Dameron say this himself  --  
>We  Have  Had  this discussion right here before!!!!!!!
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>>Second after 1964 under PAAC some cars painted grey
>>with very little else.  PAAC was going to abandon every thing.
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>             So the Leaders of  PAAC  were  *Liars*    ----    
>*Please__Note*  that it is the Individual (Authority in this case) 
>himself that calls himself a Liar when actions do not coincide with 
>statements    ----    others just observe the label the individual / 
>authority gives himself.
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>>Third.   Start of the Early Action program.  First 1700's, then 1600's
>>New mod paint styles after 1970.  Bi Centenial car 1776 was first
>>1600..
>>
>>Fourth.   Continuation by PAT after Ken and I left.
>>Included the stupid steamboat car
>>
>>Five.  4000's, some new, some rebuilt.
>>
>>All of the work done under the Early Actionprogram was first
>>class.  Included two 1600's with LRV fronts..  Much credit to Ken Hssong
>>and Phil Castelano.
>>
>>Harold Geissenheimer
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